Rhetoric Section 24

καὶ τὸ ἐπαινετόν· οὐδεὶς γὰρ τὸ μὴ ἀγαθὸν ἐπαινεῖ. καὶ ὃ οἱ ἐχθροὶ καὶ οἱ φαῦλοι ἐπαινοῦσιν· ὥσπερ γὰρ πάντες ἤδη ὁμολογοῦσιν, εἰ καὶ οἱ κακῶς πεπονθότες· διὰ γὰρ τὸ φανερὸν ὁμολογοῖεν ἄν, ὥσπερ καὶ φαῦλοι οὓς οἱ φίλοι ψέγουσι καὶ ἀγαθοὶ οὓς οἱ ἐχθροὶ μὴ ψέγουσιν (διὸ λελοιδορῆσθαι ὑπέλαβον Κορίνθιοι ὑπὸ Σιμωνίδου ποιήσαντος κορινθίοις δʼ οὐ μέμφεται τὸ Ἴλιον).

And that which is the object of praise, for no one praises that which is not good. And that which is praised by enemies; for if even those who are injured by it acknowledge its goodness, this amounts to a universal recognition of it; for it is because of its goodness being evident that they acknowledge it, just as those whom their enemies praise are worthless. Wherefore the Corinthians imagined themselves insulted by Simonides, when he wrote, Ilium does not blame the Corinthians.

Et ce qui fait l’objet d’éloges, car nul ne loue ce qui n’est pas bon. Et ce que louent les ennemis, car si même ceux auxquels cela porte préjudice en reconnaissent la bonté, cette reconnaissance équivaut à celle de tous. Ils ne la reconnaissent que parce que cette bonté est manifeste, tout comme sont sans valeur ceux que leurs ennemis louent. C’est pourquoi les Corinthiens se crurent insultés par Simonide lorsqu’il écrivit : « Ilion ne blâme pas les Corinthiens. »