To Clearchus.
For us, as it seems, troubles are forever springing up out of the ways of Severus, and for you there will be no release from the letters we send about these matters. For the man is simply a Hydra: even if you cut off the head, you will do battle with another head, and even if you master that one, you will encounter a third.
And it seems to me that, even as he is dying, he would urge his heirs to remember Cleobulus, and that he will not be in want of money, since even now it is Alexander who shouts, but it was that other man who set things in motion, and one man stitched the shoe, while another put it on his foot.
We should indeed need the riches of Gyges, if we are going to give to each one of those who wish to take. For there is always someone who wishes [to take], and now it is Alexander who exacts payment, but a little later Antipater will make his demand, and Parmenion too. But Cleobulus the teacher possesses only so much as compels the man to do nothing ignoble, yet does not allow him to bear unjust penalties lightly.
Therefore remind Severus, who has forgotten what he agreed upon with us, of the agreements, pointing out at the same time the prison, which he would justly inhabit if he does not abide by his compacts. For it would indeed be absurd that the people here should have been persuaded by us of this, that Clearchus has both a disposition that honors what is just and strength sufficient to make what is just secure, while you should neglect friends who have been wronged, and, though summoned like Heracles as an ally, should then prove to be a help of fig-wood [i.e. worthless].
**To Clearchus** (359 AD)
It seems that troubles are forever springing up for us from the behavior of Severus, and you will never be free of letters from us on this subject. For the man is quite simply a Hydra — cut off one head and you fight another, and should you prevail over that one, you will meet a third.
I believe that even on his deathbed he would urge his heirs to remember Cleobulus, assuring them they would never lack for money. For even now it is Alexander who raises the outcry, but it is Severus who set him in motion — one man stitched the shoe, but another put it on.
We would need the wealth of Gyges if we were to pay off every man who wants his share. For there will always be someone willing, and now it is Alexander who demands payment, but a little later Antipater will come seeking, and Parmenio after him. As for the teacher Cleobulus, he possesses just enough that nothing compels him to any base action, yet not enough to bear unjust losses lightly.
So remind Severus — who has conveniently forgotten the terms he agreed to with us — of his commitments, and show him the prison he would rightly inhabit if he does not abide by his agreements. For it would be absurd if people here have been persuaded by us that Clearchus possesses both the judgment to honor justice and the strength to enforce it, only for you then to neglect friends who have been wronged — summoned like Heracles as an ally, only to prove a defense made of fig wood.
For us, as it seems, troubles are forever springing up out of the ways of Severus, and for you there will be no release from the letters we send about these matters. For the man is simply a Hydra: even if you cut off the head, you will do battle with another head, and even if you master that one, you will encounter a third.
And it seems to me that, even as he is dying, he would urge his heirs to remember Cleobulus, and that he will not be in want of money, since even now it is Alexander who shouts, but it was that other man who set things in motion, and one man stitched the shoe, while another put it on his foot.
We should indeed need the riches of Gyges, if we are going to give to each one of those who wish to take. For there is always someone who wishes [to take], and now it is Alexander who exacts payment, but a little later Antipater will make his demand, and Parmenion too. But Cleobulus the teacher possesses only so much as compels the man to do nothing ignoble, yet does not allow him to bear unjust penalties lightly.
Therefore remind Severus, who has forgotten what he agreed upon with us, of the agreements, pointing out at the same time the prison, which he would justly inhabit if he does not abide by his compacts. For it would indeed be absurd that the people here should have been persuaded by us of this, that Clearchus has both a disposition that honors what is just and strength sufficient to make what is just secure, while you should neglect friends who have been wronged, and, though summoned like Heracles as an ally, should then prove to be a help of fig-wood [i.e. worthless].
AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.