Oration 51
Imperial Dio Chrysostom Greek- It moves me to great wonder, men, if a man, not approving of someone nor cherishing him, then rises up and praises him in a speech, and sometimes goes through a long encomium very carefully composed. For such a man is conscious in himself of every most disgraceful thing: envy, smallness of soul, and — the last of all — servility. At any rate it is not amiss said, even among the ancients, "this is a slave's word." Come, then, how would he not be a slave who, before so many men at once, said other than he thinks, and that too not simply, but with thought and preparation, and who often flatters and admires a man whom he does not love?
- For so to put it is moderate. And indeed, that all praise all among us you surely know; so that I rejoice with you and judge you blessed, if we all thus love everyone. For this is the consequence. Yet I should have wished that, just as in the councils and the assemblies one may hear many encomia, so too in the market-place and the other gatherings. But as it is, according to the place, the things said are of one sort or another, and, like those who train themselves in the schools, we too try our hand at both. So that, if a stranger comes into the assembly, he will think the city composed of heroes or wise men; but if he turns into the market-place — of what sort, there is no need to say; for you know yourselves.
- What then? someone will say: have you risen up to reproach those who praise? No, by Zeus; but in order that, if it be possible, we may be humane and lovers of the good not only here, but alike in every place and on every occasion. The praise of this man, then, I see has been filled up by you so as to admit no excess. But it is worth while to praise you also. For you seem to me to differ greatly from all peoples. And I would not have said this had I not also thought so. For the rest look only to what is profitable, and praise those who give to them or are able to give; but you reckon the eagerness and the willingness too to be a great thing.
- And I do not say this — that he has not also done many great things; for he has — but that for you his very willingness sufficed. And besides, the rest most approve the smallest of the things done — I mean such as involve some expense; but you perceive the greatest according to their worth. And it is in every way greater than spending money, that one should care for the city and be manifestly well-disposed toward you. And in addition, the most hate those who admonish them, even if they do so with reason, but approve marvellously those who flatter them with pleasure. But among you, on the contrary, he who uses the greatest freedom of speech and rebukes and corrects those who err — he is cherished most.
- Who, then, would not cherish such a city and such a polity, in which the honours for public benefactions are the greater, and he who admonishes with goodwill is loved more than he who consorts with flattery, and the many are more eager to be corrected and set right than to be courted and indulged? Or who would not be amazed at you, and count this man happy, judged worthy of your magistracy by men such as you?
- And I, for my part, see that he has a great contest with you. For the man to whom a whole city and people has of its own will entrusted its own education, and whom it has chosen as overseer of the common virtue, and to whom it has given the greatest rule, that of the temperance and the right living of each — how is the contest not great for such a man, that he may appear in no way inferior to your judgement? Consider — that you may know that not even one of the ancients, nor of those admired through all time, has obtained so great an honour from his own citizens.
- That Pericles, at least, whom we hear lived among the Athenians when the city was at its height, did obtain generalships; yet he was not thought worthy to rule through all time, and that, not by managing money nor caring for buildings, but in order that the citizens might be good, and he wished to admonish those who erred and, for his part at least, to make them better. Yet the men of that day did not endure him, because of their own want of breeding.
- How much better, then, are you, who give yourselves up and bid him educate you, than those who, even if anyone was eager of himself to do this, were indignant, and not only did not honour him, but even put to death the man who cared for them, as those men did Socrates? What finer encomium, then, of this man, or of you, could one utter — you who, when you perceived that he had made the youths and the young men better, straightway thought that you too could be made better; and, by Zeus, not that the youths have need of education and virtue, but those advanced in years have not, nor the whole city — just as if a physician should think that children or lads have need of treatment, but grown men have not.
- And indeed your magnanimity toward honours — how is it not wonderful in the city? For what of the august honours have you not eagerly furnished? Have you not images? Statues? Have you not sent embassies to the cities, to the emperor? Have you not honoured in common, and individually each greeted him with the right hand? Who, of such men, would not be uplifted? Who would not be eager to do you whatever good he could? And so I, for my part, think I have spoken the praise of this man too as well as I could. For the encomium of those who approve and honour someone would plainly be the finest praise of that man.