Texte grec :
[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.
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Traduction française :
[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.
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