Andocides' Wandering Misfortunes and Impudent Return — Lysias, Against Andocides 22–33, Greek & English

§22

ὃς διὰ τοῦτον καὶ τὰ τούτου ἁμαρτήματα ἀπέθανεν, ἵνα μὴ μηνυτὴς γένοιτο. καίτοι πῶς οὐ θεῶν τις τὴν τούτου γνώμην διέφθειρεν,¹ ὃς ῥᾷον ἡγήσατο δεσμοῦ τιμήσασθαι ἢ ἀργυρίου² ἐπʼ ἐλπίδι τῇ αὐτῇ;

This man died because of him and his offenses, so that he might not become an informer. And yet, how can it be said that one of the gods did not destroy this man’s mind, since he thought it easier to propose imprisonment as his penalty than money, with the same hope?

§23

ἐκ δʼ οὖν τούτου τοῦ τιμήματος ἐδέδετο ἐγγὺς ἐνιαυτόν, καὶ ἐμήνυσε δεδεμένος κατὰ τῶν αὑτοῦ συγγενῶν καὶ φίλων, ἀδείας δοθείσης αὐτῷ, εἰ δόξειε³ τἀληθῆ μηνῦσαι. καὶ τίνα αὐτὸν δοκεῖτε ψυχὴν ἔχειν, ὁπότε τὰ μὲν ἔσχατα καὶ τὰ αἴσχιστα ἐποίει μηνύων κατὰ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ φίλων, ἡ δὲ σωτηρία ἀφανὴς αὐτῷ;

Consequently, because of this self-proposed penalty, he was imprisoned for nearly a year, and while bound, he informed against his own relatives and friends, on the condition that impunity would be given to him if he should be deemed to have informed the truth. And what kind of soul do you think he had, when he was doing the most extreme and shameful things by informing against his own friends, while his safety was unseen to him?

§24

μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα, ἐπειδὴ ἀπεκτονὼς ἦν οὓς αὐτὸς ἔφη περὶ πλείστου ποιεῖσθαι, ἔδοξε τἀληθῆ μηνῦσαι καὶ ἐλύθη, καὶ προσεψηφίσασθε ὑμεῖς αὐτὸν εἴργεσθαι τῆς ἀγορᾶς καὶ τῶν ἱερῶν, ὥστε μηδʼ ἀδικούμενον ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν δύνασθαι δίκην λαβεῖν.⁴

After these things, when he had caused the death of those whom he himself claimed to value most, he was deemed to have informed the truth and was released; and you additionally voted that he should be excluded from the agora and the temples, so that not even when wronged by his enemies could he obtain justice.

§25

οὐδεὶς γάρ πω, ἐξ ὅσου Ἀθῆναι ἀείμνηστοί εἰσιν, ἐπὶ τοιαύτῃ αἰτίᾳ ἠτιμώθη. δικαίως· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔργα τοιαῦτα οὐδείς πω εἰργάσατο. καὶ τούτων πότερα τοὺς θεοὺς χρὴ ἢ τὸ αὐτόματον αἰτιᾶσθαι;

For no one yet, as long as Athens has been remembered, has been disenfranchised for such a reason. And justly so; for no one yet has performed such deeds. And of these things, should one blame the gods or chance?

§26

μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἔπλευσεν ὡς τὸν Κιτιῶν βασιλέα, καὶ προδιδοὺς ληφθεὶς ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ ἐδέθη, καὶ οὐ μόνον τὸν θάνατον ἐφοβεῖτο ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ καθʼ ἡμέραν αἰκίσματα, οἰόμενος τὰ ἀκρωτήρια ζῶντος ἀποτμηθήσεσθαι.

After this, he sailed to the king of Citium, and having been caught by him in betrayal, he was bound, and he feared not only death but also daily tortures, expecting that his extremities would be cut off while he was still alive.

§27

ἀποδρὰς δὲ ἐκ τούτου τοῦ κινδύνου κατέπλευσεν εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ πόλιν ἐπὶ τῶν τετρακοσίων· τοσαύτην γὰρ ὁ θεὸς λήθην ἔδωκεν, ὥστε εἰς τοὺς ἠδικημένους αὐτοὺς ἐπεθύμησεν ἀφικέσθαι. ἀφικόμενος δὲ ἐδέθη καὶ ᾐκίσθη, ἀπώλετο δὲ οὐχί, ἀλλʼ ἐλύθη.

