---
title: "Against Aristogiton · Κατὰ Ἀριστογείτονος"
author: "Dinarchus"
translator: "J. O. Burtt"
languages: [grc, en]
shelf: "Classical Greek"
url: https://scriptura.si/works/dinarchus-against-aristogiton/
cite: "Dinarchus, tr. J. O. Burtt, Against Aristogiton · Κατὰ Ἀριστογείτονος. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/dinarchus-against-aristogiton/"
---

# Against Aristogiton · Κατὰ Ἀριστογείτονος

*Dinarchus, tr. J. O. Burtt*

The informer Aristogiton prosecuted in the Harpalus affair.

> Greek: ed. J. O. Burtt, from the Perseus Digital Library (canonical-greekLit, tlg0029.tlg005, CC BY-SA 4.0).

> English: J. O. Burtt, from the Perseus Digital Library (tlg0029.tlg005.perseus-eng2). Notes are not included.

> Rows follow the references the two texts share (chapters and sections), cut where both reach the end of a sentence.

## Contents

1. [Sections 1–26](https://scriptura.si/works/dinarchus-against-aristogiton/1.md)

## 1. Sections 1–26

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/dinarchus-against-aristogiton/1/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/dinarchus-against-aristogiton/1/#p-N

[¶0] 1. There is nothing, it appears, Athenians, which we must not expect either to hear or see in connection with the reports which have been made; but the most remarkable fact of all, in my opinion, confronts us now. The worst character in the city, I should say in the whole world, Aristogiton, has come to pit himself in law against the Areopagus on the subject of truth and justice; and the council which has made the report is now in greater danger than this man who takes bribes against you and who sold for twenty minas the right of free speech in the cause of justice.

> Greek: 1. πάνθʼ, ὡς ἔοικεν, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, προσδοκητέα ἐστὶ καὶ ἀκοῦσαι καὶ ἰδεῖν ἐν ταῖς γεγενημέναις ἀποφάσεσι· θαυμασιώτατον δὲ πάντων, ὡς ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, τὸ νῦν γιγνόμενον. ὁ γὰρ πονηρότατος τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων, Ἀριστογείτων διαδικασόμενος ἥκει τῇ ἐξ Ἀρείου πάγου βουλῇ περὶ ἀληθείας καὶ δικαιοσύνης, καὶ νυνὶ μείζονα κίνδυνον ἡ τὴν ἀπόφασιν πεποιημένη βουλὴ κινδυνεύει ἢ ὁ δῶρα λαμβάνων καθʼ ὑμῶν καὶ τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν δικαίων παρρησίαν ἀποδόμενος εἴκοσι μνῶν.

[¶1] 2. It will be no new or alarming experience for the defendant if he is convicted, for he has committed in the past many other crimes meriting the death penalty and has spent more time in prison than out of it. While he has been in debt to the state he has prosecuted men with citizen rights, though not entitled to do so, and has committed numerous other offences of which you have a more exact knowledge than I. It is a most shameful and monstrous thing for this council to be suspected of making a false report against Aristogiton and for him to be considered among you as having more justice on his side than it has.

> Greek: 2. τούτῳ μέν γε καινὸν οὐδὲν οὐδὲ δεινόν, ἐὰν ἁλῶ, συμβήσεται· καὶ γὰρ θανάτου ἄξια πολλὰ πρότερον ἕτερα διαπέπρακται, καὶ ἐν τῷ δεσμωτηρίῳ πλείω χρόνον ἢ ἔξω διατέτριφε, καὶ ὀφείλων τῷ δημοσίῳ κατὰ τῶν ἐπιτίμων γέγραφεν οὐκ ἐξὸν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἕτερα πολλὰ καὶ δεινὰ πεποίηκε, περὶ ὧν ὑμεῖς ἀκριβέστερον ἐμοῦ γιγνώσκετε· τῇ δὲ βουλῇ τὸ δόξαι ψευδῆ κατʼ Ἀριστογείτονος ἀποφαίνειν καὶ τοῦτον ἐκείνης παρʼ ὑμῖν ὑποληφθῆναι δικαιότερα λέγειν τῶν αἰσχίστων καὶ δεινοτάτων ἐστίν.

[¶2] 3. For this reason, Athenians, thinking that the trial holds no dangers for him, this man is coming forward, I believe, to test your attitude. He has often undergone all sorts of suffering short of death, which, if God so wills it and you are wise, he will undergo today. For you must assume, by Heracles, that there will be no improvement in him if he is pardoned by you now, and that in future he will not abstain from taking bribes against you if you now acquit him. For when wickedness is in its infancy perhaps it can be checked by punishment, but when it has grown old and has sampled the usual penalties, it is said to be incurable.

