1. Now you must reflect, gentlemen of the jury, on the character that we bear as citizens ourselves, and also on the family of which we come, when we claim your pity for the wrongs that we have suffered and an award of our rights. For we are contending, not merely for our property, but for our citizenship as well: we must know whether we are to have our portion in the democracy of our city. So first let me remind you of our uncle, Nicias:
1. ἐνθυμήθητε τοίνυν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, οἷοί τινες ὄντες πολῖται καὶ αὐτοὶ καὶ ὧν προσήκοντες ἀδικούμενοι ἀξιοῦμεν ἐλεεῖσθαι ὑφʼ ὑμῶν καὶ τῶν δικαίων τυγχάνειν· οὐ γὰρ μόνον περὶ τῆς οὐσίας ἀγωνιζόμεθα, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τῆς πολιτείας, εἰ χρὴ δημοκρατουμένης τῆς πόλεως ἡμῖν μετεῖναι. πρῶτον μὲν οὖν περὶ Νικίου τοῦ ἡμετέρου θείου ἀναμνήσθητε.
2. in all that he did for your common weal while using his own judgement, he will be found everywhere to have been the author of many benefits to the State, and to have inflicted a great number of grievous injuries on the enemy; but in all that he was compelled to do, not of his own wish but against his will, he bore no slight part of the injuries himself, while the responsibility for the disaster ought in fairness to lie with those who persuaded you, seeing that of his own loyalty to you and of his merit he afforded proof in your successes and your enemies’ failures.
2. ἐκεῖνος γὰρ ὅσα μὲν τῇ ἑαυτοῦ γνώμῃ χρώμενος ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὑμετέρου ἔπραξε, πανταχοῦ φανήσεται πολλῶν μὲν καὶ ἀγαθῶν αἴτιος τῇ πόλει γεγενημένος, πλεῖστα δὲ καὶ μέγιστα κακὰ τοὺς πολεμίους εἰργασμένος· ὅσα δὲ οὐ βουλόμενος ἀλλʼ ἄκων ἠναγκάσθη ποιῆσαι, τῶν μὲν κακῶν οὐκ ἐλάχιστον αὐτὸς μετέσχε μέρος, τὴν δʼ αἰτίαν τῆς συμφορᾶς οἱ πείσαντες ὑμᾶς δικαίως ἂν ἔχοιεν, ἐπεὶ τήν γε πρὸς ὑμᾶς εὔνοιαν καὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν ⟨τὴν⟩ αὑτοῦ ἐν ταῖς εὐτυχίαις ταῖς ὑμετέραις καὶ ταῖς δυστυχίαις ταῖς τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἐπεδείξατο·
3. For as your general, he took many cities, and many were the splendid trophies of the foe’s defeats that he set up; to mention them severally would be wearisome.
3. στρατηγῶν γὰρ πολλὰς μὲν πόλεις εἷλε, πολλὰ δὲ καὶ καλὰ κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων ἔστησε τρόπαια, ὧν καθʼ ἓν ἕκατον πολὺ ἂν ἔργον εἴη λέγειν.
4. Now Eucrates, his brother, who was my father, just after the last sea-fight had taken place, gave signal evidence of his loyal devotion to your democracy. For after our defeat in the sea-fight he was elected general by you and, although invited to take part in the oligarchy by those who were plotting against the people, he refused to listen to them. He was involved in the kind of crisis in which the majority of men not only shift about according to circumstances, but also yield to the vagaries of fortune. The democracy was faced with failure; he was not being driven out of public life, nor did he nurse any private enmity against those who were about to be the rulers. And yet, although it was open to him to become one of the Thirty and to have as much power as any man, he chose rather to perish in working for your safety than to endure the sight of the demolition of the walls, the surrender of the ships to the enemy and the enslavement of your people.
