ἐπεὶ τοίνυν μεγάλαι περὶ ἀμφοτέρους γεγόνασι μεταβολαί, πρῶτον τὰ τῆς δυνάμεως καὶ τῆς ἐπιφανείας σκοπῶμεν, ὅτι τῷ μὲν ἦν πατρῷα καὶ προκατειργασμένα, μέγιστον ἰσχύσαντος Ἀντιγόνου τῶν διαδόχων καὶ πρὸ τοῦ Δημήτριον ἐν ἡλικίᾳ γενέσθαι τὰ πλεῖστα τῆς Ἀσίας ἐπελθόντος καὶ κρατήσαντος·
Since, then, both these men experienced great reversals of fortune, let us first observe, with regard to their power and fame, that in the one case these were acquired for him by his father and inherited, since Antigonus became the strongest of Alexander’s successors, and before Demetrius came of age had attacked and mastered the greater part of Asia;
Ἀντώνιος δὲ χαρίεντος μὲν ἄλλως, ἀπολέμου δὲ καὶ μέγα μηδὲν εἰς δόξαν αὐτῷ καταλιπόντος γενόμενος πατρός, ἐπὶ τὴν Καίσαρος ἐτόλμησεν ἀρχήν, οὐδὲν αὐτῷ κατὰ γένος προσήκουσαν, ἐλθεῖν, καὶ τοῖς ἐκείνῳ προπεπονημένοις αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν εἰσεποίησε διάδοχον. καὶ τοσοῦτον ἴσχυσεν, ἐκ μόνων τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν ὑπαρχόντων ὁρμώμενος, ὥστε δύο μοίρας τὰ σύμπαντα ποιησάμενος τὴν ἑτέραν ἑλέσθαι καὶ λαβεῖν τὴν ἐπιφανεστέραν, ἀπὼν δὲ αὐτὸς ὑπηρέταις τε καὶ ὑποστρατήγοις Πάρθους τε νικῆσαι πολλάκις καὶ τὰ περὶ Καύκασον ἔθνη βάρβαρα μέχρι τῆς Κασπίας ὤσασθαι θαλάσσης.
Antony, on the contrary, was the son of a man who, though otherwise gifted, was yet no warrior, and could leave him no great legacy of reputation; and yet Antony had the courage to seek the power of Caesar, to which his birth gave him no claim, and to all that Caesar had wrought out before him he made himself the rightful successor. And so great strength did he attain, in reliance upon his own resources alone, that, after forcing a division of the empire into two parts, he chose one, and took the more splendid one of the two; and though absent himself through his assistants and lieutenant-generals he defeated the Parthians many times, and drove the barbarous tribes about the Caucasus as far as the Caspian Sea.
μαρτύρια δὲ τοῦ μεγέθους αὐτῷ καὶ δι’ ἃ κακῶς ἀκούει. Δημητρίῳ μὲν γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ἠγάπησε τὴν Ἀντιπάτρου Φίλαν ὡς κρείττονα συνοικῆσαι παρʼ ἡλικίαν, Ἀντωνίῳ δὲ ὁ Κλεοπάτρας γάμος ὄνειδος ἦν, γυναικὸς ὑπερβαλομένης δυνάμει καὶ λαμπρότητι πάντας πλὴν Ἀρσάκου τοὺς καθʼ αὑτὴν βασιλεῖς. ἀλλʼ οὕτως ἐποίησε μέγαν ἑαυτὸν ὥστε τοῖς ἄλλοις μειζόνων ἢ ἐβούλετο δοκεῖν ἄξιος.
Moreover, even the things that brought him ill-repute bear witness to his greatness. For Antigonus was well pleased to have his son Demetrius marry Phila, the daughter of Antipater, in spite of her disparity in years, because he thought her a greater personage; whereas Antony’s marriage to Cleopatra was a disgrace to him, although she was a woman who surpassed in power and splendour all the royalties of her time except Arsaces. But he made himself so great that men thought him worthy of greater things than he desired.