> Greek: 3. διόπερ, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, οὗτός μοι δοκεῖ, τὸν ἀγῶνα αὑτῷ ἀσφαλῆ εἶναι νομίζων, διαπειρασόμενος ἥκειν τῆς ὑμετέρας γνώμης. ἅπαντα γὰρ αὐτῷ πολλάκις τὰ δεινὰ συμβέβηκε, πλὴν τοῦ ἀποθανεῖν· τοῦτο δʼ, ἂν θεὸς θέλῃ καὶ ὑμεῖς σωφρονῆτε, ἐν τῇ τήμερον ἡμέρᾳ συμβήσεται. οὐ γὰρ δὴ μὰ τὸν Ἡρακλέα βελτίω γενήσεσθαι αὐτὸν προσδοκᾶτε συγγνώμης νυνὶ τυγχάνοντα παρʼ ὑμῶν, οὐδὲ τὸ λοιπὸν ἀφέξεσθαι τοῦ λαμβάνειν χρήματα καθʼ ὑμῶν, ἐὰν νῦν ἀφῆτε αὐτόν. πονηρίαν γὰρ ἀρχομένην μὲν κωλῦσαι τάχʼ ἄν τις κολάζων δυνηθείη, ἐγκαταγεγηρακυῖαν δὲ καὶ γεγευμένην τῶν εἰθισμένων τιμωριῶν ἀδύνατον εἶναι λέγουσιν.

[¶3] 4. If therefore you wish depravity to grow up ingrained in Athens, you should preserve Aristogiton and allow him to act there as he pleases. But if you hate the wicked and accursed and can recall with resentment what this man has done in the past, kill him, for he dared to take money from Harpalus, who he knew was coming to seize your city. Cut short his excuses and deceptive arguments, on which he now depends when he appears before you.

> Greek: 4. εἰ μὲν οὖν ἐγγενήσεσθαι βούλεσθε δευσοποιὸν ἐν τῇ πόλει πονηρίαν, διαφυλάττειν ὑμᾶς Ἀριστογείτονα δεῖ, καὶ ἐᾶν ὅ τι ἄν [τις] βούληται ἐν τῇ πόλει διαπράττεσθαι· εἰ δὲ τοὺς πονηροὺς καὶ καταράτους ἀνθρώπους μισεῖτε καὶ ἔστιν ὑμῖν ὀργὴ καὶ μνήμη τῶν πρότερον ὑπὸ τούτου πεπραγμένων, ἀποκτείνατε τοῦτον, ὃς παρʼ ʼΑρπάλου λαβεῖν χρήματα ἐτόλμησεν, ὃν ᾔσθεθʼ ἥκειν καταληψόμενον τὴν πόλιν ὑμῶν, καὶ τὰς προφάσεις καὶ τοὺς φενακισμοὺς ἐκκόψατε αὐτοῦ· τούτοις γὰρ ἥκει πιστεύων πρὸς ὑμᾶς.

[¶4] 5. Do you realize that, awkward though the arrival of Harpalus was, it has been an advantage to the city in one respect, because it has given you a sure means of testing those who give up everything to the enemies of Athens for a payment of silver or gold? Do not be lax, Athenians, or weary of punishing the guilty; purge the city of bribery to the utmost of your ability. Do not ask for arguments from me when you see that the crimes have been plainly attributed to those whom the council has reported.

> Greek: 5. ἆρʼ ἴσθʼ ὅτι τῆς ʼΑρπάλου ἀφίξεως δυσχεροῦς οὔσης ἐκεῖνο συμβέβηκεν εὐτύχημα τῇ πόλει, διότι πεῖραν εἰλήφατʼ ἀκριβῆ τῶν ἕνεκʼ ἀργυρίου καὶ χρυσίου προϊεμένων πάντα τοῖς τῆς πόλεως ἐχθροῖς; μὴ καταρρᾳθυμήσητε, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, μηδʼ ἀπείπητε τιμωρούμενοι τοὺς πονηρούς, ἀλλʼ ἐκκαθάρατε, καθʼ ὅσον δυνατόν ἐστι, τὴν δωροδοκίαν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως. καὶ μὴ τῶν παρʼ ἐμοῦ λόγων ἀκούειν ζητήσητε, φανερῶν ὑμῖν γεγενημένων τῶν ἀδικημάτων κατὰ τῶν ὑπὸ τῆς βουλῆς ἀποπεφασμένων.

[¶5] 6. [Or ought you to spare the defendant on account of his ancestry and his moderation, or because he has done you many public and private services?] What information do you lack that makes you ask for arguments against the defendant here before you? What if we, the accusers, all ten of us, use up all the water in our clocks and proclaim that it is a terrible thing to release men who have been caught with bribes against the city in their very hands; will that make the council's report against Aristogiton true and just?