4. Εὐκράτης τοίνυν, ἀδελφὸς μὲν ὢν ἐκεῖνον, πατὴρ δʼ ἐμός, ἤδη τῆς τελευταίας ναυμαχίας γεγενημένης φανερὰν ἐπεδείξατο τὴν εὔνοιαν ἣν εἶχε περὶ τὸ πλῆθος τὸ ὑμέτερον· ἡττημένων γὰρ ἐν ⟨τῇ⟩ ναυμαχίᾳ στρατηγὸς ὑφʼ ὑμῶν ᾑρημένος καὶ παρακαλούμενος μετέχειν τῆς ὀλιγαρχίας ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπιβουλευόντων τῷ πλήθει, οὐκ ἠθέλησεν αὐτοῖς πείθεσθαι, ἐν τοιούτῳ καιρῷ ληφθεὶς ἐν ᾧ οἱ πλεῖστοι τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ μεταβάλλονται πρὸς τὰ παρόντα καὶ ταῖς τύχαις ἐίκουσι, δυστυχοῦντος τοῦ δήμου, οὐκ ἀπελαυνόμενος τῆς πολιτείας οὐδʼ ἰδίας ἔχθρας ὑπαρχούσης πρὸς ἄρξειν μέλλοντας, ἀλλʼ ἐξὸν αὐτῷ καὶ τῶν τριάκοντα γενέσθαι καὶ μηδενὸς ἔλαττον δύνασθαι, μᾶλλον εἵλετο πράττων ὑπὲρ τῆς ὑμετέρας σωτηρίας ἀπολέσθαι ἢ ἐπιδεῖν ⟨τὰ⟩ τείχη καθαιρούμενα καὶ τὰς ναῦς τοῖς πολεμίοις παραδιδομένας καὶ τὸ ὑμέτερον πλῆθος καταδεδουλωμένον.
6. And, not long after that, Niceratus, who was my cousin and Nicias’s son, and a loyal supporter of your democracy, was arrested and put to death by the Thirty: neither his birth nor his means nor his age could be thought to disqualify him for a part in the government; but it was supposed that he was in such high credit with your democracy on his own account as well as on that of his ancestors that he could never be zealous for a different government.
6. καὶ οὐ πολλῷ χρόνῳ ὕστερον Νικήρατος, ἀνεψιὸς ὢν ἐμὸς καὶ ὑὸς Νικίου, εὔνους ὢν τῷ ὑμετέρῳ πλήθει, συλληφθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν τριάκοντα ἀπέθανεν, οὔτε γένει οὔτε οὐσίᾳ οὔθʼ ἡλικίᾳ δοκῶν ἀνάξιος εἶναι τῆς πολιτείας μετασχεῖν· ἀλλὰ τοιαῦτα ἐνομίζετο τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτῷ πρὸς τὸ ὑμέτερον πλῆθος εἶναι καὶ διὰ τοὺς προγόνους καὶ αὐτόν, ὥστε οὐκ ἄν ποθʼ ἑτέρας ἐπιθυμῆσαι πολιτείας.
7. For they were conscious of the honor in which the whole family were held by the city, and how they had faced danger on your behalf in many places, and had made many large contributions to your funds, and had most nobly performed their public services; how they had never once evaded any of the other duties enjoined on them by the State, but had eagerly discharged them all.
7. συνῄδεσαν γὰρ ἅπασιν αὐτοῖς ὑπὸ τῆς πόλεως τιμωμένοις, καὶ πολλαχοῦ μὲν ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν κεκινδυνευκόσι, μεγάλας δʼ εἰσφορὰς εἰσενηνοχόσι καὶ λελῃτουργηκόσι κάλλιστα, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων οὐδενὸς πώποτʼ ἀποστᾶσιν ὧν ἡ πόλις αὐτοῖς προσέταξεν, ἀλλὰ προθύμως λῃτουργοῦσι.
8. I ask you, whose misfortune can surpass ours, if under the oligarchy we are put to death for showing loyalty to the people, and under the democracy we are stripped of our property as being disloyal to the people?
