[56,0] ΑΓΑΜΕΜΝΩΝ Η ΠΕΡΙ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΑΣ. (1) (Dion) Πότερα βούλει περὶ Ἀγαμέμνονος ἀκούειν φρονίμους λόγους, ἀφ´ ὧν ἔστιν ὠφεληθῆναι τὴν διάνοιαν, ἢ λυπεῖ σε Ἀγαμέμνων ὁ Ἀτρέως ὀνομαζόμενος ἐν τοῖς λόγοις; (Interlocuteur) Οὐδ´ εἰ περὶ Ἀδράστου τοῦ Ταλαοῦ λέγοις ἢ Ταντάλου ἢ Πέλοπος, ἀχθοίμην ἄν, εἰ μέλλω βελτίων ἔσεσθαι. (Dion) Καὶ μὴν ἀνεμνήσθην ἔναγχος λόγων τινῶν, οὓς λέγοιμ´ ἄν, εἴ μοι ἐρωτῶντι ἐθέλοις ἀποκρίνασθαι. (2) (Interlocuteur) Λέγε ὡς ἀποκρινουμένου. (Dion) Εἰσί τινες ἀνθρώπων ἄρχοντες; ὥσπερ ἕτεροι μὲν αἰγῶν, ἕτεροι δὲ ὑῶν, οἱ δέ τινες ἵππων, οἱ δὲ καὶ βοῶν, ξύμπαντες οὗτοι οἱ καλούμενοι κοινῇ ποιμένες· ἢ οὐκ ἀνέγνωκας τοῦτο τὸ ἔπος Κρατίνου· ποιμὴν καθέστηκ´, αἰπολῶ καὶ βουκολῶ; (Interlocuteur) Οὐκ ἂν ἔχοιμί σοι εἰπεῖν, εἰ ποιμένας ἄμεινον ὀνομάζειν σύμπαντας τοὺς τῶν ζῴων νομέας. (Dion) Οὐ μόνον γε τῶν ἀλόγων, ὦ ἄριστε, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀνθρώπων, εἴ τι χρὴ Ὁμήρῳ πείθεσθαι περὶ τούτων. ἀλλὰ τί οὐκ ἀπεκρίνω τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐρώτημα; (Interlocuteur) Τὸ ποῖον; (Dion) Εἰπέ, εἰσί τινες ἀνθρώπων ἄρχοντες; (Interlocuteur) Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ εἰσί; (3) (Dion) Τίνες οὗτοι; τίνας αὐτοὺς ἐπονομάζεις; λέγω δὲ οὐ τοὺς ἐν πολέμῳ στρατιωτῶν ἄρχοντας, (στρατηγοὺς γὰρ ὀνομάζειν εἰώθαμεν τοὺς ἁπάσης τῆς στρατιᾶς ἡγεμόνας· ὥσπερ γε καὶ κατὰ μέρος ὁ μὲν λόχου ἄρχων καλεῖται λοχαγός, ὁ δὲ τάξεως ταξίαρχος, ὁ δὲ τοῦ ναυτικοῦ ναύαρχος, ὁ δὲ μιᾶς τριήρους τριήραρχος· καὶ ἄλλοι εἰσὶν οὕτως καλούμενοι πλείους ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις ἄρχοντες κατ´ ὀλίγους, ὅτι πλείστης προνοίας τότε καὶ ἡγεμονίας οἱ ἄνθρωποι δέονται. (4) οὐδέ γε τῶν χορῶν τοὺς κορυφαίους τυγχάνω πυνθανόμενος, οἵτινες καλοῦνται, τοὺς σημαίνοντας τοῖς ᾄδουσι καὶ μέλος ἐνδιδόντας, οὐδὲ τοὺς τῶν συμποσίων ἡγεμόνας, οὐδ´ εἴ τινες ἄλλοι μέρους ἀνθρώπων πρὸς μίαν πρᾶξιν ἢ χρόνον ῥητὸν ἐπιμέλειάν τινα ἢ ἀρχὴν λαμβάνουσιν· ἀλλὰ τοὺς αὐτό γε τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἄρχοντας πολιτευομένων καὶ γεωργούντων, ἂν οὕτως τύχωσι, καὶ βιούντων ἁπλῶς, ὡς Κῦρός τε Περσῶν ἦρχε καὶ Μήδων Δηιόκης καὶ Ἕλλην τῶν δι´ αὐτὸν ὀνομασθέντων καὶ Αἰόλος Αἰολέων καὶ Δῶρος Δωριέων καὶ Νόμας Ῥωμαίων καὶ Δάρδανος Φρυγῶν.

[56,0] THE FIFTY-SIXTH DISCOURSE : AGAMEMNON OR ON KINGSHIP. (1) (Dion) Do you wish to hear words of practical wisdom on the subject of Agamemnon, words by which the mind can be improved, or does it annoy you to have Agamemnon son of Atreus named in my discussions ? (Interlocuteur) Not even if you should speak of Adrastus son of Talaüs or of Tantalus or of Pelops, should I be annoyed, provided I am likely to be improved. (Dion) Very well, I have just called to mind certain words which I might speak, if you would consent to answer when I question you. (Interlocuteur) Proceed, for I will answer. (2) (Dion) Are there certain persons who are rulers of men, just as there are some who are rulers of goats, others of swine, others of horses, others of cattle, there one and ail having in common the title herders ; or have you not read this verse of Cratinus ? "My post is herder ; goats and kine I tend." (Interlocuteur) I could not tell you whether it is better to call all who tend animals herders or not. (Dion) Not merely those who tend brute beasts, my good fellow, but human beings too, if one should put any faith in Homer regarding these matters. But why did you not answer the original question ? (Interlocuteur) What question ? (Dion) Whether there are indeed certain rulers of men. (Interlocuteur) Why, of course there are. (3) (Dion) Who are these ? What do you call them ? I am not speaking of those who rule soldiers in war, for those who are leaders of the army as a whole we are wont to call generals ; just as also, considered unit by unit, the ruler of a company is called captain ; of a regiment, colonel ; of the fleet, admiral ; and of a single triereme, trierarch ; moreover, there are several others similarly named who in warfare exercise rule over small units, because at that time men need fullest care and leadership. (4) Nor, as it happens, am I asking what the leaders of the choruses are called, who give orders to the singers and set the tune, nor am I asking about the leaders of symposia, nor about any others who for a single act or for a set time assume a certain oversight and control over a group of men ; on the contrary, I mean rather those who at any time rule human beings in their activities as citizens, or in their farming, it may be, or simply in their living, as Cyrus, for example, ruled the Persians, Deïoces the Medes, Hellen those named for him, Aeolus the Aeolians, Dorus the Dorians, Numa the Romans, and Dardanus the Phrygians.