Texte grec :
[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.
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Traduction française :
[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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