> Greek: 6. [ἢ διὰ τοὺς τοῦ κρινομένου προγόνους καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ μετριότητα, καὶ ὅτι ὑμᾶς πολλὰ καὶ ἰδίᾳ καὶ δημοσίᾳ ἀγαθὰ εἴργασται, ἄξιόν ἐστιν αὐτοῦ φείσασθαι;] τί γὰρ ἀγνοεῖτε διʼ ὃ δεῖσθε λόγων ἀκούειν κατὰ τοῦ νῦν κρινομένου; πότερʼ ἡ τῆς βουλῆς ἀπόφασις, ἐὰν μὲν ἡμεῖς οἱ κατήγοροι δέκα ὄντες τὸ ὕδωρ ἀναλώσωμεν ἅπαν καὶ ἀναβοήσωμεν ὡς δεινόν ἐστιν ἀφεῖσθαι τοὺς εἰλημμένους ἔχοντας ἐπʼ αὐτοφώρῳ δῶρα κατὰ τῆς πατρίδος, ἀληθὴς καὶ δικαία ἔσται ἡ κατʼ Ἀριστογείτονος [ἀπόφασις]·

[¶6] 7. Or suppose that each of us assumes that you are just as well aware as we on which side justice lies in the present trials, and so leaves the platform after a short speech; will the report then be a false one, unjustly made by the Areopagites? Or don't you realize that to take bribes in order to betray the city's interests is one of the greatest crimes causing the most irreparable harm to cities?

> Greek: 7. ἐὰν δʼ ἕκαστος ἡμῶν, ὡς εἰδότων ὑμῶν πάντα οὐδὲν ἧττον ἡμῶν τὰ δίκαια περὶ τουτωνὶ τῶν ἀγώνων, βραχέα εἰπὼν καταβῇ, ψευδής, καὶ οὐ δικαίως παρὰ τῶν Ἀρεοπαγιτῶν γεγενημένη; ἢ τὸ δῶρα λαμβάνειν ἐπὶ προδοσίᾳ τῶν τῆς πόλεως συμφερόντων οὐκ ἴσθʼ ὅτι τῶν δεινοτάτων ἐστὶ καὶ τῶν πλεῖστα κακὰ τὰς πόλεις ἐργαζομένων.

[¶7] 8. No doubt I shall be told that the defendant is himself a man of sober character coming of a good family, that he has done you many noble services in private and in public life and that therefore you are justified in sparing him. You must all have often heard that, when Aristogiton's father Cydimachus was condemned to death and fled from the city, this admirable son allowed his own father to lack the bare necessities of life, while he survived, and do without a proper burial when he died: a fact for which evidence was often brought against him;

> Greek: 8. ἀλλʼ αὐτὸς ὁ κρινόμενος νὴ Δία μέτριος τὸν τρόπον, καὶ προγόνων χρηστῶν, καὶ πολλὰ ἡμᾶς καὶ ἰδία καὶ δημοσίᾳ καλὰ εἰργασμένος, ὥστε διὰ ταῦτʼ ἄξιόν ἐστιν αὐτοῦ φείσασθαι; καὶ τίς ὑμῶν οὐ πολλάκις ἀκήκοεν, ὅτι Κυδιμάχου μὲν τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ Ἀριστογείτονος θανάτου καταγνωσθέντος καὶ φυγόντος ἐκ ταύτης τῆς πόλεως ὁ χρηστὸς οὗτος υἱὸς περιεῖδε τὸν αὑτοῦ πατέρα καὶ ζῶντα τῶν ἀναγκαίων σπανίζοντα καὶ τελευτήσαντα οὐ τυχόντα τῶν νομίμων, ἅπερ αὐτοῦ πολλάκις κατεμαρτυρεῖτο·

[¶8] 9. or again, that the man himself, on being taken to prison for the first time,—no doubt you realize that he has often been imprisoned—dared to behave in such a way there that the inmates voted that no one should either light a fire for him or sit at meals or share the usual sacrifices with him. Reflect, Athenians; what sort of character must we suppose this man to have, who was thrown into prison for criminal conduct and when he was there, among those who had been segregated from the rest of the world as felons, was looked upon as so debased that even there he was not thought worthy of the same treatment as the rest?

> Greek: 9. αὐτὸν δὲ τοῦτον, ὅτʼ εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον τὸ πρῶτον ἀπήχθη — πολλάκις γὰρ ἴστε τοῦτο δήπου γεγενημένον —, τοιαῦτα τολμήσαντα ποιεῖν αὐτοῦ, ὥστʼ ἐκείνους ἀποψηφίσασθαι μήτε πῦρ ἐναύειν τούτῳ μήτε συσσιτεῖν μηδένα μήτε θυσιῶν τῶν γιγνομένων κοινωνεῖν; καίτοι, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, τίνα χρὴ τοῦτον νομίζειν ἔχειν διάνοιαν, ὃς διὰ μὲν πονηρίαν εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἐνέπεσεν, ἐκεῖ δʼ ὢν παρὰ τοῖς ἐκ τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων κακούργοις ἀπηγμένοις οὕτως εἶναι πονηρὸς ἔδοξεν, ὥστε μηδʼ ἐκεῖ τῶν ἴσων ἀξιοῦσθαι τοῖς ἄλλοις, ἀλλὰ κλέπτην ὥς φασι ληφθέντα τουτονὶ παρʼ ἐκείνοις, εἰ ἦν ἕτερός τις τόπος ἀνοσιώτερος ἵνα ἐξῆν ἀπάγειν τοὺς ἐκ δεσμωτηρίου κλέπτοντας, εἰς ἐκεῖνον ἂν τοῦτο τὸ θηρίον ἀπαχθῆναι;

