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Ἀεὶ μὲν οὖν ἐπεμέλετο ὁ Κῦρος, ὁπότε συσκηνοῖεν, ὅπως εὐχαριστότατοί τε ἅμα λόγοι ἐμβληθήσονται καὶ παρορμῶντες εἰς τ᾽αγαθόν. ἀφίκετο δὲ καὶ εἰς τόνδε ποτὲ τὸν λόγον· Ἆρά γε, ἔφη, ὦ ἄνδρες, ἐνδεέστεροί τι ἡμῶν διὰ τοῦτο φαίνονται εἶναι οἱ ἑταῖροι ὅτι οὐ πεπαίδευνται τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ἡμῖν, ἢ οὐδὲν ἄρα διοίσειν ἡμῶν οὔτ᾽ ἐν ταῖς συνουσίαις οὔτε ὅταν ἀγωνίζεσθαι πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους δέηι;

It was the constant aim of Cyrus whenever he and his soldiers messed together, that the talk should be lively and full of grace, and at the same time do the listeners good. Thus one day he brought the conversation round to the following theme:— “Do you think, gentlemen,” said he, “that our new comrades appear somewhat deficient in certain respects simply because they have not been educated in the same fashion as ourselves? Or will they show themselves our equals in daily life and on the field of battle when the time comes to meet the foe?”

καὶ [ὁ] ὑστάσπας ὑπολαβὼν εἶπεν· Ἀλλ᾽ ὁποῖοι μέν τινες ἔσονται εἰς τοὺς πολεμίους οὔπω ἔγωγε ἐπίσταμαι· ἐν μέντοι τῆι συνουσίαι δύσκολοι ναὶ μὰ τοὺς θεοὺς ἔνιοι αὐτῶν φαίνονται. πρώιην μέν γε, ἔφη, ὁ Κυαξάρης ἔπεμψεν εἰς τὴν τάξιν ἑκάστην ἱερεῖα, καὶ ἐγένοντο κρέα ἑκάστωι ἡμῶν τρία [ἢ] καὶ πλείω τὰ περιφερόμενα. καὶ ἤρξατο μὲν ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ τὴν πρώτην περίοδον περιφέρων· ὅτε δὲ τὸ δεύτερον εἰσήιει περιοίσων, ἐκέλευσα ἐγὼ ἀπὸ τοῦ τελευταίου ἄρχεσθαι καὶ ἀνάπαλιν φέρειν.

Hystaspas took up the challenge:—”What sort of warriors they will prove I do not pretend to know, but this I do say, in private life some of them are cross-grained fellows enough. Only the other day,” he went on, “Cyaxares sent a present of sacrificial meat to every regiment. There was flesh enough for three courses apiece or more, and the attendant had handed round the first, beginning with myself. So when he came in again, I told him to begin at the other end of the board, and serve the company in that order.

ἀνακραγὼν οὖν τις τῶν κατὰ μέσον τὸν κύκλον κατακειμένων στρατιωτῶν, Μὰ Δί᾽, ἔφη, τῶνδε μὲν οὐδὲν ἴσον ἐστίν, εἴγε ἀφ᾽ ἡμῶν γε τῶν ἐν μέσωι οὐδεὶς οὐδέποτε ἄρξεται. καὶ ἐγὼ ἀκούσας ἠχθέσθην, εἴ τι μεῖον δοκοῖεν ἔχειν, καὶ ἐκάλεσα εὐθὺς αὐτὸν πρὸς ἐμέ. ὁ δὲ μάλα γε τοῦτο εὐτάκτως ὑπήκουσεν. ὡς δὲ τὰ περιφερόμενα ἧκε πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ἅτε οἶμαι ὑστάτους λαμβάνοντας, τὰ μικρότατα λελειμμένα ἦν. ἐνταῦθα δὴ ἐκεῖνος πάνυ ἀνάθεὶς δῆλος ἦν καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὑτόν· Τῆς τύχης, τὸ ἐμὲ νῦν κληθέντα δεῦρο τυχεῖν.

But I was greeted by a yell from the centre: one of these men who was sitting there bawled out, ‘Equality indeed! There’s not much of it here, if we who sit in the middle are never served first at all!’ It nettled me that they should fancy themselves treated worse than we, so I called him up at once and made him sit beside me. And I am bound to say he obeyed that order with the most exemplary alacrity. But when the dish came round to us, we found, not unnaturally, since we were the last to be served, that only a few scraps were left. At this my man fell into the deepest dudgeon, and made no attempt to conceal it, muttering to himself, ‘Just like my ill-luck! To be invited here just now and never before!’

καὶ ἐγὼ εἶπον· Ἀλλὰ μὴ φρόντιζε· αὐτίκα γὰρ ἀφ᾽ ἡμῶν ἄρξεται καὶ σὺ πρῶτος λήψηι τὸ μέγιστον. καὶ ἐν τούτωι περιέφερε τὸ τρίτον, ὅπερ δὴ λοιπὸν ἦν τῆς περιφορᾶς· κ᾽ακεῖνος ἔλαβε, κἆιτ᾽ ἔδοξεν αὑτῶι μεῖον λαβεῖν· κατέβαλεν οὖν ὃ ἔλαβεν ὡς ἕτερον ληψόμενος. καὶ ὁ ἄρταμος οἰόμενος αὐτὸν οὐδὲν ἔτι δεῖσθαι ὄψου, ὤιχετο παραφέρων πρὶν λαβεῖν αὐτὸν ἕτερον.

