[34,50] τοῖς δὲ Ἀθηναίοις συνέβη, μέχρι μὲν οἰκείως πρὸς αὐτοὺς αἱ πόλεις εἶχον καὶ κατ´ εὔνοιαν ἡγοῦντο, μετὰ ταῦτα δέ, ὡς ἐγκλήματα καὶ φθόνος αὐτοῖς συνελέγη καὶ μὴ βουλομένων ἄρχειν ἠξίουν, πολλὰ καὶ δυσχερῆ παθεῖν· καὶ πρῶτον μὲν ἁπάντων ἀπολέσαι τὸν ἔπαινον καὶ τὴν εὐφημίαν, ἔπειτα καὶ τὴν ἰσχὺν καὶ τὰ χρήματα, καὶ τελευταῖον ὑπὸ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς γενέσθαι· καὶ τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις ὁμοίως, ἐπειδὴ κἀκεῖνοι πάλιν εἴχοντο τῆς ἀρχῆς, ἀποστάντες τῆς πρότερον {αὐτοῖς} γνώμης, ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς (51) γενέσθαι. καίτοι τὰ μὲν ἐκείνων εἶχεν ἀληθῆ δύναμιν καὶ μεγάλας ὠφελείας, εἰ δεῖ τὰς πλεονεξίας οὕτως καλεῖν· τὰ δὲ τῶν νῦν ἀμφισβητήματα καὶ τὰ αἴτια τῆς ἀπεχθείας κἂν αἰσχυνθῆναί μοι δοκεῖ τις ἂν ἰδών. ἔστι γὰρ ὁμοδούλων πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐριζόντων περὶ δόξης καὶ πρωτείων. τί οὖν; οὐδὲν ἀγαθόν ἐστιν ἐν τῷ χρόνῳ τούτῳ, περὶ οὗ χρὴ σπουδάζειν; ἔστι τὰ μέγιστα καὶ μόνα σπουδῆς ἄξια καὶ τότε ὄντα καὶ νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ ἐσόμενα· ὧν οὐκ ἔχει δήπουθέν τις ἐξουσίαν οὔτ´ ἄλλῳ παρασχεῖν οὔτε ἀφελέσθαι {δύναται} τὸν κτησάμενον, ἀλλ´ ἀεί ἐστιν ἐπ´ αὐτῷ, κἂν ἰδιώτης ᾖ κἂν πόλις· ὑπὲρ ὧν ἴσως μακρότερον λέγειν πρὸς ὑμᾶς. (52) καίτοι με οὐ λέληθεν ὅτι τοὺς φιλοσόφους πολλοὶ νομίζουσιν ἐκλύειν ἅπαντα καὶ ἀνιέναι τὰς ὑπὲρ τῶν πραγμάτων σπουδάς, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο βλάπτειν μᾶλλον· ὥσπερ εἴ τις τὸν μουσικὸν βούλοιτο ἁρμοζόμενον, ἔπειτ´ ἀνιέντα τῶν φθόγγων τινὰς καὶ πάλιν ἑτέρους ἐπιτείνοντα σκῶψαι * τὸν αὐτόν. ἔχει δὴ καὶ τὰ τῶν πόλεων (53) πράγματα οὕτως. αἱ μὲν γὰρ πονηραὶ καὶ ἀνωφελεῖς σπουδαὶ καὶ φιλοτιμίαι μᾶλλόν εἰσι τοῦ προσήκοντος ἐντεταμέναι καὶ τρόπον τινὰ {δι´ αὑτοὺς} ἀπορρήγνυνται πάντες· αἱ δὲ ὑπὲρ τῶν καλλίστων ὅλως ἐκλύονται. θεάσασθε δ´ εὐθέως, εἰ βούλεσθε, τὴν τῆς φιλαργυρίας ἐπίτασιν, τὴν τῆς ἀκρασίας. ἀλλ´ ἔοικα γὰρ πόρρω προάγειν, καὶ καθάπερ οἱ ἐν ταῖς γαλήναις μακρότερον νηχόμενοι, τὸ μέλλον οὐ προορᾶν.

[34,50] And as for the Athenians, it so happened that, as long as the cities were on friendly terms with them, and the Athenians behaved kindly as their leaders, they too prospered; but afterwards, when accusations and ill-will toward them accumulated and they saw fit to rule unwilling subjects, they suffered many disagreeable things. And the first thing of all to happen was to lose their commendation and good repute, and next to lose their power and wealth, and finally to become subject to their foes. And the Spartans had a similar experience : when they too once more held the reins of empire, departing from their own former principle, they found themselves in the same position as the Athenians. And yet those states of old possessed real power and great utility, if it be correct to eall self-seeking by that name ; whereas anyone seeing the disputes and occasions for hostility of the present time would, methinks, blush for shame, for in reality they make one think of fellow-slaves quarrelling with one another over glory and pre-eminence. What then? Is there nothing noble in this our day to merit one's serious pursuit? The greatest things, yes the only things worthy of serious pursuit, were present then, are present now, and always will be ; and over these no man, surely, has control, whether to confer them on another or to take them away from him who has them, but, on the contrary, they are always at one's disposal, whether it be a private citizen or the body politic. But the discussion of these matters perhaps would take too long. And yet I am not unaware that the philosophers are believed by many to be engaged in relaxing everything and in slackening the serious pursuit of practical affairs and on that account in working more harm than good. It is just as if one should wish to watch a musician tuning his instrument, and then, seeing the same man slacken some strings and tighten others again, should scoff at him. (53) That in fact is precisely the situation in civic matters. For the base and unprofitable pursuits and ambitions have become more tense than is fitting, and all who are swayed by them, through no one's fault but their own, become broken men, as one may say; but those pursuits and ambitions which aim at what is noblest are wholly relaxed. And consider, for example, if you will, the tension that marks covetousness, that marks incontinence! But I seem to be going too far afield, and, like those who in calm weather swim too far, I seem not to foresee what lies ahead.