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[38,45] ἢ τῶν μὲν ἀδελφῶν θαυμάζομεν τοὺς εἰς ἅπαν τὸν κοινὸν οἰκοῦντας
οἶκον καὶ μὴ νενεμημένους τὰ πατρῷα ὑπὸ μικρολογίας, ὅ τε πλοῦτος αὐτῶν
{ἔτι μᾶλλον θαυμάζεται} μείζων {καὶ} κατὰ τοῦτο, τῷ μὴ νενεμῆσθαι
μηδὲ ἑκάστῳ τὸ ἥμισυ γεγονέναι τῶν πάντων, ἀλλὰ τὸ ὅλον ἀμφοτέρων
δοκεῖν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ὡς ἀγαθοὺς πάντες ἐκείνους ὁρῶσι
καὶ ὡς δικαίους καὶ ὡς τῷ ὄντι ἀδελφούς· ἐν δὲ ταῖς πόλεσι
γενομένη αὕτη ἡ ἀδελφότης οὐχὶ καὶ μεῖζον ἀγαθὸν ἔσται καὶ
κάλλιον καὶ πλουσιώτερον;
(46) ἄξιον δὲ αὐτὴν γενέσθαι καὶ διὰ τοὺς προγόνους κοινοὺς ὄντας ἀμφοτέραις
ταῖς πόλεσι καὶ διὰ τοὺς θεούς, ὧν καὶ παρ´ ἐκείνοις καὶ παρ´ ὑμῖν ὁμοιαί εἰσι
τιμαί. τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν, ἐφ´ ᾧ καὶ μάλιστα ὀδυνηθείη τις ἄν, ὅτι πάντα
κοινὰ ἔχοντες, καὶ προγόνους καὶ θεοὺς καὶ ἔθη καὶ ἑορτάς, οἱ δὲ
πολλοὶ καὶ συγγενείας ἰδιωτικὰς καὶ φιλίας, ὥσπερ Ἕλληνες πρὸς
βαρβάρους μαχόμεθα, ἢ τὸ ἔτι τούτου τῷ γιγνομένῳ ὑφ´ ὑμῶν
ὁμοιότερον, ὥσπερ ἄνθρωποι πρὸς θηρία.
(47) οὐκ ὄψεσθε εἰς ἀλλήλους; οὐκ ἀκούσεσθε ἀλλήλων; οὐκ ἀντιδεξιώσονται
τὴν ἀρχὴν ποιησαμένων ὑμῶν ἀλλήλας αἱ πόλεις; οὐχὶ πάντα τὰ παρὰ
ἀμφοτέροις ἀγαθὰ κτήσεσθε καταλλαγέντες; οὐ χρήσεσθε αὐτοῖς θέλοντες;
ὄφελον ἐξῆν καὶ τὸν Ἐφεσίων δῆμον ποιήσασθαι ἀδελφὸν
ὑμῶν. ὄφελον καὶ τὰ Σμυρναίων {οἰκοδομήματα} κοινὰ ὑμῖν ἐγένετο.
(48) ταῦτα δὲ πάντα τηλικαῦτα ὄντα ἀγαθὰ ἑνὸς ἕνεκα ὀνόματος ἀπόλλυτε,
ποίαν ὠφέλειαν, τίνα ἡδονήν;
ἀλλ´ ὅτι μὲν καὶ λυσιτελήσει ταῖς πόλεσιν ἡ καταλλαγὴ γενομένη
καὶ μέχρι νῦν ὑμῖν οὐκ ἐλυσιτέλησεν ἡ στάσις οὖσα καὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ τὰ
ἐκ τῆς ὁμονοίας γενησόμενα καὶ τὰ κακὰ τὰ διὰ τὴν ἔχθραν ὑπάρχοντα,
προείρηταί μοι μετρίως.
(49) λοιπὸν δὲ εἰπεῖν ὅτι καὶ μενεῖ ταῦτα διαλλαγέντων ὑμῶν.
ἤδη γάρ τινές εἰσιν οἱ καὶ τοῦτο δεδοικότες,
ὧν ἀποδέχομαι τοῦ φόβου τὴν αἰτίαν, εἴ γε λέγουσιν αὐτὸ
ταῖς ἀληθείαις ἐπιθυμοῦντες τῆς ὁμονοίας καὶ φοβούμενοι μὴ λυθῇ
καὶ οὐ τοὐναντίον αὐτοῦ χάριν τοῦ μηδὲ ὅλως αὐτὴν γενέσθαι
τοῦτο προβάλλονται. τὸ μὲν οὖν μέγιστον ὑμῖν καὶ τὸ πιστότατον
τοῦ μενεῖν τὴν ὁμόνοιαν ἐνέχυρον ἔστω τὸ συμφέρειν αὐτήν. ἃ
γὰρ καὶ λόγῳ παραδειχθέντα διότι συνοίσει μόνον ἤδη πείθειν
ὑμᾶς ἔοικε, πῶς οὐ χρὴ τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων ἕξειν αὐτὰ πειθὼ βεβαιοτέραν;
| [38,45] Or, since we admire those brothers who share
completely a common estate and have not because of
stinginess divided their patrimony ; whose wealth, moreover,
is even more admired, since it is greater for the
very reason that it has not been divided and half of
everything made the property of each, but instead
the whole is thought to belong to both ; and whom,
furthermore, all men regard as good and just and
really brothers—since this is true, if this spirit of
brotherhood is achieved in your cities, will it not be
an even greater blessing, more beautiful and richer ?
