§6.35.1καὶ ὁ μὲν Ἑρμοκράτης τοσαῦτα εἶπεν·
Thus spoke Hermocrates.
τῶν δὲ Συρακοσίων ὁ δῆμος ἐν πολλῇ πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἔριδι ἦσαν, οἱ μὲν ὡς οὐδενὶ ἂν τρόπῳ ἔλθοιεν οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι οὐδ’ ἀληθῆ ἐστὶν ἃ λέγει, τοῖς δέ, εἰ καὶ ἔλθοιεν, τί ἂν δράσειαν αὐτοὺς ὅτι οὐκ ἂν μεῖζον ἀντιπάθοιεν.
But the people of Syracuse were in great dispute with one another, some declaring that the Athenians would in no way come and that what he said was not true, and others asking, even if they should come, what could they do to them that they would not suffer more in return?
ἄλλοι δὲ καὶ πάνυ καταφρονοῦντες ἐς γέλωτα ἔτρεπον τὸ πρᾶγμα.
And others, treating the matter with utter contempt, turned it into a laughing-stock.
ὀλίγον δ’ ἦν τὸ πιστεῦον τῷ Ἑρμοκράτει καὶ φοβούμενον τὸ μέλλον.
But those who believed Hermocrates and feared the future were few.
§6.35.2παρελθὼν δ’ αὐτοῖς Ἀθηναγόρας, ὃς δήμου τε προστάτης ἦν καὶ ἐν τῷ παρόντι πιθανώτατος τοῖς πολλοῖς, ἔλεγε τοιάδε.
Then Athenagoras, who was a leader of the people and at that time most persuasive to the multitude, came forward before them and spoke as follows.