ἡ μέντοι προαίρεσις, ἀφʼ ἧς ἐκτήσαντο τὴν ἀρχήν, ἄμεμπτος ἐπὶ τοῦ Δημητρίου, κρατεῖν καὶ βασιλεύειν ἀνθ ρώπων εἰθισμένων κρατεῖσθαι καὶ βασιλεύεσθαι ζητοῦντος, ἡ δʼ Ἀντωνίου χαλεπὴ καὶ τυραννική, καταδουλουμένου τὸν Ῥωμαίων δῆμον ἄρτι διαφυγόντα τὴν ὑπὸ Καίσαρι μοναρχίαν.
As regards their resolution to win empire, this was blameless in the case of Demetrius, who sought to subdue and reign as king over men who were accustomed to subjection and kings; but in the case of Antony it was harsh and tyrannical, since he tried to enslave the Roman people when it had just escaped from the sole rule of Caesar.
ὃ δʼ οὖν μέγιστον αὐτῷ καὶ λαμπρότατόν ἐστι τῶν εἰργασμένων, ὁ πρὸς Κάσσιον καὶ Βροῦτον πόλεμος, ἐπὶ τῷ τὴν πατρίδα καὶ τοὺς πολίτας ἀφελέσθαι τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἐπολεμήθη. Δημήτριος δέ, καὶ πρὶν εἰς τύχας ἐλθεῖν ἀναγκαίας, ἐλευθερῶν τὴν Ἑλλάδα καὶ τῶν πόλεων ἐξελαύνων τὰς φρουρὰς διετέλεσεν, οὐχ ὥσπερ Ἀντώνιος, ὅτι τοὺς ἐλευθερώσαντας τὴν Ῥώμην ἀπέκτεινεν ἐν Μακεδονίᾳ, σεμνυνόμενος.
Moreover, as regards the greatest and most brilliant of his achievements, namely, the war against Cassius and Brutus, it was to deprive his country and his fellow citizens of their liberty that the war was waged. But Demetrius, even before he felt the constraints of adversity, kept on liberating Greece and expelling their garrisons from her cities, unlike Antony, whose boast was that he had slain in Macedonia the men who had given liberty to Rome.
ἓν τοίνυν ἐστὶ τῶν ἐπαινουμένων Ἀντωνίου, τὸ φιλόδωρον καὶ μεγαλόδωρον, ἐν ᾧ τοσοῦτον ὑπεραίρει Δημήτριος ὥστε χαρίσασθαι τοῖς πολεμίοις ὅσα τοῖς φίλοις οὐκ ἔδωκεν Ἀντώνιος. καίτοι ταφῆναί γε καὶ περισταλῆναι κελεύσας Βροῦτον ἐκεῖνος εὐδοκίμησεν· οὗτος δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἀποθανόντας τῶν πολεμίων πάντας ἐκήδευσε καὶ τοὺς ἁλόντας Πτολεμαίῳ μετὰ χρημάτων καὶ δωρεῶν ἀπέπεμψεν.
And besides, as regards their love of giving and the largeness of their gifts, one of the things for which Antony is lauded, Demetrius far surpassed in this, and bestowed more upon his enemies than Antony ever gave to his friends. It is true that for ordering the body of Brutus to be robed and buried Antony won a good name; but Demetrius gave obsequies to all his enemy’s dead, and sent his prisoners back to Ptolemy with money and gifts.
ὑβρισταὶ μὲν εὐτυχοῦντες ἀμφότεροι, καὶ πρὸς τρυφὰς ἀνειμένοι καὶ ἀπολαύσεις. οὐκ ἂν εἴποι δέ τις ὡς Δημήτριον ἐν εὐπαθείαις καὶ συνουσίαις ὄντα πράξεων καιρὸς ἐξέφυγεν, ἀλλὰ τῇ περιουσίᾳ τῆς σχολῆς ἐπεισῆγε τὰς ἡδονάς, καὶ τὴν Λάμιαν ὥσπερ τὴν μυθικὴν ἀτεχνῶς παίζων καὶ νυστάζων ἐποιεῖτο διαγωγήν.