[¶9] 10. It is said, in fact, that he was caught thieving among them and that, if there had been any other place more degraded where they could have isolated men who stole in prison, this monster would have been conducted there. These facts, as I said just now, were established by evidence against Aristogiton, as is well known, when the lot fell to him to be custodian of the exchange but he was rejected by those who then decided the appointment to that office. Do you then feign ignorance among yourselves and give way to pity when the man concerning whom you are about to vote is Aristogiton, who did not pity his own father when reduced to starvation? Do you still wish to hear us talk about the damages he must pay, when you know quite well that his whole life, as well as his recent conduct, justifies the extreme penalty?

> Greek: 10. καὶ ταῦθʼ, ὅπερ ἀρτίως εἶπον, τίς οὐκ οἶδε καταμαρτυρηθέντʼ Ἀριστογείτονος, ὅτʼ ἐμπορίου ἐπιμελητὴς λαχὼν ἀπεδοκιμάσθη ὑπὸ τῶν τότε δικαζόντων ἄρχειν ταύτην τὴν ἀρχήν; ἔπειτʼ εἰρωνεύεσθε πρὸς ὑμᾶς αὐτούς, καὶ περὶ Ἀριστογείτονος μέλλοντες φέρειν τὴν ψῆφον ἐλεεῖτε, ὃς τὸν αὑτοῦ πατέρα κακῶς διατιθέμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ λιμοῦ οὐκ ἠλέησεν; ἔπειτα παρʼ ἡμῶν ἔτι λόγους ἀκούειν βούλεσθε περὶ τῆς Ἀριστογείτονος τιμήσεως, ὃν ἴστε ἀκριβῶς ὅτι δικαίως ἂν καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ἄλλου βίου καὶ ἐκ τῶν νῦν αὐτῷ πεπραγμένων τῆς ἐσχάτης τύχοι τιμωρίας;

[¶10] 12. Was it not Aristogiton, Athenians, who made in writing such lying assertions about the priestess of Artemis Brauronia and her relatives, that when you discovered the truth from his accusers, you fined him five talents, a sum equal to the fine set down in an indictment for illegal proposals? Has he not persisted in maligning every one of you he meets, though he has not yet paid up, and in speaking and proposing measures in the Assembly, regardless of all the penalties against wrongdoers which the laws prescribe?

> Greek: 12. οὐκ Ἀριστογείτων ἐστίν, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, ὁ κατὰ τῆς ἱερείας τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος τῆς Βραυρωνίας καὶ τῶν οἰκείων αὐτῆς τοιαῦτα γράψας καὶ ψευσάμενος, ὥσθʼ ὑμᾶς, ἐπειδὴ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐπύθεσθε παρὰ τῶν κατηγόρων, πέντε ταλάντων τιμῆσαι τούτῳ, ὅσονπερ ἦν ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν παρανόμων γραφῇ τίμημα ἐπιγεγραμμένον; οὐχ οὗτος πρὶν ἐκτῖσαι τοῦτο, συκοφαντῶν τὸν ἐντυγχάνοντα ὑμῶν καὶ λέγων καὶ γράφων ἐν τῷ δήμῳ διατετέλεκε, καὶ καταφρονῶν ἁπασῶν τῶν τιμωριῶν αἳ κατὰ τῶν ἀδικούντων ἐν τοῖς νόμοις εἰσὶ γεγραμμέναι;

[¶11] 13. And finally, when an information was lodged against him by Lycurgus, and he was convicted, a debtor to the state without the right to speak in public, when he had been handed over to the Eleven in accordance with the laws, was he not seen walking about in the front of the lawcourts, and used he not to sit on the seat of the Prytanes?

> Greek: 13. οὐ τὸ τελευταῖον οὗτος ἐνδειχθεὶς ὑπὸ Λυκούργου, καὶ ἐξελεγχθεὶς ὀφείλων τῷ δημοσίῳ λέγειν οὐκ ἐξὸν αὐτῷ, καὶ παραδοθεὶς τοῖς ἕνδεκα κατὰ τοὺς νόμους, περιπατῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν δικαστηρίων … καὶ εἰς τὴν προεδρίαν τῶν πρυτάνεων ἐκάθιζεν;

[¶12] 14. Well then, Athenians, if a man has often been committed to you lawfully for punishment, condemned on information lodged by citizens, if neither the Eleven nor the prison have been able to restrain him, will you want to use him as a counsellor? The law demands that the herald shall first pray, amid dead silence, before he surrenders to you the task of deliberating on public affairs. Will you then allow an impious wretch, who has proved wicked in his dealings with everyone, and in particular his own father, to share in citizenship with you, with your families and kinsmen?

