[73,0] The Seventy-third Discourse :  On Trust. 
1 Do you really mean to say that being trusted is a good thing for those who are trusted 
and comparable to being wealthy or healthy or honoured for those who are honoured 
or healthy or wealthy, because it brings to those persons themselves some benefit? 
I mean, for instance, if a person should chance to be trusted in an official capacity, by 
his own state or by another, with an army or money or fortifications, just as in the 
past many have had such things entrusted to them, and in some instances even the 
cities themselves, women and children and all, not only in times of peace, but also 
sometimes when in the grip of war. 2 And, by Heaven, if a person were to be trusted 
by a king or a tyrant with gold or silver or ships or arms or a citadel or the supreme 
command — for example, Leptines often received command of Syracuse from his 
brother,  and Philistus received it from the younger Dionysius,  and the Magi received 
from Cambyses charge of his palace in Persia at the time when he was campaigning 
against Egypt,  (p197) and Mithranes  received from Darius the citadel of Sardis, and 
Persaeus  received Acrocorinth from Antigonus, and, much earlier than these, Atreus 
received Argos from Eurystheus, when Eurystheus was campaigning against Athens 
for refusing to surrender the children of Heracles,  and, furthermore, the son of 
Atreus, Agamemnon, when setting sail for Troy, entrusted to a musician his wife and 
his house  — 3 shall we say that all those who were trusted themselves derived some 
good from the trust? 
Again, how about those who are entrusted by men in private station with either wives 
or children or estate? For instance, many, I fancy, leave behind them guardians and 
protectors, some when going on a journey and others when dying; and some place 
deposits in trust without the presence of witnesses, having no fear of being 
defrauded; and some, because the laws forbid their naming as heirs those whom they 
themselves prefer,  name others, instructing them to turn over the property to the 
friends of the deceased — 4 are we to say that all such derive an advantage from the 
transaction and from the high opinion about them which leads those who do so to 
entrust them with their possessions, but (p199) particularly in the case of those last 
mentioned, who seem to be trusted in violation of the laws? Or, on the contrary, shall 
we say that such a responsibility is vexatious and the source of much trouble and 
many worries, sometimes indeed even of the greatest perils? 
But we may examine the question by beginning immediately with those who are 
thought to be of highest rank; for those of necessity neglect their private interests, 
both property and children, and devote their attention to the public interests and are 
absorbed in them; and often at the hands of those who plot against their cities, 
whether foreign foes or some of their fellow citizens, they meet with disaster, and 
often, too, at the hands of the cities themselves, because of unjust accusation. For 
some have been deprived of property, and some even have suffered disgrace of 
various kinds, having been convicted on a charge of embezzlement, others have been 
banished from their native land, and others have even been put to death. 
5 For example, they say that Pericles was convicted of embezzlement in an Athenian 
court,  the noblest and best champion the city ever had; and that Themistocles was 
banished on a charge of treason, the one who, after having taken charge of the 
Athenians at a time when they were no longer able to occupy the soil of their native 
land but were yielding to the foe their city itself and their shrines, not only restored 
all these things, but even made the Athenians leaders of the Greeks, wresting the 
leadership (p201) from the Spartans, who had held this honour from the beginning.  
6 Again, Miltiades, who had been the first to vanquish the barbarians, with only his 
fellow citizens to aid him, and to humble the pride of the Persians,  a pride which 
they formerly held, believing themselves to be superior to all other men — this man, 
I say, not much later was cast into prison by the Athenians;  and, besides, his son 
Cimon would have been deprived of civic rights for the rest of his life if he had not 
given his sister Elpinicê in marriage to a man of humble origin but great wealth, who 
in his behalf paid the fine of fifty talents. And yet later on Cimon gained Cyprus for 
the Athenians, and in a joint account by land and sea vanquished the barbarians in 
the neighbourhood of Pamphylia. Still, though so remarkable himself and the son of 
so remarkable a father, if he had not secured considerable money the Athenians 
would have suffered him to be without civic rights in his city.  
7 And take the case of Phocion of a later period, who lived to be more than eighty 
years of age, and who for most of these years had served as general, had preserved the 
state in its moments of direst need, and had been dubbed excellent  by those very 
Athenians — this man they were not content merely to put to death, nay, they would 
not even permit his corpse to rest in Attic soil, but cast it forth beyond (p203) their 
borders. Or take Nicias son of Niceratus — because he was trusted by his fellow 
citizens, though he knew full well what the campaign in Sicily would be like, both 
from the warnings of the god and from his own reasoning, still he was compelled to 
make the expedition, ill as he was, because of this trust of theirs. Moreover, if after 
losing his army or a portion of it he himself had come back in safety, clearly on 
reaching home he would have been put to death. But since, knowing this, he 
persevered in every way, he was taken captive and suffered that fate at the hands of 
the enemy.  
8 Now these observations of mine have been made about a single city and about the 
statesmen in a single city, nor have all of these been named. But as to those who at 
the courts of the tyrants enjoyed a reputation for trustworthiness, were I to recount 
fully what sort of fate has been theirs I should perhaps need very many days. For one 
might almost say that it is impossible for such men to go scot free. For any who lay 
themselves open to a charge of misconduct are put to death on that account, and 
there is no chance of obtaining any pardon; while those who show themselves to be 
good men and competent to safeguard what has been entrusted to them, though at 
the moment they obtain a certain honour, not much later they meet with disaster, 
being victims of envy and suspicion. 9 It does not, you see, seem to be advantageous 
to absolute monarchs that any man in their service should be good, or that any man 
should patently stand high in the esteem of the masses. On the other hand, trusts 
bestowed by men in private life, though possibly they involve less risk, because the 
business (p205) in hand is less important, still entail untold trouble and labours, and 
often not even gratitude, however slight, is their reward. On the contrary, it often 
happens that the very men who have received benefits at their hands charge them 
with not having paid all that is due with justice and clean hands. 
10 Now with what purpose have I rehearsed these matters? Surely not because I was 
making you the object of such admonition, or because I aimed to dissuade you from 
being true to a trust. For I should be far worse than Zethus was if I subjected you to 
such criticism, for he admonished his brother because he did not deem it fitting for 
him to devote himself to the pursuit of wisdom or to waste time on music to the 
neglect of his own affairs; and he said that his brother was introducing an absurd and 
unprofitable Muse. Just as if perchance some one were to say that you too had chosen 
that sort of occupation, not one of idleness or of drunkenness by any means, and yet 
one involving neglect of your own estate quite possibly; and, by Zeus, he might even 
recite this line: Wherefore an empty house shall be thy home.