8. καίτοι τίνες ἂν ἡμῶν εἴησαν δυστυχέστεροι, εἰ ἐν μὲν τῇ ὀλιγαρχίᾳ ἀποθνῄσκοιμεν εὖνοι ὄντες τῷ πλήθει, ἐν δὲ τῇ δημοκρατίᾳ ὡς κακόνοι ὄντες τῷ πλήθει ἀποστεροίμεθα τῶν ὄντων;
9. Furthermore, gentlemen, Diognetus was so slandered by base informers that he went away into exile, and was one of the few of the banished who neither took the field against the city nor came to Decelea; nor has he been the author of any sort of injury to your people either in exile or after his return, but he carried principle to such a point that he was rather incensed with those who had offended against you than grateful to those who had been the authors of his recall.
9. καὶ μὲν δή, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, καὶ Διόγνητος διαβληθεὶς μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν συκοφαντῶν φεύγων ὤχετο, μετʼ ὀλίγων δὲ τῶν ἐκπεπτωκότων οὔτʼ ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν ἐστρατεύσατο οὔτʼ εἰς Δεκέλειαν ἀφίκετο· οὐδʼ ἔστιν ὅτου κακοῦ αἴτιος οὔτε φεύγων οὔτε κατελθὼν τῷ ὑμετέρῳ πλήθει γεγένηται, ἀλλʼ εἰς τοῦτʼ ἀρετῆς ἦλθεν ὥστε μᾶλλον ὠργίζετο τοῖς εἰς ὑμᾶς ἡμαρτηκόσιν ἢ τοῖς αὐτῷ τῆς καθόδου αἰτίοις γεγενημένοις ⟨χάριν ᾔδει⟩.
10. He held no office under the oligarchy: but, as soon as the Lacedaemonians and Pausanias arrived at the Academy, he took the son of Niceratus and us, who were children, and laying him on the knees of Pausanias, and setting us by his side, he told Pausanias and the others present the tale of our sufferings and the fate that had befallen us, and called on Pausanias to succor us in virtue of our bonds both of friendship and of hospitality, and to do vengeance upon those who had maltreated us.
10. καὶ ἀρχὴν μὲν οὐδεμίαν ἦρξεν ἐν τῇ ὀλιγαρχίᾳ· ἐπειδὴ δὲ τάχιστα ἦλθον εἰς τὴν Ἀκαδήμειαν Λακεδαιμόνιοι καὶ Παυσανίας, λαβὼν τὸν Νικηράτου καὶ ἡμᾶς παῖδας ὄντας, ἐκεῖνον μὲν κατέθηκεν ἐπὶ τοῖς γόνασι τοῖς Παυσανίου, ἡμᾶς δὲ παραστησάμενος ἔλεγε πρὸς ἐκεῖνον καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους τοὺς παρόντας ὅσα εἴημεν πεπονθότες καὶ οἵαις τύχαις κεχρημένοι, καὶ ἠξίου Παυσανίαν βοηθῆσαι καὶ διὰ τὴν φιλίαν καὶ διὰ τὴν ξενίαν τὴν ὑπάρχουσαν, καὶ τιμωρὸν γενέσθαι τῶν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἡμαρτηκότων.
11. The result was that Pausanias began to be favorable to the people, holding up our calamities to the Lacedaemonians as an example of the villainy of the Thirty. For it had become evident to all the Peloponnesians who had come that they were putting to death, not the most villainous of the citizens, but those who were especially deserving of honor on account of their birth, their wealth and their general excellence.
11. ὅθεν Παυσανίας ἤρξατο εὔνους εἶναι τῷ δήμῳ, παράδειγμα ποιούμενος πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους Λακεδαιμονίους τὰς ἡμετέρας συμφορὰς τῆς τῶν τριάκοντα πονηρίας· δῆλον γὰρ ἅπασι τοῖς ἐλθοῦσι Πελοποννησίων ἐγεγένητο, ὅτι οὐ τοὺς πονηροτάτους τῶν πολιτῶν ἀπέκτεινον, ἀλλʼ οἷς μάλιστα προσῆκον καὶ διὰ γένος καὶ διὰ πλοῦτον καὶ διὰ τὴν ἄλλην ἀρετὴν τιμᾶσθαι.
