[34,45] αἱ μὲν οὖν θῖνες καὶ τὸ πρὸς τῇ λίμνῃ χωρίον οὐδενὸς ἄξια. τίς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ τούτων πρόσοδος ἢ λυσιτέλεια; τὸ μέντοι χρηστοὺς φαίνεσθαι καὶ μεγαλόφρονας οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν ὅσου νομίζεται δικαίως ἄξια. τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἁμιλλᾶσθαι πρὸς ἅπαντας ἀνθρώπους ὑπὲρ δικαιοσύνης καὶ ἀρετῆς καὶ τὸ φιλίας καὶ ὁμονοίας ἄρχειν καὶ τούτοις περιεῖναι τῶν ἄλλων καὶ κρατεῖν ἡ καλλίστη πασῶν νίκη καὶ ἀσφαλεστάτη. τὸ δ´ ἐξ ἅπαντος τρόπου ζητεῖν μαχομένους ὑπερέχειν (46) ἀλεκτρυόνων ἐστὶ μᾶλλον γενναίων ἤπερ ἀνδρῶν. εἰ μὲν οὖν παρὰ τὰς θῖνας ἔμελλε Μαλλὸς μείζων ἔσεσθαι τῆς Ταρσοῦ καὶ παρὰ τὴν ἐπὶ τῆς ψάμμου νομήν, τάχα ἔδει σπουδάζειν ὑμᾶς ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον. νυνὶ δὲ αἰσχύνη καὶ γέλως ἐστὶν ὑπὲρ ὧν διαφέρεσθε. τί οὖν οὐκ ἐκεῖνοι κατεφρόνησαν; ὅτι οὐκ εἰσὶ βελτίους ὑμῶν. ὑμεῖς δέ γε βούλεσθε πρὸς τοῦ Διός. * ἀλλ´ ἔγωγε ἠξίουν ἐπιτιμῆσαι λόγῳ πέμψαντας αὐτούς. τοῦτο γὰρ ἦν ὑπερεχόντων καὶ φρονούντων. τὸ δὲ μᾶλλον τοῦ δέοντος κεκινῆσθαι καὶ καταφεύγειν ἐπὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν εὐθὺς καὶ νομίζειν ὑβρίζεσθαι (47) μικροπολιτῶν μᾶλλον ἀνθρώπων ἐστίν. ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὰς ἄλλας πόλεις ὑμᾶς ἀξιῶ προσφέρεσθαι πρᾴως καὶ κηδεμονικῶς καὶ φιλοτίμως καὶ μὴ ἀπεχθῶς. οὕτω γὰρ ἑκόντες ἀκολουθήσουσιν ὑμῖν ἅπαντες θαυμάζοντες καὶ ἀγαπῶντες· ὃ μεῖζόν ἐστι τοῦ θύειν παρ´ ὑμῖν καὶ δικάζεσθαι Μαλλόν. ταῦτα μὲν γὰρ οὐδ´ ἡντινοῦν ἔχει ὠφέλειαν, ἐπελθεῖν ἐπὶ θυσίαν δεῦρο ἢ τοὺς Ἀδανεῖς ἢ τοὺς Αἰγαίους, ἀλλὰ τῦφον καὶ ἀπάτην καὶ φιλοτιμίαν ἄλλως (48) ἀνόητον. ἡ δὲ εὔνοια καὶ τὸ φαίνεσθαι διαφέροντας ἀρετῇ καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ, ταῦτά ἐστιν ὄντως ἀγαθά, ταῦτά ἐστιν ἄξια ζήλου καὶ σπουδῆς. {ἃ καὶ} σκοπεῖτε· ὡς τά {γε} νῦν γέλως ἐστίν. καὶ εἴτε Αἰγαῖοι πρὸς ὑμᾶς εἴτε Ἀπαμεῖς πρὸς Ἀντιοχεῖς εἴτε ἐπὶ τῶν πορρωτέρω Σμυρναῖοι πρὸς Ἐφεσίους ἐρίζουσι, περὶ ὄνου σκιᾶς, φασί, διαφέρονται. τὸ γὰρ προεστάναι τε καὶ κρατεῖν ἄλλων ἐστίν. (49) ἀλλὰ καὶ πρότερον ἦν ποτε Ἀθηναίοις πρὸς Λακεδαιμονίους ζηλοτυπία, καὶ τό γε πρῶτον ἡγοῦντο οἱ Λάκωνες, εἶτα συνέβη πρὸς τοὺς Ἀθηναίους μᾶλλον ἀποκλῖναι τοὺς Ἕλληνας μετὰ τὰ Μηδικά. τί οὖν ὁ Σπαρτιάτης; καὶ τὸν νησιώτην καὶ τὸν Ἴωνα καὶ τὸν Ἑλλησπόντιον ἀφεὶς αὑτὸν ἐσωφρόνιζε, καὶ τὰ τῆς Σπάρτης ἑώρα, σαφῶς εἰδὼς ὅτι {καὶ} τῶν νόμων καὶ τῆς εὐταξίας οὐδὲν δεῖ περὶ πλείονος ποιεῖσθαι. τοιγαροῦν μάλιστα εὐδαιμόνησαν ἐκεῖνον τὸν χρόνον.

[34,45] No, sand-dunes and swamp-land are of no value— for what revenue is derived from them or what advantage ?—yet to show one's self to be honourable and magnanimous is rightly regarded as inexpressibly valuable. For to vie with the whole world in behalf of justice and virtue, and to take the initiative in friendship and harmony, and in these respects to surpass and prevail over all others, is the noblest of all victories and the safest too. But to seek by any and every means to maintain ascendancy in a conflict befits blooded game-cocks rather than men. It may be true that, if Mallus because of the dunes and the pasturage on the sand were likely to become greater than Tarsus, you ought possibly to show so much concern ; but as it is, disgrace and mockery are all you stand to gain from the objects of your quarrel. "Why, then," you may ask, "did not the people of Mallus scorn those things ?" Because they are no better than you are. But, by heaven, it is you who want them to be so. However, what I thought fitting was that you should send them messengers and file an oral protest—for that would have been the procedure of superior and sensible men—but to be unduly excited and to have recourse immediately to the assertion of your authority and to feel insulted is rather to be expected of small-town folk. (47) So also with reference to the other cities, I ask that you behave mildly, considerately, with regard to your honour, and not in a spirit of hostility and hatred. For if you do, all men will follow your leadership willingly, with admiration and affection ; and that is of more importance than to have Mallus sacrifice in Tarsus and there conduct its litigation. For it is of no advantage to you at all to have the people of either Adana or Aegae come to Tarsus to offer sacrifice ; it is merely vanity and self-deception and empty, foolish pride. On the other hand, goodwill and a reputation for superiority in virtue and kindliness — those are your true blessings, those are the objects worthy of emulation and serions regard. And you should pay heed to them, since your present behaviour is ridiculous. And whether it is a question of Aegaeans quarrelling with you, or Apameans with men of Antioch, or, to go farther afield, Smyrnaeans with Ephesians, it is an ass's shadow, as the saying goes, over which they squabble ; for the right to lead and to wield authority belongs to others. (49) Yes, there was a time in days gone by when jealous rivalry existed also between Athens and Sparta; and, at first, Sparta held the ascendancy, and then it came to pass that the Greeks inclined rather toward Athens, after the Persian wars. What, then, did the Spartan do? Abandoning his claims upon the islander, the Ionian, and the Greek of Hellespont, he proceeded to teach himself self-control and confined his attention to the affairs of Sparta, understanding clearly that nothing should be held more dear than law and order. Accordingly Sparta achieved its greatest prosperity during that period.