Texte grec :
| [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.
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Traduction française :
| [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.
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