Κλέανδρος ἦν ἐν Μαντινείᾳ γένους τε πρώτου καὶ δυνηθεὶς ἐν τοῖς μάλιστα τῶν πολιτῶν, τύχῃ δὲ χρησάμενος καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ φυγών ἧκεν εἰς Μεγάλην πόλιν οὐχ ἥκιστα διὰ τὸν Φιλοποίμενος πατέρα Κραῦγιν, ἄνδρα πάντων ἕνεκα λαμπρόν, ἰδίᾳ δὲ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον οἰκείως ἔχοντα.
Cleander was a man of the highest lineage and greatest influence among the citizens of Mantineia, but he met with reverses and was exiled from his native city. He then betook himself to Megalopolis, chiefly because of Craugis, the father of Philopoemen, a man in every way illustrious, and attached to him by ties of personal friendship.
ζῶντος μὲν οὖν αὐτοῦ πάντων ἐτύγχανε, τελευτήσαντος δὲ τὴν ἀμοιβὴν τῆς φιλοξενίας ἀποδιδούς ἔθρεψεν αὐτοῦ τὸν υἱὸν ὀρφανὸν ὄντα, καθάπερ φησὶν Ὅμηρος ὑπὸ τοῦ Φοίνικος τὸν Ἀχιλλέα τραφῆναι, γενναίαν τινὰ καὶ βασιλικὴν τοῦ ἤθους εὐθὺς ἐξ ἀρχῆς πλάσιν καὶ αὔξησιν λαμβάνοντος, ἤδη δὲ τοῦ Φιλοποίμενος ἀντίπαιδος ὄντος Ἔκδημος καὶ Μεγαλοφάνης οἱ Μεγαλοπολῖται διεδέξαντο τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν, Ἀρκεσιλάῳ συνήθεις ἐν Ἀκαδημείᾳ γεγονότες καὶ φιλοσοφίαν μάλιστα τῶν καθʼ ἑαυτοὺς ἐπὶ πολιτείαν καὶ πράξεις προαγαγόντες.
As long as Craugis lived, Cleander’s wants were all supplied, and when Craugis died, Cleander, wishing to requite him for his hospitality, undertook the rearing of his orphan son, just as Homer says that Achilles was reared by Phoenix, so that the boy’s character took on from the very outset a noble and kingly mould and growth. But as soon as Philopoemen had ceased to be a boy, Ecdemus and Megalophanes, of Megalopolis, were put in charge of him. They had been comrades of Arcesilaüs at the Academy, and beyond all men of their day had brought philosophy to bear upon political action and affairs of state.
οὗτοι καὶ τὴν ἑαυτῶν πατρίδα τυραννίδος ἀπήλλαξαν, τοὺς ἀποκτενοῦντας Ἀριστόδημον κρύφα παρασκευάσαντες, καὶ Νικοκλέα τὸν Σικυωνίων τύραννον Ἀράτῳ συνεξέβαλον, καὶ Κυρηναίοις δεηθεῖσι, τεταραγμένων τῶν κατὰ τὴν πόλιν καὶ νοσούντων, πλεύσαντες εὐνομίαν ἔθεντο καὶ διεκόσμησαν ἄριστα τὴν πόλιν.
They freed their own native city from tyranny, by secretly procuring men to kill Aristodemus; they joined with Aratus in expelling Nicocles the tyrant of Sicyon; and at the request of the people of Cyrene, whose city was full of confusion and political distemper, they sailed thither, introduced law and order, and arranged matters in the city most happily.
