§2.1Ἀνδοκίδης Λεωγόρου μὲν ἦν πατρὸς τοῦ Ἀνδοκίδου τοῦ θεμένου ποτὲ πρὸς Λακεδαιμονίους εἰρήνην; νην Ἀθηναίοις, τῶν δήμων δὲ Κυδαθήναιος ἢ Θορεύς, γένους εὐπατριδῶν, ὡς δʼ Ἑλλάνικος καὶ ἀπὸ Ἑρμοῦ· καθήκει γὰρ εἰς αὐτὸν τὸ κηρύκων γένος·
Andocides, the son of Leogoras—who was the son of the Andocides who once negotiated the peace for the Athenians with the Lacedaemonians—belonged by deme to Cydathenaeum or Thoricus, was of the family of the Eupatridae, and, according to Hellanicus, was also descended from Hermes; for the family of the Kerykes descended to him.
διὸ καὶ προεχειρίσθη ποτὲ μετὰ Γλαύκωνος σὺν ναυσὶν εἴκοσι Κερκυραίοις βοηθήσων, διαφερομένοις πρὸς Κορινθίους.
For this reason he was once chosen with Glaucon to command twenty ships to aid the Corcyraeans, who were at variance with the Corinthians.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα αἰτιαθεὶς ἀσεβεῖν ὡς καὶ αὐτὸς τοὺς Ἑρμᾶς περικόψας καὶ εἰς τὰ τῆς Δήμητρος ἁμαρτὼν μυστήρια, κριθεὶς ἐπὶ τούτοις ἀπέφυγεν ἐπὶ τῷ μηνύσειν τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας σπουδὴν δὲ πᾶσαν εἰσενεγκάμενος ἐξεῦρε τοὺς περὶ τὰ ἱερὰ ἁμαρτόντας, ἐν οἷς καὶ τὸν αὑτοῦ πατέρα ἐμήνυσε.
But after this, having been accused of impiety on the ground that he himself had also mutilated the Hermae and committed offenses against the mysteries of Demeter, and having been brought to trial on these charges, he escaped by promising to inform against the wrongdoers. Having exerted every effort, he discovered those who had offended against the sacred things, among whom he also informed against his own father.
καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους πάντας ἐλέγξας ἐποίησεν ἀπολέσθαι τὸν δὲ πατέρα ἐρρύσατο, καίτοι δεδεμένον ἤδη, ὑποσχόμενος πολλὰ λυσιτελήσειν αὐτὸν τῇ πόλει· καὶ οὐκ ἐψεύσατο· ἤλεγξε γὰρ ὁ Λεωγόρας πολλοὺς δημόσια χρήματα σφετεριζομένους καὶ ἄλλα τινὰ ἀδικοῦντας.
And having convicted all the others, he caused them to perish, but saved his father, although already in bonds, by promising that he would be of great benefit to the city; and he did not speak falsely, for Leogoras convicted many who were embezzling public funds and committing other offenses.
καὶ διὰ μὲν ταῦτα ἀφείθη τῆς· αἰτίας·
For these reasons he was cleared of the charge.
οὐκ εὐδοκιμῶν δʼ ὁ· Ἀνδοκίδης ἐπὶ τοῖς πολιτευομένοις ἐπέθετο ναυκληρίᾳ,καὶ τοῖς τε Κυπρίων βασιλεῦσι καὶ πολλοῖς ἄλλοις δοκίμοις ἐπεξενώθη ὅτε καὶ μίαν τῶν πολιτίδων, Ἀριστείδου θυγατέρα, ἀνεψιὰν οὖσαν αὐτῷ, λάθρα τῶν οἰκείων ἐξαγαγὼν ἔπεμψε δῶρον τῷ Κυπρίων βασιλεῖ.
But Andocides, not being well-regarded in political affairs, took to merchant shipping, and entered into guest-friendship with the kings of Cyprus and many other notable men; at which time also, having secretly from her relatives taken out of the country a female citizen, a daughter of Aristeides who was his cousin, he sent her as a gift to the king of Cyprus.
