1.1. For one who is about to take any serious step, whether in speech or action, I assume that the proper course is to take his beginning from the gods. Accordingly I entreat all the gods and goddesses that what is best for the democracy of the Athenians and for those who bear goodwill toward the democracy, both now and for time to come, I may myself be moved to write and the members of the Assembly to adopt. With this prayer, having hopes of good inspiration from the gods, I address this message.
1.1. παντὸς ἀρχομένῳ σπουδαίου καὶ λόγου καὶ ἔργου ἀπὸ τῶν θεῶν ὑπολαμβάνω προσήκειν πρῶτον ἄρχεσθαι. εὔχομαι δὴ τοῖς θεοῖς πᾶσι καὶ πάσαις, ὅ τι τῷ δήμῳ τῷ Ἀθηναίων ἄριστόν ἐστι καὶ τοῖς εὐνοοῦσι τῷ δήμῳ καὶ νῦν καὶ εἰς τὸν ἔπειτα χρόνον, τοῦτʼ ἐμοὶ μὲν ἐπὶ νοῦν ἐλθεῖν γράψαι, τοῖς δʼ ἐκκλησιάσασιν Ἀθηναίων ἑλέσθαι. εὐξάμενος δὲ ταῦτα, τῆς ἀγαθῆς ἐπινοίας ἐλπίδʼ ἔχων παρὰ τῶν θεῶν, τάδʼ ἐπιστέλλω.
1.2. Demosthenes to the Council and the Assembly sends greeting. Concerning the question of my return to my native land I always bear in mind that it will be for you as a body to decide; consequently I am writing nothing about it at the present moment. Observing, however, that the present occasion, if you but choose the right course, is capable of securing for you at one stroke glory and safety and freedom, not for yourselves alone but for all the rest of the Greeks as well, but that, if you act in ignorance or be led astray, it would not be easy to secure the same opportunity again, I thought I ought to place before the public the state of my opinion on these questions.
1.2. Δημοσθένης τῇ βουλῇ καὶ τῷ δήμῳ χαίρειν. περὶ μὲν τῆς ἐμῆς οἴκαδʼ ἀφίξεως ἀεὶ νομίζω πᾶσιν ὑμῖν ἔσεσθαι βουλεύσασθαι, διόπερ νῦν οὐδὲν περὶ αὐτῆς γέγραφα· τὸν δὲ παρόντα καιρὸν ὁρῶν ἑλομένων μὲν ὑμῶν τὰ δέοντα ἅμα δόξαν καὶ σωτηρίαν καὶ ἐλευθερίαν δυνάμενον κτήσασθαι οὐ μόνον ὑμῖν ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν Ἕλλησιν, ἀγνοησάντων δʼ ἢ παρακρουσθέντων οὐ ῥᾴδιον αὖθις τὸν αὐτὸν ἀναλαβεῖν, ᾠήθην χρῆναι τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ γνώμην ὡς ἔχω περὶ τούτων εἰς μέσον θεῖναι.
1.3. It is a difficult thing, I know, for advice conveyed by letter to hold its ground, because you Athenians have a way of opposing many suggestions without waiting to understand them. In the case of a speaker, of course, it is possible to perceive what you want and easy to correct your misapprehensions; but the written page possesses no such aid against those who raise a clamor. In spite of this fact, if you will but consent to listen in silence and have the patience to learn all that I have to say, I think that,—to speak in the hope of divine favour—brief though the writing is, I shall myself be found to be doing my duty by you with all goodwill and that I shall demonstrate clearly where your interests lie.
1.3. ἔστι μὲν οὖν ἔργον ἐξ ἐπιστολῆς ἐμμεῖναι συμβουλῇ· πολλοῖς γὰρ εἰώθατʼ ἀπαντᾶν ὑμεῖς πρὸ τοῦ περιμεῖναι μαθεῖν. λέγοντι μὲν οὖν ἔστιν αἰσθέσθαι τί βούλεσθε καὶ διορθώσασθαι τἀγνοούμενα ῥᾴδιον· τὸ δὲ βιβλίον οὐδεμίαν ἔχει βοήθειαν τοιαύτην πρὸς τοὺς θορυβοῦντας. οὐ μὴν ἀλλʼ ἐὰν ἐθελήσητʼ ἀκοῦσαι σιγῇ καὶ περιμείνητε πάντα μαθεῖν, οἴομαι, ὡς σὺν θεοῖς εἰρῆσθαι, καίπερ βραχέων τῶν γεγραμμένων ὄντων, αὐτός τε φανήσεσθαι μετὰ πάσης εὐνοίας τὰ δέονθʼ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν πράττων καὶ τὰ συμφέρονθʼ ὑμῖν ἐμφανῆ δείξειν.
1.4. Not as supposing you were running short of speakers, or of those, either, who will say glibly and without real thought what happens to occur to them, did I decide to send the letter; but I desired, after putting plainly before those who like to make speeches all that I happen to know through experience and long association with public business, first, to furnish them with ample means of arriving at what I deem to be your interests, and second, to render easy for the people the choice of the best procedures. Such, then, were the considerations that prompted me to write the letter.
1.4. οὐχ ὡς ἀπορούντων δʼ ὑμῶν ῥητόρων, οὐδὲ τῶν ἄνευ λογισμοῦ ῥᾳδίως ὅ τι ἂν τύχωσιν ἐρούντων, ἔδοξέ μοι τὴν ἐπιστολὴν πέμπειν· ἀλλʼ ὅσα τυγχάνω διʼ ἐμπειρίαν καὶ τὸ παρηκολουθηκέναι τοῖς πράγμασιν εἰδώς, ταῦτʼ ἐβουλήθην τοῖς μὲν προαιρουμένοις λέγειν ἐμφανῆ ποιήσας ἀφθόνους ἀφορμὰς ὧν ὑπολαμβάνω συμφέρειν ὑμῖν δοῦναι, τοῖς δὲ πολλοῖς ῥᾳδίαν τὴν τῶν βελτίστων αἵρεσιν καταστῆσαι. ὧν μὲν οὖν ἕνεκʼ ἐπῆλθέ μοι τὴν ἐπιστολὴν γράφειν, ταῦτʼ ἐστίν.
1.5. First of all, men of Athens, it is necessary that you bring about harmony among yourselves for the common good of the State and drop all the contentions inherited from previous assemblies and, in the second place, that you all with one mind vigorously support your decisions, since the failure to follow either a uniform policy or to act consistently is not only unworthy of you and ignoble but, in addition, involves the greatest risks.
1.5. δεῖ δʼ ὑμᾶς, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, πρῶτον μὲν ἁπάντων πρὸς ὑμᾶς αὐτοὺς ὁμόνοιαν εἰς τὸ κοινῇ συμφέρον τῇ πόλει παρασχέσθαι καὶ τὰς ἐκ τῶν προτέρων ἐκκλησιῶν ἀμφισβητήσεις ἐᾶσαι, δεύτερον δὲ πάντας ἐκ μιᾶς γνώμης τοῖς δόξασι προθύμως συναγωνίζεσθαι· ὡς τὸ μήθʼ ἓν μήθʼ ἁπλῶς πράττειν οὐ μόνον ἐστὶν ἀνάξιον ὑμῶν καὶ ἀγεννές, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς μεγίστους κινδύνους ἔχει.
1.6. Those things must not escape your attention either, which, though by themselves they are not sufficient to effect your purpose, yet when added to your military forces, will render all your aims much easier of accomplishment. To what, then, do I refer? Toward no city and toward none of the citizens in this or that city who have supported the existing order must you harbor any bitterness or bear a grudge.
1.6. δεῖ δὲ μηδὲ ταῦτα λαθεῖν ὑμᾶς, ἃ καθʼ αὑτὰ μὲν οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτάρκη κατασχεῖν πράγματα, προστεθέντα δὲ ταῖς δυνάμεσι πολλῷ πάντʼ εὐκατεργαστότερʼ ὑμῖν ποιήσει. τίνʼ οὖν ἐστιν ταῦτα; μήτε πόλει μηδεμιᾷ μήτε τῶν ⟨ἐν⟩ ἑκάστῃ τῶν πόλεων συνηγωνισμένων τοῖς καθεστηκόσι ⟨μηδενὶ⟩ μήτε πικραίνεσθαι μήτε μνησικακεῖν.