αὐτοί γε μὴν ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἔργοις καὶ τὴν Φιλοποίμενος ἐποιοῦντο παίδευσιν, ὡς κοινὸν ὄφελος τῇ Ἑλλάδι τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦτον ὑπὸ φιλοσοφίας ἀπεργασόμενοι. καὶ γὰρ ὥσπερ ὀψίγονον ἐν γήρᾳ ταῖς τῶν παλαιῶν ἡγεμόνων ἐπιτεκοῦσα τοῦτον ἀρεταῖς ἡ Ἑλλὰς ἠγάπησε διαφερόντως καὶ συνηύξησε τῇ δόξῃ τὴν δύναμιν. Ῥωμαίων δέ τις ἐπαινῶν ἔσχατον αὐτὸν Ἑλλήνων προσεῖπεν, ὡς οὐδένα μέγαν μετὰ τοῦτον ἔτι τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἄνδρα γειναμένης οὐδὲ αὑτῆς ἄξιον.
They themselves, however, counted the education of Philopoemen also among their many achievements, believing that their philosophical teachings had made him a common benefit to Greece. For since he was the child, as it were, of her late old age and succeeded to the virtues of her ancient commanders, Greece loved him surpassingly, and as his reputation grew, increased his power. And a certain Roman, in praising him, called him the last of the Greeks, implying that Greece produced no great man after him, nor one worthy of her.
ἦν δὲ τὸ μὲν εἶδος οὐκ αἰσχρός, ὡς ἔνιοι νομίζουσιν εἰκόνα γὰρ αὐτοῦ διαμένουσαν ἐν Δελφοῖς ὁρῶμεν· τὴν δὲ τῆς ξένης τῆς Μεγαρικῆς ἄγνοιαν συμβῆναι λέγουσι διʼ εὐκολίαν τινὰ καὶ ἀφέλειαν αὐτοῦ, πυνθανομένη γὰρ ἔρχεσθαι πρὸς αὐτοὺς τὸν στρατηγὸν τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ἐθορυβεῖτο παρασκευάζουσα δεῖπνον, οὐ παρόντος κατὰ τύχην τοῦ ἀνδρός.
In looks he was not, as some suppose, ill-favoured; for a statue of him is still to be seen at Delphi; and the mistake of his Megarian hostess was due, as we are told, to a certain indifference and simplicity on his part. This woman, learning that the general of the Achaeans was coming to her house, in great confusion set about preparing supper; besides, her husband chanced to be away from home.
ἐν τούτῳ δὲ τοῦ Φιλοποίμενος εἰσελθόντος χλαμύδιον εὐτελὲς ἔχοντος, οἰομένη τινὰ τῶν ὑπηρετῶν εἶναι καὶ πρόδρομον παρεκάλει τῆς διακονίας συνεφάψασθαι. καὶ ὁ μὲν εὐθὺς ἀπορρίψας τὴν χλαμύδα τῶν ξύλων ἔσχιζεν ὁ δὲ ξένος ἐπεισελθὼν καὶ θεασάμενος, τί τοῦτο, ἔφη, ὦ Φιλοποίμην; τί γὰρ ἄλλο, ἔφη δωρίζων ἐκεῖνος, ἢ κακᾶς ὄψεως δίκας δίδωμι;
Just then Philopoemen came in, wearing a simple soldier’s cloak, and the woman, thinking him to be one of his servants who had been sent on in advance, invited him to help her in her housework. So Philopoemen at once threw off his cloak and fell to splitting wood. Then his host came in, and seeing him thus employed, said: What does this mean, Philopoemen? What else, said Philopoemen in broad Doric, than that I am paying a penalty for my ill looks?
τοῦ δὲ ἄλλου σώματος τὴν φύσιν ἐπισκώπτων ὁ Τίτος εἶπεν, ὦ Φιλοποίμην, ὡς καλὰς χεῖρας ἔχεις καὶ σκέλη· γαστέρα δʼ οὐκ ἔχεις· ἦν γὰρ ἐκ τῶν μέσων στενώτερος. τὸ μέντοι σκῶμμα πρὸς τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ μᾶλλον ἐλέχθη, καὶ γὰρ ὁπλίτας ἔχων ἀγαθοὺς καὶ ἱππεῖς χρημάτων πολλάκις οὐκ εὐπόρει. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐν ταῖς σχολαῖς περὶ τοῦ Φιλοποίμενος λέγεται.
