- Source
- Demosthenes. Orationes, Vol. I. Butcher, S. H., editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1903.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0014.tlg011.humanitext-grc2:9-15
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
The speaker analyzes the conflict of interest and fear between Philip and his subjects or close allies, asserting that his current military success merely masks deep-seated internal weaknesses.
ἔτι δʼ αὐτὴν οὗτος τοῖς πολέμοις καὶ ταῖς στρατείαις καὶ πᾶσιν οἷς ἄν τις αὐτὸν μέγαν εἶναι νομίσειε, σφαλερωτέραν αὑτῷ πεποίηκεν. μὴ γὰρ οἴεσθʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τοῖς αὐτοῖς χαίρειν Φίλιππόν τε καὶ τοὺς ἀρχομένους, ἀλλʼ ἐννοεῖσθʼ ὡς ὁ μὲν ἐπιθυμεῖ δόξης, οἱ δʼ ἀσφαλείας, καὶ αὐτῷ μὲν οὐκ ἔστι τυχεῖν ταύτης ἀκινδύνως, οἱ δʼ οὐδὲν δέονται, καταλείποντες οἴκοι τέκνα, γονεῖς, γυναῖκας, φθείρεσθαι καὶ καθʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν κινδυνεύειν1 ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ.
Furthermore, by his wars, his campaigns, and all those things by which one might think him to be great, he has rendered it more precarious for himself. For do not suppose, men of Athens, that Philip and his subjects rejoice in the same things; but consider that while he desires glory, they desire safety, and whereas it is impossible for him to attain this glory without danger, they have no desire to leave children, parents, and wives at home, to be ruined and to risk their lives every day for his sake.
ὥστε τοὺς μὲν πολλοὺς τῶν Μακεδόνων ἐκ τούτων ἄν τις ἴδοι πῶς διάκεινται πρὸς τὸν Φίλιππον· τοὺς δὲ περὶ αὐτὸν ὄντας ἑταίρους καὶ τοὺς τῶν ξένων ἡγεμόνας εὑρήσετε δόξαν μὲν ἔχοντας ἐπʼ ἀνδρείᾳ, περιδεῶς δὲ μᾶλλον τῶν ἀδόξων ζῶντας. τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ὁ πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους μόνον ὑπάρχει κίνδυνος, οἱ δὲ τοὺς κόλακας καὶ τοὺς διαβάλλοντας αὐτοὺς μᾶλλον ἢ τὰς μάχας δεδίασι·
Consequently, from these things one might see how the majority of the Macedonians are disposed toward Philip. As for the companions around him and the leaders of his mercenaries, you will find that although they have a reputation for courage, they live in greater terror than those who are without renown. For to the former, danger exists only from the enemy, whereas the latter fear flatterers and those who slander them more than they fear battles;
κἀκεῖνοι μὲν μετὰ πάντων ἀγωνίζονται πρὸς τοὺς ἀντιταχθέντας, τοῖς δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις κακῶν οὐκ ἐλάχιστον μέρος μέτεστιν, καὶ χωρὶς ἰδίᾳ τὸν τρόπον τὸν τοῦ βασιλέως φοβεῖσθαι συμβέβηκεν. ἔτι δὲ τῶν μὲν πολλῶν ἐὰν ἁμάρτῃ τις, ζημίας κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν εἴληφεν· οἱ δʼ ὅταν μάλιστα κατορθώσωσι, τότε μάλιστα σκορακίζονται καὶ προπηλακίζονται παρὰ τὸ προσῆκον.
and while the former fight along with all the rest against those arrayed against them, the latter not only share no small part of the evils in the wars, but also individually, in private, have to fear the character of the king. Furthermore, if any of the common people commits an error, he receives a punishment according to his desert; but when the latter achieve the greatest success, it is then that they are most unjustly cast off and insulted.
καὶ τούτοις οὐδʼ ἂν εἷς εὖ φρονῶν ἀπιστήσειεν· οὕτω γὰρ φιλότιμον αὐτὸν εἶναί φασιν οἱ συνδιατρίψαντες ὥστε βουλόμενον τὰ κάλλιστα τῶν ἔργων πάνθʼ αὑτοῦ δοκεῖν εἶναι μᾶλλον ἄχθεσθαι τῶν στρατηγῶν καὶ τῶν ἡγεμόνων τοῖς ἄξιον ἐπαίνου τι πράξασιν ἢ τοῖς ὅλως ἀποτυχοῦσι.2
And no one in his right mind would disbelieve these things; for those who have associated with him say that he is so ambitious that, wishing all the finest achievements to appear to be his own, he is more annoyed with those generals and commanders who do something worthy of praise than with those who fail completely.