1.7. Because the fear of such animosity causes those who are conscious of guilt in their own hearts, because necessary to the existing order and facing a manifest danger, to be zealous supporters of it, but relieved of this fear they will all become more amenable, and this is of no slight usefulness. Now, to proclaim such intentions in the various cities would be foolish, or rather quite impossible, but in whatever spirit you shall be seen treating your own fellow-citizens, such will be the expectation you will create in the minds of each group concerning your feeling toward the rest also.
1.7. ὁ γὰρ τοιοῦτος φόβος τοὺς συνειδότας αὑτοῖς, ὡς ἀναγκαίοις τοῖς καθεστηκόσι καὶ κίνδυνον ἔχουσι πρόδηλον προθύμους συναγωνιστὰς ποιεῖ· ἀφεθέντες δὲ τοῦ δέους τούτου πάντες ἠπιώτεροι γενήσονται. τοῦτο δʼ οὐ μικρὰν ὠφέλειαν ἔχει. κατὰ μὲν δὴ πόλεις τὰ τοιαῦτʼ εὔηθες προλέγειν, μᾶλλον δʼ οὐδʼ ἐν δυνατῷ· ὡς δʼ ἂν ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς ὀφθῆτε χρώμενοι, τοιαύτην καὶ κατὰ τῶν ἄλλων προσδοκίαν παραστήσεθʼ ἑκάστοις.
1.8. Accordingly I say that in general you must not cast any blame or censure whatsoever upon any general or orator or private individual of the groups that are believed, at least previously, to have supported the existing order, but rather concede to all parties in the city that they have done their duty as public men, inasmuch as the gods, to whom be thanks, by saving the city have bestowed upon you the privilege of deciding afresh whatever you shall choose to do, and you must be of the opinion that, just as on board a ship, when some declare themselves for making good their escape by the sail and others by the oars, just as all proposals of both parties aim at salvation, so it is to meet a crisis created by the gods that the need has arisen.
1.8. φημὶ δὴ χρῆναι μήτε στρατηγῷ μήτε ῥήτορι μήτʼ ἰδιώτῃ μηδενὶ τῶν τὰ πρὸ τοῦ γε δοκούντων συνηγωνίσθαι τοῖς καθεστηκόσι μήτε μέμφεσθαι μήτʼ ἐπιτιμᾶν μηδένα μηδὲν ὅλως, ἀλλὰ συγχωρῆσαι πᾶσιν τοῖς ἐν τῇ πόλει πεπολιτεῦσθαι τὰ δέοντα, ἐπειδήπερ οἱ θεοί, καλῶς ποιοῦντες, σῴσαντες τὴν πόλιν ἀποδεδώκασιν ὑμῖν ὅ τι ἂν βούλησθʼ ἐξ ἀρχῆς βουλεύσασθαι, καὶ νομίζειν, ὥσπερ ἂν ἐν πλοίῳ τῶν μὲν ἱστίῳ, τῶν δὲ κώπαις ἀποφαινομένων κομίζεσθαι, λέγεσθαι μὲν ὑπʼ ἀμφοτέρων ἅπαντʼ ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ, γεγενῆσθαι δὲ τὴν χρείαν πρὸς τὰ συμβάντʼ ἀπὸ τῶν θεῶν.
1.9. If you shall have made up your minds to regard past events in this way, you will gain the confidence of all and play the part of good and honorable men; you will also further your own interests not a little and will cause your opponents in the various cities either to change their minds, all of them, or will cause only a certain very small number of them, the ringleaders themselves, to be left. Acquit yourselves, therefore, with magnanimity and statesmanship in the general interest of Greece and bear in mind your own interests as Athenians.
1.9. ἐὰν τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον περὶ τῶν παρεληλυθότων ἐγνωκότες ἦτε, καὶ πιστοὶ πᾶσι γενήσεσθε, καὶ καλῶν κἀγαθῶν ἀνδρῶν ἔργα πράξετε, καὶ τὰ πράγματʼ ὠφελήσετʼ οὐ μικρά, καὶ τοὺς ἐναντιωθέντας ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν ἢ μεταγνῶναι ποιήσετε πάντας ἢ κομιδῇ ὀλίγους τινὰς αὐτοὺς τοὺς αἰτίους καταλειφθῆναι. μεγαλοψύχως τοίνυν καὶ πολιτικῶς τὰ κοινῇ συμφέροντα πράττετε, καὶ τῶν ἰδίων ⟨μὴ⟩ μέμνησθε.
1.10. I urge you to this line of conduct, though I have not myself met with such generosity from certain persons but have been unjustly and in a spirit of faction tossed off for the gratification of others. I do not think, however, that I have the right while satisfying my private resentment to hurt the public interest, nor do I at all mix my private enmity with the general good. On the contrary, the conduct I urge upon the rest of men I think I ought to be myself the first to practise.
1.10. παρακαλῶ δʼ εἰς ταῦτʼ οὐ τυχὼν αὐτὸς τῆς τοιαύτης φιλανθρωπίας παρʼ ἐνίων, ἀλλʼ ἀδίκως καὶ στασιαστικῶς εἰς τὴν ἑτέρων χάριν προποθείς. ἀλλʼ οὔτε τὴν ἰδίαν ὀργὴν ἀποπληρῶν τὸ κοινῇ συμφέρον οἶμαι δεῖν βλάπτειν, οὔτε μείγνυμι τῆς ἰδίας ἔχθρας εἰς τὰ κοινῇ συμφέροντʼ οὐδέν, ἀλλʼ ἐφʼ ἃ τοὺς ἄλλους παρακαλῶ, ταῦτʼ αὐτὸς οἴομαι δεῖν πρῶτος ποιεῖν.
1.11. Now, the steps to be taken by way of preparation and the mistakes to be guarded against, and the measures by which one might, as human calculations go, most likely succeed, have been, for practical purposes, stated by me; but how to oversee our business from day to day and how to deal rightly with situations that arise unexpectedly, how to know the right moment for each action and to judge which of our objectives it is possible to attain through negotiation and which requires force in addition, these are the responsibility of the generals in charge.
1.11. αἱ μὲν οὖν παρασκευαὶ καὶ ἃ δεῖ φυλάξασθαι, καὶ ἃ πράττων τις ἂν κατʼ ἀνθρώπινον λογισμὸν μάλιστα κατορθοίη, σχεδὸν εἴρηταί μοι· τοῖς δὲ καθʼ ἡμέραν ἐπιστατῆσαι, καὶ τοῖς ἐκ τοῦ παραχρῆμα συμβαίνουσιν ὀρθῶς χρῆσθαι, καὶ γνῶναι τὸν ἑκάστου καιρόν, καὶ κρῖναι τί τῶν πραγμάτων ἐξ ὁμιλίας δυνατὸν προσαγαγέσθαι καὶ τί βίας προσδεῖται, τῶν ἐφεστηκότων [στρατηγῶν] ἔργον ἐστίν.
1.12. Therefore to give advice is to be in a very difficult position, because decisions that have been rightly taken and weighed with great care and pains are often spoiled through faulty execution on the part of those in authority.
1.12. διὸ καὶ χαλεπωτάτην τάξιν ἔχει τὸ συμβουλεύειν· τὰ γὰρ ὀρθῶς βουλευθέντα καὶ δοκιμασθέντα σὺν πολλῇ σπουδῇ καὶ πόνῳ πολλάκις τῷ τοὺς ἐπιστάντας ἄλλως χρήσασθαι διελυμάνθη.
1.13. Yet I hope that all will be well this time; for if any man has assumed that Alexander was fortunate because he always succeeded, let him reflect upon the fact that it was by doing and toiling and daring, not by sitting still, that he continued to be fortunate. Now, therefore, since Alexander is dead, Fortune is seeking some people with whom to co-operate, and you ought to become her choice.
1.13. νῦν μέντοι πάνθʼ ἕξειν καλῶς ἐλπίζω. καὶ γὰρ εἴ τις ὑπείληφεν εὐτυχῆ τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον τῷ πάντα κατορθοῦν, ἐκεῖνο λογισάσθω, ὅτι πράττων καὶ πονῶν καὶ τολμῶν, οὐχὶ καθήμενος ηὐτύχει. νῦν τοίνυν τεθνεῶτος ἐκείνου ζητεῖ τινας ἡ τύχη μεθʼ ὧν ἔσται.
