Texte grec :
| [38,20] ἐπειδὰν μὲν οὖν λοιμὸς ἢ σεισμὸς γένηται, τοῖς θεοῖς ἐγκαλοῦμεν, ὡς
κακῶν παρέχουσιν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις αἰτίας, καὶ οὔ φαμεν αὐτοὺς εἶναι
δικαίους οὐδὲ φιλανθρώπους, οὐδὲ ἂν τὰ μάλιστα ἡμῖν ἡμαρτηκόσιν
ἐπιτιμῶσι σὺν τῇ δίκῃ· τοσοῦτον μῖσός ἐστι πρὸς τὰ αὐτόματα
τῶν κακῶν. πόλεμον δέ, ὅστις οὐχ ἧττον ἀπόλλυσιν ἢ σεισμός,
αὐτοὶ προαιρούμεθα καὶ τοῖς αἰτίοις τούτων ἀνθρώποις οὐκ ἐγκαλοῦμεν
οὐδέν, ὥσπερ ὑπὲρ ἐκείνων τοῖς θεοῖς, ἀλλὰ τούτους εἶναι
καὶ φιλοδήμους δοκοῦμεν καὶ λεγόντων ἥδιστα ἀκούομεν αὐτῶν καὶ
συμβουλεύουσι πειθόμεθα, καὶ πάσας αὐτοῖς παρέχομεν ἀντὶ τῶν
κακῶν οὐκ ἀμοιβάς· ἀμοιβαὶ γὰρ ἐξ ἴσων ἂν ἐγίγνοντο πρὸς αὐτοὺς
κακῶν· ἀλλὰ χάριτας καὶ τιμὰς καὶ ἐπαίνους· ὥστε σφόδρα ἂν εἶεν
ἀνόητοι τῶν ἐπὶ τοῖς κακοῖς ἔτι χάριν εἰδότων φειδόμενοι.
(21) τὸ μὲν οὖν πρῶτον, ἄνδρες Νικομηδεῖς, τὰς αἰτίας τῆς στάσεως ἴδωμεν.
εἰ μὲν γὰρ τηλικαῦτά ἐστιν, ὥστ´ ἄξιον εἶναι πολεμεῖν πόλεμον
οὐ σύντομον, οἷος ἂν τοῖς ὅπλοις ἐγίγνετο καὶ παρηγορίαν εἶχε τὸ
τάχος τῆς διακρίσεως, ἀλλὰ μακρὸν καὶ ἄπαυστον, ὥστε αὐτὸν
ὑπολείπεσθαι καὶ τοῖς παισὶ καὶ τοῖς ἐκγόνοις καὶ μηδέποτε σχεῖν
ἐλπίδα καταλλαγῆς· ἀγωνιζώμεθα καὶ στασιάζωμεν καὶ πράγματα
παρέχωμεν ἀλλήλοις, ὅσα ἔνεστι παρέχειν, ἀχθόμενοι διότι μὴ καὶ
πλείω δυνάμεθα. εἰ δὲ μάλιστα μὲν οὐδέν ἐστι τὸ ἆθλον τούτου
τοῦ κακοῦ, τὰ δὲ δοκοῦντα εἶναι καὶ μικρά ἐστι καὶ φαῦλα καὶ
οὐδ´ ἰδιώτας ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν στασιάζειν ἄξιόν ἐστιν, οὐχ ὅπως πόλεις
τηλικαύτας· μὴ πάσχωμεν ὅμοιόν τι τοῖς ἄφροσι τῶν παίδων,
οἵτινες αἰδούμενοι μὴ δοκῶσι μάτην ὀργίζεσθαι τοῖς πατράσιν ἢ
ταῖς μητράσιν οὐ βούλονται καταλλάττεσθαι ῥᾳδίως.
(22) ὑπὲρ μὲν οὖν γῆς ἢ θαλάττης οὐδὲ μαχόμεθα, ἀλλὰ θαλάττης μὲν οὐδ´
ἀντιποιοῦνται πρὸς ὑμᾶς οἱ Νικαεῖς, ἀλλ´ ἡδέως, ὥστε μηδεμίαν παρέχειν
μάχην, διακέκρινται. καὶ μὴν οὐδὲ ὑπὲρ προσόδων ἀγωνιζόμεθα,
ἀλλὰ ἑκάστοις ἀπόχρη τὰ οἰκεῖα· καὶ ταῦτα δὲ τυγχάνει
διωρισμένα, καὶ μήν γε καὶ τἄλλα πάντα, ὥσπερ ἐν εἰρήνῃ καὶ
φιλίᾳ. καὶ καρπῶν εἰσιν ἀντιδόσεις καὶ γάμων ἐπιμιξίαι καὶ ἀπ´
αὐτῶν καὶ συγγένειαι πολλαί τινες ἤδη γεγενημέναι· καὶ προξενίας
δὲ ἔχομεν καὶ φιλίας ἰδιωτικάς. θεούς τε τοὺς αὐτοὺς νομίζετε
καὶ τὰς ἑορτὰς τὰς πλείστας ὁμοίως ἄγετε. καὶ μὴν οὐδὲ ὑπὲρ
τῶν ἐθῶν οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεμία ὑμῖν μάχη. τούτων δὲ ἁπάντων οὐκ
ἔχθρας παρεχόντων αἰτίαν, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον φιλίας καὶ ὁμονοίας,
μαχόμεθα.