Escaping from this danger, he sailed down to his own city in the time of the Four Hundred; for the god gave him such forgetfulness that he desired to come to the very ones who had been wronged. And having arrived, he was bound and tortured, and though he did not perish, he was released.

§28

ἔνθεν δὲ ἔπλευσεν ὡς Εὐαγόραν τὸν Κύπρου βασιλεύοντα, καὶ ἀδικήσας εἵρχθη. ἀποδρὰς δὲ καὶ τοῦτον ἔφευγε μὲν τοὺς ἐνθάδε θεούς, ἔφευγε δὲ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ πόλιν, ἔφευγε δὲ εἰς οὓς τὸ πρῶτον ἀφίκοιτο τόπους. καίτοι τίς χάρις τῷ βίω, κακοπαθεῖν μὲν πολλάκις, ἀναπαύσασθαι δὲ μηδέποτε;

From there he sailed to Evagoras, who was ruling Cyprus, and having done wrong, he was imprisoned. Escaping from this man too, he fled from the gods here, fled from his own city, and fled to the places where he had first arrived. And yet, what pleasure is there in a life of suffering often and never finding rest?

§29

καταπλεύσας δὲ ἐκεῖθεν δεῦρο εἰς δημοκρατίαν τοῖς μὲν πρυτάνεσιν ἔδωκε χρήματα, ἵνα αὐτὸν προσαγάγοιεν ἐνθάδε, ὑμεῖς δʼ αὐτὸν ἐξηλάσατε ἐκ τῆς πόλεως, τοῖς θεοῖς βεβαιοῦντες τοὺς νόμους οὓς ἐψηφίσασθε.

Having sailed from there back here to the democracy, he gave money to the prytaneis so that they might bring him before you here, but you drove him out of the city, securing for the gods the laws which you had voted.

§30

καὶ τὸν ἄνδρα οὐ δῆμος, οὐκ ὀλιγαρχία, οὐ τύραννος, οὐ πόλις ἐθέλει δέξασθαι διὰ τέλους, ἀλλὰ πάντα τὸν χρόνον, ἐξ ὅσου ἠσέβησεν, ἀλώμενος διάγει, πιστεύων ἀεὶ μᾶλλον τοῖς ἀγνῶσι τῶν γνωρίμων διὰ τὸ ἠδικηκέναι οὓς γιγνώσκει.⁵ τὸ δὲ τελευταῖον νῦν ἀφικόμενος εἰς τὴν πόλιν δὶς ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ ἐνδέδεικται.

And neither democracy, nor oligarchy, nor tyrant, nor city wishes to receive this man to the end, but for all the time, since he committed impiety, he passes his life wandering, always trusting strangers rather than acquaintances because of having wronged those whom he knows. And finally, having now arrived in the city, he has been twice indicted on the same charge.

§31

καὶ τὸ μὲν σῶμα ἀεὶ ἐν δεσμοῖς ἔχει, ἡ δὲ οὐσία αὐτοῦ ἐλάττων ἐκ τῶν κινδύνων γίγνεται. καίτοι ὅταν τις τὸν αὑτοῦ βίον τοῖς ἐχθροῖς καὶ τοῖς συκοφάνταις διανέμῃ, τοῦτʼ ἔστι τὸ ζῆν βίον ἀβίωτον. ἃ τούτῳ ὁ θεὸς οὐκ ἐπὶ σωτηρία ἐπινοεῖν δίδωσιν, ἀλλὰ τιμωρούμενος τῶν γεγενημένων ἀσεβημάτων.

And he always has his body in bonds, and his property becomes less because of the dangers. And yet, when someone distributes his own livelihood to enemies and sycophants, this is indeed to live a life not worth living. The god gives him to devise these things not for his safety, but to punish him for the impieties that have occurred.