And once Titus Flamininus, making fun of certain parts of his figure, said: Philopoemen, what fine arms and legs thou hast; but belly thou hast not; for Philopoemen was quite slender at the waist. This piece of fun, however, was aimed the rather at his resources. For though he had excellent men-at-arms and horsemen, he was often at a loss for money. However, these stories are told of Philopoemen in the schools of philosophy.
τοῦ δʼ ἤθους τὸ φιλότιμον οὐκ ἦν παντάπασι φιλονεικίας καθαρὸν οὐδʼ ὀργῆς ἀπηλλαγμένον ἀλλὰ καίπερ Ἐπαμεινώνδου βουλόμενος εἶναι μάλιστα ζηλωτής, τὸ δραστήριον καὶ συνετὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ὑπὸ χρημάτων ἀπαθὲς ἰσχυρῶς ἐμιμεῖτο, τῷ δὲ πρᾴῳ καὶ βαθεῖ καὶ φιλανθρώπῳ παρὰ τὰς πολιτικὰς διαφορὰς ἐμμένειν οὐ δυνάμενος διʼ ὀργὴν καὶ φιλονεικίαν μᾶλλον ἐδόκει στρατιωτικῆς ἢ πολιτικῆς ἀρετῆς οἰκεῖος εἶναι.
But the love of distinction which marked his character was not altogether free from contentiousness nor devoid of anger; and although he desired to pattern himself most of all after Epaminondas, it was the energy, sagacity, and indifference to money in Epaminondas which he strenuously imitated, while his proneness to anger and contentiousness made him unable to maintain that great leader’s mildness, gravity, and urbanity in political disputes, so that he was thought to be endowed with military rather than with civic virtues.
καὶ γὰρ ἐκ παίδων εὐθὺς ἦν φιλοστρατιώτης, καὶ τοῖς πρὸς τοῦτο χρησίμοις μαθήμασιν ὑπήκουε προθύμως, ὁπλομαχεῖν καὶ ἱππεύειν. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ παλαίειν εὐφυῶς ἐδόκει καὶ παρεκάλουν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὴν ἄθλησιν ἔνιοι τῶν φίλων καὶ τῶν ἐπιτρόπων, ἠρώτησεν αὐτούς μή τι πρὸς τὴν στρατιωτικὴν ἄσκησιν ὑπὸ τῆς ἀθλήσεως βλαβήσοιτο.
For from his very boyhood he was fond of a soldier’s life, and readily learned the lessons which were useful for this, such as those in heavy-armed fighting and horsemanship. He was also thought to be a good wrestler, but when some of his friends and directors urged him to take up athletics, he asked them if athletics would not be injurious to his military training.
τῶν δὲ φαμένων, ὅπερ ἦν, ἀθλητικὸν στρατιωτικοῦ σῶμα καὶ βίον διαφέρειν τοῖς πᾶσι, μάλιστα δὲ δίαιταν ἑτέραν καὶ ἄσκησιν εἶναι, τῶν μὲν ὕπνῳ τε πολλῷ καὶ πλησμοναῖς ἐνδελεχέσι καὶ κινήσεσί τεταγμέναις καὶ ἡσυχίαις αὐξόντων τε καὶ διαφυλαττόντων τὴν ἕξιν ὑπὸ πάσης ῥοπῆς καὶ παρεκβάσεως τοῦ συνήθους ἀκροσφαλῆ πρὸς μεταβολὴν οὖσαν, τὰ δὲ πάσης μὲν πλάνης ἔμπειρα καὶ πάσης ἀνωμαλίας προσῆκον εἶναι, μάλιστα δὲ φέρειν ῥᾳδίως μὲν ἔνδειαν εἰθισμένα,
They told him (and it was the truth) that the habit of body and mode of life for athlete and soldier were totally different, and particularly that their diet and training were not the same, since the one required much sleep, continuous surfeit of food, and fixed periods of activity and repose, in order to preserve or improve their condition, which the slightest influence or the least departure from routine is apt to change for the worse; whereas the soldier ought to be conversant with all sorts of irregularity and all sorts of inequality,
ῥᾳδίως δὲ ἀγρυπνίαν, ἀκούσας ὁ Φιλοποίμην οὐ μόνον αὐτὸς ἔφυγε τὸ πρᾶγμα καὶ κατεγέλασεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ στρατηγῶν ὕστερον ἀτιμίαις καὶ προπηλακισμοῖς, ὅσον ἦν ἐπʼ αὐτῷ, πᾶσαν ἄθλησιν ἐξέβαλεν ὡς τὰ χρησιμώτατα τῶν σωμάτων εἰς τοὺς ἀναγκαίους ἀγῶνας ἄχρηστα ποιοῦσαν.