(23) κἄν τις ὑμᾶς ἐπιστὰς ἔρηται, Τί δὲ ὑμᾶς οἱ Νικαεῖς
ἀδικοῦσιν; οὐδὲν εἰπεῖν ἕξετε. κἂν ἐκείνων πύθηται πάλιν, Τί
δὲ οἱ Νικομηδεῖς ἀδικοῦσιν ὑμᾶς; οὐδὲ αὐτοὶ λέγειν ἕξουσιν οὐδὲ
ἕν. ἀλλὰ ἆθλόν ἐστιν ἐν τῷ μέσῳ κείμενον, ὑπὲρ οὗ διαφέρεσθε.
καὶ τί τοῦτό ἐστιν; ἃ μέν γε καὶ ὀνομάσαι ἄξιον καὶ ὁμολογῆσαι
καὶ περὶ ὧν ἂν καὶ συγγνοίη τις τοῖς ἀγωνιζομένοις, τούτων οὐδέν
ἐστι, τὰ δὲ ὄντα οὐδὲ εἰπεῖν οὐδὲ ὁμολογῆσαι {ὡς} καλῶς ἔχει· τοιαῦτά
ἐστιν, οὕτω σμικρά, οὕτως τὰ τυχόντα, ἐφ´ οἷς οἱ μὲν ἀνόητοι
φιλοτιμηθεῖεν ἂν ἴσως, εὖ δὲ φρονῶν ἂν οὐδείς.
(24) οἱ γὰρ παρακαλοῦντες ὑμᾶς ἐπὶ τὴν στάσιν· δι´ ἃς δὲ αἰτίας οὐκ ἐμὸν
ἴσως ἐξελέγχειν· ἀλλ´ οἵ γε χαίροντες αὐτῇ τοῦτο μόνον λαλοῦσιν· Ὑπὲρ
πρωτείων ἀγωνιζόμεθα. τούτους οὖν αὐτοὺς ἐρήσομαι πάλιν ἐγώ·
Τίνων πρωτείων; καὶ πότερον ἔργῳ καὶ πράγματι δοθησομένων
ἢ περὶ ὀνόματος αὐτὸ μόνον ἐστὶν ὑμῖν ἡ μάχη; καὶ πρότερον γὰρ
δήποτε ἀκούω τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο γενέσθαι στάσεως Ἑλληνικῆς αἴτιον,
καὶ πολεμῆσαι περὶ τῶν πρωτείων τοὺς Ἀθηναίους καὶ τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους.
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Traduction française :
| [38,20] Again, whenever there comes a pestilence or an
earthquake, we blame the gods, in the belief that
they cause misery for rnankind, and we claim they
are not righteous or benevolent, not even if they are
punishing us justly for most grievous sins ; so great
is our hatred of those evils which occur through
chance. Yet war, which is no less destructive than
an earthquake, we choose of our own volition ; and
we do not blame at all the human beings who are
responsible for these evils, as we blame the gods for
earthquake or pestilence, but we even think them
patriotic and we listen to them with delight when
they speak, we follow their advice, and in payment
for the evils they occasion we give them every kind
of—I won't say return, for return would mean evil
for evil—but rather thanks and honours and words
of praise ; and so they would be very witless indeed
if they spared those who are even grateful for their evils.
(21) First of all, then, men of Nicomedia, let us inspect
the reasons for your strife. For if the issues are so
great that it is fitting to wage a war that is no short
one, such as could be waged by force of arms and
have as its consolation the speed of its decision, but
instead a long war without cessation, one to be
handed on to our children and our children's children
and never achieve the hope of settlement, then let
us engage in the struggle, maintain the strife, and
make all the trouble we can for one another, being
vexed that our powers are not even greater. But
if at best the prize for which this evil is endured is
a mere nothing and the supposed issues are both
small and trifling and it is not fitting even for private
persons to squabble over them, much less cities of
such importance, then let us not behave at all like
foolish children who, ashamed lest they may seem
to their fathers or their mothers to be enraged without
a cause, do not wish to make it up with one
another lightly.
(22) Well now, surely we are not fighting for land or
sea ; on the contrary, the Nicaeans do not even present
counterclaims against you for the sea, but they
have gladly withdrawn from competition so as to
afford no cause for conflict. And what is more, we
are not contending for revenues either, but each side
is content with what is its own ; moreover, these
matters, as it happens, have been clearly delimited
—and so indeed is all else besides—just as if in peace
and friendship. Furthermore, there is interchange
of produce between the two cities, as well as intermarriage,
and in consequence already there have
come to be many family ties between us ; yes, and
we have proxenies and ties of personal friendship
to unite us. Besides, you worship the same
gods as they do, and in most cases you conduct your
festivals as they do. In fact you have no quarrel
as to your customs either. Yet, though all these
things afford no occasion for hostility, but rather for
friendship and concord, still we fight. And if some
one comes up and asks you, " But how are the
Nicaeans wronging you ? " you will have nothing
to reply. And if he asks them in turn, " But how
are the men of Nicomedia wronging you ? " they
too will not have a single thing to say.
However, there is a prize at stake between you,
one over which you are at odds. And what is this
prize ? It is none of those things which are fit to
narre or to acknowledge, and the competitors for
which one might even pardon, nay, its constituent
elements it is not well even to mention or acknowledge ;
they are of such a nature, so petty, so
commonplace, things upon which fools perhaps might
pride themselves, but not any man of good sense.
(24) For those who summon you to the contest—but
their motives it is perhaps not for me to scrutinize
—however that may be, those who delight in it
prate of naught but this : " We are contending for
primacy." Very well, I will reply to these same
persons with the query : " What primacy ? And is
it a primacy to be actually and in fact conceded to
you, or is your battle for a name and nothing more ? "
Yes, I hear that this is not the first time this same
thing has served as the cause of strife among the
Greeks—that the Athenians and the Spartans went
to war for the primacy.
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