1.14. As for your leaders, through whom your interests must necessarily be handled, place at the head of your forces men whose loyalty is the greatest available, and as for yourselves, let every man of you repeat to himself a solemn promise to perform whatever he in particular shall be able and shall elect to do. And see to it that he does not break this pledge or shirk his responsibility, saying that he was deceived or misled and overpersuaded, because you will never find others to make good the lack of those qualities in which you yourselves shall fall short; neither does it involve the same danger to change your minds often about matters wherein it will be in your power to do as you please as it does about matters over which war will arise; but in the case of the latter a change of mind means defeat of your purpose.
1.14. τούτους δʼ ὑμᾶς δεῖ γενέσθαι. τούς θʼ ἡγεμόνας, διʼ ὧν ἀνάγκη τὰ πράγματα πράττεσθαι, ὡς εὐνουστάτους ἐπὶ τὰς δυνάμεις ἐφίστατε· καὶ ὅ τι ποιεῖν αὐτὸς ἕκαστος ὑμῶν δυνήσεται καὶ βουλήσεται, τοῦτο πρὸς αὑτὸν εἰπάτω καὶ ὑποσχέσθω. καὶ τοῦθʼ ὅπως μὴ ψεύσεται, μηδʼ ἐξηπατῆσθαι μηδὲ πεισθῆναι παρακρουσθεὶς φήσας ἀναδύσεται.
1.15. So do nothing of this kind, but whatever you intend to execute honestly and promptly with your whole souls, vote for that, and once you have passed a decree, adopt as your leaders Zeus of Dodona and the rest of the gods, who have uttered in your interest many splendid, encouraging and true oracles, and summon them to your aid and after you have prayed to all of them for success with a vow of the fruits of victory, with good fortune attending you, proceed to liberate the Greeks.
1.15. ὡς τὴν ἔκδειαν ὧν ἂν ἐλλίπηθʼ ὑμεῖς, οὐχ εὑρήσετε τοὺς ἀναπληρώσοντας· οὐδὲ τὸν αὐτὸν ἔχει κίνδυνον, περὶ ὧν ἐφʼ ὑμῖν ἐστιν ὅπως ἂν βούλησθε πρᾶξαι μεταβουλεύεσθαι πολλάκις, καὶ περὶ ὧν ἂν ἐνστῇ πόλεμος· ἀλλʼ ἡ περὶ τούτων μετάγνωσις ἧττα τῆς προαιρέσεως γίγνεται. μὴ δὴ ποιήσητε τοιοῦτο μηδέν, ἀλλʼ ὅ τι πράξετε γενναίως καὶ ἑτοίμως ταῖς ψυχαῖς, τοῦτο χειροτονεῖτε, κἂν ἅπαξ ψηφίσησθε, τὸν Δία τὸν Δωδωναῖον καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους θεούς, οἳ πολλὰς καὶ καλὰς κἀγαθὰς καὶ ἀληθεῖς ὑμῖν μαντείας ἀνῃρήκασιν, ἡγεμόνας ποιησάμενοι καὶ παρακαλέσαντες, καὶ κατὰ τῶν νικητηρίων ἅπασιν αὐτοῖς εὐξάμενοι, μετὰ τῆς ἀγαθῆς τύχης ἐλευθεροῦτε τοὺς Ἕλληνας.
1.16. Farewell.
1.16. εὐτυχεῖτε.
2.1. Demosthenes to the Council and the Assembly sends greeting I used to believe, because of my conduct in public life, that, as one who was guilty of no wrong toward you, I should not only never meet with such treatment as this but, even if I should have committed some slight offence, that I might meet with forgiveness. Since, however, it has turned out as it has, so long as I observed you, without any manifest proof or even a scrutiny of evidence on the part of the Council, condemning all the accused on the strength of the unrevealed information of that body, I chose to make the best of it, thinking that you were surrendering rights no less valuable than those of which I was being deprived. Because, for the jurors under oath to assent to whatever the Council should declare, without any proof having been cited, that was a surrender of a constitutional right.
2.1. Δημοσθένης τῇ βουλῇ καὶ τῷ δημῷ χαίρειν. ἐνόμιζον μὲν ἀφʼ ὧν ἐπολιτευόμην, οὐχ ὅπως μηδὲν ὑμᾶς ἀδικῶν τοιαῦτα πείσεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ μέτριʼ ἐξαμαρτὼν συγγνώμης τεύξεσθαι. ἐπειδὴ δʼ οὕτως γέγονεν, ἕως μὲν ἑώρων ὑμᾶς, οὐδεμιᾶς ἀποδείξεως φανερᾶς οὐδʼ ἐλέγχου γιγνομένου παρὰ τῆς βουλῆς, πρὸς τὰ ταύτης ἀπόρρητα καταψηφιζομένους ἁπάντων, οὐδὲν ἐλαττόνων παραχωρεῖν ὑμᾶς ἡγούμενος ἢ ἐμαυτὸν ἀποστερεῖσθαι, στέργειν ᾑρούμην· τὸ γὰρ οἷς ἂν ἡ βουλὴ φήσῃ τοὺς ὀμωμοκότας δικαστὰς προστίθεσθαι μηδεμιᾶς ἀποδείξεως ῥηθείσης, τῆς πολιτείας παραχωρεῖν ἦν.
2.2. Since, however, you have happily become aware of the undue ascendancy. which certain members of the Council were contriving for themselves and since you are now deciding the cases in the light of the proofs and have found the secretiveness of these men deserving of censure, I think it is my right, with your consent, to enjoy the same acquittal as those who have incurred the like accusations, and not to be the only one to be deprived on a false charge of his fatherland, his property, and the company of those who are nearest and dearest to him.
2.2. ἐπειδὴ δὲ καλῶς ποιοῦντες ᾔσθησθε τὴν δυναστείαν ἥν τινες τῶν ἐν τῇ βουλῇ κατεσκευάζονθʼ ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ πρὸς τὰς ἀποδείξεις τοὺς ἀγῶνας κρίνετε, τὰ δʼ ἀπόρρητα ⟨τὰ⟩ τούτων ἐπιτιμήσεως ἄξιʼ ηὑρήκατε, οἶμαι δεῖν, ἐὰν καὶ ὑμῖν βουλομένοις ᾖ, τῆς ὁμοίας τυχεῖν σωτηρίας τοῖς τῶν ὁμοίων αἰτιῶν τετυχηκόσιν, καὶ μὴ μόνος διʼ αἰτίαν ψευδῆ τῆς πατρίδος καὶ τῶν ὄντων καὶ τῆς τῶν οἰκειοτάτων συνηθείας ἀποστερηθῆναι.
2.3. And you would have good reason, men of Athens, to be concerned about my deliverance, not only for the reason that I have been outrageously treated, though guilty of doing you no wrong, but also for the sake of your good name abroad. For you must not imagine, just because no one reminds you of those times and occasions upon which I was of the greatest service to the city, that the rest of the Greeks are not aware of them or have forgotten what I have accomplished in your behalf. At the present moment I hesitate to write of these services in detail for two reasons; one reason is that I am afraid of jealousy, in the face of which it is useless to speak the truth; the second is this, that because of the cowardice of the rest of Greece we are now compelled to do many things that are below the standard of those services of mine.
2.3. εἰκότως δʼ ἂν ὑμῖν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, μέλοι τῆς ἐμῆς σωτηρίας οὐ μόνον κατὰ τοῦθʼ ὅτι οὐδὲν ὑμᾶς ἀδικῶν δεινὰ πέπονθα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις ἕνεκʼ εὐδοξίας. μὴ γάρ, εἰ μηδεὶς ὑμᾶς ἀναμιμνῄσκει τοὺς χρόνους μηδὲ τοὺς καιροὺς ἐν οἷς τὰ μέγιστʼ ἐγὼ χρήσιμος ἦν τῇ πόλει, τοὺς ἄλλους Ἕλληνας ἀγνοεῖν νομίζετε, μηδʼ ἐπιλελῆσθαι τῶν ἐμοὶ πεπραγμένων ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν, ἃ ἐγὼ δυοῖν ἕνεκα νῦν ὀκνῶ γράφειν καθʼ ἕκαστον, ἑνὸς μέν, τὸν φθόνον δεδιώς, πρὸς ὃν οὐδέν ἐστιν προὔργου τἀληθῆ λέγειν, ἑτέρου δέ, ὅτι πολλὰ καὶ ἀνάξιʼ ἐκείνων διὰ τὴν τῶν ἄλλων Ἑλλήνων κακίαν νῦν πράττειν ἀναγκαζόμεθα.
