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An Athenian archon,[1] a man loving honor and of great natural ability, and especially notable among the Greeks for wealth, which he used at need correcting the many defects of some cities and assisting the needy among men, giving not with one hand but with both, according to the proverb.[2] For he was generous and munificent to excess. He spent much of his money on teachers and physicians and the good order of his homeland generally; these characteristics of Theagenes are worthy of praise. But being hot-tempered and never enduring to be despised, but striving to be idolized by all, and not least by those who practiced philosophy, disdaining and spitting upon all others and especially those who seemed to be in power and to be eager to shine out in the Roman political system, and preferring the new opinions to the old customs of piety, without noticing it he fell into the lifestyle of the many, drawing away from the [lifestyle] of the Greeks and his ancestors even earlier. And he did not realize that he had received his associates not as true friends but as deceptive flatterers. So he did not preserve the ancient respect for philosophy, but while in word he had surrounded himself with philosophers, in deed [he had surrounded himself with] flatterers. This became the first origin of his suspicion of Marinus.[3] For Marinus, persisting in the traditional dignity of philosophers, showed reasonable respect for Theagenes and was not a boaster towards him nor awkward nor pompous in behavior nor unsociable, nor in any other way wanted to be more than a private citizen; but he obviously both accepted and offered the honors due to him and imparted them as one should to a man who is a leader in the city and perhaps also in the Roman political system as a whole. For he was one of the Roman patricians and first in the imperial senatorial council, and in his original nobility and the greatness of his character and his transparent zeal and attention to literature; so that Marinus also was eager to increase the greatness of his prominence in every way.

*qeage/nhs, *)aqhnai=os a)/rxwn, filo/timos a)nh\r kai\ megalofuh/s, *(ellh/nwn te o(/ti ma/lista xrh/masi lampruno/menos, oi(=s ei)s de/on e)xrh=to ta\ polla\ po/lew/n te e)ni/wn ta\ ptai/smata e)panorqou/menos kai\ toi=s deome/nois tw=n a)nqrw/pwn e)pikourw=n, ou) mia=| xeiri\ dwrou/menos a)ll' a)mfoi=n, kata\ th\n paroimi/an. h)=n ga\r filo/dwro/s te kai\ megalo/dwros ei)s u(perbolh/n. a)nalou=to de\ au)tw=| polla\ tw=n xrhma/twn ei)/s te didaska/lous kai\ i)atrou\s kai\ th\n a)/llhn th=s patri/dos eu)qhmosu/nhn. tau=ta me\n a)cie/paina tw=n *qeage/nous. w)\n de\ qumoeidh\s kai\ ou)damou= katafronei=sqai a)nexo/menos, a)lla\ kai\ qerapeu/esqai spouda/zwn u(po\ pa/ntwn, kai\ ou)x h(/kista tw=n filosofou/ntwn, u(perorw=n de\ kai\ diaptu/wn tou\s a)/llous kai\ ma/lista tou\s e)n duna/mei dokou=ntas ei)=nai kai\ proqumoume/nous e)n th=| *(rwmai/wn politei/a| lampru/nesqai, kai\ ta\ ne/a a)ciw/mata protimw=n tw=n a)rxai/wn h)qw=n th=s eu)sebei/as, e)/laqen e(auto\n e)mpesw\n ei)s to\n tw=n pollw=n bi/on a)pospasqei\s tw=n *(ellh/nwn kai\ tw=n e)/ti a)/nw progo/nwn: e)/laqe de\ tou\s pe/las ou)k e)/ti fi/lous a)lhqinou/s, a)lla\ ko/lakas a)pathlou\s kekthme/nos. ou)/koun e)/ti die/sw|ze th\n pa/lai ai)dw= pro\s filosofi/an, a)lla\ tw=| me\n lo/gw| tou\s filoso/fous e)pepoi/hto peri\ e(auto/n, tw=| de\ e)/rgw| tou\s qerapeu/ontas. au(/th prw/th a)rxh\ e)gego/nei th=s pro\s *mari=non u(poyi/as. o( ga\r *mari=nos e)mme/nwn th=| paradoqei/sh| semno/thti tw=n filoso/fwn e)qera/peue me\n ta\ ei)ko/ta to\n *qeage/nh, kai\ ou)k h)=n tis a)/ra pro\s au)to\n a)lazw\n ou)de\ skaio\s ou)de\ sobaro\s th\n e)/nteucin ou)de\ duso/milos ou)de\ a)/llws u(pe\r to\n i)diw/thn ei)=nai boulo/menos, a)lla\ prosdexo/meno/s te kai\ prope/mpwn e)gi/neto dh=los kai\ ta\s o)feilome/nas au)tw=| tima\s a)pone/mwn, oi(/as w)fei/leto prwteu/wn a)nh\r e)n th=| po/lei, ta/xa de\ kai\ e)n th=| *(rwmai/wn politei/a| sumpa/sh|. kai\ ga\r h)=n tw=n *(rwmai+kw=n pate/rwn ei(=s kai\ prw=tos th=s peri\ ta\ basi/leia sugklh/tou boulh=s, th=| te e)c a)rxh=s eu)genei/a| kai\ th=| megaleio/thti tw=n tro/pwn kai\ th=| peri\ tou\s lo/gous diafanei= spoudh=| te kai\ e)pimelei/a|: w(/ste kai\ o( *mari=nos e)spou/dazen au)tw=| sunau/cein to\ me/geqos th=s kata\ pa/nta perifanei/as.

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