> Greek: 14. εἶτʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, ὃν οἱ νόμοι μὲν πολλάκις ὑμῖν παραδεδώκασι τιμωρήσασθαι κατεψηφισμένον ὑπὸ τῶν πολιτῶν ἐνδειχθέντα, φυλάξαι δʼ οὔθʼ οἱ ἕνδεκα δεδύνηνται οὔτε τὸ δεσμωτήριον, τούτῳ βουλήσεσθε συμβούλῳ χρῆσθαι; καὶ ὁ μὲν νόμος εὐξάμενον κελεύει τὸν κήρυκα μετʼ εὐφημίας πολλῆς, οὕτως ὑμῖν τὸ βουλεύεσθαι περὶ τῶν πραγμάτων παραδιδόναι· ὑμεῖς δὲ τὸν ἀνόσιον καὶ περὶ πάντας πονηρὸν καὶ μάλιστα περὶ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ πατέρα γεγενημένον, τοῦτον μεθʼ ὑμῶν καὶ μετὰ τῶν ὑμετέρων οἰκείων καὶ συγγενῶν ἐάσετε πολιτεύεσθαι; καὶ Δημάδῃ μὲν καὶ Δημοσθένει οὐδεμίαν ὤεσθε δεῖν συγγνώμην ἔχειν, ὅτι δῶρα καθʼ ὑμῶν ἐξηλέγχθησαν λαμβάνοντες, ἀλλʼ ἐτιμωρήσασθε, καὶ δικαίως, οἷς εἰ μὴ πάντα ἀλλὰ πολλά γε συνῇστε χρήσιμα πεπολιτευμένοις·

[¶13] 15. After rejecting all thought of pardon for Demades and Demosthenes, because they were proved to have been taking bribes against you, and punishing them,—quite rightly, though you knew that they had served you during their administration, certainly in many respects if not in everything,—will you acquit this accursed man who has not done you a service ever since he has been in politics but has been the greatest possible menace? Would not everyone reproach you if you accepted such a person as your adviser? For when you are addressed by a man whose wickedness is both notorious and undeniable and a byword among all Athenians, the bystanders will wonder whether you who listen to him have no better advisers or whether you enjoy hearing such people.

> Greek: 15. τὸν δὲ κατάρατον τοῦτον, ὃς ἀγαθὸν μὲν ὑμᾶς οὐδεπώποτε πεποίηκεν ἐξ οὗ πρὸς τὴν πόλιν προσελήλυθε, κακὸν δʼ ὅ τι δυνατός ἐστιν, ἀφήσετε; καὶ τίς οὐκ ἂν ἐγκαλέσειεν ὑμῖν τοῖς τοῦτον προσδεχομένοις σύμβουλον; ὅταν γὰρ ἄνθρωπος γνώριμον καὶ φανερὰν καὶ περιβόητον τὴν πονηρίαν παρὰ πᾶσι τοῖς πολίταις ἔχων ἐν ὑμῖν δημηγορῇ, τότε τοὺς ἀκούοντας ὑμᾶς οἱ περιεστηκότες θαυμάσουσι, πότερα βελτίους οὐκ ἔχετε συμβούλους ἢ καὶ χαίρετε τῶν τοιούτων ἀκούοντες.

[¶14] 16. Like the early lawgivers, Athenians, who made laws to deal with those addressing your ancestors in the Assembly, you too should try, by your behavior as listeners, to make the speakers who come before you better. What was the attitude of the lawgivers to these men? In the first place, at every sitting of the Assembly they publicly proclaimed curses against wrongdoers, calling down destruction on any who, after accepting bribes, made speeches or proposals upon state affairs, and to that class Aristogiton now belongs.