Both were insolent in prosperity, and abandoned themselves to luxury and enjoyment. But it cannot be said that Demetrius, for all his pleasures and amours, ever let slip the time for action, nay, it was only when his leisure was abundant that he introduced his pleasures; and his Lamia, like the creature of fable, he made his pastime only when he was sportive or drowsy.
ἐν δὲ ταῖς τοῦ πολέμου παρασκευαῖς οὐκ εἶχεν αὐτοῦ τὸ δόρυ κιττόν, οὐδὲ μύρων ὠδώδει τὸ κράνος, οὐδὲ γεγανωμένος καὶ ἀνθηρὸς ἐπὶ τὰς μάχας ἐκ τῆς γυναικωνίτιδος προῄει, κοιμίζων δὲ τοὺς θιάσους καὶ τὰ βακχεῖα καταπαύων ἀμφίπολος Ἄρεος ἀνιέρου, κατὰ τὸν Εὐριπίδην, ἐγίνετο, καὶ δι’ ἡδονὴν ἢ ῥαθυμίαν οὐθὲν ἁπλῶς ἔπταισεν.
But when he got ready for war, his spear was not tipped with ivy, nor did his helmet smell of myrrh, nor did he go forth to his battles from the women’s chamber, sleek and blooming, but quieting down and stopping the revels and orgies of Bacchus, he became, in the words of Euripides, a minister of unhallowed Ares, and got not a single slip or fall because of his indolence or pleasures.
Ἀντώνιον δέ, ὥσπερ ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς ὁρῶμεν τοῦ Ἡρακλέους τὴν Ὀμφάλην ὑφαιροῦσαν τὸ ῥόπαλον καὶ τὴν λεοντῆν ἀποδύουσαν, οὕτω πολλάκις Κλεοπάτρα παροπλίσασα καὶ καταθέλξασα συνέπεισεν ἀφέντα μεγάλας πράξεις ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν καὶ στρατείας ἀναγκαίας ἐν ταῖς περὶ Κάνωβον καὶ Ταφόσιριν ἀκταῖς ἀλύειν καὶ παίζειν μετʼ αὐτῆς.
Antony, on the contrary, like Heracles in paintings where Omphalé is seen taking away his club and stripping off his lion’s skin, was often disarmed by Cleopatra, subdued by her spells, and persuaded to drop from his hands great undertakings and necessary campaigns, only to roam about and play with her on the sea-shores by Canopus and Taphosiris.
τέλος δέ, ὡς ὁ Πάρις, ἐκ τῆς μάχης ἀποδρὰς εἰς τοὺς ἐκείνης κατεδύετο κόλπους· μᾶλλον δὲ ὁ μὲν Πάρις ἡττηθεὶς ἔφυγεν εἰς τὸν θάλαμον, Ἀντώνιος δὲ Κλεοπάτραν διώκων ἔφυγε καὶ προήκατο τὴν νίκην.
And at last, like Paris, he ran away from the battle and sank upon her bosom; although, more truly stated, Paris ran away to Helen’s chamber after he bad been defeated; but Antony ran away in chase of Cleopatra, and thereby threw away the victory.
ἔτι Δημήτριος μέν, οὐ κεκωλυμένον, ἀλλʼ ἀπὸ Φιλίππου καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου γεγονὸς ἐν ἔθει τοῖς Μακεδόνων βασιλεῦσιν, ἐγάνει γάνους πλείονας, ὥσπερ Λυσίμαχος καὶ Πτολεμαῖος, ἔσχε δὲ διὰ τιμῆς ὅσας ἔγημεν· Ἀντώνιος δὲ πρῶτον μὲν ὁμοῦ δύο γυναῖκας ἠγάγετο, πρᾶγμα μηδενὶ Ῥωμαίῳ τετολμημένον, ἔπειτα τὴν ἀστὴν καὶ δικαίως γαμηθεῖσαν ἐξήλασε τῇ ξένῃ καὶ μὴ κατὰ νόμους συνούσῃ χαριζόμενος· ὅθεν ἐκ γάμου τῷ μὲν οὐθέν, τῷ δὲ τὰ μέγιστα τῶν κακῶν ἀπήντησεν.
