Texte grec :
| [28,30] καθόλου δ´ εἴ τις ὑμᾶς ἔροιτο, Ἄνδρες Νικομηδεῖς, τί βούλεσθε, πότερον
εἶναι πρῶτοι ταῖς ἀληθείαις ἢ καλεῖσθαι μὴ ὄντες; ὁμολογήσαιτε
ἂν δήπουθεν εἶναι πρῶτοι μᾶλλον ἐθέλειν ἢ καλεῖσθαι μάτην. οὐ
γὰρ τὰ ὀνόματα δύναμιν ἔχει τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων· ὅσα δὲ ταῖς
ἀληθείαις ἐστὶ τοιαῦτα, οὕτω καὶ ἐξ ἀνάγκης ὀνομάζεται.
(31) πειρᾶσθε τοίνυν πρωτεύειν τῶν πόλεων τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐκ τῆς ἐπιμελείας
τῆς περὶ αὐτάς· τοῦτο μὲν γάρ, καθὸ μητρόπολίς ἐστε,
ἐξαίρετόν ἐστιν ἔργον ὑμέτερον· εἶτα τῷ παρέχειν αὑτοὺς δικαίους
ἅπασι καὶ μετρίους καὶ μὴ πλεονεκτεῖν ἐν μηδενὶ μηδὲ βιάζεσθαι.
ταῦτα γὰρ ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἀπεχθείας κινεῖ καὶ διαφοράς, φύσει μὲν
τῶν ἐλαττόνων πρὸς τοὺς μείζονας ὑπόπτως διακειμένων, ὡς ἐξ
ἅπαντος πλεονεκτεῖσθαι μελλόντων, ὅταν δὲ καὶ ἔργῳ τοῦτο γίγνηται,
δικαιότερον τῆς ἀπεχθείας παροξυνομένης.
(32) ἔξεστι δὲ ὑμῖν εὐεργετεῖν τὰς πόλεις καὶ πλέον καὶ μεῖζον ἢ ἐκείνοις,
τὸ μὲν πρῶτον καὶ μάλιστα διὰ τὴν θάλατταν, ἐξ ἧς ἁπάντων μὲν καὶ
τῶν νῦν κομιζομένων * (δεῖ δὲ δημοσίᾳ χαρίζεσθαι τὴν πόλιν, οὐκ
ἰδίᾳ τινάς) τὰ δὲ καὶ διακλέπτοντες αὐτοί, τὰ δ´ αἰτούμενοι παρ´
ἕκαστα· καὶ ἀντιλέγετε μὲν οὐδέποτε τοῖς αἰτήσασιν ὑμεῖς, αὐτὸ
δὲ ὅμως φορτικόν ἐστι τὸ τὴν τῆς αἰτήσεως ἀνάγκην ἔχειν. εἰ δὲ
καὶ τούτων ἁπάντων μεταλαμβάνειν ἐπιτρέψετε τοῖς δήμοις τοῖς
καθ´ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν αἰτουμένοις τὸ πρὸς τὴν χρείαν ἐπεῖγον, πῶς
οὐκ εἰκός ἐστι μείζους ὑμᾶς ἔσεσθαι παρ´ αὐτοῖς, εὐεργετοῦντας
αὐτούς; καὶ ἅμα καὶ μεγάλην ποιήσετε τὴν ὁμόνοιαν διὰ πάντων
ἐλευσομένην.
(33) πειρᾶσθε δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἡγεμόσιν αἰδῶ παρέχειν,
ἀεὶ τοῦτο φανερὸν καθιστάντες ὅτι μὴ ἀπόχρη ὑμῖν καλῶς διοικεῖσθαι
μόνοις, ἀλλὰ παντὸς ἐπιμελεῖσθε τοῦ τῶν Βιθυνῶν γένους
καὶ οὐδὲν ἧττον δυσχεραίνετε τοῖς εἰς τοὺς ἄλλους ἀδικήμασιν ἢ
τοῖς εἰς αὑτούς· κἄν τινες καταφύγωσιν ἐφ´ ὑμᾶς δεόμενοι βοηθείας,
προθύμως ἐπαρκεῖτε καὶ ὁμοίως. ταῦτα τὸ πρωτεῖον ὑμῖν παραδώσει
τὸ ἀληθινόν, οὐχ ἡ περὶ τῶν ὀνομάτων πρὸς Νικαεῖς μάχη.
