Byzantine Emperors

"Ἐπειδὴ πέφυκε τῷ φρονήματι τῶν ἀρχόντων συνδιατίθεσθαι τοὺς ἀρχομένους, ἀρχαῖος ἐστι λόγος, κάλλιον εἶναι λέοντα ἐλάφων ἄρχειν ἢ ἔλαφον λεόντων."

"Πρὸ τῶν κινδύνων ὁ στρατηγός θεραπευέτω τὸ θεῖον· θαρρῶν γὰρ ἐν τοῖς κινδύνοις ὡς πρὸς φίλον αὐτῷ τὸ θεῖον τὰς ἱκεσίας ποιήσεται."

"Ἢ δόλοις ἢ ἐφόδοις ἢ λιμῷ τοὺς πολεμίους βλάπτειν καλόν· οὐχὶ πάντως πρὸς πόλεμον ἐκκαλεῖσθαι δημόσιον, ἔνθα πλέον τῆς τύχης ἢ τῆς ἀνδρείας ἐστὶν ἡ ἐπίδειξις."

"Deception is often helpful in warfare. An enemy soldier who deserts to us, apart from some plot, is of the greatest advantage, for the enemy is hurt by deserters more than if the same men were killed in action."

"Nature produces but few brave men, whereas care and training make efficient soldiers. Soldiers who are kept working improve in courage, while too much leisure makes them weak and lazy. Care should be taken to keep them busy."

"After gaining a victory the general who pursues the enemy with a scattered and disorganized army gives away his victory to the foe."

"Δικαίαν δεῖ τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ πολέμου γίνεσθαι."

"A prudent commander will not lead an allied force into his own country if it is larger than his own army. Otherwise it might mutiny, drive out the native troops, and take over the country."

"The commander who relies on his own cavalry, especially the lancers, should seek out broad plains favorable to such troops and there force the battle.If, on the other hand, he relies more on his infantry, he should take care to choose uneven, thick, and rugged terrain for the fighting."

"In time of peace, fear and the punishing of offenses keep the troops in line, but on active campaign great expectations and rewards get even better results."

"When the battle line has been drawn up, the first rule is for the soldiers to maintain the formation and the intervals between the lines."

"The best general is not the man of noble family, but the man who can take pride in his own deeds."

"A general who desires peace must be prepared for war, for the barbarians become very nervous when they face an adversary all set to fight."

"Σοφὸς δὲ στρατηγὸς ὁ πρὸ τῶν πολέμων ἀκριβῶς τὰ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ πολυπραγμονῶν καὶ πρὸς μὲν τὰ πλεονεκτήματα αὐτοῦ φυλαττόμενος, πρὸς δὲ τὰ ὑστερήματα ἐπιβαλλόμενος. Οἷον, ὑπὲρ αὐτὸν τὴν ἵππον ἔχει ὁ ἐχθρός, δέον αὐτὸν τὰς βοσκὰς ἀφανίζειν. Εἰς πλῆθος ἀνδρῶν πλεονεκτεῖ· τὰς τούτων δαπάνας περιστέλλειν. Ἀπὸ διαφόρων ἐθνῶν συνέστηκεν, δώροις καὶ χαρίσμασι καὶ ἐπαγγελίαις ὑποφθείρειν τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ· ἐναντίως πρὸς ἀλλήλους τὰς γνώμας ἔχουσι, τοὺς πρώτους αὐτῶν μεταχειρίζεσθαι. Κοντάτον ἐστὶ τὸ ἔθνος, || εἰς δυσχωρίας αὐτὸ προσκαλεῖσθαι· τοξόται εἰσίν, εἰς κάμπους τάσσεσθαι σπουδάζειν καὶ τὴν ἐκ χειρὸς σύνεγγυς μάχην ποιεῖσθαι. Σκυθικὸν ἢ Οὑννικόν ἐστι, περὶ τὸν Φεβρουάριον μῆνα ἢ Μάρτιον ἐπιτίθεσθαι, ὅταν οἱ ἵπποι ἐκ τῆς τοῦ χειμῶνος κακοπαθείας ταλαιπωροῦσι καὶ ὡς πρὸς τοξότας τὰς συμβολὰς ποιεῖσθαι. Ἀφυλάκτως ὁδοιποροῦσιν ἢ ἀπληκεύουσιν, ἐν νυκτὶ ἢ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τούτοις ἀδοκήτως ἐφεδρεύειν. Θρασέως καὶ ἀτάκτως τὰς μάχας ποιοῦνται καὶ τοῦ κακοπαθεῖν ἄπειροι, σχηματίζεσθαι μὲν ὡς πρὸς συμβολήν, ἀναβάλλεσθαι δὲ καὶ διασύρειν μέχρις οὗ τὸ ζέον τοῦ θυμοῦ ἐνδῶσιν, καὶ ὅταν ἀποκνήσωσιν, τότε τὰς συμβολὰς κατ᾿ αὐτῶν ποιεῖσθαι. Ἐν πλήθει πεζῶν προτερεύει, εἰς ὁμαλοὺς τόπους τούτους προτρέπειν καὶ μὴ σύνεγγυς, ἀλλὰ μήκοθεν ἐξ ἀκοντίων τὰς μάχας ποιεῖσθαι."

