[34,30] τοιγαροῦν ἐστεφανωμένους πολλοὺς ἰδεῖν ἔστι καθ´ ἑκάστην πόλιν καὶ θύοντας ἐν κοινῷ καὶ προϊόντας ἐν πορφύρᾳ· γενναῖον δὲ καὶ φρόνιμον ἄνδρα καὶ κηδεμόνα ὄντως τῆς ἑαυτοῦ πατρίδος καὶ φρονοῦντα καὶ λέγοντα τἀληθῆ καὶ δι´ ὃν ἄμεινον οἰκεῖται καὶ μετέσχηκεν ἀγαθοῦ τινος ἡ πειθομένη πόλις, σπάνιον εὑρεῖν. καὶ τοῦτο ἀναγκαῖον συμβαίνειν τρόπον τινά. (31) ὅταν γὰρ οἴωνται τοὺς λελειτουργηκότας ἢ τοὺς μέλλοντας ἑαυτοῖς δεῖν συμβουλεύειν, κἂν ᾖ τις γυμνασίαρχος ἢ δημιουργός τις, {καὶ} τῷ τοιούτῳ μόνῳ λέγειν ἐπιτρέπωσιν ἢ νὴ Δία τοῖς καλουμένοις ῥήτορσιν, ὅμοιόν ἐστιν ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ τοὺς κήρυκας ἐκάλουν μόνους ἢ τοὺς κιθαρῳδοὺς ἢ τοὺς τραπεζίτας. τοιγαροῦν ἄνθρωποι παρίασι καὶ ἀνόητοι καὶ δοξοκόποι καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ πλήθους θόρυβον κεχηνότες, οὐδὲν ἀπὸ γνώμης ἀσφαλοῦς οὐδὲ συνέντες λέγουσιν, ἀλλ´ ὥσπερ ἐν σκότει βαδίζοντες κατὰ τὸν κρότον ἀεὶ (32) καὶ τὴν βοὴν φέρονται. καίτοι κυβερνήταις εἴ τις λέγοι {αὐτοῖς} ὥστε ζητεῖν ἐξ ἅπαντος ἀρέσκειν τοῖς ἐπιβάταις, καὶ κροτουμένοις ὑπ´ αὐτῶν, ὅπως ἂν ἐκεῖνοι θέλωσιν, οὕτως κυβερνᾶν, οὐ μεγάλου τινὸς αὐτοῖς δεήσει χειμῶνος, ὥστε ἀνατρέψαι. πολλάκις γοῦν ἄγροικος ἄνθρωπος ναυτιῶν ἢ γύναιον, ἐὰν ἴδῃ πέτρας, γῆν ἑωρακέναι δοκεῖ καὶ λιμένα, καὶ δεῖται προσσχεῖν. (33) ἐγὼ δὲ τὸν σύμβουλον τὸν ἀγαθὸν καὶ τὸν ἄξιον προεστάναι πόλεώς φημι δεῖν πρὸς ἅπαντα μὲν ἁπλῶς παρεσκευάσθαι τὰ δοκοῦντα δυσχερῆ, μάλιστα δὲ πρὸς τὰς λοιδορίας καὶ τὴν τοῦ πλήθους ὀργήν, καὶ ταῖς ἄκραις ὅμοιον {εἶναι} ταῖς ποιούσαις τοὺς λιμένας, αἵτινες ἅπασαν ἐκδέχονται τὴν βίαν τῆς θαλάττης, τὸ δὲ ἐντὸς ἀκίνητον καὶ γαληνὸν φυλάττουσι, κἀκεῖνον {δὲ} ἐκκεῖσθαι τῷ δήμῳ, κἂν ὀργισθῆναί ποτε θέλῃ κἂν κακῶς εἰπεῖν κἂν ὁτιοῦν ποιῆσαι, πάσχειν δὲ μηδὲν ὑπὸ τῶν τοιούτων θορύβων, μήτε ἂν ἐπαινῆται, διὰ τοῦτο ἐπαίρεσθαι, μήτε ἂν ὑβρίζεσθαι δοκῇ, ταπεινοῦσθαι. (34) τὸ μέντοι γε παρ´ ὑμῖν γιγνόμενον οὐ τοιοῦτόν ἐστι, καὶ οὐδείς, ὡς ἐγὼ πυνθάνομαι, τῶν πολιτευομένων τοῦτο ἔχει προκείμενον οὐδ´ ἐστὶν ἔτι τῶν κοινῶν· ἀλλ´ οἱ μὲν ὅλως ἀφεστᾶσιν, οἱ δ´ ἐκ παρέργου προσίασιν ἁπτόμενοι μόνον τοῦ πράγματος, ὥσπερ οἱ σπονδῆς θιγγάνοντες, οὐκ ἀσφαλὲς εἶναι λέγοντες ἀναθεῖναι αὑτοὺς πολιτείᾳ. καίτοι ναυκληρεῖν μὲν ἢ δανείζειν ἢ γεωργεῖν οὐδεὶς ἂν ἱκανῶς δύναιτο πάρεργον αὐτὸ ποιούμενος, πολιτεύεσθαι δὲ ἐπιχειροῦσιν ἐκ περιουσίας καὶ πάντα ἔμπροσθεν τούτου τιθέντες.

[34,30] Consequently one may see in every city many who have been awarded crowns, who sacrifice in public, who come forth arrayed in purple ; but a man of probity and wisdom, who is really devoted to his own country, and thinks and speaks the truth, whose influence with the city that follows his advice insures better management and the attainment of some blessing—such a man is hard to find. (31) Yes, this is bound to happen, one might say. For when men think it is those who have performed liturgies or will some day do so who should counsel them, and when, provided a man is gymnasiarch or demiourgos, he is the only one whom they allow to make a speech—or, by Zeus, the so-called orators — it is very much as if they were to call upon only the heralds or the harpists or the bankers. Accordingly men come forward to address you who are both empty-headed and notoriety-hunters to boot, and it is with mouth agape for the clamour of the crowd, and not at all from sound judgement or understanding, that they speak, but just as if walking in the dark they are always swept along according to the clapping and the shouting. (32) And yet if someone should tell pilots that they should seek in every way to please their passengers, and that when applauded by them they should steer the ship in whatever way those passengers desired, it would take no great storm to overturn their ship. Frequently, you know, a seasick landlubber or some nervous female at the sight of rocks fancies that land and harbour are in view and implores the skipper to steer for shore. (33) But I say that the counsellor who is a good counsellor and fit to be leader of a city should be prepared to withstand absolutely all those things which are considered difficult or vexations, and especially the vilifications and the anger of the mob. Like the promontories that form our harbours, which receive the full violence of the sea but keep the inner waters calmn and peaceful, so he too should stand out against the violence of the people, whether they are inclined to burst into a rage or abuse him or take any measures whatever, and he should be wholly unaffected by such outbursts, and neither if they applaud him, should he on that account be elated, nor, if he feels he is being insulted, should he be depressed. (34) However, what happens at Tarsus is not like that. No one of your statesmen, as I am told, holds that to be his function, nor is it so any longer with the commons ; but, on the contrary, some persons stand absolutely aloof, and some come forward to speak quite casually, barely touching on the issue— as people touch the libation with their Iips—claiming that it is not safe for them to dedicate their lives to government. And yet, though no one could be successful as a ship-owner or money-lender or farmer if he made those occupations a side-issue, still men try to run the government out of their spare time and put everything else ahead of statecraft.