No cross, no crown

by William Penn

X. Pericles, as he mounted the tribunal, prayed to God that not a word might fall from him, that might scandalize the people, wrong the public affairs, or hurt his own. One of his friends praying him to speak falsely in his favour; "We are friends," saith he, "but not beyond the altar;" meaning not against religion and truth. Sophocles being his companion, upon sight of a beautiful woman, said to Pericles, "Ah, what a lovely creature is that!" To whom Pericles replied, "It becometh a magistrate not only to have his hands clean, but his tongue and eyes also."

XI. Phocion, a famous Athenian, was honest and poor, yea, he contemned riches: for a certain governor making rich presents, he returned them; saying, "I refused Alexander's." And when several persuaded him to accept of such bounty, or else his children would want, he answered, "If my son be virtuous, I shall leave him enough; and if he be vicious, more would be too little." He rebuked the excess of the Athenians, and that openly; saying, "He that eateth more than he ought, maketh more diseases than he can cure." To condemn or flatter him, was to him alike. Antipater pressing him to submit to his sense, he answered, "Thou canst not have me for thy friend and flatterer too." Seeing a man in office to speak much, and do little, he asked, "How can that man do business, that is always drunk with talking?" After all the great services of his life, he was unjustly condemned to die; and going to the place of execution, lamented by the people, one of his enemies spit in his face; he took it without any disorder of mind, only saying, "Take him away." Before execution, his friends asked him, whether he had nothing to say to his son? "Yes," said he, "let him not hate my enemies, nor revenge my death: I see it is better to sleep on the earth with peace, than with trouble upon the softest bed: that he ought to do that which is his duty; and what is more is vanity: that he must not carry two faces: that he promise little, but keep his promises: the world does the contrary."

XII. Clitomachus had so great a love to virtue, and practised it with such exactness, that if at any time in company he heard wanton or obscene discourse, he was wont to quit the place.

XIII. Epaminondas being invited to a sacrificial feast, so soon as he entered he withdrew, because of the sumptuous furniture and attire of the place and people; saying, "I was called at Leurtra to a sacrifice, but I find it is a debauch." The day after the great battle he obtained upon his enemies, he seemed sad and solitary, which was not his ordinary temper; and being asked why, answered, "I would moderate the joy of yesterday's triumphs." A Thessalian general, and his colleague in a certain enterprise, knowing his poverty, sent him two thousand crowns to defray his part of the charges; but he seemed angry, and answered, "This looks like corrupting me;" contenting himself with less than five pounds, which he borrowed of one of his friends for that service. The same moderation made him refuse the presents of the Persian emperor, saying, "They were needless if he only desired of him what was just; if more, he was not rich enough to corrupt him." Seeing a rich man refuse to lend one of his friends money that was in affliction, he said, "Art not thou ashamed to refuse to help a good man in necessity?" After he had freed Greece from trouble, and made the Thebans, his countrymen, triumph over the Lacedæmonians, till then invincible, that ungrateful people arraigned him and his friends, under pretence of acting something without authority: he, as general, took the blame upon himself, justified the action both from necessity and success, arraigning his judges for ingratitude whilst himself was at the bar, which caused them to withdraw with fallen countenances, and hearts smitten with guilt and fear. To conclude, he was a man of great truth and patience, as well as wisdom and courage; for he was never observed to lie in earnest or in jest. And notwithstanding the ill and cross humours of the Thebans, aggravated by his incomparable hazards and services for their freedom and renown, it is reported of him that he ever bore them patiently, often saying that he ought no more to be revenged of his country than of his father.

XIV. Demosthenes, the great orator of Athens, had these sentences: "That wise men speak little, and that therefore nature hath given men two ears and one tongue, to hear more than they speak." To one that spoke much he said, "How cometh it that he who taught thee to speak, did not teach thee to hold thy tongue?" He said of a covetous man, "That he knew not how to live all his lifetime, and that he left it for another to live after he was dead. That it was an easy thing to deceive one's self, because it was easy to persuade one's self to what one desired." He said, "That calumnies were easily received, but time would always discover them. That there was nothing more uneasy to good men than not to have the liberty of speaking freely; and that if any one knew what he had to suffer from the people, he would never meddle to govern them. In fine, that man's happiness was to be like God; and to resemble Him, we must love truth and justice."

XV. Agasicles, king of the Lacedæmonians, or Spartans, which are one, was of the opinion that it was better to govern without force: and, says he, the means to do it is to govern the people as a father governs his children.

XVI. Agesilaus, king of the same people, would say, that he had rather be master of himself than of the greatest city of his enemies: and to preserve his own liberty than to usurp the liberty of another man. "A prince," says he, "ought to distinguish himself from his subjects by his virtue, and not by his state or delicacy of life." Wherefore he wore plain, simple clothing; his table was as moderate and his bed as hard as that of any ordinary subject. And when he was told that one time or other he would be obliged to change his fashion: "No," saith he, "I am not given to change even in a change: and this I do," saith he, "to remove from young men any pretence of luxury, that they may see their prince practise what he counsels them to do." He added, "That the foundation of the Lacedæmonian laws was to despise luxury, and to reward with liberty; nor," saith he, "should good men put a value upon that which mean and base souls make their delight." Being flattered by some with divine honour, he asked them if they could not make gods too? If they could why did they not begin with themselves?—The same austere conduct of life made him refuse to have his statue erected in the cities of Asia: nor would he suffer his picture to be taken; and his reason is good: "for," saith he, "the fairest portraiture of men is their own actions."—Whatsoever was to be suddenly done in the government, he was sure to set his hand first to the work, like a common person. He would say, it did not become men to make provision to be rich but to be good. Being asked the means to true happiness; he answered, "To do nothing that should make a man fear to die:" another time, "To speak well, and do well." Being called home by the ephori, or supreme magistrates, the way of the Spartan constitution, he returned, saying, "It is not less the duty of a prince to obey laws than to command men." He conferred places of trust and honour upon his enemies, that he might constrain their hatred into love. A lawyer asking him for a letter to make a person judge that was of his own friends; "My friends," says he, "have no need of recommendation to do justice."—A comedian of note, wondering that Agesilaus said nothing to him, asked if he knew him; "Yes," said he, "art not thou the buffoon Callipedes?" One calling the king of Persia the Great king, he answered, "He is not greater than I unless he hath more virtue than I."—One of his friends catching him playing with his children, he prevented him thus: "Say nothing till thou art a father too."—He had great care of the education of youth, often saying, "We must teach children what they should do when they are men." The Egyptians despising him because he had but a small train and a mean equipage; "Oh," said he, "I will have them to know royalty consists not in vain pomp but in virtue."

XVII. Agis, another king of Lacedæmon, imprisoned for endeavouring to restore their declining discipline, being asked whether he repented not of his design; answered, "No; for," saith he, "good actions never need repentance." His father and mother desiring of him to grant something he thought unjust, he answered, "I obeyed you when I was young; I must now obey the laws, and do that which is reasonable."—As he was leading to the place of execution one of his people wept, to whom he said, "Weep not for me; for the authors of this unjust death are more in fault than I."

XVIII. Alcamenes, king of the same people, being asked which was the way to get and preserve honour; answered, "To despise wealth." Another wondering why he refused the presents of the Messenians, he answered, "I make conscience to keep the laws that forbid it." To a miser, accusing him of being so reserved in his discourse, he said, "I had rather conform to reason than thy covetousness; or, I had rather be covetous of my words than money."