[38,40] καίτοι ταῦτα πάντα καλοῦνται καὶ Μενέλαοι καὶ Ἀγαμέμνονες, καὶ οὐκ ὀνόματα μόνον ἔχουσι θεῶν καὶ ἡρώων, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρόσωπα καὶ στολάς, καὶ κελεύουσι πολλά, ὡς ἐκεῖνοι· τοῦ δὲ ποιήματος συντελεσθέντος ἀπίασι τὸ μηδὲν ὄντες. ὀνομάζεσθαί τις θέλει πρῶτος· ἔστω. πρωτεύει τις· κἂν ἄλλος ὀνομάζηται, πρῶτός ἐστιν. οὐ γὰρ τὰ ὀνόματα πίστεις τῶν πραγμάτων εἰσί, τὰ δὲ πράγματα καὶ τῶν ὀνομάτων. (41) ἔτι τοίνυν κἀκεῖνο λογίσασθε τὸ ἐκ τῆς ὁμονοίας γενησόμενον. νῦν μὲν ἕκαστοι τοὺς ἑαυτῶν ἄνδρας ἔχετε· ἂν δὲ καταλλαγῆτε, τοὺς ἀλλήλων ἕξετε· καὶ τὰς φιλοτιμίας (δεῖ γὰρ καὶ τούτων πόλει) διπλασίας τίθεσθε καὶ τὰς ὑπηρεσίας. λέγειν τις δεινός ἐστι παρ´ ὑμῖν; κἀκείνους ὠφελήσει. πλούσιός τις παρ´ ἐκείνοις ἐστί; χορηγήσει καὶ παρ´ ὑμῖν. καθόλου δὲ οὐδεὶς οὔτε ἂν ἄξιος ὢν τοῦ πρωτεύειν ἐν πόλει διὰ τοῦτο εὐδοκιμήσῃ, διαβεβλήσεται παρ´ ὑμῖν τῷ πρὸς ἐκείνους λέγειν ἢ παρ´ ἐκείνοις τῷ πρὸς ὑμᾶς· οὔτε ἂν φαῦλός τις ὢν καὶ τοῦ δοῦναι δίκην ἄξιος εὑρεθῇ, διαδράσεται τὴν τιμωρίαν ἀπαλλαγεὶς ἐντεῦθεν ἐκεῖ, κἀκεῖθεν ἐνθάδε. (42) τὸ δὲ νῦν ἔχον ὥσπερ ὑφορμεῖτε ἀλλήλαις αἱ πόλεις καὶ ἔστι τοῖς ἀδικήσασι τὴν ἑτέραν πρὸς τὴν ἑτέραν καταφυγή. τῆς δὲ ὁμονοίας γενομένης ἀνάγκη καλοὺς εἶναι καὶ δικαίους ἄνδρας ἢ ἐκ τῆς Βιθυνίας ἀπαλλάττεσθαι. μέγα φρονεῖτε τῇ τοῦ πλήθους ὑπερβολῇ· πλείους ἔσεσθε. γῆν ἱκανὴν δοκεῖτε ἔχειν· πλείω τῆς ἱκανῆς ἕξετε. καθόλου πάντα μιχθέντα, καὶ καρποὶ καὶ χρήματα καὶ ἀνδρῶν ἀξίαι καὶ δυνάμεις, διπλάσια τὰ παρ´ ἀμφοτέροις γίγνεται. (43) {καὶ} οὗ δὲ πάντα ἕνεκεν οἱ ἄνθρωποι πράττουσιν, ἡ ἡδονή, κρείττων λόγου. τὸ γὰρ τὰ μὲν ὀδυνῶντα ὑμᾶς ἐξαιρεθῆναι, καὶ φθόνον καὶ φιλονικίαν καὶ τὴν ἐκ τούτων γιγνομένην στάσιν καὶ τὸ ἐπιβουλεύειν ἀλλήλοις ὑμᾶς καὶ τὸ τοῖς κακοῖς ἐφήδεσθαι τοῖς τῶν πλησίον καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς ἄχθεσθαι, τὰ δὲ ἐναντία ἀντὶ τούτων εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὰς πόλεις, κοινωνίαν ἀγαθῶν, ὁμοφροσύνην, ἐπὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἀμφοτέρων χαράν, οὐχὶ ταῦτα πάντα ἑορτῇ ἔοικε δημοσίᾳ; (44) λογίσασθε δὲ οὕτως. εἴ τις ὑμῖν, ἄνδρες Νικομηδεῖς, θεῶν αἵρεσιν ἔδωκεν, εἰ βούλεσθε μὴ μόνον τὴν αὑτῶν πόλιν ἔχειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν Νικαέων, οὐκ ἂν παράδοξον μὲν ὑπὸ μεγέθους ἐφάνη ἀγαθὸν ὑμῖν, εὔξασθε δ´ ἂν πάσας εὐχάς, ὥστε αὐτοῦ τυχεῖν; ἀλλὰ τοῦτο τὸ παράδοξον δοκοῦν ἔξεστιν ἤδη γενέσθαι καὶ τὴν Νίκαιαν ὑμετέραν εἶναι καὶ τὰ παρ´ ὑμῖν ἐκείνων.

[38,40] And yet they are called by all these titles, as well as by the names Menelaüs and Agamemnon, and they have not only names of gods and heroes, but their features and robes as well, and they issue many orders, just as would the characters they represent ; however, when the play is over, they take their departure as mere nonentities. A person wishes to be dubbed " first " ; very good. Some one really is first, and no matter if another wears the title, first he is. For titles are not guarantees of facts, but facts of titles. (41) Well, here is another outcome of concord for you to take into account. At present you two cities have each your own men ; but if you come to terms, you will each have the other's too ; and as for honours—for a city needs these too—set them down as doubled, and likewise the services. Some one in your city is gifted as a speaker ; he will aid the Nicaeans too. There is a rich man in Nicaea ; he will defray public expenses in your city too. And in general, neither will any man who is unworthy of first place in a city achieve fame with you by assailing the Nicaeans, or with the Nicaeans by assailing you ; nor, in case a man is found to be a low fellow and deserving of punishment, will he escape his just deserts by migrating from Nicomedia to Nicaea or from Nicaea to Nicomedia. Yet as things are now, you two cities, as it were, are lying in wait for each other at your moorings, and men who have wronged the one can find refuge with the other. But once concord is achieved, persons must be men of honour and justice or else get out of Bithynia. You are proud of your superiority in population ; you will be still more populous. You think you have sufficient territory ; you will have more than sufficient. In fine, when all resources have been united—crops, money, official dignities for men, and military forces—the resources of both cities are doubled. (43) Furthermore, that which is the aim of all human action, pleasure, becomes greater than tongue can tell. For to achieve, on the one hand, the elimination of the things which cause you pain—envy and rivalry and the strife which is their outcome, your plotting against one another, your gloating over the misfortunes of your neighbours, your vexation at their good fortune—and, on the other hand, the introduction into your cities of their opposites—sharing in things which are good, unity of heart and mind, rejoicing of both peoples in the same things—does not all this resemble a public festival ? But figure it this way. If some god, men of Nicomedia, had given you the option of having not merely your own city, but also that of the Nicaeans, would not that have seemed to you a boon of incredible magnitude, and would you not have made all sorts of vows in the hope of obtaining it ? Well, this thing which seems incredible can take place at once—Nicaea can be yours and your possessions theirs.