"Κυνηγίῳ δὲ ἔοικε τὰ τῶν πολέμων. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖ διά τε κατασκόπων καὶ δικτύων καὶ ἐγκρυμμάτων καὶ παρασκόπων καὶ κατακυκλώσεων καὶ τοιούτων σοφισμάτων μᾶλλον ἢ δυνάμει ἡ θήρα τούτων περιγίνεται, οὕτως δεῖ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πολέμων ἁρμόζεσθαι, εἴτε πρὸς πλείους, εἴτε πρὸς ὀλίγους γίνονται. Τὸ γὰρ φανερῶς καὶ χειρὶ | δι᾽ ὄψεως μόνον βιάζεσθαι τοὺς ἐναντίους, ὅτι καὶ δόξῃ τις νικᾶν τούτους, μετὰ κινδύνου καὶ ζημίας οὐ τῆς τυχούσης ἡ τοῦ πράγματος ἀπόβασις αὐτῷ συμβαίνει. Ὅπερ τῶν ἀλογίστων ἐστὶν ἀνάγκης με-γίστης χωρὶς μετὰ ζημίας νίκην κτᾶσθαι, κενὴν ὑπόληψιν φέρουσαν."

"Ἐν ταῖς ἀναγκαίων πραγμάτων ἐγχειρήσεσιν οὐ δεῖ χωρίζειν ἑαυτὸν τὸν στρατηγὸν ἐκ τῶν πόνων ὡς ὑπερέχοντα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄρχεσθαι τῶν ἔργων καὶ συμπονεῖν τοῖς στρατιώταις κατὰ τὸ δυνατόν."

"Ἐν μὲν τῇ διαίτῃ κοινὸν καὶ ἁπλοῦν τοῖς στρατιώταις τὸν στρατηγὸν εἶναι χρεὼν καὶ πατρικὴν στοργὴν ἔχειν πρὸς αὐτούς, πράως τὰ πράγματα διδασκόμενον καὶ συνεχῶς τὰ περὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων δι᾽ ἑαυτοῦ παραινοῦντα καὶ διαλεγόμενον."