2.5. In brief, however, the record upon which I passed scrutiny as your servant was of such a kind as to make you envied by all because of it and myself confident in the greatest rewards from you. And when Fortune, as irresistible as she was unkind, decided as she pleased, and not according to justice, the struggle for the liberty of Greece in which you engaged, not even in the times that followed did I retreat from my loyalty toward you, nor did I bargain for anything in place of it, no man’s favour, no hopes of preferment, nor wealth, nor power, nor personal safety.
2.5. ἐν κεφαλαίῳ δὲ τοιαῦτʼ ἐστὶν ἐφʼ οἷς ἐξηταζόμην ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἐγώ, ὥσθʼ ὑμᾶς μὲν ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς ὑπὸ πάντων ζηλοῦσθαι, ἐμοὶ δʼ ἐλπίδα τῶν μεγίστων δωρεῶν προσδοκᾶσθαι παρʼ ὑμῶν. τῆς δʼ ἀναγκαίας μέν, ἀγνώμονος δὲ τύχης οὐχ ὡς δίκαιον ἦν, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἐβούλετο, κρινάσης τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐλευθερίας ἀγῶνα, ὃν ὑμεῖς ἠγωνίσασθε, οὐδʼ ἐν τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα χρόνοις ἀπέστην τῆς εἰς ὑμᾶς εὐνοίας, οὐδʼ ἀντηλλαξάμην ἀντὶ ταύτης οὐδέν, οὐ χάριν, οὐκ ἐλπίδας, οὐ πλοῦτον, οὐ δυναστείαν, οὐκ ἀσφάλειαν.
2.6. Yet I observed that all these prizes were accruing to those who chose to play the game of politics to your detriment.
2.6. καίτοι πάντα ταῦθʼ ἑώρων ὑπάρχοντα τοῖς καθʼ ὑμῶν βουλομένοις πολιτεύεσθαι.
2.7. Now one fact which is especially significant—although there are many significant facts which, it occurs to me, would justify me in speaking frankly—I shall not refrain from writing to you: although of men who are mentioned in history in all time, Philip had the most uncanny ability of all, whether through personal contact to persuade men to pay heed to his wishes or to corrupt with bribes the notable men in every one of the Greek cities, I was the only man who did not fall a victim to either of these methods, a fact that brings to you also cause for pride, and although I met Philip often and parleyed with him on those matters on which you sent me as envoy, yet I kept my hands off the substantial sums he offered me, as many men are aware who still live.
2.7. ὃ δέ, πολλῶν ὄντων καὶ μεγάλων ἐφʼ οἷς εἰκότως ἐπέρχεταί μοι παρρησιάζεσθαι, μέγιστον ἡγοῦμαι, οὐκ ὀκνήσω γράψαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ὅτι ἐν ἅπαντι τῷ αἰῶνι τῶν μνημονευομένων ἀνθρώπων δεινοτάτου γεγενημένου Φιλίππου καὶ διʼ ὁμιλίας πεῖσαι προσέχειν αὑτῷ τὸν νοῦν ὡς βούλοιτο, καὶ διαφθεῖραι χρήμασι τοὺς ἐν ἑκάστῃ τῶν Ἑλληνίδων πόλεων γνωρίμους, ἐγὼ μόνος οὐδετέρου τούτων ἡττήθην, ὃ κοινὴν ὑμῖν φιλοτιμίαν φέρει, πολλὰ μὲν ἐντυχὼν Φιλίππῳ καὶ διαλεχθεὶς ἐφʼ οἷς ὑμεῖς ἐπέμπετε πρεσβεύοντά με, πολλῶν δʼ ἀποσχόμενος χρημάτων διδόντος ἐκείνου, ἃ τῶν συνειδότων ἔτι πολλοὶ ζῶσιν.
2.8. Just ponder what opinion these men may reasonably entertain of you, for to have dealt this treatment to such a man, while for myself I am sure it would seem a misfortune, though no conviction of vice, yet on your part it would seem defiance of justice. I beg of you to change your verdict and cancel this imputation.
2.8. οὓς τίνα γνώμην ἔχειν περὶ ὑμῶν εἰκός, λογίσασθε· τὸ γὰρ τῷ τοιούτῳ τοῦτον κεχρῆσθαι τὸν τρόπον ἐμοὶ μὲν ἂν εὖ οἶδʼ ὅτι συμφορὰ φανείη, κακία δʼ οὐδεμία, ὑμετέρα δʼ ἀγνωμοσύνη· ἣν τῷ μεταγνῶναι λύσαιτε.
2.9. All the considerations which I have mentioned above, however, I consider of less importance than my conduct from first to last and every day in public life, in which I showed myself in action to be a statesman, never encouraging any nursing of a grudge or a feud or the grasping for unfair advantage, whether shared or for myself, never preferring false charges against either citizen or alien, never being over-clever to work in secret against your interests but always working for them, if occasion should arise, and above board, subject to public approval.
2.9. πάντα τοίνυν τὰ προειρημένʼ ἐλάττω νομίζω τῆς συνεχοῦς καὶ καθʼ ἡμέραν πολιτείας, ἐν ᾗ παρεῖχον ἐμαυτὸν ἐγὼ πολιτευόμενον, οὐδεμιᾶς ὀργῆς οὐδὲ δυσμενείας οὐδʼ ἀδίκου πλεονεξίας οὔτε κοινῆς οὔτʼ ἰδίας προϊστάμενος, οὐδὲ συκοφαντήσας οὐδένα πώποτʼ οὔτε πολίτην οὔτε ξένον, οὐδὲ καθʼ ὑμῶν ἰδίᾳ δεινὸς ὤν, ἀλλʼ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν, εἴ τι δεήσειεν, ἐξεταζόμενος δημοσίᾳ.
2.10. The older men would know—and in all fairness you ought to inform the younger ones—of the hearing granted Python of Byzantium before the Assembly when he arrived with the envoys from the Greeks, expecting to show that the city was acting unjustly, but went away with the tables turned against him after I, alone of those who spoke on that occasion, had brought out the rights of the matter in your defence. I forbear to mention all the embassies upon which I served in support of your interests, in which you were never worsted even in a single instance;
2.10. εἰδεῖεν δʼ ἂν οἱ πρεσβύτεροι, καὶ λέγειν τοῖς νεωτέροις ἐστὲ δίκαιοι τὴν πρὸς Πύθωνα τὸν Βυζάντιον ἐκκλησίαν, ὅτε τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἦλθε πρέσβεις ἔχων ὡς ἀδικοῦσαν δείξων τὴν πόλιν, ἀπῆλθε δὲ τἀναντία τούτων παθών, μόνου τῶν τότε ῥητόρων ἐξετάσαντος ἐμοῦ τὰ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν δίκαια. καὶ ἐῶ πρεσβείας ὅσας ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἐπρέσβευσα, ἐν αἷς οὐδὲν ἠλαττώθητε πώποτʼ οὐδὲ καθʼ ἕν.
2.11. for I shaped my policy, men of Athens, not with an eye to helping you get the better of one another, nor whetting the State against itself, but furthering measures from which I thought a reputation for magnanimity would redound to you. With such aspirations you should all be delighted, and especially the younger men, not looking for someone who will always play the lackey to win your favour in his public conduct—for of this type there will never be a dearth—but for one who, actuated by loyalty, will even rebuke you for your errors of judgement.
2.11. ἐπολιτευόμην γάρ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, οὐχ ὅπως ἀλλήλων ὑμεῖς περιγενήσεσθε σκοπῶν, οὐδʼ ἐφʼ ἑαυτὴν ἀκονῶν τὴν πόλιν, ἀλλʼ ἀφʼ ὧν δόξαν καὶ μεγαλοψυχίαν ὑμῖν ὑπάρξειν ἐνόμιζον. ἐφʼ οἷς ἅπασι μέν, μάλιστα δὲ τοῖς νέοις, ἄγασθαι προσήκει, καὶ σκοπεῖν μὴ μόνον τὸν διακονήσοντα πρὸς χάριν πάντʼ ἐν τῇ πολιτείᾳ ʽτούτου μὲν γὰρ οὐδέποτʼ ἔστʼ ἀπορῆσαἰ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἐπʼ εὐνοίᾳ περὶ ὧν ἂν ἀγνοῆτʼ ἐπιτιμήσοντα.
2.12. Now I pass over many other considerations, on the strength of which a different kind of a man and with no other service to his credit would justly demand to obtain acquittal; I mean the equipping of choruses and triremes and the contributing of money on all occasions. In these duties I shall be found, not only to have been the first to do my own part, but also to have urged the rest to do theirs. Reviewing these services one by one, men of Athens, consider how undeserved is the calamity that has now befallen me.