(34) βουλοίμην δ´ ἂν καὶ ἐκείνους τὰ αὐτὰ ποιεῖν, καὶ ποιήσουσιν
ἐὰν καταλλαγῆτε, καὶ μείζων ἡ δύναμις ὑμῶν γενήσεται
συντεθεῖσα. καὶ γὰρ τῶν πόλεων ὁμοῦ γενόμενοι πασῶν ἄρξετε,
καὶ τοῖς ἡγεμόσι γενήσεται πλείων διατροπὴ πρὸς ὑμᾶς
καὶ φόβος, ἐὰν ἀδικεῖν θέλωσιν. τὸ δὲ νῦν ἔχον αἱ μὲν ἄλλαι
πόλεις ὑπὸ τῆς ὑμετέρας στάσεώς εἰσιν ἐπηρμέναι· χρείαν γὰρ
αὐτῶν δοκεῖτε ἔχειν καὶ ταῖς ἀληθείαις ἔχετε διὰ τὸν πρὸς
ἀλλήλους ἀγῶνα καὶ πάσχετε οἷόν τι πάσχουσιν, ἐπειδὰν δύο ἐπιφανεῖς
ὁμοίως ἄνδρες διαπολιτεύωνται πρὸς ἀλλήλους· ἐξ ἀνάγκης
ἅπαντας θεραπεύουσι καὶ τοὺς πλεῖστον ὅσον ἀποδέοντας αὐτῶν.
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Traduction française :
| [38,30] But, speaking generally, if some one were to
question you and say, " Men of Nicomedia, what do
you want ? To be first in very truth, or to be called
first when you are not ? " Surely you would admit
that you prefer to be first rather than to be called
first to no purpose. For names have not the force
of facts ; whereas things that are in very truth of
a given nature must also of necessity be so named.
Try, therefore, to hoId first place among our cities
primarily on the strength of your solicitude for them
—for since you are a metropolis, such indeed is your
special function—and then too by showing yourselves
fair and moderate toward all, and by not being
grasping in any matter or trying to gain your end
by force. For greed and violence necessarily stir
up hatreds and disagreements, since it is natural that
the weaker party should be disposed to look with
suspicion on the stronger, believing they are due to
be overreached in every matter, and when that does
actually take place, their hostility is still more justly
aroused.
(32) On the other hand, you have it in your power to
benefit the cities more fully and more effectively than
the Nicaeans, first and foremost because of the sea,
all the revenue of which the cities share even now,
partly as a favour—though your City should grant
favours officially and not to certain persons privately
—partly also through their own smuggling operations,
and partly on application in each separate case;
and while you never refuse such applicants, still the
very necessity of making application is irksome. If,
however, you will actually allow the communities who
day by day petition for what is urgent for their need
the privilege of sharing in all these rights, is it not
reasonable to suppose that you will stand higher in
their estimation when you become their benefactors ?
And at the saure time you will also increase the
concord which will spread everywhere.
But you must also strive to give the provincial
governors occasion to respect you, by continually
making it manifest that you are not content with
merely being well governed yourselves, but that you
are concerned for the welfare of the whole Bithynian
people, and that you are no less displeased over the
wrongs inflicted upon the others than you are over
those inflicted upon yourselves ; moreover, that if
any persons flee to you for succour, you aid them
promptly and impartially. This line of conduct is
what will yield you that primaey which is genuine,
and not your squabble with Nicaeans over titles.
(34) And I should like the Nicaeans also to pursue
the same course, and they will do so if you come to
terms with them, and the power of each will become
greater through union. For by joining forces you
will control all the cities, and, what is more, the
provincial governors will feel greater reluctance and
fear with regard to you, in case they wish to commit
a wrong. But as things are now, the other cities are
elated by the quarrel between you ; for you seem
to have need of their assistance, and in fact you do
have need of it because of your struggle with each
other, and you are in the predicament of two men,
both equally distinguished, when they become rivais
over politics—of necessity they court the favour of
everybody, even of those who are ever so far
beneath them.
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