"Over a long time many things can disappear which, while achieved in that time, are also consumed by it. Among these was the treatise outlining the imperial ceremonial, something valuable and important. Because this had been neglected and become, so to speak moribund, the imperial power was in fact unadorned and unattractive to look at. For just as when a body is not harmoniously fashioned, but has its limbs set in a contorted and ill-coordinated way, one would describe this as a disorder, so too when the imperial administration is not led and governed by order, it will differ in no way from an ignorant and servile way of life.Therefore, so that this should not be the case and we should not seem by acting in a disorderly fashion to be insulting the imperial majesty, we believed it was necessary to collect with unremitting effort from many sources those things which were devised by earlier generations and were made known by those who had seen them, and were seen by us ourselves and practised in our times, and to set them out in the present arrangement and to record for those who come after us, in the form of an easily comprehended account, the tradition of our ancestral customs which have been neglected. It was as though we were picking flowers from the meadows to set as an incomparable decoration for the imperial splendour, and as if we were setting up in the middle of the palace a radiant and newly cleaned mirror in which are seen what befits the imperial rule and what is worthy of the senatorial body, so that the reins of power will be managed with order and beauty."

"Τὸ δὲ τὴν πόλιν σοὶ δοῦναι οὔτ' ἐμὸν ἐστίν οὔτ' ἄλλου τῶν κατοικούντων ἐν ταύτῃ• κοινῇ γὰρ γνώμῃ πάντες αὐτοπροαιρέτως άποθανοῦμεν καὶ οὐ φεισόμεθα τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν."

"God forbid that I should live an Emperor without an Empire. As my city falls, I will fall with it."

"Whoever wishes to escape, let him save himself if he can; and whoever is ready to face death, let him follow me!"

"The city is fallen and I am still alive."

"Καὶ κινοῦντα μὲν πρὸς τὴν συμπλοκὴν τὴν συνήθη Χριστιανοῖς νικητήριον τοῦ σταυροῦ φωνὴν ἀνα-κράζειν δεῖ."

"Οὐ βασιλικὴ δορυφορία καὶ ἐξουσία, οὐ τῆς ἐξουσίας δυναστεία καὶ περιουσία, οὐ τῆς περιουσίας ἐπίδειξις καὶ ἀπόλαυσις, οὐδὲν ὅσα τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώ-ποις ἐφετῶν καὶ τιμίων τὴν ἡμετέραν οὕτως εὐφραίνει βασιλείαν ὡς ἡ τῶν ὑπηκόων εἰρήνη καὶ εὐημερία καὶ τῶν πολιτικῶν πραγμάτων ἡ δι' αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὸ κρεῖττον κατάστασίς τε καὶ ἐπανόρθωσις."

"Στρατηγός ἐστιν ὁ τοῦ ὑπὸ χεῖρα στρατιωτικοῦ θέματος κορυφαίος ἄρχων, | ἐκ βασιλέως μὲν προχειριζόμενος."

"Τοῖς γὰρ τῶν ἀρχόντων φρονήμασι φιλεῖ πως συνδιατί-θεσθαι τὸ ἀρχόμενον, ὡς ἂν κατὰ τὴν παροιμίαν· μὴ ἔλαφοι λεόντων ἄρχουσιν ἀλλὰ λέοντες ἐλάφων."

"Ὁπλίσεις μὲν οὖν τὸν πεζὸν σκουτάτον, τὸν πάλαι καλούμενον ὁπλίτην, ὥστε ἔχειν σπάθην, κοντάριν, σκουτάριν, ὅτε μὲν χρεία καλεῖ, ἐπίμηκες, μέγα, ὃ καλεῖται θυρεός, πάντως δὲ στρογγύλον τέλειον. τὰ δὲ σκουτάρια ὁμόχροα πάντων ἢ κατὰ ἀριθμὸν ἢ κατὰ τάγμα."

"Καὶ γὰρ ἐπισφαλές ἐστι καὶ ἐπικίνδυνον ἡ δι' ὄψεως μόνον μάχη καὶ πρὸς οἱονδήποτε ἔθνος γινομένη, κἂν τάχα καὶ ὀλιγώτερον πλῆθός ἐστι τὸ ἀντικαθιστάμενον."

"There is nothing more conducive to the destruction of a nation, whether it be republic or monarchy, than the lack of men of wisdom or intellect."