2.12. ἔτι τοίνυν παραλείπω πολλά, ἐφʼ οἷς ἕτερος καὶ μηδὲν ἄλλο χρήσιμος γεγονὼς δικαίως ἂν ἠξίου τυγχάνειν σωτηρίας, χορηγίας καὶ τριηραρχίας καὶ χρημάτων ἐπιδόσεις ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς καιροῖς· ἐν οἷς ἐγὼ φανήσομαι οὐ μόνον αὐτὸς ἐξητασμένος πρῶτος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους παρακεκληκώς. ὧν ἕκαστον, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, λογίσασθε, ὡς ἀνάξιόν ἐστι τῆς περιεστηκυίας νῦν ἐμοὶ συμφορᾶς.
2.13. Since my present troubles are so abundant I am at a loss to know what I shall bemoan first. Will it be my advanced age, at which, for the first time and contrary to my deserts, I am compelled to experience the hazards of a perilous exile? Or will it be the disgrace of having been convicted and ruined without any investigation or proof of guilt? Or will it be in disappointment of my hopes in place of which I have fallen heir to evils that rightfully belonged to others, since neither because of my previous political record was I deserving punishment nor had the charges been proved upon which I was being tried.
2.13. ἀφθόνων δʼ ὄντων, ἀπορῶ τί πρῶτον ὀδύρωμαι τῶν παρόντων κακῶν. πότερον τὴν ἡλικίαν ἐν ᾗ φυγῆς ἐπικινδύνου πειρᾶσθαι παρʼ ἔθος καὶ παρὰ τὴν ἀξίαν ἀναγκάζομαι; ἢ τὴν αἰσχύνην ἐφʼ ᾗ κατʼ οὐδένʼ ἔλεγχον οὐδʼ ἀπόδειξιν ἁλοὺς ἀπόλωλα; ἢ τὰς ἐλπίδας ὧν διαμαρτών, ὧν ἑτέροις προσῆκε κεκληρονόμηκα κακῶν;
2.14. For I shall never be shown to have been one of the friends of Harpalus, and among the decrees that were passed concerning him only those proposed by me have afforded the State a clean record. From all these facts it is clear that I was caught in an unfortunate conjuncture, not taken in wrongdoing, and that through coming first on the list into court I unjustly fell foul of the public rage against all those involved in those charges.
2.14. οὔτʼ ἐφʼ οἷς ἐπολιτεύθην πρότερον δίκην ὀφείλων δοῦναι, οὔτε τῶν ἐφʼ οἷς ἐκρινόμην ἐξελεγχθέντων· οὔτε γὰρ ἔγωγε τῶν Ἁρπάλου φίλων φανήσομαι γεγονώς, τῶν τε γραφέντων περὶ Ἁρπάλου μόνα τὰ ἐμοὶ πεπραγμένʼ ἀνέγκλητον πεποίηκε τὴν πόλιν. ἐξ ὧν πάντων δῆλόν ἐστιν ὅτι καιρῷ τινὶ ληφθεὶς καὶ οὐκ ἀδικήματι, τῇ πρὸς ἅπαντας τοὺς ἐν ταῖς αἰτίαις ὀργῇ περιπέπτωκʼ ἀδίκως τῇ πρῶτος εἰσιέναι.
2.15. Because, which of the just pleas that have saved those subsequently tried did not I myself advance? Or what proof did the Council allege against me? Or what proof could it now allege? There is none; for it is impossible to make facts out of what never happened. I refrain, however, from enlarging upon these topics, though there is plenty to write, for the consciousness of innocence has afforded me proof through experience that, while a feeble help in time of trouble, it is the most excruciating of all means of enhancing one’s suffering.
2.15. ἐπεὶ τί τῶν δικαίων οὐκ εἶπον ἐγὼ τῶν σεσῳκότων τοὺς ὕστερον κρινομένους; ἢ τίνʼ ἔλεγχον εἶπεν ἡ βουλὴ κατʼ ἐμοῦ; ἢ τίνα νῦν ἂν εἰπεῖν ἔχοι; οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν οὐδείς· τὰ γὰρ μὴ γενόμενʼ οὐκ ἔστι ποιῆσαι γεγενῆσθαι. ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν τούτων παύομαι, πόλλʼ ⟨ἂν⟩ γράφειν ἔχων· τὸ γὰρ μηδὲν ἐμαυτῷ συνειδέναι πεῖράν μοι δέδωκεν εἰς μὲν ὠφέλειαν ἀσθενὲς ὄν, εἰς δὲ τὸ μᾶλλον λυπεῖσθαι πάντων ὀδυνηρότατον.
2.16. So, since, quite rightly, you have become reconciled with all others involved in these charges, be reconciled with me also, men of Athens for I have done no wrong against you, as I call upon the gods and heroes to bear testimony. My witness is the whole extent of time that has gone by, which has a juster claim upon your credence than the unsupported charge which has now been brought against me; nor shall I be found to be the worst or the least trustworthy of those who have been falsely accused.
2.16. ἐπειδὴ δὲ καλῶς ποιοῦντες πᾶσι τοῖς ἐν ταῖς αἰτίαις διήλλαχθε, κἀμοὶ διαλλάγητʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι· οὔτε γὰρ ἠδίκηχʼ ὑμᾶς οὐδέν, ὡς ἴστωσαν οἱ θεοὶ καὶ ἥρωες (μαρτυρεῖ δέ μοι πᾶς ὁ πρόσθεν παρεληλυθὼς χρόνος, ὃς δικαιότερον ἂν πιστεύοιθʼ ὑφʼ ὑμῶν τῆς ἀνελέγκτου νῦν ἐπενεχθείσης αἰτίας), οὔτʼ ἐγὼ χείριστος οὐδʼ ἀπιστότατος φανήσομαι τῶν διαβληθέντων.
2.17. And surely my departure from Athens would not afford you just grounds for resentment against me, for it was not because I had renounced allegiance to you nor because I was looking to another quarter for comfort that I changed my residence to another country, but because, in the first place, I was pained at contemplating the disgrace of imprisonment, and in the second, on account of my age I was in no condition to endure the bodily discomforts. Besides, I did not think that you, either, were averse to my getting beyond the reach of revilement which, without benefiting you, was breaking me down.
2.17. καὶ μὴν τό γʼ ἀπελθεῖν οὐκ ἂν εἰκότως ὀργὴν πρός με ποιήσειεν· οὐ γὰρ ἀπεγνωκὼς ὑμᾶς οὐδʼ ἑτέρωσε βλέπων οὐδαμοῖ μετέστην, ἀλλὰ πρῶτον μὲν τοὔνειδος τῆς εἱρκτῆς χαλεπῶς τῷ λογισμῷ φέρων, εἶτα διὰ τὴν ἡλικίαν οὐκ ἂν οἷός τʼ ὢν τῷ σώματι τὴν κακοπαθίαν ὑπενεγκεῖν. ἔτι δʼ οὐδʼ ὑμᾶς ἐνόμιζον ἀβουλεῖν ἔξω με προπηλακισμοῦ γενέσθαι, ὃς οὐδὲν ὑμᾶς ὠφελῶν ἔμʼ ἀπώλλυεν.
2.18. For, as indications that it was on you my thoughts were centered and on no others, you may note many items of evidence; for instance, I did not go to a city in which I was likely to play an outstanding role myself, but to one where I knew our ancestors had gone when the Persian danger overtook them, and where I knew too there existed abundant goodwill toward yourselves.