and above all should accustom himself to endure lack of food easily, and as easily lack of sleep. On hearing this, Philopoemen not only shunned athletics himself and derided them, but also in later times as a commander banished from the army all forms of them, with every possible mark of reproach and dishonour, on the ground that they rendered useless for the inevitable struggle of battle men who would otherwise be most serviceable.
ἀπαλλαγεὶς δὲ διδασκάλων καὶ παιδαγωγῶν ἐν μὲν ταῖς πολιτικαῖς στρατείαις, ἃς ? ἐποιοῦντο κλωπείας ἕνεκα καὶ λεηλασίας εἰς τὴν Λακωνικὴν ἐμβάλλοντες, εἴθισεν αὑτὸν πρῶτον μὲν ἐκστρατευόντων, ὕστατον δὲ ἀπερχομένων βαδίζειν. σχολῆς δὲ οὔσης ἢ κυνηγῶν διεπόνει τὸ σῶμα καὶ κατεσκεύαζε κοῦφον ἅμα καὶ ῥωμαλέον, ἢ γεωργῶν.
And when, set free from teachers and tutors, he took part in the incursions into Spartan territory which his fellow-citizens made for the sake of booty and plunder, he accustomed himself to march first as they went out, but last as they came back. And when he had leisure, he would give his body hard exercise in hunting, thus rendering it agile and at the same time sturdy, or in cultivating the soil.
ἦν γὰρ ἀγρὸς αὐτῷ καλὸς ἀπὸ σταδίων εἴκοσι τῆς πόλεως, εἰς τοῦτον ἐβάδιζε καθʼ ἡμέραν μετὰ τὸ ἄριστον ἢ μετὰ τὸ δεῖπνον, καὶ καταβαλὼν ἑαυτὸν ἐπὶ στιβαδίου τοῦ τυχόντος ὥσπερ ἕκαστος τῶν ἐργατῶν ἀνεπαύετο. πρωῒ δὲ ἀναστὰς καὶ συνεφαψάμενος ἔργου τοῖς ἀμπελουργοῦσιν ἢ βοηλατοῦσιν, αὖθις εἰς πόλιν ἀπῄει καὶ περὶ τὰ δημόσια τοῖς φίλοις καὶ τοῖς ἄρχουσι συνησχολεῖτο.
For he had a fine farm twenty furlongs from the city. To this he would go every day after dinner or after supper, and would throw himself down upon an ordinary pallet-bed, like anyone of his labourers, to sleep for the night. Then, early in the morning, he would rise and go to work along with his vine-dressers or his herdsmen, after which he would go back again to the city and busy himself about public matters with his friends or with the magistrates.