I tried to comfort him. ‘Never mind,’ I said, ‘presently the servant will begin again with us, and then you will help yourself first and you can take the biggest piece.’ Just then the third course, and, as it proved, the last, came round, and so the poor fellow took his helping, but as he did so it struck him that the piece he had chosen first was too small, and he put it back, meaning to pick out another. But the carver, thinking he had changed his mind and did not want any more, passed on to the next man before he had time to secure his second slice.

ἐνταῦθα δὴ οὕτω βαρέως ἤνεγκε τὸ πάθος ὥστε ἀνήλωτο μὲν αὐτῶι ὃ εἰλήφει ὄψον, ὃ δ᾽ ἔτι αὐτῶι λοιπὸν ἦν τοῦ ἐμβάπτεσθαι, τοῦτό πως ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐκπεπλῆχθαί τε καὶ τῆι τύχηι ὀργίζεσθαι δυσθετούμενος ἀνέτρεψεν. ὁ μὲν δὴ λοχαγὸς ὁ ἐγγύτατα ἡμῶν ἰδὼν συνεκρότησε τὼ χεῖρε καὶ τῶι γέλωτι ηὐφραίνετο. ἐγὼ μέντοι, ἔφη, προσεποιούμην βήττειν· οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐδυνάμην τὸν γέλωτα κατασχεῖν. τοιοῦτον μὲν δή σοι ἕνα, ὦ Κῦρε, τῶν ἑταίρων ἐπιδεικνύω. ἐπὶ μὲν δὴ τούτωι ὥσπερ εἰκὸς ἐγέλασαν.

At this our friend took his loss so hard that he only made matters worse: his third course was clean gone, and now in his rage and his bad luck he somehow managed to overset the gravy, which was all that remained to him. The captain next to us seeing how matters stood rubbed his hands with glee and went into peals of laughter. And,” said Hystaspas, “I took refuge in a fit of coughing myself, for really I could not have controlled my laughter. There, Cyrus,” said he, “that is a specimen of our new comrades, as nearly as I can draw his portrait.”

ἄλλος δέ τις ἔλεξε τῶν ταξιάρχων· Οὗτος μὲν δή, ὦ Κῦρε, ὡς ἔοικεν, οὕτω δυσκόλωι ἐπέτυχεν. ἐγὼ δέ, ὡς σὺ διδάξας ἡμᾶς τὰς τάξεις ἀπέπεμψας καὶ ἐκέλευσας διδάσκειν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἕκαστον τάξιν ἃ παρὰ σοῦ ἐμάθομεν, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐγώ, ὥσπερ καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι ἐποίουν, ἐλθὼν ἐδίδασκον ἕνα λόχον. καὶ στήσας τὸν λοχαγὸν πρῶτον καὶ τάξας δὴ ἐπ᾽ αὐτῶι ἄνδρα νεανίαν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἧι ὤιμην δεῖν, ἔπειτα στὰς ἐκ τοῦ ἔμπροσθεν βλέπων εἰς τὸν λόχον, ἡνίκα μοι ἐδόκει καιρὸς εἶναι, προϊέναι ἐκέλευσα.

The description, as may be guessed, was greeted with shouts of laughter, and then another brigadier took up the word: “Well, Cyrus,” said he, “our friend here has certainly met with an absolute boor: my own experience is somewhat different. You remember the admonitions you gave us when you dismissed the regiments, and how you bade each of us instruct his own men in the lessons we had learnt from you. Well, I, like the rest of us, went off at once and set about instructing one of the companies under me. I posted the captain in front with a fine young fellow behind him, and after them the others in the order I thought best; I took my stand facing them all, and waited, with my eyes fixed on the captain, until I thought the right moment had come, and then I gave the order to advance.

καὶ ἁνήρ σοι ὁ νεανίας ἐκεῖνος προελθὼν τοῦ λοχαγοῦ πρότερος ἐπορεύετο. κἀγὼ ἰδὼν εἶπον· Ἄνθρωπε, τί ποιεῖς; καὶ ὃς ἔφη· Προέρχομαι ὥσπερ σὺ κελεύεις. κ᾽αγὼ εἶπον· Ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ ἐγὼ σὲ μόνον ἐκέλευον ἀλλὰ πάντας προϊέναι. καὶ ὃς ἀκούσας τοῦτο μεταστραφεὶς πρὸς τοὺς λοχίτας εἶπεν· Οὐκ ἀκούετε, ἔφη, λοιδορουμένου; προϊέναι πάντας κελεύει. καὶ ἅνδρες πάντες παρελθόντες τὸν λοχαγὸν ἦισαν πρὸς ἐμέ.

And what must my fine fellow do but get in front of the captain and march off ahead of the whole troop. I cried out, ‘You, sir, what are you doing?’ ‘Advancing as you ordered.’ ‘I never ordered you to advance alone,’ I retorted, ‘the order was given to the whole company.’ At which he turned right round and addressed the ranks: ‘Don’t you hear the officer abusing you? The orders are for all to advance!’ Whereupon the rest of them marched right past their captain and up to me.

ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ λοχαγὸς αὐτοὺς ἀνεχώριζεν, ἐδυσφόρουν καὶ ἔλεγον· Ποτέρωι δὴ πείθεσθαι χρή; νὺν γὰρ ὁ μὲν κελεύει προϊέναι, ὁ δ᾽ οὐκ ἐᾶι. ἐγὼ μέντοι ἐνεγκὼν ταῦτα πράιως ἐξ ἀρχῆς αὖ καταχωρίσας εἶπον μηδένα τῶν ὅπισθεν κινεῖσθαι πρὶν ἂν ὁ πρόσθεν ἡγῆται, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μόνον ὁρᾶν πάντας, τῶι πρόσθεν ἕπεσθαι.

Of course the captain called them back, and they began to grumble and growl: ‘Which of the two are we to obey? One tells us to advance, the other won’t let us move.’ “Well, I had to take the whole matter very quietly and begin again from the beginning, posting the company as they were, and explaining that no one in the rear was to move until the front rank man led off: all they had to do was to follow the man in front.

ὡς δ᾽ εἰς Πέρσας τις ἀπιὼν ἦλθε πρὸς ἐμὲ καὶ ἐκέλευσέ με τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἣν ἔγραψα οἴκαδε δοῦναι, κ᾽αγώ, ὁ γὰρ λοχαγὸς ἤιδει ὅπου ἔκειτο ἡ ἐπιστολή, ἐκέλευσα αὐτὸν δραμόντα ἐνεγκεῖν τὴν ἐπιστολήν, ὁ μὲν δὴ ἔτρεχεν, ὁ δὲ νεανίας ἐκεῖνος εἵπετο τῶι λοχαγῶι σὺν αὐτῶι τῶι θώρακι καὶ τῆι κοπίδι, καὶ ὁ ἄλλος δὲ πᾶς λόχος ἰδὼν ἐκεῖνον συνέτρεχον· καὶ ἥκον οἱ ἄνδρες φέροντες τὴν ἐπιστολήν. οὕτως, ἔφη, ὅ γ᾽ ἐμὸς λόχος σοι ἀκριβοῖ πάντα τὰ παρὰ σοῦ.

As I was speaking, up came a friend of mine; he was going off to Persia, and had come to ask me for a letter I had written home. So I turned to the captain who happened to know where I had left the letter lying, and bade him fetch it for me. Off he ran, and off ran my young fellow at his heels, breast-plate, battle-axe, and all. The rest of the company thought they were bound to follow suit, joined in the race, and brought my letter back in style. That is how my company, you see, carries out your instructions to the full.”

οἱ μὲν δὴ ἄλλοι ὡς εἰκὸς ἐγέλων ἐπὶ τῆι δορυφορίαι τῆς ἐπιστολῆς· ὁ δὲ Κῦρος εἶπεν· Ὦ Ζεῦ καὶ πάντες θεοί, οἵους ἄρα ἡμεῖς ἔχομεν ἄνδρας ἑταίρους, οἵ γε εὐθεράπευτοι μὲν οὕτως εἰσὶν ὥστ᾽ εἶναι αὐτῶν καὶ μικρῶι ὄψωι παμπόλλους φίλους ἀνακτήσασθαι, πιθανοὶ δ᾽ οὕτως εἰσί τινες ὥστε πρὶν εἰδέναι τὸ προσταττόμενον πρότερον πείθονται. ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ οἶδα ποίοις τινὰς χρὴ μᾶλλον εὔξασθαι ἢ τοιούτους στρατιώτας ἔχειν.

He paused, and the listeners laughed to their hearts’ content, as well as they might, over the triumphant entry of the letter under its armed escort. Then Cyrus spoke: “Now heaven be praised! A fine set they are, these new friends of ours, a most rare race! So grateful are they for any little act of courtesy, you may win a hundred hearts by a dish of meat! And so docile, some of them must needs obey an order before they have understood it! For my part I can only pray to be blest with an army like them all.”

ὁ μὲν δὴ Κῦρος ἅμα γελῶν οὕτως ἐπήινεσε τοὺς στρατιώτας. ἐν δὲ τῆι σκηνῆι ἐτύχανέ τις ὢν τῶν ταξιάρχων Ἀγλαϊτάδας ὄνομα, ἀνὴρ τὸν τρόπον τῶν στρυφνοτέρων ἀνθρώπων, ὃς οὑτωσί πως εἶπεν· Ἦ γὰρ οἴει, ἔφη, ὦ Κῦρε, τούτους ἀληθῆ λέγειν ταῦτα; Ἀλλὰ τί μὴν βουλόμενοι, ἔφη ὁ Κῦρος, ψεύδονται; Τί δ᾽ ἄλλο γ᾽, ἔφη, εἰ μὴ γέλωτα ποιεῖν ἐθέλοντες ὑπὲρ οὗ λέγουσι ταὺτα καὶ ἀλαζονεύονται;

Thus he joined in the mirth, but he turned the laughter to the praise of his new recruits. Then one of the company, a brigadier called Aglaïtadas, a somewhat sour-tempered man, turned to him and said: “Cyrus, do you really think the tales they tell are true?” “Certainly,” he answered, “why should they say what is false?” “Why,” repeated the other, “simply to raise a laugh, and make a brag like the impostors that they are.”