2.18. ἐπεὶ ὅτι γʼ ὑμῖν προσεῖχον τὸν νοῦν καὶ οὐδέσιν ἄλλοις, πόλλʼ ἂν ἴδοιτε σημεῖα. εἴς τε γὰρ πόλιν ἦλθον, οὐκ ἐν ᾗ μέγιστα πράξειν αὐτὸς ἔμελλον, ἀλλʼ εἰς ἣν καὶ τοὺς προγόνους ἐλθόντας ᾔδειν, ὅθʼ ὁ πρὸς τὸν Πέρσην κατελάμβανεν αὐτοὺς κίνδυνος, καὶ παρʼ ᾗ πλείστην εὔνοιαν ὑπάρχουσαν ὑμῖν ἠπιστάμην (ἔστι δʼ ἡ Τροζηνίων αὕτη, ᾗ μάλιστα μὲν οἱ θεοὶ καὶ τῆς πρὸς ὑμᾶς εὐνοίας ἕνεκα καὶ τῆς εἰς ἔμʼ εὐεργεσίας εὖνοι πάντες εἴησαν, εἶτα κἀγὼ σωθεὶς ὑφʼ ὑμῶν δυνηθείην ἀποδοῦναι χάριτας)·
2.19. I refer to the city of Troezen, to which it is my chief prayer that all the gods may be propitious, both because of its goodwill to you and because of its kindness to me, and my second prayer is that, having been delivered from this exile by you, I may be enabled to make repayment for kindnesses. In this city, when certain persons, thinking to make themselves agreeable to me, ventured to censure you for your arbitrary action in my regard, I preserved all reticence, as was my duty, which I believe was the chief reason for their being moved to admiration of me and honoring me in the name of the city.
2.19. ἔν τε ταύτῃ τινῶν, ὡς ἐμοὶ χαριζομένων, ἐπιτιμᾶν ὑμῖν τι πειρωμένων τῇ κατʼ ἔμʼ ἀγνοίᾳ, ἐγὼ πᾶσαν εὐφημίαν, ὥσπερ ἐμοὶ προσῆκε, παρειχόμην· ἐξ ὧν καὶ μάλιστα νομίζω πάντας ἀγασθέντας μου δημοσίᾳ τιμῆσαι.
2.20. Observing, however, that though the goodwill of the men there was strong, yet the power of the city was insufficient for the present need, I changed my residence and now have my quarters in the sanctuary of Poseidon in Calauria, not only for the sake of my personal safety, which through the protection of the god I hope is assured—because I am not quite certain; for the fact that it is in the power of unfriendly people to deal with matters as they choose renders frail and unpredictable the safety of a man in danger—but also because from here I look across the sea every day to my native land, toward which I am conscious in my heart of feeling an attachment as strong as I pray that I may enjoy on your part.
2.20. ὁρῶν δὲ τὴν μὲν εὔνοιαν τῶν ἀνδρῶν μεγάλην, τὴν δʼ εἰς τὸ παρὸν δύναμιν καταδεεστέραν, μετελθὼν εἰς τὸ τοῦ Ποσειδῶνος ἱερὸν ἐν Καλαυρείᾳ κάθημαι, οὐ μόνον τῆς ἀσφαλείας ἕνεκα, ἣν διὰ τὸν θεὸν ἐλπίζω μοι ὑπάρχειν ʽοὐ γὰρ εὖ οἶδά γε· ἃ γὰρ ἐφʼ ἑτέροις ἐστὶν ὡς ἂν βούλωνται πρᾶξαι, λεπτὴν καὶ ἄδηλον ἔχει τῷ κινδυνεύοντι τὴν ἀσφάλειαν̓, ἀλλʼ ὅτι καὶ τὴν πατρίδʼ ἐντεῦθεν ἑκάστης ἡμέρας ἀφορῶ, εἰς ἣν τοσαύτην εὔνοιαν ἐμαυτῷ σύνοιδα, ὅσης παρʼ ὑμῶν εὔχομαι τυχεῖν.
2.21. In order, therefore, men of Athens, that I may no longer be held in the grip of these present miseries, enact for me those measures you have already voted for the benefit of certain others, so that neither shall anything unworthy of you become my lot nor I be compelled to become the suppliant of rival powers; for that would not be an honorable thing for you either. Because, if the differences between you and me remain irreconcilable, it were better for me to be dead.
2.21. ὅπως οὖν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, μηκέτι πλείω χρόνον τοῖς παροῦσι κακοῖς συνέχωμαι, ψηφίσασθέ μοι ταῦθʼ ἃ καὶ ἄλλοις τισὶν ἤδη, ἵνα μήτʼ ἀνάξιον ὑμῶν μηδέν μοι συμβῇ, μήθʼ ἱκέτης ἑτέρων ἀναγκασθῶ γενέσθαι· οὐδὲ γὰρ ὑμῖν τοῦτο γένοιτʼ ἂν καλόν. ἐπεὶ εἴ γέ μοι τὰ πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἀδιάλλακτα ὑπάρχει, τεθνάναι μοι κρεῖττον ἦν.
2.22. With good reason you may have confidence that I entertain this thought and that I am not now indulging in idle bluff. I placed my fate in your hands, and I faced the trial in order that I might neither be a traitor to the truth nor place myself beyond the reach of any one of you, but that you might deal with me as you pleased; for I thought that those from whom I had received all my blessings ought to possess the privilege even of erring against me if they chose.
2.22. εἰκότως δʼ ἄν μοι πιστεύοιτε ταύτην τὴν διάνοιαν ἔχειν καὶ μὴ νῦν μάτην θρασύνεσθαι· καὶ γὰρ ἐμαυτοῦ κυρίους ὑμᾶς ἐποίησα καὶ οὐκ ἔφυγον τὸν ἀγῶνα, ἵνα μήτε προδῶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν μήτʼ ἄκυρος ὑμῶν ἐμοῦ μηδεὶς γένηται, ἀλλʼ ὅ τι βούλοισθε, τοῦτο χρήσαισθε· παρʼ ὧν γὰρ ἁπάντων καλῶν κἀγαθῶν ἔτυχον, τούτους ᾠόμην δεῖν ἔχειν καὶ ἁμαρτεῖν, εἰ βούλοιντο, εἰς ἐμέ.
2.23. Since, however, a just Fortune—thanks be to her—prevailing over the unjust, has bestowed upon you the opportunity of deliberating twice on the same questions, no irremediable decree concerning my case having been passed, save me, men of Athens, and vote a verdict worthy both of your own selves and of me.
2.23. ἐπειδὴ δὲ καλῶς ποιοῦσʼ ἡ δικαία τύχη τῆς ἀδίκου κρατήσασα δὶς περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἀπέδωκεν ὑμῖν βουλεύσασθαι τῷ μηδὲν ἀνήκεστον ἐψηφίσθαι περὶ ἐμοῦ, σῴσατέ μʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, καὶ ψηφίσασθε καὶ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν ἄξια καὶ ἐμοῦ.
2.24. You will not find me to have done wrong on the score of any of my measures, or a fit person to be deprived of my civic rights or destroyed, but a man who is as much devoted to your democracy as the best patriots—not to say anything invidious —who of all men now living has accomplished most in your behalf and of all men of my time has available the most signal tokens of devotion to you.
2.24. ἐπʼ οὐδενὶ γὰρ τῶν πεπραγμένων ἠδικηκότα μʼ εὑρήσετε, οὐδʼ ἐπιτήδειον ἄτιμον εἶναι οὐδʼ ἀπολωλέναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ εὔνουν τῷ πλήθει τῷ ὑμετέρῳ τοῖς μάλισθʼ ὁμοίως, ἵνα μηδὲν ἐπίφθονον γράψω, καὶ πλεῖστα πεπραγματευμένον τῶν νυνὶ ζώντων ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν, καὶ μέγισθʼ ὑπάρχοντά μοι κατʼ ἐμαυτὸν σύμβολʼ εὐνοίας πρὸς ὑμᾶς.
2.25. Let not one of you think, men of Athens, that through lack of manhood or from any other base motive I give way to my grief from the beginning to the end of this letter. Not so, but every man is ungrudgingly indulgent to the feelings of the moment, and those that now beset me—if only this had never come to pass—are sorrows and tears, longing both for my country and for you, and pondering over the wrongs I have suffered, all of which cause me to grieve. If you but scan this record fairly, in none of the political actions taken by me in your behalf will you find softness or lack of manhood attaching to me.
2.25. μηδεὶς δʼ ὑμῶν ἡγείσθω μʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, μήτʼ ἀνανδρίᾳ μήτʼ ἄλλῃ προφάσει φαύλῃ μηδεμιᾷ παρʼ ὅλην τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ὀδύρεσθαι. ἀλλὰ τοῖς παροῦσιν ἕκαστος ἀφθόνως χρῆται, ἐμοὶ δὲ ταῦτα νῦν πάρεστιν, ὡς μήποτʼ ὤφελεν, λῦπαι καὶ δάκρυα καὶ τῆς πατρίδος καὶ ὑμῶν πόθος καὶ ὧν πέπονθα λογισμός, ἃ πάντα ποιεῖ μʼ ὀδύρεσθαι· ἃ ἐπισκοποῦντες δικαίως, ⟨ὡς⟩ ἐν οὐδενὶ τῶν πεπολιτευμένων ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν, οὔτε μαλακίαν οὔτʼ ἀνανδρίαν προσοῦσαν εὑρήσετέ μοι.