(46) Moreover, it deserves to be achieved, not alone
because of the ancestors which both cities have in
common, but also because of the gods, whose rites
are alike both in their city and in yours. For this is
a fast which might cause one even greater sorrow,
that though we have everything in common—ancestors,
gods, customs, festivals, and, in the case of
most of us, personal ties of blood and friendship,
still we fight like Greeks against barbarians, or, what
is still more like your conduct than that, like human
beings against wild beasts ! Will you not look each
other in the face ? Will you not listen to each other ?
Will your two cities not clasp hands together, you
being the first to extend your hand ? Will you not
by making peace acquire for yourselves all the good
things both possess ? Will you not enjoy them
eagerly ? Oh that it were possible for you to make
even the Ephesians your brothers ! Oh that the
edifices of Smyrna too might have been shared by
you ! But all these things, mighty blessings that
they are—are you forfeiting them for lack of one
single word, gains so rich, pleasure so great ?
However, that the reconciliation will be profitable
to you two cities when it is achieved, and that the
strife still going on has not been profitable for you
clown to the present moment, that so many blessings
will be yours as a result of concord, and that so many
evils now are yours because of enmity—all this has
been treated by me at sufficient length. (49) But it
remains for me to add that these advantages will
be permanent when you have made peace with one
another. For already there are some who have fears
on this score too, men whose reasons for fear I understand,
at least if they give utterance to it from a
genuine desire for Concord and a fear that concord
may be destroyed, and if they are not, instead,
putting forth this idea for the very purpose of preventing
any reconciliation at all.
Weil, let the greatest and rnost trustworthy
guarantee that your concord will be permanent
be its expediency. For if the mere recital of the
reasons which show that it will be advantageous
apparently is already convincing you, why should not
these reasons when supported by experience have a
persuasiveness even more unshakable ?
| [38,50] ἔτι δὲ εὔθυμός εἰμι καὶ διὰ τὸ τῆς συνηθείας ὑμᾶς
δυσαπαλλάκτως ἔχειν. εἰ γὰρ ἡ στάσις τοσούτῳ χρόνῳ διὰ τὴν
συνήθειαν μόνον ἐμμεμένηκεν ὑμῖν, τηλικοῦτον οὖσα κακόν, πῶς
οὐχὶ καὶ τὰς διαλλαγὰς εἰκός ἐστιν ἡδίους τε οὔσας καὶ δικαιοτέρας
ποιήσειν καὶ τὴν συνήθειαν ἡδίονα; καὶ φυλάττεσθαι δὲ
μικρά τινα δεήσει καὶ πρὸ ἁπάντων τοὺς ἄνδρας τοὺς ἀδόξους, ἄν
ποτε διαβάλλωσιν ὑμᾶς ἀλλήλοις. μὴ γὰρ ἀκούσητε αὐτῶν ἴδιόν τι
θηρωμένων, εἰ βουλήσονται πάλιν αὑτοῖς γενέσθαι τινὰ χώραν. καὶ
μικρῶν δὲ ἕνεκεν μὴ παροξύνεσθαι.
(51) καὶ τοὺς θεοὺς δὲ εἰκός ἐστιν μᾶλλον πάντων ἐπιμελήσεσθαι τοῦ συμμεῖναι
τὴν ὁμόνοιαν. οἶμαι γὰρ καὶ αὐτὴν ταύτην τὴν ἀρχὴν παρ´ ἐκείνων γενέσθαι
καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἄλλως ἐπελθεῖν μοι τολμῆσαι περὶ τηλικούτου πράγματος ἐν
ὑμῖν λέγειν, ὑπὲρ οὗ μηδεὶς πρότερον εἶπε μήτε νέος μήτε πρεσβύτερος.
ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἄξιον αὐτοῖς εὔξασθαι πάλιν. οὐκοῦν ἐν
ἀρχῇ μὲν εὐξάμην αὐτοῖς, ἵνα μοι πειθομένους παράσχωσιν ὑμᾶς·
ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῦτο ἤδη ἐοίκατε ποιεῖν, λοιπόν ἐστιν εὔξασθαι περὶ
τοῦ φυλάττειν αὐτοὺς εἰς ἀεὶ τὰ καλῶς δόξαντα ὑμῖν.
| [38,50] But what is more, I am hopeful also because of
your being difficult to dislodge from accustomed habit.
For instance, if strife, which is so great an evil, has remained
among you so long merely through force of habit,
why is it not reasonable to expect that your reconciliation,
since it is more pleasant and more righteous,
will make that habit also more potent ? But you
will need also to be watchful of little matters, and
above all to be watchful of the men of no reputation,
in case they ever malign you to each other—for you
must not listen to them when they pursue some
selfish purpose, in case they wish again to secure for
themselves a kind of pleasure—and you will need
also to avoid becoming irritated for petty reasons.
A further reason for my optimism is that it is likely
the gods will make it their prime concern that concord
shall endure. In fact, I feel that even this beginning
is due to them, and that otherwise it would not have
occurred to me to dare to speak in your presence on
so great a topic, a topie on which no one previously,
whether old or young, has ever spoken. And it is
even fitting that I pray to them once more. You
remember that in the beginning I prayed them to
make you heed my words ; but now that you evidently
are doing this already, it remains for me to
pray that they may preserve for ever your admirable
resolutions.
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