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Neither do we commend the ambition and contentiousness of Theagenes who, after being victorious, not only in the circuit of festivals,Refers to the four great festivals: the Olympic, the Pythian, the Isthmian, and the Nemean games. but in many other contests besides, not only in the pancratium, but also in boxing and long-distance running,The length was twenty stadia, slightly more than two and a quarter miles. at last, when at certain commemorative funeral ceremonies he was partaking of the feast to honour the deceased as a hero, and all present had, as was the custom, their several portions already set before them, sprang up and performed a whole pancratium, as if it were wrong for anyone else to be a victor when he was present; for he had collected by such means twelve hundred head-bands, most of which might be regarded as rubbish. Now there is no difference between him and those who strip for every political activity; they soon cause themselves to be criticized by the multitude; they become unpopular and arouse envy when they are successful, but joy when they meet with failure; and that which was admired in them when they began to hold office results at last in mockery and ridicule. Such are the lines: Metiochus, you see, is general, Metiochi s inspects the roads, Metiochus inspects the bread, and Metiochus inspects the flour, Metiochus takes care of all things, Metiochus will come to grief.From a poet of the Old Comedy, Kock, Com. Att. Frag. iii. p. 629, no. 1325. He was one of Pericles’ followers and seems to have used the power gained through him in such a way as to arouse odium and disgust. Far the statesman ought, as they say, to find the people fond of him when he comes to them and to leave a longing for him when he is not there; which Scipio Africanus accomplished by spending much of his time in the country, thereby at one and the same time removing the weight of envy and giving a breathing-space to those who thought they were oppressed by his glory. But Timesias of Clazomenae was in other respects a good man in his service to the State, but by doing everything himself he had aroused rancour and hatred; but of this he was unaware until the following incident took place: - Some boys were knocking a knuckle-bone out of a hole when he was passing by; and some of them said it was still in the hole, but the boy who had struck at it said: I’d like to knock the brains out of Timesias as truly as this has been knocked out of the hole. Timesias, hearing this and understanding that dislike of him had permeated all the people, returned home and told his wife what had happened; and directing her to pack up and follow him, he went immediately away from his house and out from the city. And it appears that Themistocles, when he met with some such treatment from the Athenians, said, Why, my dear people, are you tired of receiving repeated benefits?