> Greek: 16. χρὴ δʼ, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, ὥσπερ οἱ πρῶτοι νομοθέται περὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ δήμῳ λεγόντων τοῖς προγόνοις ὑμῶν ἐνομοθέτησαν, οὕτω καὶ ὑμᾶς ζητεῖν ἀκούειν, ἵνα βελτίους τοὺς προσιόντας ὑμῖν ποιήσητε. πῶς οὖν ἐκεῖνοι περὶ τούτων ἐγίγνωσκον; πρῶτον μὲν καθʼ ἑκάστην ⟨ἐκκλησίαν⟩ δημοσίᾳ κατὰ τῶν πονηρῶν ἀρὰς ποιούμενοι, εἴ τις δῶρα λαμβάνων μετὰ ταῦτα λέγει καὶ γιγνώσκει περὶ τῶν πραγμάτων, ἐξώλη τοῦτον εἶναι· ὧν οὗτος νῦν ἐστιν Ἀριστογείτων·

[¶15] 17. Secondly, they provided in the laws for indictments for bribery, and this is the only offence for which they imposed a payment equal to ten times the assessment of damages, in the belief that one who is ready to be paid for the opinions which he is going to express in the Assembly has at heart, when he is speaking, not the interests of the people but the welfare of those who have paid him. Now the council has reported Aristogiton as guilty of this. Moreover, when choosing a man for public office they used to ask what his personal character was, whether he treated his parents well, whether he had served the city in the field, whether he had an ancestral cult or paid taxes.

> Greek: 17. ἔπειτʼ ἐν τοῖς νόμοις δώρων γραφὰς ποιήσαντες, καὶ κατὰ μόνου τούτου τῶν ἀδικημάτων δεκαπλασίαν ἐπιθέντες τοῦ τιμήματος τὴν ἔκτισιν, ἡγούμενοι τὸν τιμὴν λαμβάνοντα τῶν ἐν τῷ δήμῳ ῥηθήσεσθαι μελλόντων λόγων, τοῦτον οὐχ ὑπὲρ τῶν τοῦ δήμου βελτίστων ἀλλʼ ὑπὲρ τῶν τοῖς δοῦσι συμφερόντων δημηγορεῖν· Ἀριστογείτονα τοίνυν ἡ βουλὴ ἀποπέφαγκε· πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἀνακρίνοντες τοὺς τῶν κοινῶν τι μέλλοντας διοικεῖν, τίς ἐστι τὸν ἴδιον τρόπον, εἰ γονέας εὖ ποιεῖ, εἰ τὰς στρατείας ὑπὲρ τῆς πόλεως ἐστράτευται, εἰ ἱερὰ πατρῷά ἐστιν, εἰ τὰ τέλη τελεῖ·

[¶16] 18. Aristogiton could not claim one of these qualifications for himself. So far from treating his parents well this man has ill-treated his own father. When you were all serving in the army he was in prison; and, far from being able to point to any memorial of his father, Athenians, he did not give him a proper funeral even in Eretria where he died. While other Athenians are contributing from their own purses this man has not even paid up all the money to defray the public debts which he incurred.

> Greek: 18. ὧν οὐδὲν ἂν ἔχοι δεῖξαι συμβεβηκὸς Ἀριστογείτων αὑτῷ. ἀντὶ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ γονέας εὖ ποιεῖν κακῶς οὗτος τὸν ἑαυτοῦ πατέρα πεποίηκεν· ὅτε δʼ ὑμεῖς ἐστρατεύεσθε πάντες, οὗτος ἦν ἐν τῷ δεσμωτηρίῳ· τοσοῦτον δʼ ἀπολέλοιπε τοῦ πατρὸς μνῆμά τι ἔχειν, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, δεῖξαι, ὥστʼ οὐδʼ ἐν Ἐρετρίᾳ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ τελευτήσαντος ἐκεῖ τὰ νομιζόμενα ἐποίησεν αὐτῷ· τῶν δʼ ἄλλων Ἀθηναίων εἰσφερόντων ἐκ τῶν ἰδίων, οὗτος οὐδὲ τῶν δημοσίων καὶ ὧν ὦφλε τὸ ἀργύριον ἅπαν ἐκτέτεικεν.

[¶17] 19. In fact he has never ceased to contravene all the laws, and his is the one case of those on which the Areopagus has reported where you had inquired yourselves and already knew the answer. For your knowledge that this man is a rogue and a criminal was not gained from the council; you are all very well aware of his wickedness, and hence the statement so often made applies here also, namely that, while you are passing judgement on the defendant, the bystanders and everyone besides are passing judgement on you.

> Greek: 19. ἁπλῶς δʼ εἰπεῖν, ἐναντία τοῖς νόμοις ἅπασι πράττων διατετέλεκε, καὶ τοῦτον μόνον ἡ ἐξ Ἀρείου πάγου βουλὴ τοῖς ἐζητηκόσι καὶ εἰδόσιν ἀποπέφαγκεν· οὐ γὰρ παρʼ ἐκείνης ὑμεῖς πυθόμενοι τοῦτον ἴστε πονηρὸν καὶ ἄδικον ὄντα, ἀλλʼ ἕκαστος ὑμῶν ἀκριβῶς οἶδε τὴν τούτου πονηρίαν. ὥστε τὸ πολλάκις λεγόμενον ἀληθὲς εἰπεῖν ἐστιν, ὅτι περὶ μὲν τούτου τὴν ψῆφον ὑμεῖς μέλλετε φέρειν, περὶ δʼ ὑμῶν οἱ περιεστηκότες καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι πάντες.

