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ἔνιοι δέ φασιν οὐκ ἀρκούμενον οἷς
ἐλάμβανεν εἰς τὸ καθ᾽ ἡμέραν δεῖπνον ἀποστῆναι βασιλέως, εὐήθη λέγοντες,
εἰ γὰρ ἄλλο μηδέν, ἀλλὰ ἡ μήτηρ ὑπῆρχε, χρῆσθαι καὶ λαμβάνειν ὅσα
βούλοιτο τῶν αὑτῆς παρέχουσα καὶ διδοῦσα, μαρτυρεῖ δὲ τῷ πλούτῳ καὶ τὸ
μισθοφορικόν πολλαχόθι διὰ τῶν φίλων καὶ ξένων αὐτῷ παρατρεφόμενον, ὡς Ξενοφῶν εἴρηκεν. ἀθρόους μὲν γὰρ οὐ
συνήγαγεν, ἔτι τὴν παρασκευὴν [p. 134] ἐπικρυπτόμενος, ἀλλαχόθι δὲ
ἄλλους ἐπὶ πολλαῖς προφάσεσι ξενολογοῦντας εἶχε.
[2]
βασιλέως δὲ ἥ τε μήτηρ παροῦσα τὰς ὑποψίας ἀφῄρει, καὶ
Κῦρος αὐτὸς ἀεὶ θεραπευτικῶς ἔγραφε, τὰ μὲν αἰτούμενος παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ, τὰ
δὲ Τισαφέρνους ἀντικατηγορῶν, ὡς δὴ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον αὐτῷ ζήλου καὶ
ἀγῶνος ὄντος.
[3]
ἦν δέ τις καὶ μέλλησις ἐν τῇ φύσει τοῦ
βασιλέως, ἐπιείκεια φαινομένη τοῖς πολλοῖς. ἐν ἀρχῇ δὲ καὶ πάνυ ζηλοῦν
ἔδοξε τὴν Ἀρτοξέρξου τοῦ ὁμωνύμου πραότητα, ἡδίω τε ἑαυτὸν παρέχων
ἐντυγχάνεσθαι, καὶ περὶ τὸ τιμᾶν καὶ χαρίζεσθαι τὸ κατ᾽ ἀξίαν
ὑπερβάλλων, κολάσεως δὲ πάσης ἀφαιρῶν τὸ ἐφυβρίζον καὶ ἡδόμενον, ἐν δὲ
τῷ δέχεσθαι χάριτας οὐχ ἧττον τοῖς διδοῦσιν ἢ τοῖς λαμβάνουσιν ἐν τῷ
διδόναι φαινόμενος εὔχαρις καὶ φιλάνθρωπος,
[4]
οὐδὲν γὰρ ἦν οὕτως μικρόν τι τῶν διδομένων ὃ μὴ προσεδέξατο προθύμως,
ἀλλὰ καὶ ῥόαν μίαν ὑπερφυῆ μεγέθει προσενέγκαντος Ὠμίσου τινὸς αὐτῷ,
‘νὴ τὸν Μίθραν,’ εἶπεν, ‘οὗτος ὁ ἀνὴρ καὶ πόλιν ἂν ἐκ μικρᾶς ταχὺ ποιήσειε μεγάλην
πιστευθείς.’
Plutarch. Plutarch's Lives. with an English Translation by. Bernadotte Perrin. Cambridge, MA. Harvard University Press. London. William Heinemann Ltd. 1926. 11.
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