καὶ ὁ Κῦρος, Εὐφήμει, ἔφη, μηδὲ λέγε ἀλαζόνας εἶναι τούτους. ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἀλαζὼν ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ ὄνομα κεῖσθαι ἐπὶ τοῖς προσποιουμένοις καὶ πλουσιωτέροις εἶναι ἢ εἰσὶ καὶ ἀνδρειοτέροις καὶ ποιήσειν ἃ μὴ ἱκανοί εἰσιν ὑπισχνουμένοις, καὶ ταῦτα φανεροῖς γιγνομένοις ὅτι τοῦ λαβεῖν τι ἕνεκα καὶ κερδᾶναι ποιοῦσιν. οἱ δὲ μηχανώμενοι γέλωτα τοῖς συνοῦσι μήτε ἐπὶ τῶι αὑτῶν κέρδει μήτ᾽ ἐπὶ ζημίαι τῶν ἀκουόντων μήτε ἐπὶ βλάβηι μηδεμιᾶι, πῶς οὐχ οὗτοι ἀστεῖοι ἂν καὶ εὐχάριτες δικαιότερον ὀνομάζοιντο μᾶλλον ἢ ἀλαζόνες;

But Cyrus cut him short, “Hush! hush! You must not use such ugly names. Let me tell you what an impostor is. He is a man who claims to be wealthier or braver than he is in fact, and who undertakes what he can never carry out, and all this for the sake of gain. But he who contrives mirth for his friends, not for his own profit, or his hearers’ loss, or to injure any man, surely, if we must needs give him a name, we ought to call him a man of taste and breeding and a messenger of wit.”

ὁ μὲν δὴ Κῦρος οὕτως ἀπελογήσατο περὶ τῶν τὸν γέλωτα παρασχόντων· αὐτὸς δὲ [ὁ λοχαγὸς] ὁ τὴν τοῦ λόχου χαριτίαν διηγησάμενος ἔφη· Ἦπου ἄν, ἔφη, ὦ Ἀγλαϊτάδα, εἴ γε κλαίειν ἐπειρώμεθά σε ποιεῖν, σφόδρ᾽ ἂν ἡμῖν ἐμέμφου, ὥσπερ ἔνιοι καὶ ἐν ὠιδαῖς καὶ ἐν λόγοις οἰκτρὰ ἄττα λογοποιοῦντες εἰς δάκρυα πειρῶνται ἄγειν, ὁπότε γε νῦν καὶ αὐτὸς εἰδὼς ὅτι εὐφραίνειν μέν τί σε βουλόμεθα, βλάψαι δ᾽ οὐδέν, ὅμως οὕτως ἐν πολλῆι ἀτιμίαι ἡμᾶς ἔχεις.

Such was the defence of Cyrus in behalf of the merrymakers. And the officer who had begun the jest turned to Aglaïtadas and said: “Just think, my dear sir, if we had tried to make you weep! What fault you would have found with us! Suppose we had been like the ballad-singers and story-tellers who put in lamentable tales in the hope of reducing their audience to tears! What would you have said about us then? Why, even now, when you know we only wish to amuse you, not to make you suffer, you must needs hold us up to shame.”

Ναὶ μὰ Δί᾽, ἔφη ὁ Ἀγλαϊτάδας, καὶ δικαίως γε, ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ κλαίοντας καθίζοντος τοὺς φίλους πολλαχοῦ ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ ἐλάττονος ἄξια διαπράττεσθαι ὁ γέλωτα αὐτοῖς μηχανώμενος. εὑρήσεις δὲ καὶ σύ, ἢν ὀρθῶς λογίζηι, ἐμὲ ἀληθῆ λέγοντα. κλαύμασι μέν γε καὶ πατέρες υἱοῖς σωφροσύνην μηχανῶνται καὶ διδάσκαλοι παισὶν ἀγαθὰ μαθήματα, καὶ νόμοι γε πολίτας διὰ τοῦ κλαίοντας καθίζειν ἐς δικαιοσύνην προτρέπονται· τοὺς δὲ γέλωτα μηχανωμένους ἔχοις ἂν εἰπεῖν ἢ σώματα ὠφελοῦντας ἢ ψυχὰς οἰκονομικωτέρας τι ποιοῦντας ἢ πολιτικωτέρας;

“And is not the shame justified?” Aglaïtadas replied. “The man who sets himself to make his fellows laugh does far less for them than he who makes them weep. If you will but think, you will admit that what I say is true. It is through tears our fathers teach self-control unto their sons, and our tutors sound learning to their scholars, and the laws themselves lead the grown man to righteousness by putting him to sit in the place of penitence. But your mirth-makers, can you say they benefit the body or edify the soul? Can smiles make a man a better master or a better citizen? Can he learn economy or statesmanship from a grin?”