12. Such was the pity felt for us, and such an impression of our grievous sufferings was made on everyone, that Pausanias rejected the hospitable offerings of the Thirty, and accepted ours. Surely it will be strange, gentlemen of the jury, if after being pitied as children by the enemy who had come to succor the oligarchy we, who have proved ourselves the men we are, should be stripped of our property by you, gentlemen, whose fathers gave their lives for the democracy!
12. οὕτω δʼ ἠλεούμεθα καὶ πᾶσι δεινὰ ἐδοκοῦμεν πεπονθέναι, ὥστε Παυσανίας τὰ μὲν παρὰ τῶν τριάκοντα ξένια οὐκ ἠθέλησε λαβεῖν, τὰ δὲ παρʼ ἡμῶν ἐδέξατο. καίτοι δεινόν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ὑπὸ μὲν τῶν πολεμίων παῖδας ἡμᾶς ὄντας ἐλεεῖσθαι, οἳ τῇ ὀλιγαρχία βοηθήσοντες ἦλθον, ὑπὸ δʼ ὑμῶν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, τοιούτους γεγενημένους τῶν ὄντων ἀποστερεῖσθαι, ὧν οἱ πατέρες ὑπὲρ τῆς δημοκρατίας ἀπέθανον.
13. I am well aware, gentlemen, that Poliochus would value most highly his success in this trial, since he would regard it as a fine demonstration to citizens and strangers alike that he has sufficient power in Athens to make you vote in contradiction of your own selves on the very question in which you have sworn to do your duty.
13. εὖ δʼ οἶδʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ὅτι περὶ πλείστου ἂν ποιήσαιτο Πολίοχος τοῦτον τὸν ἀγῶνα κατορθῶσαι, ἡγούμενος αὑτῷ καλὴν εἶναι τὴν ἐπίδειξιν καὶ πρὸς τοὺς πολίτας καὶ τοὺς ξένους, ὅτι Ἀθήνῃσι τοσοῦτον δύναται, ὥσθʼ ὑμᾶς τοὺς αὐτούς, περὶ ὧν ὅρκους ὀμωμόκατε, ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς τὰ ἐναντία ποιεῖν ψηφίζεσθαι.
14. For everyone will know that formerly you punished with a fine of a thousand drachmae the man who proposed that our land should be confiscated, and yet that today he has prevailed with his demand for its confiscation; and that in these two suits, in which the same man was illegally prosecuted, the Athenians voted in contradiction of themselves.
14. πάντες γὰρ εἴσονται ὅτι τότε μὲν χιλίαις δραχμαῖς ἐζημιώσατε τὸν βουλόμενον τὴν ἡμετέραν γῆν δημοσίαν ποιῆσαι, νυνὶ δὲ κελεύων δημεῦσαι νενίκηκε, καὶ περὶ τούτων δὴ ἀμφοτέρων Ἀθηναῖοι, παρὰ νόμον φεύγοντος τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἀνδρός, τἀναντία σφίσιν αὐτοῖς ἐψηφίσαντο.
15. Would it not then be disgraceful of you, after confirming your agreements with the Lacedaemonians, to shatter so lightly what you have voted on your own account, and to make valid your covenants with them, but invalidate those that you have made with yourselves? You are incensed with any other Greeks who value the Lacedaemonians more than you; and will you show in your own disposition more fidelity to them than to yourselves?
15. οὐκ οὖν αἰσχρόν, εἰ ἃ μὲν Λακεδαιμονίοις συνέθεσθε βεβαιώσετε, ἃ δὲ αὑτοῖς ἐψηφίσασθε οὕτω ῥᾳδίως διαλύσετε, καὶ τὰς μὲν πρὸς ἐκείνους συνθήκας κυρίας ποιήσετε, τὰς δὲ πρὸς αὑτοὺς ἀκύρους; καὶ τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις Ἕλλησιν ὀργίζεσθε, εἴ τις Λακεδαιμονίους ὑμῶν περὶ πλείονος ποιεῖται, ὑμεῖς δʼ αὐτοὶ φανήσεσθε πιστότερον πρὸς ἐκείνους ἢ πρὸς ὑμᾶς αὐτοὺς διακείμενοι;
16. But what calls for the highest indignation is that the disposition of men in public life today is such that the orators do not propose what will be most beneficial to the city, but it is for proposals which must bring profit to them that you give your votes.