τὰ μὲν οὖν ἐκ τῶν στρατειῶν προσιόντα κατάνλισκεν εἰς ἵππους καὶ ὅπλα καὶ λύσεις αἰχμαλώτων, τὸν δὲ οἶκον ἀπὸ τῆς γεωργίας αὔξειν ἐπειρᾶτο δικαιοτάτῳ τῶν χρηματισμῶν, οὐδὲ τοῦτο ποιούμενος πάρεργον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάνυ προσήκειν ? οἰόμενος οἰκεῖα κεκτῆσθαι τὸν ἀλλοτρίων ἀφεξόμενον. ἠκροᾶτο δὲ λόγων καὶ συγγράμμασι φιλοσόφων ἐνετύγχανεν, οὐ πᾶσιν, ἀλλʼ ἀφʼ ὧν ἐδόκει πρὸς ἀρετὴν ὠφελεῖσθαι.
As for what he got from his campaigning, he used to spend it on horses, or armour, or the ransoming of captives; but his own property he sought to increase by agriculture, which is the justest way to make money. Nor did he practise agriculture merely as a side issue, but he held that the man who purposed to keep his hands from the property of others ought by all means to have property of his own. He also listened to the discourses and applied himself to the writings of philosophers—not all of them, but those whom he thought helpful to him in his progress towards virtue.
καὶ τῶν Ὁμηρικῶν ὅσα τὰς πρὸς ἀνδρείαν ἐγείρειν καὶ παροξύνειν ἐνόμιζε φαντασίας, τούτοις προσεῖχε. τῶν δʼ ἄλλων ἀναγνωσμάτων μάλιστα τοῖς Εὐαγγέλου τακτικοῖς ἐνεφύετο καὶ τὰς περὶ Ἀλέξανδρον ἱστορίας κατεῖχε, τοὺς λόγους ἐπὶ τὰ πράγματα καταστρέφειν οἰόμενος, εἰ μὴ σχολῆς ἕνεκα καὶ λαλιᾶς ἀκάρπου περαίνοιντο.
And as for the poems of Homer, whatever in them was thought by him to rouse and stimulate the activities of the soul which made for valour, to this he would apply himself. Among other writings, however, he was most of all devoted to the Tactics of Evangelus, and was familiar with the histories of Alexander, thinking that literature was conducive to action, unless it were prosecuted merely to while away the time and afford themes for fruitless small talk.
καὶ γὰρ τῶν τακτικῶν θεωρημάτων τὰς ἐπὶ τοῖς πινακίοις διαγραφὰς ἐῶν χαίρειν, ἐπὶ τῶν τόπων αὐτῶν ἐλάμβανεν ἔλεγχον καὶ μελέτην ἐποιεῖτο, χωρίων συγκλινίας καὶ πεδίων ἀποκοπὰς, καὶ ὅσα περὶ ῥείθροις ἢ τάφροις ἢ στενωποῖς πάθη καὶ σχήματα διασπωμένης καὶ πάλιν συστελλομένης φάλαγγος, ἐπισκοπῶν αὐτὸς πρὸς αὑτὸν ἐν ταῖς ὁδοιπορίαις καὶ τοῖς μεθʼ ἑαυτοῦ προβάλλων.
Indeed, he would ignore the charts and diagrams for the illustration of tactical principles, and get his proofs and make his studies on the ground itself. The ways in which places slope to meet one another, and level plains come to an abrupt end, and all the vicissitudes and shapes of a phalanx when it is elongated and contracted again in the vicinity of ravines or ditches or narrow defiles, these he would investigate by himself as he wandered about, and discuss them with his companions.
ἔοικε γὰρ οὗτος ὁ ἀνὴρ περαιτέρω τῆς ἀνάγκης ἐμφιλοκαλῆσαι τοῖς στρατιωτικοῖς, καὶ τὸν πόλεμον ὡς ποικιλωτάτην ὑπόθεσιν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀσπάσασθαι, καὶ ὅλως καταφρονεῖν τῶν ἀπολειπομένων ὡς ἀπράκτων.
For it would seem that he brought more zeal than was necessary to the study of military science, setting his affections on war as affording a most manifold basis for the practice of virtue, and despising as unsuccessful men those who left it to others.
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