Letter 723: Having congratulated both you and your father -- him for his generosity toward you, you for pleasing your father...

Having congratulated both you and your father -- him for his generosity toward you, you for pleasing your father enough that he handed over control of everything while still alive -- I find myself in a different position now. I can still praise you as before, but him no longer. You, remembering my teachings and judging the matter correctly, are inclined to serve your homeland -- from which reputation, power, and above all the fulfillment of your duty to your own city would follow. But he is sending you to throw your wealth into the sea. If you will gain nothing great abroad proportionate to the expense, and will have no strength at home because your money is being spent elsewhere, how is your fortune not being destroyed by the very man who gave it to you? Persuade him, then, not to imitate the cow in the proverb -- the one that kicks over the milk it has just given. For on top of the financial damage, you will also harm your city. If instead you practiced civic life in the daily contests before the governors, you would become better than you are now, and the eloquence that is already praised would grow still greater. But if you do what your father wants, you will cut away no small part of your estate and spend the rest of your life in idleness and sleep.

Ὑπερεχίῳ. (362) Συνησθεὶς σοί τε καὶ τῷ σῷ πατρί, τῷ μὶν τῆς εἰς σὲ μεγαλοψυχίας, σοὶ δὲ τοῦ τὸν πατέρα ἀρέσκειν, ὥστ’ ἐκείνου ζῶντος πάντων καταστῆναι κύριον, ἐν τοῖς δευτέροις σὲ μὲν ὁμοίως ἐπαινεῖν ἰχῶ, τὸν δὲ οὐκέτι. σὺ μὲν γὰρ τῶν τε ἡμετέρων μεμνημένος λόγων καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐξετάζων ὀρθῶς οἷος εἶ τῇ πατρίδι λειτουργεῖν, ἐξ οὗ δόξα τε καὶ δύναμις γένοιτ’ ἂν καὶ πρὸ τούτων γε τὸ τὰ δίκαια πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν ποιεῖν· ὁ δὲ σὲ πέμπει ῥίψοντα τὰ ὄντα εἰς τὴν θάλατταν. εἰ γὰρ μήτε ἐκεῖ μέγα τι παρὰ τὴν δαπάνην ἕξεις οἴκοι τι οὐκ ἰσχύσεις ἑτέρωθι δαπανώμενος, πῶς οὐκ ἀπολεῖταί σοι τὰ χρήματα τῇ ψήφῳ τοῦ δεδωκότος; πεῖθε οὖν αὐτὸν μὴ τὴν ἐν τῇ παροιμίᾳ μιμεῖσθαι βοῦν μηδ’ ὃ ἠμέλχθη γάλα λακτίσαντα ἐκχέαι. πρὸς γὰρ τῇ περὶ τὰ χρήματα βλάβῃ καὶ εἰς τὴν πόλιν ζημιώση. εἰ μέντοι πολιτεύοιο τοῖς καθ’ ἡμέραν παρὰ τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ἀγῶσιν, ἀμείνων ἔσῃ καὶ τὸ νῦν ἐπαινούμενον ῥεῦμα πλέον ἐργάσῃ· πράξας δὲ ἃ ’κείνῳ δοκεῖ, τῆς μὲν οὐσίας οὐ μικρὸν ἀφαιρήσεις, ἐν ἀργίᾳ δὲ καὶ ὕπνῳ τὸν λοιπὸν βιώσῃ χρόνον τὰ μὲν τῶι πέλας ὁρῶν αὐξόμενα, σοὶ δὲ πλὴν ὀνόματος κενοῦ γεγενημένον οὐδέν. πρόσαγε δὴ πᾶσαν μὲν πεῖραν, πάσας δὲ δεήσεις τῷ πατρὶ καὶ μὴ Καδμείαν νίκην ἐπίτρεπε νικᾶν ἐκείνῳ. γιγνέσθω δὲ μετὰ σοῦ καὶ ἡ μήτηρ, ἀκούω δὲ αὐτὴν νοῦν ἔχειν, καὶ τὸ μηδὲ ἐμοὶ τὴν βουλὴν ἀρέσκειν τὴν ἐκείνου λεγέσθω. ἴσως γὰρ νουθετούμενος λύσει δόγμα πονηρόν, ὅπερ μοι δοκεῖ πρὸς τὴν ἀπραγμοσύνην τὴν αὑτοῦ κεκυρωκέναι νῦν. ἅτε γὰρ ἐν ὄρεσι καὶ θήρᾳ τὰ πολλὰ διάγων μισεῖ τοὺς ἐκ τῶν ἐπ ἀγορᾶς ἄθλων ἱδρῶτας. ἀλλ’ ἐκεῖνος μὲν ταῦτα φευγέτω, σοὶ δὲ ἐπιτρεπέτω παλαίειν. νῦν γὰρ οὐ Μάξιμον οἶμαι πολι- τεύισθαι δεῖν τὸ τῶν ἀγρῶν φίλον, ἀλλ᾿ Ὑπερέχιον τὸν Μαξίμου τὸν θορύβους ἐπιστάμενον νιν. ἐγὼ μὶν ταῦτα παραινῶ καί φημι λυσιτελήσειν ὑμῖν· ληρεῖν δὲ εἰ δόξαιμι νῦν, ἀλλ’ ὕστερόν γε ἐπαινέσεσθε τὴν γνώμην, τὸν ἢν σύμβουλον κοσμήσει τὸν οὐκ ἐπαινοῦντα δὲ οὐκ ὀνήσει.