Letter 641

To Plutarch, of distinguished rank. Some say that the Athenians once made a vow that they might never see any of their genuine friends entrusted with office. For the man who obtains a position of command first of all turns aside into arrogance, and is compelled to be ignorant both of himself and of his friends, and is no longer master of his own reasonings, but is bent and carried this way and that, doing the things that accomplish nothing; and then he comes to be hated by nearly everyone, and is plotted against, and is easily captured, and lies exposed and without honor, liable to fall into every grievous danger and difficulty and into incurable misfortunes. For this very reason I too now pray that you may not obtain the office you have been eager for, lest I lose my friend who is genuine, and kindly, and good.

Φασί τινες, πρώην τοὺς Ἀθηναίους εὐχὴν ποιήσασθαι, μηδένα τῶν φίλων τῶν γνησίων θεάσασθαι ἄρχην ἐγχειρισθέντα. Ὁ γὰρ τῆς ἡγεμονίας ἐπιτυχών, πρῶτον μὲν εἰς ὑπερηφανίαν ἐκτρέπεται, καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἀγνοεῖν καὶ τοὺς φίλους ἀναγκάζεται, καὶ οὐκέτι τῶν ἰδίων λογισμῶν κυριεύει, τῇδε κἀκεῖσε μετακλινόμενος τε καὶ μεταφερόμενος, καὶ πράττων τὰ μὴ συντελοῦντα· ἔπειτα δὲ σχεδὸν ὑπ. πάντων μισεῖται, καὶ ἐπιβουλεύεται, καὶ ἔστιν εὐάλωτος, καὶ πρόκειται ἄτιμος πρὸς τῷ παντὶ χαλεπῷ κινδύνῳ, καὶ περιστάσει, καὶ ταῖς ἀνηκέστοις περιπεσεῖν συμφοραῖς. Διόπερ κἀγὼ νυνὶ εὔχομαι μή τυχεῖν σε τῆς σπουδασθείσης ἀρχῆς, ἵνα τὸν φίλον μου ἀπολέσω τὸν γνήσιον, καὶ προσηνῆ, καὶ χρηστόν.