2.26. Now thus far I am appealing to you all, but for those in particular who are attacking me in your presence I wish to say a word: so far as concerns all that they were doing in pursuance of the decrees passed by you in disregard of the truth, let it be allowed that these actions have been taken by them as your agents, and I lodge no complaint. Since, however, you have yourselves come to recognize these decrees for what they are, if they will yield in my case, just as they are allowing the prosecution to be dropped in the case of the other defendants, they shall have my thanks; but if they attempt to continue malicious, I appeal to you all to rally to my aid and not allow the enmity of these men to prevail. over the gratitude due to me from you. Farewell.
2.26. πρὸς μὲν δὴ πάντας ὑμᾶς τοσαῦτα· ἰδίᾳ δὲ τοῖς ἐμοὶ προσκρούουσιν ἐναντίον ὑμῶν βούλομαι διαλεχθῆναι. ὅσα μὲν γὰρ τοῖς ὑφʼ ὑμῶν ἀγνοηθεῖσιν ὑπηρετοῦντες ἐποίουν, ἔστω διʼ ὑμᾶς αὐτοῖς πεπρᾶχθαι, καὶ οὐδὲν ἐγκαλῶ. ἐπειδὴ δʼ ἐγνώκαθʼ ὑμεῖς οἷα ταῦτʼ ἐστίν, ἐὰν μέν, ὥσπερ ὑπὲρ τῶν λοιπῶν ἐῶσι, καὶ ἐμοὶ συγχωρήσωσι, καλῶς ποιήσουσιν· ἐὰν δʼ ἐπηρεάζειν ἐγχειρῶσιν, ὑμᾶς ἀξιῶ μοι βοηθεῖν ἅπαντας, καὶ μὴ κυριωτέραν τὴν τούτων ἔχθραν τῆς παρʼ ὑμῶν χάριτός μοι γενέσθαι. εὐτυχεῖτε.
3.1. Demosthenes to the Council and the Assembly sends greeting. I sent you the previous letter about matters that concern myself, stating what steps I thought in justice ought to be taken by you; in regard to these you will take favorable action when it seems good to you. The message I now address to you I should not like you to overlook or to hear it in a spirit of contentiousness, but with due regard to the justness of it. For it happens that, although sojourning in an out-of-the-way place, I hear many people censuring you for your treatment of the sons of Lycurgus.
3.1. Δημοσθένης τῇ βουλῇ καὶ τῷ δημῷ χαίρειν. περὶ μὲν τῶν κατʼ ἐμαυτόν, ἅ μοι παρʼ ὑμῶν ἐνόμιζον δίκαιον εἶναι γενέσθαι, τὴν προτέραν ἐπιστολὴν ἔπεμψα πρὸς ὑμᾶς· ὑπὲρ ὧν, ὅταν ὑμῖν δοκῇ, τότε συγχωρήσετε. περὶ δʼ ὧν νῦν ἐπέσταλκα, βουλοίμην ἂν ὑμᾶς μὴ παριδεῖν, μηδὲ πρὸς φιλονικίαν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ δίκαιον ἀκοῦσαι. συμβαίνει γάρ μοι, καίπερ ἐκποδὼν διατρίβοντι, πολλῶν ἀκούειν ἐπιτιμώντων ὑμῖν τοῖς περὶ τοὺς Λυκούργου παῖδας γιγνομένοις.
3.2. Now I should have sent you the letter merely out of regard for those services that Lycurgus performed during his lifetime, for which you would all, like myself, be in justice grateful if you would but do your duty. For Lycurgus, having taken a post in the financial department of the government at the outset of his career and not being at all accustomed to draft documents pertaining to the general affairs of the Greeks and their relations with their allies, only when the majority of those who pretended to be the friends of democracy were deserting you, began to devote himself to the principles of the popular party, not because from this quarter opportunity was offering to secure gifts and emoluments, since all such prizes were coming from the opposite party, nor yet because he observed this policy to be the safer one, since there were many manifest dangers which a man was bound to incur who chose to speak on behalf of the people, but because he was truly democratic and by nature an honest man.
3.2. ἐπέστειλα μὲν οὖν ἂν τὴν ἐπιστολὴν καὶ τῶν ἐκείνῳ ζῶντι πεπραγμένων ἕνεκα, ὧν ὁμοίως ἐμοὶ πάντες ἂν αὐτῷ δικαίως ἔχοιτε χάριν, εἰ τὰ προσήκοντα βούλοισθε ποιεῖν. ἐκεῖνος γὰρ αὑτὸν ἐν τῷ περὶ τὴν διοίκησιν μέρει τάξας τῆς πολιτείας τὸ κατʼ ἀρχάς, καὶ περὶ τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν καὶ συμμαχικῶν οὐδὲν εἰωθὼς γράφειν, ὅτε καὶ τῶν δημοτικῶν εἶναι προσποιουμένων οἱ πολλοὶ κατέλειπον ὑμᾶς, τότε ταῖς τοῦ δήμου προαιρέσεσιν προσένειμεν ἑαυτόν, οὐχ ὅτι δωρεὰς καὶ προσόδους ἐκ τούτων ὑπῆρχε λαμβάνειν ʽἀπὸ γὰρ τῶν ἐναντίων πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτʼ ἐγίγνετὀ, οὐδʼ ὅτι ταύτην ἀσφαλεστέραν τὴν προαίρεσιν οὖσαν ἑώρα ʽπολλοὺς γὰρ καὶ προδήλους εἶχε κινδύνους, οὓς ἀναγκαῖον ἦν ὑπομεῖναι τὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ δήμου λέγειν προαιρούμενον̓, ἀλλʼ ὅτι δημοτικὸς καὶ φύσει χρηστὸς ἀνὴρ ἦν.
3.4. And yet before his very eyes he observed those who might have assisted the cause of the people growing weak with the drift of events and their adversaries gaining strength in every way. None the less for all that, this brave man continued to adhere to such measures as he thought were in the people’s interest and subsequently he continued to perform his duty unfalteringly in word and deed, as was clear to see. As a consequence his surrender was straightway demanded, as all men are aware.
3.4. καίτοι παρὼν ἑώρα τοὺς μὲν βοηθήσαντας ἂν τῷ δήμῳ ἀσθενεῖς ἐπὶ τοῖς συμβεβηκόσιν ὄντας, τοὺς δὲ τἀναντία πράττοντας κατὰ πάντʼ ἐρρωμένους. ἀλλʼ ὅμως οὐδὲν ἧττον ἐκεῖνος εἵλεθʼ ἃ συμφέρειν ἡγεῖτο τῷ δήμῳ, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτʼ ἀόκνως καὶ λέγων καὶ πράττων ἃ προσῆκεν ἦν φανερός, ἐφʼ οἷς εὐθὺς ἐξῃτεῖτο, ὡς ἅπαντες ἴσασιν.
3.5. Now I would have written this letter, as I said at the outset, for the sake of Lycurgus alone, but over and above that, believing it to be to your interest to know the criticisms being circulated among those who go abroad, I became all the more eager to dispatch the letter. I beg of those who for private reasons were at odds with Lycurgus to endure to hear what in truth and justice may be said in his behalf; for be well assured, men of Athens, that, as things now are, the city is acquiring an evil reputation because of the way his sons have been treated.
3.5. ἐπέστειλα μὲν οὖν ἄν, ὥσπερ εἶπον ἐν ἀρχῇ, καὶ διὰ τὴν ἐκείνου χάριν· οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑμῖν νομίζων συμφέρειν τὰς παρὰ τοῖς ἔξω γιγνομένας ἐπιτιμήσεις εἰδέναι, πολλῷ προθυμότερον πρὸς τὸ πέμψαι τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἔσχον. παραιτοῦμαι δὲ τοὺς ἰδίᾳ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἔχοντας δυσκόλως, ὑπομεῖναι τἀληθῆ καὶ τὰ δίκαιʼ ἀκούειν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ. εὖ γὰρ ἴστʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, ὅτι νῦν ἐκ τῶν περὶ τοὺς παῖδας αὐτοῦ γεγενημένων φαύλην δόξαν ἡ πόλις λαμβάνει.