ἐκ τούτου ὁ Ὑστάσπας ὧδέ πως εἶπε· Σύ, ἔφη, ὦ Ἀγλαϊτάδα, ἢν ἐμοὶ πείθηι, εἰς μὲν τοὺς πολεμίους θαρρῶν δαπανήσεις τοῦτο τὸ πολλοῦ ἄξιον, καὶ κλαίοντας ἐκείνους πειράσηι καθίζειν· ἡμῖν δὲ πάντως, ἔφη, τοῖσδε [τοῖς φίλοις] τούτου τοῦ ὀλίγου, ἀξίου, τοῦ γέλωτος ἐπιδαψιλεύσηι. καὶ γὰρ οἶδ᾽ ὅτι πολύς σοί ἐστιν ἀποκείμενος· οὔτε γὰρ αὐτὸς χρώμενος ἀνηισίμωκας αὐτόν, οὐδὲ μὴν φίλοις οὐδὲ ξένοις ἑκὼν εἶναι γέλωτα παρέχεις· ὥστε οὐδεμία σοι πρόφασίς ἐστιν ὡς οὐ παρεκτέον σοι ἡμῖν γέλωτα. καὶ ὁ Ἀγλαϊτάδας εἶπε· Καὶ οἴει γε, ὦ Ὑστάσπα, γέλωτα περιποιεῖν ἐξ ἐμοῦ; καὶ ὁ ταξίαρχος εἶπε· Ναὶ μὰ Δί᾽, ἀνόητος ἄρ᾽ ἐστίν· ἐπεὶ ἔκ γε σοῦ πῦρ, οἶμαι, ῥᾶιον ἄν τις ἐκτρίψειεν ἢ γέλωτα ἐξαγάγοιτο.

But Hystaspas answered back: “Take my advice, Aglaïtadas, pluck up heart and spend this precious gift of yours on your enemies: make them sit in the seat of the sorrowful, and fling away on us, your friends, that vile and worthless laughter. You must have an ample store of it in reserve: it cannot be said you have squandered it on yourself, or ever wasted a smile on friend or foreigner if you could help it. So you have no excuse to be niggardly now, and cannot refuse us a smile.” “I see,” said Aglaïtadas, “you are trying to get a laugh out of me, are you not?” But the brigadier interposed, “Then he is a fool for his pains, my friend: one might strike fire out of you, perhaps, but not a laugh, not a laugh.”

ἐπὶ τούτωι μὲν δὴ οἵ τε ἄλλοι ἐγέλασαν, τὸν τρόπον εἰδότες αὐτοῦ, ὅ τ᾽ Ἀγλαϊτάδας ἐπεμειδίασε. καὶ ὁ Κῦρος ἰδὼν αὐτὸν φαιδρωθέντα, Ἀδικεῖς, ἔφη, ὦ ταξίαρχε, ὅτι ἄνδρα ἡμῖν τὸν σπουδαιότατον διαφθείρεις γελᾶν ἀναπείθων, καὶ ταῦτα, ἔφη, οὕτω πολέμιον ὄντα τῶι γέλωτι.

At this sally all the others shouted with glee, and even Aglaïtadas could not help himself: he smiled. And Cyrus, seeing the sombre face light up said: “Brigadier, you are very wrong to corrupt so virtuous a man, luring him to laughter, and that too when he is the sworn foe of gaiety.”

ταῦτα μὲν δὴ ἐνταῦθα ἔληξεν. ἐκ δὲ τούτου Χρυσάντας ὧδ᾽ ἔλεξεν.

So they talked and jested. And then Chrysantas began on another theme.

Ἀλλ᾽ ἐγώ, ἔφη, ὦ Κῦρε καὶ πάντες οἱ παρόντες, ἐννοῶ ὅτι συνεξεληλύθασι μὲν ἡμῖν οἱ μὲν καὶ βελτίονες, οἱ δὲ καὶ μείονος ἄξιοι· ἢν δέ τι γένηται ἀγαθόν, ἀξιώσουσιν οὗτοι πάντες ἰσομοιρεῖν. καίτοι ἔγωγε οὐδὲν ἀνισώτερον νομίζω ἐν ἀνθρώποις εἶναι τοῦ τῶν ἴσων τόν τε κακὸν καὶ τὸν ἀγαθὸν ἀξιοῦσθαι. καὶ ὁ Κῦρος εἶπε πρὸς τοῦτο· Ἆρ᾽ οὖν, πρὸς τῶν θεῶν, ὦ ἄνδρες, κράτιστον ἡμῖν ἐμβαλεῖν περὶ τούτου βουλὴν εἰς τὸ στράτευμα, πότερα δοκεῖ, ἢν τι ἐκ τῶν πόνων δῶι ὁ θεὸς ἀγαθόν, ἰσομοίρους πάντας ποιεῖν, ἢ σκοποῦντας τὰ ἔργα ἑκάστου πρὸς ταῦτα καὶ τὰς τιμὰς ἑκάστωι προστιθέναι;

“Cyrus,” he said, “and gentlemen all, I cannot help seeing that within our ranks are men of every kind, some better and some worse, and yet if anything is won every man will claim an equal share. Now to my mind nothing is more unfair than that the base man and the good should be held of equal account.” “Perhaps it would be best, gentlemen,” said Cyrus in answer, “to bring the matter before the army in council and put it to them, whether, if God grant us success, we should let all share and share alike, or distribute the rewards and honours in proportion to the deserts of each.”

