Isocrates, To Philip, I, ed. Larue Van Hook, 11

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[11] μηδὲ ποιεῖσθαι πολέμους ἀδόξους καὶ χαλεπούς, ἐξὸν ἐντίμους καὶ ῥᾳδίους, μηδ’ ἐξ ὧν τοὺς μὲν οἰκειοτάτους εἰς λύπας καὶ φροντίδας καταστήσεις, τοὺς δ’ ἐχθροὺς ἐν ἐλπίσι μεγάλαις ποιήσεις, οἵας καὶ νῦν αὐτοῖς παρέσχες· ἀλλὰ τῶν μὲν βαρβάρων, πρὸς οὓς νῦν πολεμεῖς, ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἐξαρκέσει σοι κρατεῖν, ὅσον ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ καταστῆσαι τὴν σαυτοῦ χώραν, τὸν δὲ βασιλέα τὸν¹ νῦν μέγαν προσαγορευόμενον καταλύειν ἐπιχειρήσεις, ἵνα τήν τε σαυτοῦ δόξαν μείζω ποιήσῃς καὶ τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ὑποδείξῃς πρὸς ὃν χρὴ πολεμεῖν.

To Philip, I. Isocrates. ed. Larue Van Hook. Cambridge, MA. 1945.

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Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Perseus

Ἐπιστολαὶ βʹ Φιλίππῳ α΄ (Greek) (Isocrates, Vol. 3. Van Hook, Larue, editor. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd., 1945 (printing).)

Translations (1)

Letter 2: To Philip, I Perseus (Isocrates, Vol. 3. Van Hook, Larue, translator. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd., 1945 (printing).) — 11 focus

[11] nor wage inglorious and difficult wars when honorable and easy ones are possible, nor those which will cause grief and anxiety to your closest friends and arouse great hope in your enemies, as even now you have done. Nay, as to the barbarians with whom you are now waging war, it will suffice you to gain the mastery over them only so far as to secure the safety of your own territory, but the king who is now called Great you will attempt to overthrow, that you may both enhance your own renown and may point out to the Greek world who the enemy is against whom they should wage war.¹

Notes on the current edition

To Philip, I

1. βασιλέα τὸν is added by Blass: cf. Epist. 3. 5.

Isocrates To Philip, I 11

ed. Larue Van Hook

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