πῶς οὖν, εἴπερ ἐστὶ ταῦτα τοιαῦτα, πιστῶς ἤδη πολὺν χρόνον αὐτῷ παραμένουσιν; ὅτι νῦν μέν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τὸ κατορθοῦν αὐτὸν ἐπισκοτεῖ πᾶσι τοῖς τοιούτοις· αἱ γὰρ εὐπραξίαι δειναὶ συγκρύψαι καὶ συσκιάσαι τὰς ἁμαρτίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων εἰσίν· εἰ δέ τι πταίσει, τότʼ ἀκριβῶς διακαλυφθήσεται ταῦτα πάντα. συμβαίνει γάρ, ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς σώμασιν ἡμῶν·
How is it then, if indeed these things are so, that they have remained loyal to him for so long a time? Because at present, men of Athens, his success casts a shadow over all such things; for prosperity is clever at concealing and overshadowing the failings of men; but if he makes any slip, then all these things will be accurately laid bare. For it happens just as in our bodies:
ὅταν μὲν ἐρρωμένος ᾖ τις, οὐδὲν ἐπαισθάνεται τῶν καθʼ ἕκαστα σαθρῶν, ἐπὰν δʼ ἀρρωστήσῃ, πάντα κινεῖται, κἂν ῥῆγμα κἂν στρέμμα κἂν ἄλλο τι τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ᾖ μὴ τελέως ὑγιεινόν· οὕτω καὶ τῶν βασιλειῶν καὶ ἁπασῶν τῶν δυναστειῶν, ἕως μὲν ἂν ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις κατορθῶσιν, ἀφανῆ τὰ κακά ἐστι τοῖς πολλοῖς, ἐπὰν δέ τι πταίσωσιν, ὃ νῦν παθεῖν εἰκὸς ἐκεῖνον μεῖζον φορτίον ἢ καθʼ αὑτὸν αἰρόμενον,3 γίγνεται φανερὰ τὰ δυσχερῆ πάντα τοῖς ἅπασιν.
as long as a person is strong, he feels none of his individual ailments, but when he falls ill, everything is set in motion, whether it be a fracture, a sprain, or any other part of his system that is not perfectly healthy. In the same way with kingdoms and all dynasties, as long as they succeed in wars, their evils remain invisible to the majority; but when they suffer a setback—which is likely to happen to him now, as he is lifting a burden too heavy for his strength—then all their difficulties become manifest to everyone.
εἰ δέ τις ὑμῶν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τὸν Φίλιππον ὁρῶν εὐτυχοῦντα φοβερὸν εἶναι νομίζει καὶ δυσπολέμητον, σώφρονος μὲν ἀνδρὸς χρῆται προνοίᾳ· μεγάλη γὰρ ῥοπή, μᾶλλον δὲ τὸ ὅλον ἡ τύχη ἐστὶ πρὸς ἅπαντα τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων πράγματα· κατὰ πολλοὺς μέντοι τρόπους ἕλοιτʼ ἄν τις οὐχ ἧττον τὴν ἡμετέραν εὐτυχίαν ἢ τὴν ἐκείνου.
But if any of you, men of Athens, seeing Philip’s good fortune, regards him as formidable and hard to fight, he exercises the foresight of a prudent man; for fortune is a great factor, or rather everything, in all the affairs of mankind. Nevertheless, in many ways one might choose our fortune rather than his.
- 9οὐδὲν δέονται, καταλείποντες οἴκοι τέκνα... φθείρεσθαι καὶ καθʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν κινδυνεύειν
The verb δέομαι (here meaning 'to want' or 'to need') appears with the adverbial accusative οὐδέν and takes the infinitives φθείρεσθαι and κινδυνεύειν as its complements, meaning 'they have no desire at all to...'. The participle καταλείποντες agrees with the subject οἱ δέ and specifies the circumstances of leaving their homes, positioned as an insertion before the infinitives.
- 12μᾶλλον ἄχθεσθαι τῶν στρατηγῶν καὶ τῶν ἡγεμόνων τοῖς ἄξιον ἐπαίνου τι πράξασιν ἢ τοῖς ὅλως ἀποτυχοῦσι
The verb of emotion ἄχθεσθαι ('to be annoyed or vexed') regularly takes the dative to express the cause or object of resentment; here, τοῖς ... πράξασιν ('those who have done...') and τοῖς ... ἀποτυχοῦσι ('those who fail') serve as these dative complements. The genitive τῶν στρατηγῶν καὶ τῶν ἡγεμόνων is a partitive genitive identifying the group to which these dative participles belong.
- 14ὃ νῦν παθεῖν εἰκὸς ἐκεῖνον μεῖζον φορτίον ἢ καθʼ αὑτὸν αἰρόμενον
The relative pronoun ὃ (neuter singular accusative) refers to the action of the preceding verb πταίσωσιν (suffering a setback) and functions as the direct object of the infinitive παθεῖν in the accusative-and-infinitive construction governed by εἰκός. The present participle αἰρόμενον is in the accusative to agree with ἐκεῖνον (the subject of the infinitive), expressing the cause or circumstance ('since he is lifting...').