[¶18] 20. Therefore it is your duty as a sensible jury, Athenians, not to vote against yourselves or the rest of Athens; you should sentence him unanimously to be handed over to the executioners for the death penalty. Do not be traitors and fail to give the honest verdict demanded by your oath. Remember that this man has been convicted by the council of taking bribes against you, convicted of ill-treating him, to use the mildest term, by his father during his life and after his death, condemned by the people's vote and handed over to you for punishment.

> Greek: 20. διὸ καὶ σωφρόνων ἐστὶ δικαστῶν, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, μήθʼ ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς ἐναντίαν ἐνεγκεῖν τὴν ψῆφον μήτε πᾶσι τοῖς ἄλλοις Ἀθηναίοις, ἀλλʼ ὁμοθυμαδὸν καταψηφισαμένους πάντας παραδοῦναι τοῖς ἐπὶ τοῦτο τεταγμένοις θανάτῳ ζημιῶσαι, καὶ μὴ προέσθαι καὶ μὴ προδοῦναι τὴν ὁσίαν καὶ τὴν εὔορκον ψῆφον, ἀναμνησθέντας ὅτι τούτου κατέγνωκεν ἡ βουλὴ δῶρα λαμβάνειν καθʼ ὑμῶν, τούτου κατέγνωκεν ὁ πατὴρ καὶ ζῶν καὶ τελευτήσας ἀδικεῖν ἑαυτόν, [καὶ] ἵνα τὸ πραότατον εἴπω τῶν ὀνομάτων, τούτου καταχειροτονήσας ὁ δῆμος παραδέδωκεν ὑμῖν τιμωρήσασθαι, οὗτος πολλὰ κακὰ διαπεπραγμένος ἐπὶ τοιούτοις εἴληπται πράγμασι νῦν ἀδικῶν, ἐφʼ οἷς αἰσχρόν ἐστιν ὑμῖν τοῖς δικάζουσιν ἀτιμώρητον ἐᾶσαι τοῦτον.

[¶19] 21. Remember that this man has caused a deal of harm and has now been caught doing wrong in circumstances which make it shameful for you, his judges, to release him unpunished. For if you do so, how are you going to vote on the other reports, Athenians? What justification will you give for having condemned those men whom you have already tried? What reason will you have, when you were clearly anxious for the council to report those who had taken the money, for failing obviously to punish the men whose names they submit?

> Greek: 21. τίνα γὰρ τρόπον, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, περὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀποφάσεων οἴσετε τὴν ψῆφον; ἢ διὰ τίνας προφάσεις τῶν ἤδη κεκριμένων ἔσεσθε κατεψηφισμένοι; ἢ διὰ τί τὸ μὲν ἀποφαίνειν τὴν βουλὴν τοὺς εἰληφότας τὰ χρήματα φανεῖσθε σπουδάζοντες, τὸ δὲ τιμωρεῖσθαι τοὺς ἀποπεφασμένους ἐῶντες;

[¶20] 22. You must not imagine that these trials are private issues concerning no one but the men reported; they are public and concern the rest of us as well. A case of bribery and treason tried before you will affect others in the future in two possible ways: either it will make them accept bribes against you unhesitatingly in the knowledge that they will not be brought to justice, or it will make them afraid to take them, since they will know that those who are caught will be punished in a manner suited to the crime.

> Greek: 22. μὴ γὰρ ἰδίους τοὺς ἀγῶνας τούτους ὑπολάβητε εἶναι κατὰ τῶν νῦν ἀποπεφασμένων μόνων, ἀλλὰ κοινοὺς καὶ κατὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων. δωροδοκία γὰρ καὶ προδοσία κρινομένη παρʼ ὑμῖν δυοῖν θάτερον ἐκ τοῦ λοιποῦ χρόνου ποιήσει τοὺς ἄλλους, ἢ χρήματα λαμβάνειν καθʼ ὑμῶν θαρροῦντας ὡς οὐ δώσοντας δίκην, ἢ φοβεῖσθαι τὸ λαμβάνειν ὡς τῆς τιμωρίας τοῖς ληφθεῖσιν ἀξίας γενησομένης τῶν ἀδικημάτων.

[¶21] 23. Do you not know that now the fear of what you will do restrains those who are grasping for the money offered for use against you and often makes them turn their backs on the bribe, and that the people's decree, ordering the council to inquire about this money, has prevented even those who brought the gold into the country from admitting their action?