Καὶ τί δεῖ, ἔφη ὁ Χρυσάντας, ἐμβαλεῖν λόγον περὶ τούτου, ἀλλ᾽ οὐχὶ προειπεῖν ὅτι οὕτω ποιήσεις; οὐ καὶ τοὺς ἀγῶνας οὕτω προεῖπας καὶ τὰ ἆθλα; Ἀλλὰ μὰ Δί᾽, ἔφη ὁ Κῦρος, οὐχ ὅμοια ταῦτα ἐκείνοις· ἃ μὲν γὰρ ἂν στρατευόμενοι κτήσωνται, κοινὰ οἶμαι ἑαυτῶν ἡγήσονται εἶναι· τὴν δὲ ἀρχὴν τῆς στρατιᾶς ἐμὴν ἴσως ἔτι οἴκοθεν νομίζουσιν εἶναι, ὥστε διατάττοντα ἐμὲ τοὺς ἐπιστάτας οὐδὲν οἶμαι ἀδικεῖν νομίζουσιν.

“But why,” asked Chrysantas, “why discuss the point? Why not simply issue a general order that you intend to do this? Was not that enough in the case of the competitions?” “Doubtless,” Cyrus answered, “but this case is different. The troops, I take it, will feel that all they win by their services on the campaign should belong to them in common: but they hold that the actual command of the expedition was mine by right even before we left home, so that I was fully entitled, on their view, to appoint umpires and judges at my own will.”

Ἦ καὶ οἴει, ἔφη ὁ Χρυσάντας, ψηφίσασθαι ἂν τὸ πλῆθος συνελθὸν ὥστε μὴ ἴσων ἕκαστον τυγχάνειν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς κρατίστους καὶ τιμαῖς καὶ δώροις πλεονεκτεῖν; Ἔγωγ᾽, ἔφη ὁ Κῦρος, οἶμαι, ἅμα μὲν ἡμῶν συναγορευόντων, ἅμα δὲ καὶ αἰσχρὸν ὂν ἀντιλέγειν τὸ μὴ οὐχὶ τὸν πλεῖστα καὶ πονοῦντα καὶ ὠφελοῦντα τὸ κοινὸν τοῦτον καὶ μεγίστων ἀξιοῦσθαι. οἶμαι δ᾽, ἔφη, καὶ τοῖς κακίστοις συμφέρον φανεῖσθαι τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς πλεονεκτεῖν.

“And do you really expect,” asked Chrysantas, “that the mass of the army will pass a resolution giving up the right of all to an equal share in order that the best men should receive the most?” “Yes, I do,” said Cyrus, “partly because we shall be there to argue for that course, but chiefly because it would seem too base to deny that he who works the hardest and does most for the common good deserves the highest recompense. Even the worst of men must admit that the brave should gain the most.”

ὁ δὲ Κῦρος ἐβούλετο καὶ αὐτῶν ἕνεκα τῶν ὁμοτίμων γενέσθαι τοῦτο τὸ ψήφισμα· βελτίους γὰρ ἂν καὶ αὐτοὺς ἡγεῖτο τούτους εἶναι, εἰ εἰδεῖεν ὅτι ἐκ τῶν ἔργων καὶ αὐτοὶ κρινόμενοι τῶν ἀξίων τεύξονται. καιρὸς οὖν ἐδόκει αὐτῶι εἶναι νῦν ἐμβαλεῖν περὶ τούτου ψῆφον, ἐν ὧι καὶ οἱ ὁμότιμοι ὤκνουν τὴν τοῦ ὄχλου ἰσομοιρίαν. οὕτω δὴ συνεδόκει τοῖς ἐν τῆι σκηνῆι συμβαλέσθαι περὶ τούτου λόγους καὶ συναγορεύειν ταῦτα ἔφασαν χρῆναι ὅστισπερ ἀνὴρ οἴοιτο εἶναι.

It was, however, as much for the sake of the Peers themselves as for any other reason that Cyrus wished the resolution to be passed. They would prove all the better men, he thought, if they too were to be judged by their deeds and rewarded accordingly. And this was the right moment, he felt, to raise the question and put it to the vote, now when the Peers were disposed to resent being put on a level with the common people. In the end it was agreed by all the company that the question should be raised, and that every one who claimed to call himself a man was bound to argue in its favour.

Ἐπιγελάσας δὲ τῶν ταξιάρχων τις εἶπεν· Ἀλλ᾽ ἐγώ, ἔφη, ἄνδρα οἶδα καὶ τοῦ δήμου ὃς συνερεῖ ὥστε μὴ εἰκῆι οὕτως ἰσομοιρίαν εἶναι. ἄλλος δ᾽ ἀντήρετο τοῦτον τίνα λέγοι. ὁ δ᾽ ἀπεκρίνατο· Ἔστι νὴ Δί᾽ ἀνὴρ ἡμῖν σύσκηνος, ὃς ἐν παντὶ μαστεύει πλέον ἔχειν. ἄλλος δ᾽ ἐπήρετο αὐτόν· Ἦ καὶ τῶν πόνων; Μὰ Δί᾽, ἔφη, οὐ μὲν δή· ἀλλὰ τοῦτό γε ψευδόμενος ἑάλωκα. καὶ γὰρ πόνων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν τοιούτων ὁρῶ πάνυ θαρραλέως βουλόμενον μεῖον ἔχειν παρ᾽ ὁντιναοῦν.

And on that one of the brigadiers smiled to himself and said: “I know at least one son of the soil who will be ready to agree that the principle of share and share alike should not be followed everywhere.” “And who is he?” another asked. “Well,” said the first, “he is a member of our quarters, I can tell you that, and he is always hunting after the lion’s share of every single thing.” “What? Of everything?” said a third. “Of work as well?” “Oh, no!” said the first, “you have caught me there. I was wrong to say so much, I must confess. When it comes to work, I must admit, he is quite ready to go short: he will give up his own share of that, without a murmur, to any man whatever.”

