Letter 250: Look at what people actually do, and consider how far short it falls of what they later claim they intended.
Even if the adversary rushed upon you, expecting to capture you by assault and make you surrender, he was caught and missed his victory, and has taken the posture of a suppliant. But respect the law that protects suppliants, so that your victory may be more secure and your fame celebrated. For true triumph lies not in crushing the defeated but in showing mercy to those who beg for it.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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.
Latin / Greek Original
Νς'. – ΤΟΥ ΔΩΡΟΘΕΟΥ ΠΑΙΣΙΝ.
Εἰ καὶ ὥρμησεν ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς ὁ διάδικος, ὡς αἱρήσων
ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς καὶ παραστησόμενος· ἀλοὺς δὲ, τῆς
μὲν νίκης διήμαρτεν, ἰκέτου δὲ σχῆμα ἀνείληφεν ·
ἀλλ᾽ ὑμεῖς αἰδέσθητε τὸν ἐπὶ τῶν ἱκετῶν νόμον, ἵνα
καὶ βεβαιοτέρα ὑμῖν ἡ νίκη, καὶ τὸ κλέος ἀοίδιμον
γένηται.
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