> Greek: 23. οὐκ ἴσθʼ, ὅτι καὶ νῦν ὁ φόβος ὁ παρʼ ὑμῶν τοὺς ὁρμῶντας ἐπὶ τὰ καθʼ ὑμῶν ἥκοντα χρήματα [νῦν] ἀνείργει καὶ ποιεῖ πολλάκις ἀπὸ τοῦ λήμματος ἀποστρέφειν; καὶ τὸ ψήφισμα τοῦ δήμου, τὸ ζητεῖν τὴν βουλὴν περὶ τούτων τῶν χρημάτων προστάττον, οὐδὲ τοὺς κεκομικότας τὸ χρυσίον εἰς τὴν χώραν ὁμολογεῖν πεποίηκε;

[¶22] 24. It was a noble decree, Athenians, a noble decree of your ancestors on this question, providing for a pillar on the Acropolis at the time when Arthmius, son of Pithonax, the Zelite, is said to have brought the gold from the Persians to corrupt the Greeks. For before anyone had accepted it or given proof of his character they sentenced the man who had brought the gold to exile and banished him completely from the country. This decision, as I said, they engraved on a bronze pillar and set up on the Acropolis as a lesson for you their descendants; for they believed that the man who accepted money in any way at all had in mind the interests of the donors rather than those of the city.

> Greek: 24. καλῶς γάρ, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, καλῶς οἱ πρόγονοι περὶ τούτων ψηφισάμενοι στήλην εἰς ἀκρόπολιν ἀνήνεγκαν, ὅτε φασὶν Ἄρθμιον τὸν Πυθώνακτος τὸν Ζελείτην κομίσαι τὸ χρυσίον ἐκ Μήδων ἐπὶ διαφθορᾷ τῶν Ἑλλήνων. πρὶν γὰρ λαβεῖν τινας καὶ δοῦναι τοῦ τρόπου πεῖραν, φυγὴν τοῦ κομίσαντος τὸ χρυσίον καταγνόντες, ἐξήλασαν αὐτὸν ἐξ ἁπάσης τῆς χώρας. καὶ ταῦθʼ, ὥσπερ εἶπον, εἰς τὴν ἀκρόπολιν εἰς στήλην χαλκῆν γράψαντες ἀνέθεσαν, παράδειγμα ὑμῖν τοῖς ἐπιγιγνομένοις καθιστάντες, καὶ νομίζοντες τὸν ὁπωσοῦν χρήματα λαμβάνοντα οὐχ ὑπὲρ τῆς πόλεως ἀλλʼ ὑπὲρ τῶν διδόντων βουλεύεσθαι.

[¶23] 25. His was the only case in which they added the reason why the people banished him from the city, explicitly writing on the pillar that Arthmius, son of Pithonax, the Zelite, was an enemy of the people and its allies, he and his descendants, and was exiled from Athens because he had brought the Persian gold to the Peloponnese. And yet if the people regarded the gold in the Peloponnese as a source of great danger to Greece, how can we remain unmoved at the sight of bribery in the city itself? Please attend to the inscription on the pillar.

> Greek: 25. καὶ μόνῳ τούτῳ προσέγραψαν τὴν αἰτίαν διʼ ἣν ὁ δῆμος ἐξέβαλεν αὐτὸν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως, γράψαντες διαρρήδην· Ἄρθμιον τὸν Πυθώνακτος τὸν Ζελείτην πολέμιον εἶναι τοῦ δήμου καὶ τῶν συμμάχων, αὐτὸν καὶ γένος, καὶ φεύγειν Ἀθήνας ὅτι τὸν ἐκ Μήδων χρυσὸν ἤγαγεν εἰς Πελοπόννησον. καίτοι εἰ τὸν ἐν Πελοποννήσῳ χρυσὸν ὁ δῆμος πολλῶν κακῶν αἴτιον ἡγεῖτο τοῖς Ἕλλησιν εἶναι, πῶς χρὴ ῥᾳθύμως ἔχειν ὁρῶντας ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ πόλει δωροδοκίαν γιγνομένην; καί μοι σκοπεῖτε ταύτην τὴν στήλην.

[¶24] 26. Inscription Now what do you think those men would have done, Athenians, if they had caught a general or an orator, one of their own citizens, accepting bribes against the interests of their country, when they so justly and wisely expelled a man who was alien to Greece in birth and character? That is the reason why they faced danger against the barbarian worthily of the city and their ancestors.

> Greek: 26. Στήλη καίτοι, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, τί ἂν οἴεσθʼ ἐκείνους τοὺς ἄνδρας ποιῆσαι λαβόντας ἢ στρατηγὸν ἢ ῥήτορα πολίτην ἑαυτῶν δῶρα δεχόμενον ἐπὶ τοῖς τῆς πατρίδος συμφέρουσιν, οἳ τὸν ἀλλότριον καὶ τῷ γένει καὶ τῇ φύσει τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἄνθρωπον οὕτω δικαίως καὶ σωφρόνως ἐξήλασαν [ἐκ Πελοποννήσου πάσης]; τοιγάρτοι τῆς πόλεως καὶ τῶν προγόνων ἀξίως ἐκινδύνευσαν πρὸς τὸν βάρβαρον.