ignorance and high spirit, and are oppressed by continuous hard work, but none the less are mindful of that high spirit, and ever grow more unruly and are irritated by their distress, so that they grow more restive and disobedient and pull against the driver and refuse to go in a certain direction, and unless they see the charioteer himself or at least some man wearing the dress of a charioteer, end by becoming violent, so unreasoning are they by nature. But when the charioteer encourages some unskilful man, and sets him over them, and allows him to wear the same dress as his own, and invests him with the outward seeming of a splendid and skilful charioteer, then if he be altogether foolish and witless, he rejoices and is glad and is buoyed up and exalted by those robes, as though by wings, but, if he has even a small share of common sense and prudent understanding, he is very much alarmed) μήπως αὑτὸν τε τρώσῃ σύν θ᾽ ἅρματα ἄξῃ, (“Lest he both injure himself and shatter his chariot withal,”(573)) καὶ τῷ μὲν ἡνιόχῳ ζημίας, αὑτῷ δὲ αἰσχρᾶς καὶ ἀδόξου συμφορᾶς αἴτιος γένηται. ταῦτα ἐγὼ ἐλογιζόμην ἐν νυκτὶ βουλεύων καὶ δι᾽ ἡμέρας κατ᾽ ἐμαυτὸν ἐπισκοπούμενος, [123] σύννους ὢν ἀεὶ καὶ σκυθρωπός. ὁ γενναῖος δὲ καὶ θεῖος ἀληθῶς αὐτοκράτωρ ἀφῄρει τι πάντως τῶν ἀλγεινῶν, ἔργοις καὶ λόγοις τιμῶν καὶ χαριζόμενος. τέλος δὲ τὴν βασιλίδα προσειπεῖν κελεύει, θάρσος τε ἡμῖν ἐνδιδοὺς καὶ τοῦ σφόδρα πιστεύειν γενναῖον εὖ μάλα παρέχων γνώρισμα. ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπειδὴ πρῶτον ἐς ὄψιν ἐκείνης ἦλθον, ἐδόκουν μὲν ὥσπερ ἐν ἱερῷ καθιδρυμένον ἄγαλμα σωφροσύνης ὁρᾶν· [B] αἰδὼς δὲ ἐπεῖχε τὴν ψυχήν, καὶ ἐπέπηκτό μοι κατὰ γῆς τὰ ὄμματα συχνὸν ἐπιεικῶς χρόνον, ἕως ἐκείνη θαρρεῖν ἐκέλευε. καὶ τὰ μέν, ἔφη, ἤδη παρ᾽ ἡμῶν ἔχεις, τὰ δὲ καὶ ἕξεις σὺν θεῷ, μόνον εἰ πιστὸς καὶ δίκαιος εἰς ἡμᾶς γένοιο. τοσαῦτα ἤκουσα σχεδόν· οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐτὴ πλεῖονα(574) ἐφθέγξατο, καὶ ταῦτα ἐπισταμένη τῶν γενναίων ῥητόρων οὐδὲ ἓν φαυλοτέρους ἀπαγγέλλειν λόγους. ταύτης ἐγὼ τῆς ἐντεύξεως ἀπαλλαγεὶς σφόδρα ἐθαύμασα καὶ ἐξεπεπλήγμην, ἐναργῶς δοκῶν ἀκηκοέναι σωφροσύνης αὐτῆς φθεγγομένης· οὕτω πρᾷον ἦν αὐτῇ φθέγμα καὶ μείλιχον, [C] ταῖς ἐμαῖς ἀκοαῖς ἐγκαθιδρυμένον.