Further, Demetrius, in making several marriages, did not do what was prohibited, but what had been made customary for the kings of Macedonia by Philip and Alexander; he did just what Lysimachus and Ptolemy did, and held all his wives in honour. Antony, on the contrary, in marrying two wives at once, in the first place did what no Roman had ever dared to do; and in the second place, he drove away his Roman and lawfully wedded wife, in order to gratify the foreigner, with whom he was living contrary to law. Hence marriage brought no harm to Demetrius, but to Antony the greatest of his evils.
ἀσέβημα μέντοι τοσοῦτον δι’ ἀσέλγειαν οὐθὲν ταῖς Ἀντωνίου πράξεσιν ὅσον ταῖς Δημητρίου πρόσεστιν. οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἱστορικοί φασι καὶ τῆς ἀκροπόλεως ὅλης εἴργεσθαι τὰς κύνας, διὰ τὸ τὴν μῖξιν ἐμφανῆ μάλιστα τοῦτο ποιεῖσθαι τὸ ζῷον· ὁ δὲ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ Παρθενῶνι ταῖς τε πόρναις συνῆν καὶ τῶν ἀστῶν κατεπόρνευσε πολλάς·
On the other hand, the lascivious practices of Antony are marked by no such sacrilege as are those of Demetrius. For historians tell us that bitches are excluded from the entire acropolis, because these animals couple without the least concealment; but the very Parthenon itself saw Demetrius cohabiting with harlots and debauching many Athenian women.
καὶ οὗ τις ἂν ἥκιστα τὰς τοιαύτας τρυφὰς καὶ ἀπολαύσεις οἴοιτο μετέχειν κακοῦ, τῆς ὠμότητος, τοῦτο ἔνεστι τῇ Δημητρίου φιληδονίᾳ, περιϊδόντος, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀναγκάσαντος, οἰκτρῶς ἀποθανεῖν τὸν κάλλιστον καὶ σωφρονέστατον Ἀθηναίων, φεύγοντα τὸ καθυβρισθῆναι. συνελόντι δὲ εἰπεῖν, Ἀντώνιος μὲν ἑαυτὸν διὰ τὴν ἀκρασίαν, Δημήτριος δὲ ἄλλους ἠδίκησε.
And that vice which one would think least associated with such wanton enjoyments, namely, the vice of cruelty, this enters into Demetrius’ pursuit of pleasure, since he suffered, or rather compelled, the lamentable death of the most beautiful and the most chaste of Athenians, who thus sought to escape his shameful treatment. In a word, Antony wronged himself by his excesses, while Demetrius wronged others.
πρὸς μέντοι γονεῖς ἄμεμπτον ἑαυτὸν εἰς ἅπαντα παρέσχεν ὁ Δημήτριος· Ἀντώνιος δὲ τὸν ἀδελφὸν τῆς μητρὸς ἐξέδωκεν ἐπὶ τῷ Κικέρωνα ἀποκτεῖναι, πρᾶγμα καὶ καθʼ ἑαυτὸ μιαρὸν καὶ ὠμόν, ὡς μόλις ἂν Ἀντώνιον ἐπʼ αὐτῷ συγγνώμης τυχεῖν, εἰ σωτηρίας τοῦ θείου μισθὸς ἦν ὁ Κικέρωνος θάνατος.
Again, towards his parents Demetrius was in all respects blameless; whereas Antony surrendered his mother’s brother for the privilege of killing Cicero, a deed in itself so abominable and cruel that Antony would hardly have been forgiven had Cicero’s death been the price of his uncle’s safety.