16. ἄξιον δὲ μάλιστʼ ἀγανακτῆσαι ὅτι οὕτως ἤδη οἱ τὰ τῆς πόλεως πράττοντες διάκεινται, ὥστʼ οὐχ ὅ τι ἂν τῇ πόλει βέλτιστον ᾖ, τοῦτο οἱ ῥήτορες λέγουσιν, ἀλλʼ ἀφʼ ὧν ἂν αὐτοὶ κερδαίνειν μέλλωσι, ταῦτα ὑμεῖς ψηφίζεσθε.
17. Now, if it were to the advantage of your people that, while some kept their own, others had to suffer the unjust confiscation of their property, you would have some reason to neglect our arguments: but in fact you must all acknowledge that unanimity is the greatest boon to a city, while faction is the cause of all evils; and that mutual dissensions chiefly arise from the desire of some for what is not theirs, and the ejection of others from what they have. This was your conclusion shortly after your return, and your reasoning was sound;
17. καὶ εἰ μὲν τῷ ὑμετέρῳ πλήθει συνέφερε τοὺς μὲν ἔχειν τὰ αὑτῶν, τῶν δὲ ἀδίκως δεδημεῦσθαι τὴν οὐσίαν, εἰκότως ἂν ἠμελεῖτε τῶν ὑφʼ ἡμῶν λεγομένων· νυνὶ δὲ πάντες ἂν ὁμολογήσαιτε ὁμόνοιαν ⟨μὲν⟩ μέγιστον ἀγαθὸν εἶναι πόλει, στάσιν δὲ πάντῶν κακῶν αἰτίαν, διαφέρεσθαι δὲ πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐκ τῶν τοιούτων μάλιστʼ, ἐὰν οἱ μὲν τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἐπιθυμῶσιν, οἱ δʼ ἐκ τῶν ὄντων ἐκπίπτωσι.
18. for you still remembered the disasters that had occurred, and you prayed to the gods to restore the city to unanimity rather than permit the pursuit of vengeance for what was overpast to lead to faction in the city and the rapid enrichment of the speech-makers.
18. καὶ ταῦθʼ ὑμεῖς ἔγνωτε νεωστὶ κατελθόντες, ὀρθῶς βουλευόμενοι· ἔτι γὰρ ἐμέμνησθε τῶν γεγενημένων συμφορῶν, καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς εἰς ὁμόνοιαν ηὔχεσθε καταστῆναι τὴν πόλιν μᾶλλον ἢ ἐπὶ τιμωρίαν τῶν παρεληλυθότων τραπομένων τὴν μὲν πόλιν στασιάσαι, τοὺς δὲ λέγοντας ταχέως πλουτῆσαι.
19. And yet it would have been more pardonable to show resentment shortly after you had returned, while your anger was freshly kindled, than to pursue so belated a vengeance for what is overpast at the bidding of men who, after remaining in the city, conceive that they give you a pledge of their own loyalty when they make bad subjects of their fellows instead of showing themselves good ones, and who today reap the fruits of the city’s successes without having previously shared your perils.
19. καίτοι πλείων συγγνώμη μνησικακεῖν νεωστὶ κατεληλυθόσιν, ἔτι τῆς ὀργῆς οὔσης προσφάτου, ἢ τοσούτῳ χρόνῳ ὕστερον ἐπὶ τιμωρίαν τῶν παρεληλυθότων τραπέσθαι, ὑπὸ τοιούτων πεισθέντας οἳ ἐν ἄστει μείναντες ταύτην ὑμῖν οἴονται διδόναι πίστιν τῆς αὑτῶν εὐνοίας, ἑτέρους κακοὺς ποιοῦντες, ἀλλʼ οὐ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς χρηστοὺς παρέχοντες, καὶ νυνὶ τῶν τῆς πόλεως εὐτυχιῶν ἀπολαύοντες, ἀλλʼ οὐ πρότερον τῶν ὑμετέρων κινδύνων μετέχοντες.