Ἀλλ᾽ ἐγὼ μέν, ἔφη ὁ Κῦρος, ὦ ἄνδρες, γιγνώσκω τοὺς τοιούτους ἀνθρώπους οἷον καὶ οὗτος νῦν λέγει εἴπερ δεῖ ἐνεργὸν καὶ πειθόμενον ἔχειν τὸ στράτευμα, ἐξαιρετέους εἶναι ἐκ τῆς στρατιᾶς. δοκεῖ γάρ μοι τὸ μὲν πολὺ τῶν στρατιωτῶν εἶναι οἷον ἕπεσθαι ἧι ἄν τις ἡγῆται· ἄγειν δ᾽ οἶμαι ἐπιχειροῦσιν οἱ μὲν καλοὶ κ᾽αγαθοὶ ἐπὶ τὰ καλὰ κ᾽αγαθά, οἱ δὲ πονηροὶ ἐπὶ τὰ πονηρά.

“For my part, gentlemen,” said Cyrus, “I hold that all such idlers ought to be turned out of the army, that is, if we are ever to cultivate obedience and energy in our men. The bulk of our soldiers, I take it, are of the type to follow a given lead: they will seek after nobleness and valour if their leaders are valiant and noble, but after baseness if these are base.

καὶ πολλάκις τοίνυν πλείονας ὁμογνώμονας λαμβάνουσιν οἱ φαῦλοι ἢ οἱ σπουδαῖοι. ἡ γὰρ πονηρία διὰ τῶν παραυτίκα ἡδονῶν πορευομένη ταύτας ἔχει συμπειθούσας πολλοὺς αὐτῆι ὁμογνωμονεῖν· ἡ δ᾽ ἀρετὴ πρὸς ὄρθιον ἄγουσα οὐ πάνυ δεινή ἐστιν ἐν τῶι παραυτίκα εἰκῆι συνεπισπᾶσθαι, ἄλλως τε καὶ ἢν ἄλλοι ὦσιν ἐπὶ τὸ πρανὲς καὶ τὸ μαλακὸν ἀντιπαρακαλοῦντες.

And we know that only too often the worthless will find more friends than the good. Vice, passing lightly along her path of pleasure, wins the hearts of thousands with her gifts; but Virtue, toiling up the steep ascent, has little skill to snare the souls of men and draw them after her, when all the while their comrades are calling to them on the easy downward way.

καὶ τοίνυν ὅταν μέν τινες βλακείαι καὶ ἀπονίαι μόνον κακοὶ ὦσι, τούτους ἐγὼ νομίζω ὥσπερ κηφῆνας δαπάνηι μόνον ζημιοῦν τοὺς κοινῶνας· οἳ δ᾽ ἂν τῶν μὲν πόνων κακοὶ ὦσι κοινωνοί, πρὸς δὲ τὸ πλεονεκτεῖν σφοδροὶ καὶ ἀναίσχυντοι, οὗτοι καὶ ἡγεμονικοί εἰσι πρὸς τὰ πονηρά· πολλάκις γὰρ δύνανται τὴν πονηρίαν πλεονεκτοῦσαν ἀποδεικνύναι· ὥστε παντάπασιν ἐξαιρετέοι ἡμῖν οἱ τοιοῦτοί εἰσι.

It is true there are degrees, and where the evil springs only from sloth and lethargy, I look on the creatures as mere drones, only injuring the hive by what they cost: but there are others, backward in toil and forward in greed, and these are the captains in villainy: for not seldom can they show that rascality has its advantages. Such as they must be removed, cut out from among us, root and branch.

καὶ μὴ μέντοι σκοπεῖτε ὅπως ἐκ τῶν πολιτῶν ἀντιπληρώσετε τὰς τάξεις, ᾽αλλ᾽ ὥσπερ ἵπποι οἳ ἂν ἄριστοι ὦσιν, οὐχ οἳ ἂν πατριῶται, τούτους ζητεῖτε, οὕτω καὶ ἀνθρώπους ἐκ πάντων οἳ ἂν ὑμῖν δοκῶσι μάλιστα συνισχυριεῖν τε ὑμᾶς καὶ συγκοσμήσειν, τούτους λαμβάνετε. μαρτυρεῖ δέ μοι καὶ τόδε πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθόν· οὔτε γὰρ ἅρμα δήπου ταχὺ γένοιτ᾽ ἂν βραδέων ἵππων ἐνόντων οὔτε δίκαιον ἀδίκων συνεζευγμένων, οὐδὲ οἶκος δύναιτ᾽ ἂν εὖ οἰκεῖσθαι πονηροῖς οἰκέταις χρώμενος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐνδεόμενος οἰκετῶν ἧττον σφάλλεται ἢ ὑπὸ ἀδίκων ταραττόμενος.

And I would not have you fill their places from our fellow-citizens alone, but, just as you choose your horses from the best stocks, wherever you find them, not limiting yourselves to the national breed, so you have all mankind before you, and you should choose those, and those only, who will increase your power and add to your honour. Let me clinch my argument by examples: no chariot can travel fast if the horses in the team are slow, or run straight if they will not be ruled; no house can stand firm if the household is evil: better empty walls than traitors who will bring it to the ground.

