Not entirely sure history has vindicated this one...

 

 

 Εἴ γάρ τις νομίζει ὅτι μείνων κλέος ἐκ τοῖς ποιήμασι Ἑλληνίκοις ἢ Ῥωμαίοις λαμβάνεται, κακῶς ἁμαρτάνει· ἥ μεν γλόττη Ἑλλήνικα ὑπὸ σχεδὸν πασῶν τῶν γενέων ἀναγιγνώσκεται, ἥ δε Ῥωμαῖα ἐν ἑαυτῆς τοῖς ὅροις σμίκροις στέγεται. Εἰ τοίνυν τὰ ὑπὸ ἡμῶν γεγόμενα τῆς τοῖς τέρμασι γῆς στέγενται, ὀφείλομεν ἐπιθῡμεῖν ὅτι εἰς τᾱς χώρᾱς, ἃς ἡμέτερα τὰ ὅπλα εἰσεληλύθᾱσι, ἡμῶν ὁ κλέος καὶ ἡ δόξα ἔρχονται ὁμῶς· ὅ γαρ τοῖς ἄνδρασι, ὧν γεγόμενα γράφενται, ἆθλόν ἐστι καλόν, καί ἐστιν ἀληθῶς τοῖς ἀγωνιζομένοις πρὸς τὴν ζώην καὶ κλέον μέγιστον κέντρον εἴς τε τὸν κίνδῡνόν τε τὸ κακόν.

(Eí gár tis nomízei hóti meínōn kléos ek toîs poiḗmasi Hellēníkois ē Rhōmaíois lambánetai, kakôs hamartánei: hḗ men glóttē Hellḗnika hypo schedon pasôn tôn genéōn anagignṓsketai, hḗ de Rhōmaîa en heautês toîs hórois smíkrois stégetai. Ei toínyn ta hypo hēmôn gegómena tês toîs térmasi gês stégentai, opheílomen epithӯmeîn hóti eis tās chṓrās, hās hēmétera ta hópla eiselēlýthāsi, hēmôn ho kléos kai hē dóxa érchontai homôs: hó gar toîs ándrasi, hôn gegómena gráphentai, âthlón esti kalón, kaí estin alēthôs toîs agōnizoménois pros tēn zṓēn kai kléon mégiston kéntron eís te ton kíndӯnón te to kakón.)

 

Nam si quis minorem gloriæ fructum putat ex Græcis versibus percipi quam ex Latinis, vehementer errat: propterea quod Græca leguntur in omnibus fere gentibus, Latina suis finibus, exiguis sane, continentur. Quare si res eæ, quas gessimus, orbis terrarium regionibus definiuntur, cupere debemus, quo manuum nostrarum tela pervenerint, eodem gloriam famamque penetrare: quod cum ipsis populis de quorum rebus scribitur, hæc ampla sunt, tum eis certe, qui de vita gloriæ causa dimicant, hoc maximum et periculorum incitamentum est et laborum.

 

For if anybody thinks that there is less glory to be gained from Greek verses than from Latin, he is gravely mistaken, for Greek is read by virtually all nations, whereas Latin is completely contained within its own limits, which are small enough. Therefore, as the things which we have done are bounded only by the limits of the world, we ought to wish that, wherever the arms of our men have been, there also our glory and fame should penetrate, because this is a magnificent reward for those whose achievements are written about, and is without doubt the greatest spur to both danger and hard work for those who struggle for life and glory.

 

—Cicero, Ἀντὶ Ἀρχίου τοῦ Ποιήτους (Pro Archia Poeta)