20. And if you saw, gentlemen, that the property confiscated by these men was being secured for the State, we should forgive them; but the fact is, as you well know, that some of it is melting away in their hands, while the rest, though of great value, is being sold off cheap. Yet, if you will take my advice, you will receive no less profit from it than we, the owners.
20. καὶ εἰ μὲν ἑωρᾶτε, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, σῳζόμενα τῇ πόλει τὰ ὑπὸ τούτων δημευόμενα, συγγνώμην ἂν εἴχομεν· νῦν δʼ ἐπίστασθε ὅτι τὰ μὲν αὐτῶν ὑπὸ τούτων ἀφανίζεται, τὰ δὲ πολλοῦ ἄξια ὄντα ὀλίγου πιπράσκεται. ἐὰν δʼ ἐμοὶ πείθησθε, οὐκ ἐλάττω ἀπʼ αὐτῶν ὑμεῖς ὠφεληθήσεσθε ἢ ἡμεῖς οἱ κεκτημένοι, ἐπεὶ καὶ νυνὶ Διόμνηστος καὶ ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ ἀδελφός ἐκ μιᾶς οἰκίας τρεῖς ὄντες τριηραρχοῦμεν, καὶ ὅταν ἡ πόλις δέηται χρημάτων, ἀπὸ τούτων ὑμῖν εἰσφέρομεν.
21. For at this moment Diomnestus, my brother and I, three of one household, are equipping warships, and when the State requires money we raise a special contribution on these properties. Since, then, we are of this way of thinking, and our ancestors have evinced the same character, spare us. Else we should have no escape, gentlemen, from the most miserable plight: after being left orphans in the time of the Thirty we should be stripped of our property under the democracy,—we, to whom fortune vouchsafed that, as mere children, we should succor the people by going to the tent of Pausanias! Having such a record behind us, with what judges would we have chosen to take refuge?
21. ὡς οὖν ἡμῶν ταύτῃ τῇ γνώμῃ χρωμένων, καὶ τῶν προγόνων τῶν ἡμετέρων τοιούτων γεγενημένων, φείδεσθε ἡμῶν. οὐδὲν γὰρ ἂν ἡμᾶς κωλύοι, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ἀθλιωτάτους εἶναι, ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν τριάκοντα ὀρφανοὺς καταλειφθέντας, ἐν δὲ τῇ δημοκρατίᾳ τῶν ὄντων ἐστερημένους, οἷς ἡ τύχη παρέδωκεν ὥστʼ ἔτι ἡμᾶς παῖδας ὄντας ἐπὶ τὴν Παυσανίου σκηνὴν ἐλθόντας βοηθῆσαι τῷ πλήθει. καὶ τοιούτων ἡμῖν ὑπαρχόντων εἰς τίνας ἂν ἐβουλήθημεν δικαστὰς καταφυγεῖν;
23. Surely with those who support a constitution for which both our father and our kinsmen gave their lives. And so today this is the sole return that we ask of you for all that we have done,—that you do not suffer us to be reduced to destitution or left in want of bare necessaries, and that you do not ruin the prosperity that was our ancestors’, but much rather give an example to those who desire to do the State good service of the treatment that they will receive from you in times of danger.
23. οὐκ εἰς τοὺς οὕτω πολιτευομένους, ὑπὲρ ἧς πολιτείας καὶ ὁ πατὴρ καὶ οἱ προσήκοντες ἡμῖν ἀπέθανον; νῦν τοίνυν ταύτην ἀνθʼ ἁπάντων ἀπαιτοῦμεν ὑμᾶς τὴν χάριν, μὴ περιιδεῖν ἡμᾶς ἀπόρως διατεθέντας μηδʼ ἐνδεεῖς τῶν ἐπιτηδείων γενομένους, μηδὲ τὴν τῶν προγόνων εὐδαιμονίαν καταλῦσαι, ἀλλὰ πολὺ μᾶλλον παράδειγμα ποιῆσαι τοῖς βουλομένοις τὴν πόλιν εὖ ποιεῖν, οἴων ὑμῶν ἐν τοῖς κινδύνοις τεύξονται.