ἃ τοίνυν ἐπιώρκησαν ἀμφότεροι καὶ παρεσπόνδησαν, ὁ μὲν Ἀρτάβαζον συλλαβών, ὁ δὲ Ἀλέξανδρον ἀποκτείνας, Ἀντωνίῳ μὲν ἔχει τὴν πρόφασιν ὁμολογουμένην· ἀπελείφθη γὰρ ἐν Μήδοις ὑπὸ Ἀρταβάζου καὶ προεδόθη· Δημήτριον δὲ πολλοὶ λέγουσι ψευδεῖς αἰτίας, ἐφʼ οἷς ἔδρασε, πλασάμενον κατηγορεῖν ἀδικηθέντα, οὐκ ἀδικήσαντα ἀμύνασθαι. πάλιν δὲ τῶν μὲν κατορθωμάτων αὐτουργὸς ὁ Δημήτριος γέγονε· καὶ τοὐναντίον ὁ Ἀντώνιος, ἐν οἷς οὐ παρῆν, καλλίστας καὶ μεγίστας διὰ τῶν στρατηγῶν ἀνῃρεῖτο νίκας.
Further, as regards violations of oaths and treaties by both, in the seizure of Artabazus by the one, and the killing of Alexander by the other, for Antony there is the excuse which men admit to be valid, namely, that he had been deserted in Media by Artabazus and betrayed; but Demetrius, as many say, invented false accusations, upon which he acted, and denounced one who had been wronged by him; the murder was not retaliation for wrongs done to him. And again, Demetrius was himself the author of his successes; Antony, on the contrary, won his greatest and fairest victories through his generals, on fields where he was not present.
ἐξέπεσον δὲ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀμφότεροι μὲν δι’ αὑτούς, οὐ μὴν ὁμοίως, ἀλλʼ ὁ μὲν ἐγκαταλειφθείς, ἀπέστησαν γὰρ αὐτοῦ Μακεδόνες, ὁ δὲ ἐγκαταλιπών, ἔφυγε γὰρ τοὺς ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ κινδυνεύοντας· ὥστε τοῦ μὲν ἔγκλημα εἶναι τὸ δυσμενεῖς οὕτω πρὸς αὑτὸν ἀπεργάσασθαι τοὺς μαχομένους, τοῦ δὲ τὸ παρεσκευασμένην εὔνοιαν τοιαύτην καὶ πίστιν ἐγκαταλιπεῖν.
But the downfall of both was due to themselves, though the manner of it differed. Demetrius was deserted by others, for the Macedonians went away from him; whereas Antony deserted others, for he ran away from those who were risking their lives for him. Demetrius may therefore be blamed for making his soldiers so hostile to him, and Antony for abandoning a goodwill and confidence which was so much in evidence.
τὸν δὲ θάνατον οὐδετέρου μὲν ἔστιν ἐπαινέσαι, ψεκτὸς δὲ ὁ Δημητρίου μᾶλλον. αἰχμάλωτός τε γὰρ ὑπέμεινε γενέσθαι, καὶ καθειρχθεὶς ἠγάπησεν ἐπικερδᾶναι τριετίαν, οἴνῳ καὶ γαστρὶ καθάπερ τὰ ζῷα χειροήθης γενόμενος. Ἀντώνιος δὲ δειλῶς μὲν καὶ οἰκτρῶς καὶ ἀτίμως, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ πρό γε τοῦ κύριον γενέσθαι τὸν πολέμιον τοῦ σώματος ἑαυτόν ἐξήγαγεν.
As for their deaths, neither is to be commended, but that of Demetrius is the more to be censured. For he suffered himself to be taken prisoner, and was well content to add to his life three years of imprisonment. He was tamed, like a wild beast, by way of his belly and by wine. Whereas Antony took himself off-in a cowardly, pitiful, and ignoble way, it is true, but at least before his enemy became master of his person.
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