masters of the country: we see our enemies
brought low and ourselves increasing day by day in numbers and in
strength. [45] And if only our present allies would consent to stay with
us a little longer, our achievements could be greater still, whether
force were needed or persuasion. Now it must be your work as much as
mine to make as many of them as possible willing and anxious to remain.
[46] Remember that, just as the soldier who overthrows the greatest
number in the day of battle is held to be the bravest, so the speaker,
when the time has come for persuasion, who brings most men to his side
will be thought the most eloquent, the best orator and the ablest man of
action. [47] Do not, however, prepare your speeches as though we asked
you to give a rhetorical display: remember that those whom you convince
will show it well enough by what they do. [48] I leave you then," he
added, "to the careful study of your parts: mine is to see, so far as in
me lies, that our troops are provided with all they need, before we hold
the council of war."

NOTES

C.1. Cyrus' generosity: he is not cold, not incapable of soft pleasure,
but too pre-occupied with greater things. On the whole, if a hedonist,
this type of man, a hedonist that = a stoic (cf. Socrates, H. Sidgwick,
also J. P.).

C1.4, init. Well told: we feel the character of Araspas at once, as soon
as he opens his lips.

C1.4, med. An Eastern picture. She is one of the Bible women, as Gadatas
and Gobryas are brothers of Barzillai; she is sister of Ruth or Susanna
or Judith or Bathsheba. Perhaps she is nobler than any of them. She
is also the sister of the Greek tragedy women, Antigone, Alcestis;
especially Euripidean is she: no doubt she is sister to the great women
of all lands.

C1.10 ff. Xenophon, Moralist. Cf. _Memorabilia_ for a similar
philosophical difficulty about the will and knowledge. And for this
raising of ethical problems in an artistic setting of narrative, cf.
Lyly. I see a certain resemblance between the times and the writers'
minds. _Vide_ J. A. Symonds on the predecessors of Shakespeare.
Araspas' point is that these scamps have only themselves to blame, being
{akrateis}, and then they turn round and accuse love. (We are thrown
back on the origin of {akrasia}: _vide Memorabilia_ [e.g. I. ii. v.; IV.
v.] for such answer as we can get to that question.) Whereas the {kaloi
kagathoi} desire strongly but can curb their desir