Now when he had heard these reasonings, Simonides replied: O Hiero, there is a potent force, it would appear, the name of which is honour, so attractive that human beings strain to grasp it,[1] and in the effort they will undergo all pains, endure all perils. It would further seem that even you, you tyrants, in spite of all that sea of trouble which a tyranny involves, rush headlong in pursuit of it. You must be honoured. All the world shall be your ministers; they shall carry out your every injunction with unhestitating zeal.[2] You shall be the cynosure of neighbouring eyes; men shall rise from their seats at your approach; they shall step aside to yield you passage in the streets.[3] All present shall at all times magnify you,[4] and shall pay homage to you both with words and deeds. Those, I take it, are ever the kind of things which subjects do to please the monarch,[5] and thus they treat each hero of the moment, whom they strive to honour.[6]
[1] Lit. "that human beings will abide all risks and undergo all pains to clutch the bait."[2] Cf. "Cyrop." II. iii. 8; VIII. i. 29.
[3] Cf. "Mem." II. iii. 16; "Cyrop." VII. v. 20.
[4] {gerairosi}, poetic. Cf. "Cyrop." VIII. i. 39; "Hell." I. vii. 33;"Econ." iv. 8; "Herod." v. 67; Pind. "O." iii. 3, v. 11; "N." v.15;"Od." xiv. 437, 441; "Il." vii. 321; Plat. "Rep." 468 D,quoting "Il."vii. 321.
[5] Reading {tois turannois}, or if {tous turannous}, after Cobet, "That is how they treat crowned heads."[6] Cf. Tennyson, "Ode on the Death of the Duke of Wellington":
With honour, honour, honour to him,Eternal honour to his name.
Yes, Hiero, and herein precisely lies the difference between a man and other animals, in this outstretching after honour.[7] Since, it would seem, all living creatures alike take pleasure in meats and drinks, in sleep and sexual joys. Only the love of honour is implanted neither in unreasoning brutes[8] nor universally in man. But they in whose hearts the passion forhonour and fair fame has fallen like a seed, these unmistakably[9] are separated most widely from the brutes. These may claim to be called men,[10] not human beings merely. So that, in my poor judgment, it is but reasonable you should submit to bear the pains and penalties of royalty, since you are honoured far beyond all other mortal men. And indeed no pleasure known to man would seem to be nearer that of gods than the delight[11] which centres in proud attributes.
[7] Or, "in this strong aspiration after honour." Holden aptly cf. "Spectator," No. 467: "The love of praise is a passion deeply fixed in the mind of every extraordinary person; and those who are most affected with it seem most to partake of that particle of the divinity which distinguishes mankind from the inferior creation."[8] {alogous}, i.e. "without speach and reason"; cf. modern Greek {o alogos} = the horse (sc. the animal par excellence). See "Horsemanship," viii. 14.
[9] {ede}, "ipso facto."
[10] See "Anab." I. vii. 4; Frotscher ap. Breit. cf. Cic. "ad Fam." v.
17. 5, "ut et hominem te et virum esse meminisses." [11] Or, "joyance."To these arguments Hiero replied: Nay, but, Simonides, the honours and proud attributes bestowed on tyrants have much in common with their love-makings, as I described them. Like honours like loves, the pair are of a piece.