3.6. For none of the Greeks is ignorant that during the lifetime of Lycurgus you honored him extraordinarily, and, though many charges were brought against him by those who were envious of him, you never found a single charge to be true, and you so trusted him and believed him to be truly democratic beyond all others that you decided many points of justice on the ground that “Lycurgus said so,” and that sufficed for you. This would certainly not have happened unless it had seemed to you that he was so honest.
3.6. οὐδεὶς γὰρ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἀγνοεῖ ὅτι ζῶντα Λυκοῦργον ἐτιμᾶθʼ ὑμεῖς εἰς ὑπερβολήν, καὶ πολλῶν αἰτιῶν ἐπενεχθεισῶν ὑπὸ τῶν φθονούντων αὐτῷ οὐδεμίαν πώποθʼ ηὕρετʼ ἀληθῆ, οὕτω δʼ ἐπιστεύετʼ αὐτῷ καὶ δημοτικὸν παρὰ πάντας ἡγεῖσθε, ὥστε πολλὰ τῶν δικαίων ἐν τῷ φῆσαι Λυκοῦργον ἐκρίνετε καὶ τοῦθʼ ὑμῖν ἐξήρκει· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἦν τοιοῦτον μὴ δοκοῦν ὑμῖν.
3.7. Today, therefore, all men, upon hearing that his sons are in prison, while pitying the dead man, sympathize with the children as innocent sufferers, and reproach you bitterly after a manner that I, for one, should not dare to write down for, touching the reports which make me vexed at those who utter them, and which I contradict as best I can, trying to come to your defence, I have written these only to the extent of making it clear to you that many people are blaming you, since I believe it to be to your interest to know this, though to quote their words verbatim I judge would be offensive.
3.7. νῦν τοίνυν ἅπαντες ἀκούοντες τοὺς υἱεῖς αὐτοῦ δεδέσθαι τὸν μὲν τεθνεῶτʼ ἐλεοῦσιν, τοῖς παισὶν δʼ ὡς ἀνάξια πάσχουσιν συνάχθονται, ὑμῖν δʼ ἐπιτιμῶσιν πικρῶς, ὡς οὐκ ἂν τολμήσαιμι γράφειν ἐγώ· ἃ γὰρ ἄχθομαι τοῖς λέγουσι καὶ ἀντιλέγω καθʼ ὅσον δύναμαι βοηθῶν ὑμῖν, ταῦτʼ ἄχρι μὲν τοῦ δῆλον ὑμῖν ποιῆσαι ὅτι πολλοὶ μέμφονται, συμφέρειν ὑμῖν νομίζων εἰδέναι, γέγραφα, ἀκριβῶς δὲ διεξιέναι δυσχερὲς κρίνω.
3.8. Apart from mere abuse, however, I shall reveal all that certain people say and which I believe it to your advantage to have heard. For, after all, no one has supposed that you laboured under a misunderstanding and deception concerning the truth so far as Lycurgus himself is concerned, for the length of time during which, where subject to scrutiny, he never was found guilty of any wrong toward you in either thought or deed and the fact that no human being could ever have accused you of indifference to any other action of his naturally eliminate the pretext of ignorance.
3.8. ὅσα μέντοι λοιδορίας χωρίς ἐστιν ὧν λέγουσίν τινες, καὶ ἀκηκοέναι συμφέρειν ὑμῖν ἡγοῦμαι, ταῦτα δηλώσω. οὐδεὶς γὰρ ὑπείληφεν ὡς ἄρʼ ἠγνοήκατε καὶ διεψεύσθητε τῆς ἀληθείας περὶ αὐτοῦ Λυκούργου. τό τε γὰρ τοῦ χρόνου πλῆθος, ὃν ἐξεταζόμενος οὐδὲν πώποθʼ ηὑρέθη περὶ ὑμᾶς οὔτε φρονῶν οὔτε ποιῶν ἄδικον, καὶ τὸ μηδένʼ ἀνθρώπων εἰς μηδὲν τῶν ἄλλων ἀναισθησίαν ὑμῶν καταγνῶναι, εἰκότως ἀναιρεῖ τὴν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀγνοίας σκῆψιν.
3.9. So the explanation is left—what all would declare the conduct of vile men—that so long as you have use for each official you seem to be concerned for him but after that feel no obligation; for where else is one to expect that the gratitude due from you to the dead will be shown, when he observes the opposite treatment meted out to his children and his good name, which are the sole concerns of all men when facing death, that it may continue to be well with them?
3.9. λείπεται τοίνυν ὃ πάντες ἂν εἶναι φαύλων ἀνθρώπων [ἔργον] φήσαιεν, ὅσον ἂν χρῆσθε χρόνον, τοσοῦτον ἑκάστου φροντίζειν δοκεῖν, μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ μηδένʼ ἔχειν λόγον. εἰς τί γὰρ τῶν ἄλλων χρὴ προσδοκᾶν τῷ τετελευτηκότι τὴν παρʼ ὑμῶν ἔσεσθαι χάριν, ὅταν εἰς τοὺς παῖδας καὶ τὴν εὐδοξίαν τἀναντίʼ ὁρᾷ τις γιγνόμενα, ὧν μόνων καὶ τελευτῶσι πᾶσιν ὅπως ἕξει καλῶς μέλει;
3.10. And assuredly, to appear to do these things for the sake of money is also unworthy of truly honorable men, for it would be clearly inconsistent either with your magnanimity or with your general principles of conduct. For instance, if it were necessary to ransom the children from foreign captors by giving this sum out of the revenues, I believe you would all be eager to do it; but when I observe you reluctant to remit a fine which was imposed because of mere talk and envy, I do not know what judgement I can pass unless it be that you have launched upon a course of utterly bitter and truculent hostility toward the members of the popular party. If this be the case, you have made up your minds to deliberate neither righteously nor in the public interest.
3.10. καὶ μὴν οὐδὲ χρημάτων ποιεῖν ἕνεκα ταῦτα δοκεῖν τῶν καλῶν [κἀγαθῶν] ἐστιν. οὔτε γὰρ τῆς μεγαλοψυχίας οὔτε τῆς ἄλλης προαιρέσεως τῆς ὑμετέρας ἀκόλουθον ἂν φανείη. εἰ γὰρ ὑμᾶς λύσασθαι παρʼ ἑτέρων ἔδει δόντας ἐκ τῶν προσιόντων τὰ χρήματα ταῦτα, πάντας ἂν ἡγοῦμαι προθύμους εἶναι· τίμημα δʼ ὁρῶν ὀκνοῦντας ἀφεῖναι, ὃ λόγῳ καὶ φθόνῳ γέγονεν, οὐκ ἔχω τί καταγνῶ, εἰ μὴ ὅλως πικρῶς καὶ ταραχωδῶς ἔχειν πρὸς τοὺς δημοτικοὺς ὡρμήκατε. εἰ δὲ τοῦτʼ ἔστιν, οὔτʼ ὀρθῶς οὔτε συμφερόντως [βουλεύεσθαι] ἐγνώκατε.
3.11. I am amazed if none of you thinks that it is a disgraceful thing for the people of Athens, who are supposed to be superior to all men in understanding and culture and have also maintained here for the unfortunate a common refuge in all ages, to show themselves less considerate than Philip, who, although naturally subject to no correction, nursed as he was, in licence, still thought that at the moment of his greatest good fortune he ought to be seen acting with the greatest humanity and did not venture to cast into chains the men who had faced him in the battle line, against whom he had staked his all, nor demand to know, “Whose sons are they and what are their names?”
3.11. θαυμάζω δʼ εἰ μηδεὶς ὑμῶν ἐννοεῖ, ὅτι τῶν αἰσχρῶν ἐστιν τὸν δῆμον τὸν Ἀθηναίων, συνέσει καὶ παιδείᾳ πάντων προέχειν δοκοῦντα, ὃς καὶ τοῖς ἀτυχήσασιν ἀεὶ κοινὴν ἔχει καταφυγήν, ἀγνωμονέστερον φαίνεσθαι Φιλίππου, ὃς ἀνουθέτητος ὢν εἰκότως, τραφείς γʼ ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ, ὅμως ᾤετο δεῖν, ἡνίκʼ ηὐτύχησεν μάλιστα, τότʼ ἀνθρωπινώτατα πράττων φαίνεσθαι, καὶ τοὺς παραταξαμένους, πρὸς οὓς περὶ τῶν ὅλων διεκινδύνευσεν, οὐκ ἐτόλμησεν δῆσαι τὸ τίνων καὶ τίνες εἰσὶν ἐξετάσας·