24. I have nobody, gentlemen, whom I can put up here to plead on our behalf: for some of my kinsmen, after giving proof of their valor in promoting the greatness of the city, have perished in the war; others, in the defence of the democracy and of your freedom, have drunk hemlock under the Thirty.
24. οὐκ ἔχω, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, οὕστινας δεησομένους ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀναβιβάσομαι· τῶν γὰρ προσηκόντων οἱ μὲν ἄνδρας ἀγαθοὺς αὑτοὺς παρασχόντες καὶ μεγάλην τὴν πόλιν ποιοῦντες ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ τεθνᾶσιν, οἱ δʼ ὑπὲρ τῆς δημοκρατίας καὶ τῆς ὑμετέρας ἐλευθερίας ὑπὸ τῶν τριάκοντα κώνειον πιόντες, ὥστε τῆς ἐρημίας ἡμετέρας αἴτιαι γεγόνασιν αἵ τε τῶν προσηκόντων ἀρεταὶ καὶ αἱ τῆς πόλεως συμφοραί.
25. We therefore owe our isolation to the merits of our kinsmen and the calamities of the State. Bearing all this in mind, you ought to succor us, judging those to be rightful recipients of your favours under democracy who bore their share of calamity under oligarchy.
25. ὧν ἄξιον ὑμᾶς ἐνθυμηθέντας προθύμως ἡμῖν βοηθῆσαι, ἡγησαμένους τούτους ἂν ἐν δημοκρατία δικαίως εὖ πάσχειν ὑφʼ ὑμῶν, οἵπερ ἐν ὀλιγαρχίᾳ τῶν συμφορῶν μετέσχον τὸ μέρος.
26. I also call upon the Commissioners here to be kind to us: let them remember that time when, expelled from your native land and deprived of your property, you esteemed most highly the men who gave their lives for you, and you prayed to the gods that you might be able to show your gratitude to their children.
26. ἀξιῶ δὲ καὶ τούτους τοὺς συνδίκους εὔνους ἡμῖν εἶναι, ἐκείνου τοῦ χρόνου μνησθέντας, ὅτʼ ἐκ τῆς πατρίδος ἐκπεπτωκότες καὶ τὰς οὐσίας ἀπολωλεκότες ἄνδρας ἀρίστους ἐνομίζετʼ εἶναι τοὺς ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἀποθνῄσκοντας, καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς ηὔχεσθε δυνηθῆναι χάριν τοῖς ἐξ ἐκείνων ἀποδοῦναι.
27. So we, sons and relatives of those who have been foremost to meet danger in the cause of freedom, ask this return of your gratitude today, and call upon you not to ruin us unjustly, but much rather to succor those who have shared in the common calamities. Now I beg and beseech and implore you to grant us what we claim. For it is no slight matter that we have at stake: it is the whole of our possessions.
27. ἡμεῖς τοίνυν, ὑεῖς ὄντες καὶ συγγενεῖς τῶν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐλευθερίας προκεκινδυνευκότων, ἀπαιτοῦμεν ὑμᾶς νυνὶ ταύτην τὴν χάριν, καὶ ἀξιοῦμεν μὴ ἀδίκως ἡμᾶς ἀπολέσαι, ἀλλὰ πολὺ μᾶλλον βοηθεῖν τοῖς τῶν αὐτῶν μετασχοῦσι συμφορῶν. ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν καὶ δέομαι καὶ ἀντιβολῶ καὶ ἱκετεύω, καὶ τούτων παρʼ ὑμῶν τυγχάνειν ἀξιῶ· οὐ γὰρ περὶ μικρῶν κινδυνεύομεν, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῶν ὄντων ἁπάντων.