μέλλων δʼ ἐπὶ τούτοις εἰς δικαστήριον εἰσάγεσθαι πάλιν αὐτὴν ἐξέκλεψεν ἀπὸ τῆς Κύπρου, καὶ ληφθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐδέθη· διαδρὰς δʼ ἧκεν εἰς τὴν πόλιν, καθʼ ὃν χρόνον οἱ τετρακόσιοι διεῖπον τὰ πράγματα·
But when he was about to be brought to trial for this, he stole her back again from Cyprus, and being caught by the king, he was imprisoned; having escaped, he came to the city, at the time when the Four Hundred were managing affairs.
δεθεὶς δʼ ὑπὸ τούτων καὶ διαφυγών, αὖθις ὁπότε κατελύθη ἡ ὀλιγαρχία, ἐξέπεσε τῆς πόλεως, τῶν τριάκοντα τὴν ἀρχὴν παραλαβόντων.
But being imprisoned by them and escaping, again when the oligarchy was overthrown, he was banished from the city when the Thirty took over the government.
οἰκήσας δὲ τὸν τῆς φυγῆς χρόνον ἐν Ἤλιδι, κατελθόντων τῶν περὶ Θρασύβουλον, καὶ αὐτὸς ἧκεν εἰς τὴν πόλιν.
And having lived during the time of his exile in Elis, when Thrasybulus and his party returned, he also came back to the city.
πεμφθεὶς δὲ περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης εἰς Λακεδαίμονα καὶ δόξας ἀδικεῖν ἔφυγε.
But being sent to Lacedaemon concerning the peace and being thought to have done wrong, he went into exile.
δηλοῖ δὲ περὶ πάντων ἐν τοῖς λόγοις οἷς συγγέγραφεν· οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἀπολογουμένου περὶ τῶν μυστηρίων εἰσίν, οἱ δὲ καθόδου δεομένου.
He makes all these things clear in the speeches which he composed; for some are of him defending himself concerning the mysteries, and others of him petitioning for his return.
σῴζεται δʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ ὁ περὶ τῆς ἐνδείξεως λόγος καὶ Ἀπολογία πρὸς Φαίακα καὶ περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης.
There are also preserved of his the speech On the Information, and the Defense against Phaeax, and On the Peace.
καὶ ἤκμακε μὲν κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον ἅμα Σωκράτει τῷ φιλοσόφῳ· ἀρχὴ δʼ αὐτῷ τῆς γενέσεως ὀλυμπιὰς μὲν ἑβδομηκοστὴ ὀγδόη, ἄρχων δʼ Ἀθήνησι Θεογενίδης· ὥστʼ εἶναι πρεσβύτερον αὐτὸν Λυσίου ἔτεσί που ἑκατόν.
He flourished during this time together with Socrates the philosopher; the beginning of his birth was in the seventy-eighth Olympiad, when Theogenides was archon at Athens, so that he was older than Lysias by some hundred years.
τούτου δʼ ἐπώνυμός ἐστι καὶ Ἑρμῆς ὁ Ἀνδοκίδου καλούμενος, ἀνάθημα μὲν ὢν φυλῆς Αἰγηίδος, ἐπικληθεὶς δʼ Ἀνδοκίδου διὰ τὸ πλησίον παροικῆσαι τὸν Ἀνδοκίδην.
After him is also named the Herm called "of Andocides", which was an offering of the Aegeis tribe, but was called "of Andocides" because Andocides lived near it.
καὶ αὐτὸς δʼ ἐχορήγησε κυκλίῳ χορῷ τῇ αὑτοῦ φυλῇ ἀγωνιζομένῃ διθυράμβῳ, καὶ νικήσας ἀνέθηκε τρίποδα ἐφʼ ὑψηλοῦ ἀντικρὺ τοῦ πωρίνου Σειληνοῦ.
And he himself served as choregos for a cyclic chorus when his own tribe competed in the dithyramb, and having won, he dedicated a tripod on a high base opposite the Silenus of tufa.
ἔστι δʼ ἁπλοῦς καὶ ἀκατάσκευος ἐν τοῖς λόγοις, ἀφελής τε καὶ ἀσχημάτιστος.
He is simple and unadorned in his speeches, plain and without figures of speech.