εὖ δ᾽ ἵστε, ἔφη, ὦ ἄνδρες, φίλοι, ὅτι οὐδὲ τοῦτο μόνον ὠφελήσουσιν οἱ κακοὶ ἀφαιρεθέντες ὅτι κακοὶ ἀπέσονται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν καταμενόντων οἳ μὲν ἀνεπίμπλαντο ἤδη κακίας, ἀποκαθαροῦνται πάλιν ταύτης, οἱ δὲ ἀγαθοὶ τοὺς κακοὺς ἰδόντες ἀτιμασθέντας πολὺ εὐθυμότερον τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀνθέξονται.

“And be sure, my friends,” he added, “the removal of the bad means a benefit beyond the sheer relief that they are taken away and will trouble us no more: those who are left and were ripe for contagion are purified, and those who were worthy will cleave to virtue all the closer when they see the dishonour that falls on wickedness.”

ὁ μὲν οὕτως εἶπε· τοῖς δὲ φίλοις πᾶσι συνέδοξε ταῦτα, καὶ οὕτως ἐποίουν. Ἐκ δὲ τούτου πάλιν αὐτοῖς σκώμματος ἤρχετο ὁ Κῦρος. κατανοήσας γάρ τινα τῶν λοχαγῶν σύνδειπνον καὶ παρακλίτην πεποιημένον ἄνδρα ὑπέρδασύν τε καὶ ὑπέραισχρον, ἀνακαλέσας τὸν λοχαγὸν ὀνομαστὶ εἶπεν ὧδε· Ὦ Σαμβαύλα, ἔφη, ἀλλ᾽ ἦ καὶ σὺ κατὰ τὸν Ἑλληνικὸν τρόπον, ὅτι καλόν ἐστι, περιάγει τοῦτο τὸ μειράκιον τὸ παρακατακείμενόν σοι; Νὴ τὸν Δί᾽, ἔφη ὁ Σαμβαύλας, ἥδομαι γοῦν καὶ ἐγὼ συνών τε καὶ θεώμενος τοῦτον.

So Cyrus spoke, and his words won the praise of all his friends, and they set themselves to do as he advised. But after that Cyrus began to jest again. His eye fell on a certain captain who had chosen for his comrade at the feast a great hairy lad, a veritable monster of ugliness, and Cyrus called to the captain by name: “How now, Sambulas? Have you adopted the Hellenic fashion too? And will you roam the world together, you and the lad who sits beside you, because there is none so fair as he?” “By heaven,” answered Sambulas, “you are not far wrong. It is bliss to me to feast my eyes upon him.”

ἀκούσαντες ταῦτα οἱ σύσκηνοι προσέβλεψαν· ὡς δὲ εἶδον τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ὑπερβάλλον αἴσχει, ἐγέλασαν πάντες. καί τις εἶπε· Πρὸς τῶν θεῶν, ὦ Σαμβαύλα, ποίωι ποτέ σε ἔργωι ἁνὴρ οὗτος ἀνήρτηται;

At that all the guests turned and looked on the young man’s face, but when they saw how ugly it was, they could not help laughing outright. “Heavens, Sambulas, tell us the valiant deed that knit your souls together! How has he drawn you to himself?”

καὶ ὃς εἶπεν· Ἐγὼ ὑμῖν νὴ τὸν Δία, ὦ ἄνδρες, ἐρῶ. ὁποσάκις γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐκάλεσα εἴτε νυκτὸς εἴτε ἡμέρας, οὐπώποτέ μοι οὔτ᾽ ἀσχολίαν προυφασίσατο οὔτε βάδην ὑπήκουσεν, ἀλλ᾽ ἀεὶ τρέχων· ὁποσάκις τε αὐτῶι πρᾶξαί τι προσέταξα, οὐδὲν ἀνιδρωτί ποτε αὐτὸν εἶδον ποιοῦντα. πεποίηκε δὲ καὶ τοὺς δεκαδέας πάντας τοιούτους, οὐ λόγωι ἀλλ᾽ ἔργωι ἀποδεικνὺς οἵους δεῖ εἶναι.

“Listen then,” he answered, “and I will tell you the whole truth. Every time I call him, morning, noon, or night, he comes to me; never yet has he excused himself, never been too busy to attend; and he comes at a run, he does not walk. Whatever I have bidden him do, he has always done it, and at the top of his speed. He has made all the petty captains under him the very models of industry; he shows them, not by word but deed, what they ought to be.”

καί τις εἶπε· Κἄπειτα τοιοῦτον ὄντα οὐ φιλεῖς αὐτὸν ὥσπερ τοὺς συγγενεῖς; καὶ ὁ αἰσχρὸς ἐκεῖνος πρὸς τοῦτο ἔφη· Μὰ Δία· οὐ γὰρ φιλόπονός ἐστιν· ἐπεὶ ἤρκει ἂν αὐτῶι, εἰ ἐμὲ ἤθελε φιλεῖν, τοῦτο ἀντὶ πάντων τῶν γυμνασίων.

“And so,” said another, “for all these virtues you give him, I take it, the kiss of kinship?” But the ugly lad broke out: “Not he! He has no great love for work. And to kiss me, if it came to that, would mean more effort than all his exercises.”

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