Texte grec :
| [38,15] καὶ τῶν οἴκων δὲ τῆς σωτηρίας οὔσης ἔν τε τῇ τῶν δεσποτῶν ὁμοφροσύνῃ
καὶ ἐν τῇ τῶν οἰκετῶν πειθαρχίᾳ, πολλοὺς ὅμως οἴκους ἀπώλεσεν
ἥ τε δεσποτικὴ στάσις καὶ ἡ κακοδουλία. τῷ μὲν γὰρ ἅρματι
ποία καταλείπεται σωτηρία τῶν ἵππων συνθεῖν μὴ θελόντων; ἐπειδὰν
γὰρ ἄρξωνται διαστάντες ἀφέλκειν ἄλλος ἀλλαχῇ, πᾶσα ἀνάγκη
κινδυνεύειν τὸν ἡνίοχον. ὁ δὲ γάμος ὁ ἀγαθὸς τί ἄλλο ἐστὶν ἢ
ὁμόνοια ἀνδρὸς πρὸς γυναῖκα; καὶ ὁ κακὸς γάμος τί ἄλλο ἐστὶν
ἢ ἡ τούτων διχόνοια; καὶ τέκνων δὲ τίς ὠφέλεια γονεῦσιν, ὅταν
ὑπὸ ἀφροσύνης ἄρξηται στασιάζειν πρὸς αὐτούς; ἡ δὲ ἀδελφότης
(16) τί ἄλλο ἐστὶν ἢ ἀδελφῶν ὁμόνοια; ἡ δὲ φιλία τί ἄλλο ἢ φίλων
ὁμόνοια; καὶ ταῦτα πάντα οὐ μόνον ἀγαθά ἐστι καὶ καλά, ἀλλὰ
καὶ ἥδιστα· τὰ δὲ ἐναντία τούτοις οὐ κακὰ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀηδῆ·
καὶ ὅμως αὐτὰ πολλάκις ἀντὶ τῶν ἡδίστων ἀγαθῶν προαιρούμεθα.
τοὺς μὲν οὖν πολέμους ἤδη τινὲς ἀντὶ τῆς εἰρήνης ἐπανείλοντο
μεγάλων ὄντων τῶν διαφόρων, οὐχ ὡς τὸ μάχεσθαι κρεῖττον ὂν
ἢ ἥδιον καὶ δικαιότερον τοῦ τὴν εἰρήνην ἄγειν, ἀλλ´ οἱ μὲν ὑπὲρ
βασιλείας, οἱ δὲ ὑπὲρ ἐλευθερίας, οἱ δὲ γῆν κτώμενοι μὴ ἔχοντες,
οἱ δὲ θάλατταν περιποιούμενοι· καὶ τηλικούτων ὅμως τῶν ἄθλων
κειμένων ἐν τῷ μέσῳ πολλοὶ κατέθεντο τὸν πόλεμον ὡς οὐκ ἂν
ὄντα οὐδὲ ἀντὶ τῶν μεγίστων αἱρεθῆναί σφισιν ἄξιον.
(17) τὸ δὲ καὶ χωρὶς ὑποθέσεως πολεμεῖν καὶ μάχεσθαι τί ἄλλο ἢ μανία
παντελής ἐστι καὶ διὰ ταύτην κακῶν ἐπιθυμία; τὰ μὲν οὖν θηρία διὰ τοῦτο
μάλιστα οἱ ἄνθρωποι μισοῦμεν, ὅτι πόλεμος ἡμῖν ἀδιάλλακτος
πρὸς ταῦτά ἐστιν ἀεί. πολλοὶ δὲ καί τινες ἡμῶν καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις
ὡς θηρίοις χρώμενοι χαίρουσι τῇ πρὸς τὸ ὁμόφυλον γιγνομένῃ μάχῃ.
καὶ οὐδὲ τῶν σημείων αἰσθανόμεθα τῶν θείων, ὅσα
διδάσκοντες ἡμᾶς ὁμονοεῖν αὑτοῖς ἐπεφήμισαν.