§32

τὸ δὲ τελευταῖον νυνὶ παραδέδωκεν αὑτὸν ὑμῖν χρῆσθαι ὅ τι ἂν βούλησθε, οὐ τῷ μὴ ἀδικεῖν πιστεύων, ἀλλʼ ὑπὸ δαιμονίου τινὸς ἀγόμενος ἀνάγκης. οὔκουν χρὴ μὰ τὸν Δία οὔτε πρεσβύτερον ὄντα οὔτε νεώτερον, ὁρῶντας Ἀνδοκίδην ἐκ τῶν κινδύνων σῳζόμενον, συνειδότας αὐτῷ ἔργα ἀνόσια εἰργασμένῳ, ἀθεωτέρους γίγνεσθαι, ἐνθυμουμένους ὅτι ἥμισυς ὁ βίος βιῶναι κρείττων ἀλύπως ἐστὶν ἢ διπλάσιος λυπουμένῳ,⁶ ὥσπερ οὗτος.

And finally now, he has handed himself over to you to do with him whatever you wish, not because he trusts that he does no wrong, but because he is led by some divine necessity. Therefore, by Zeus, neither older nor younger man, seeing Andocides saved from dangers and knowing that he has performed unholy deeds, should become less god-fearing, bearing in mind that it is better to live half of life without pain than double of it suffering, like this man.

§33

εἰς τοσοῦτον δὲ ἀναισχυντίας ἀφῖκται, ὥστε καὶ παρασκευάζεται τὰ πολιτικὰ πράττειν καὶ ἤδη δημηγορεῖ καὶ ἐπιτιμᾷ καὶ ἀποδοκιμάζει τῶν ἀρχόντων τισί. καὶ συμβουλεύει τὴν βουλὴν εἰσιὼν περὶ θυσιῶν καὶ προσόδων καὶ εὐχῶν καὶ μαντειῶν. καίτοι τούτῳ πειθόμενοι ποίοις θεοῖς ἡγήσεσθε κεχαρισμένα ποιεῖν; μὴ γὰρ οἴεσθε, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, εἰ ὑμεῖς βούλεσθε τὰ τούτῳ πεποιημένα ἐπιλαθέσθαι, καὶ τοὺς θεοὺς ἐπιλήσεσθαι.

And he has arrived at such a pitch of shamelessness that he even prepares to engage in public affairs, and already harangues the people, censures, and rejects some of the magistrates. And entering the Council, he advises concerning sacrifices, revenues, prayers, and oracles. And yet, if you obey this man, to what kind of gods will you think you are doing what is pleasing? For do not think, gentlemen of the jury, that if you wish to forget what has been done by this man, the gods also will forget.

Syntax notes6 items

22πῶς οὐ θεῶν τις τὴν τούτου γνώμην διέφθειρεν
The combination of the interrogative πῶς and the negative οὐ functions as a rhetorical question conveying a strong positive assertion ("How can it be said that one of the gods did not ruin his mind?" i.e., "Surely one of the gods ruined his mind").
22δεσμοῦ τιμήσασθαι ἢ ἀργυρίου
The verb τιμάομαι is used in a legal sense meaning "to propose as one's own penalty," taking the genitives δεσμοῦ and ἀργυρίου. The particle ἤ introduces the comparison triggered by the comparative adverb ῥᾷον.
23ἀδείας δοθείσης αὐτῷ, εἰ δόξειε
The genitive absolute ἀδείας δοθείσης is accompanied by the conditional clause εἰ δόξειε (optative in indirect discourse/past projection). It represents a future conditional prospect from a past viewpoint: "impunity would be granted, if he should be deemed to have informed the truth."
24ὥστε μηδʼ ἀδικούμενον ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν δύνασθαι δίκην λαβεῖν
A result clause introduced by ὥστε with δύνασθαι in the infinitive, whose implied subject is Andocides. The participle ἀδικούμενον functions concessively ("even when wronged") or conditionally, modifying the infinitive.
30διὰ τὸ ἠδικηκέναι οὓς γιγνώσκει
The preposition διὰ indicating cause governs the articular perfect infinitive τὸ ἠδικηκέναι. The antecedent of the relative pronoun οὓς (those whom...) is omitted.
32ἥμισυς ὁ βίος βιῶναι κρείττων ἀλύπως ἐστὶν ἢ διπλάσιος λυπουμένῳ
The active aorist infinitive βιῶναι functions as an epexegetic (explanatory) infinitive modifying the comparative adjective κρείττων. In the comparison, βίος is implied after διπλάσιος, and λυπουμένῳ is a dative participle agreeing with the implied person undergoing the suffering.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0540.tlg006.humanitext-grc2:22-33