(18) καὶ γὰρ κήρυκές τινες ἐκ τῶν θεῶν εἶναι λέγονται, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ
παρ´ ἡμῖν εἰρήνη μὲν ἐπικηρύσσεται, πόλεμοι δὲ ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πλεῖστον ἀκήρυκτοι
γίγνονται. καὶ γυμνοὶ πρεσβεύουσιν εἰς ὡπλισμένους ὑπὲρ εἰρήνης
καὶ ἀδικῆσαι οὐκ ἔξεστιν αὐτῶν οὐδένα, ὡς τῶν θεῶν ἅπαντας
τοὺς ὑπὲρ φιλίας ἀγγέλους. καὶ ὅταν συνερχομένων εἰς μάχην
στρατῶν ἢ διοσημία φανῇ αἰφνίδιος ἢ τῆς γῆς γένηται σεισμός,
ἀποστρέφονται εὐθὺς οἱ ἄνθρωποι καὶ ἀποχωροῦσιν ἀπ´ ἀλλήλων,
ὡς τῶν θεῶν οὐ βουλομένων αὐτοὺς μάχεσθαι.
(19) πολέμου δὲ σημεῖον οὐδὲν θεῖόν ἐστιν ὑπειλημμένον. καὶ ὅσα δὲ δὴ ἥδιστά
τε τοῖς ἀνθρώποις καὶ εὐδαιμονίας σύμβολα, ταῦτα πάντα ποιοῦμεν, ἐπειδὰν
εἰρήνη γένηται, καὶ στεφανούμεθα καὶ θύομεν καὶ ἑορτάζομεν· τὰ
δὲ ἐναντία πάντα ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις, ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς πένθεσι, καὶ
συγκλειόμεθα ἔσω πυλῶν καὶ δεδοίκαμεν πάντα καὶ ἀπελπίζομεν
ἑαυτούς· καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες τότε ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀνδρῶν κλαίουσι καὶ οἱ
παῖδες ὑπὲρ τῶν πατέρων ὡς ἐπὶ τοῖς μεγίστοις κακοῖς.
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Traduction française :
| [38,15] Again, take our households—although their safety
depends not only on the like-mindedness of master
and mistress but also on the obedience of the servants,
yet both the bickering of master and mistress and
the wickedness of the servants have wrecked many
households. Why, what safety remains for the
chariot, if the horses refuse to run as a team ? For
when they begin to separate and to pull one this way
and one that, the driver is inevitably in danger. And
the good marriage, what else is it save concord between
man and wife ? And the bad marriage, what
is it save their discord ? Moreover, what benefit are
children to parents, when through folly they begin
to rebel against them ? And what is fraternity
save concord of brothers ? And what is friendship
save concord among friends ?
(16) Besides, all there things are not only good and
noble but also very pleasant, whereas their opposites
are not only evil but also unpleasant ; and yet we
often prefer them instead of the most pleasant goods.
For example, there have been times when people
have chosen wars instead of peace, despite the great
differences between the two, not under the delusion
that fighting is better or more pleasant and more
righteous than keeping the peace, but because some
were striving for kingly power, some for liberty, some
for territory they did not have, and some for control
of the sea. And yet, though the prizes awaiting the
victor are so rich, many have laid war aside as an evil
thing and not fit to be chosen by them in preference
to the things of highest value. But the waging of
war and fighting even without occasion, what is that
but utter madness and a craving for exils which is
occasioned by madness ? Now the chief reason why
we human beings hate wild beasts is that remorseless
warfare exists between them and us for ever ; yet
many even of us treat human beings too as wild
beasts and take pleasure in the conflict waged with
those of our own kind.
(18) What is more, we take no notice of the signs sent
by the gods, all those signs and omens by which they
try to teach us to live on good terms with one another.
Indeed they are said to be, as it were, heralds sent
by the gods, and for that reason among ourselves also,
while peace is proclaimed by heralds, wars for the
most part take place unheralded. Furthermore,
men go unarmed into an armed camp as envoys to
sue for peace and it is not permitted to wrong any
of them, the belief being that all messengers in
behalf of friendship are servants of the gods. Again,
whenever, as armies come together for battle, there
suddenly appears an omen from heaven or there
occurs a quaking of the earth, immediately the men
wheel about and withdraw from one another, believing
the gods do not wish them to fight ; but no divine
portent is deemed a signal for war. And furthermore,
when peace is brought about, we do all those
things which are not only most pleasant for mortals
but also tokens of happiness—we bedeck ourselves
with garlands, offer sacrifice, and hold high festival ;
but we do quite the opposite in time of war, just as
in time of mourning—we shut ourselves within the
gates, live in dread of every thing, and abandon
ourselves to despair. Moreover, at such times the
women wail for their husbands and the children
for their fathers, as they would over the greatest
calamities.
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