§67ἀλλὰ μὴν οὐδὲ τὴν πραότητα δικαίως ἄν τις ἐπαινέσειε τὴν ἐκείνων μᾶλλον ἢ τὴν τοῦ δήμου.
Furthermore, no one could justly praise their mildness rather than that of the people.
οἱ μὲν γὰρ ψηφίσματι παραλαβόντες τὴν πόλιν πεντακοσίους μὲν καὶ χιλίους τῶν πολιτῶν ἀκρίτους ἀπέκτειναν, εἰς δὲ τὸν Πειραιᾶ φυγεῖν πλείους ἢ πεντακισχιλίους ἠνάγκασαν· οἱ δὲ κρατήσαντες καὶ μεθʼ ὅπλων κατιόντες, αὐτοὺς τοὺς αἰτιωτάτους τῶν κακῶν ἀνελόντες, οὕτω τὰ πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους καλῶς καὶ νομίμως διῴκησαν, ὥστε μηδὲν ἔλαττον ἔχειν τοὺς ἐκβαλόντας τῶν κατελθόντων.
For they, having taken over the city by a decree, put to death fifteen hundred of the citizens without trial, and forced more than five thousand to flee to the Peiraeus; but the others, when they conquered and returned with arms, having executed only those who were most responsible for the evils, administered the relations with the rest so well and lawfully that those who had expelled them had nothing less than those who returned.
§68ὃ δὲ πάντων κάλλιστον καὶ μέγιστον τεκμήριον τῆς ἐπιεικείας τοῦ δήμου· δανεισαμένων γὰρ τῶν ἐν ἄστει μεινάντων ἑκατὸν τάλαντα παρὰ Λακεδαιμονίων εἰς τὴν πολιορκίαν τῶν τὸν Πειραιᾶ κατασχόντων, ἐκκλησίας γενομένης περὶ ἀποδόσεως τῶν χρημάτων, καὶ λεγόντων πολλῶν ὡς δίκαιόν ἐστι διαλύειν τὰ πρὸς Λακεδαιμονίους μὴ τοὺς πολιορκουμένους ἀλλὰ τοὺς δανεισαμένους, ἔδοξε τῷ δήμῳ κοινὴν ποιήσασθαι τὴν ἀπόδοσιν.
And here is the finest and greatest proof of the fairness of the people: for when those who had remained in the city borrowed a hundred talents from the Lacedaemonians for the siege of those who occupied the Peiraeus, when an assembly was held concerning the repayment of the money, and many said that it was just that not those who had been besieged but those who had borrowed the money should discharge the debt to the Lacedaemonians, the people resolved to make the repayment common.
§69καὶ γάρ τοι διὰ ταύτην τὴν γνώμην εἰς τοιαύτην ἡμᾶς ὁμόνοιαν κατέστησαν καὶ τοσοῦτον ἐπιδοῦναι τὴν πόλιν ἐποίησαν, ὥστε Λακεδαιμονίους, τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς ὀλιγαρχίας ὀλίγου δεῖν καθʼ ἑκάστην τὴν ἡμέραν προστάττοντας ἡμῖν, ἐλθεῖν ἐπὶ τῆς δημοκρατίας ἱκετεύσοντας καὶ δεησομένους μὴ περιιδεῖν αὐτοὺς ἀναστάτους γενομένους.
And indeed, because of this decision, they established us in such harmony and made the city increase so much, that the Lacedaemonians, who under the oligarchy had commanded us almost every single day, came under the democracy as suppliants to beg and entreat us not to allow them to be utterly destroyed.
τὸ δʼ οὖν κεφάλαιον τῆς ἑκατέρων διανοίας τοιοῦτον ἦν· οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἠξίουν τῶν μὲν πολιτῶν ἄρχειν, τοῖς δὲ πολεμίοις δουλεύειν, οἱ δὲ τῶν μὲν ἄλλων ἄρχειν, τοῖς δὲ πολίταις ἴσον ἔχειν.
In short, the sum of the purpose of each was as follows: for the one thought it right to rule over the citizens but to be slaves to the enemies, while the others thought it right to rule over other people but to be equal with the citizens.
§70ταῦτα δὲ διῆλθον δυοῖν ἕνεκα, πρῶτον μὲν ἐμαυτὸν ἐπιδεῖξαι βουλόμενος οὐκ ὀλιγαρχιῶν οὐδὲ πλεονεξιῶν ἀλλὰ δικαίας καὶ κοσμίας ἐπιθυμοῦντα πολιτείας, ἔπειτα τὰς δημοκρατίας τάς τε κακῶς καθεστηκυίας ἐλαττόνων συμφορῶν αἰτίας γιγνομένας, τὰς τε καλῶς πολιτευομένας προεχούσας τῷ δικαιοτέρας εἶναι καὶ κοινοτέρας καὶ τοῖς χρωμένοις ἡδίους.
And I have gone through these things for two reasons: first, wishing to show myself as desiring not oligarchies nor greeds, but a just and orderly constitution; secondly, to show that even poorly established democracies cause fewer misfortunes, and those that are well governed excel by being more just, more impartial, and more pleasant to those who live under them.
§71τάχʼ οὖν ἄν τις θαυμάσειε, τί βουλόμενος ἀντὶ τῆς πολιτείας τῆς οὕτω πολλὰ καὶ καλὰ διαπεπραγμένης ἑτέραν ὑμᾶς πείθω μεταλαβεῖν, καὶ τίνος ἕνεκα νῦν μὲν οὕτω καλῶς ἐγκεκωμίακα τὴν δημοκρατίαν, ὅταν δὲ τύχω, πάλιν μεταβαλὼν ἐπιτιμῶ καὶ κατηγορῶ τῶν καθεστώτων.
Perhaps, then, someone might wonder what my purpose is in persuading you to exchange the constitution that has accomplished so many and fine things for another, and for what reason I have now so beautifully eulogized the democracy, but on other occasions, changing back, I find fault with and accuse the established order.
§72ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ τῶν ἰδιωτῶν τοὺς ὀλίγα μὲν κατορθοῦντας πολλὰ δʼ ἐξαμαρτάνοντας μέμφομαι καὶ νομίζω φαυλοτέρους εἶναι τοῦ δέοντος, καὶ πρός γε τούτοις τοὺς γεγονότας ἐκ καλῶν κἀγαθῶν ἀνδρῶν, καὶ μικρῷ μὲν ὄντας ἐπιεικεστέρους τῶν ὑπερβαλλόντων ταῖς πονηρίαις, πολὺ δὲ χείρους τῶν πατέρων, λοιδορῶ, καὶ συμβουλεύσαιμʼ ἂν αὐτοῖς παύσασθαι τοιούτοις οὖσιν.
But I, also in the case of private citizens, find fault with those who succeed in few things but err in many, and I think they are worse than they ought to be; and moreover, those born of noble and good men, who are only slightly better than those surpassing in wickedness, but much worse than their fathers, I reproach, and I would advise them to cease being such as they are.
§73τὴν αὐτὴν οὖν γνώμην ἔχω καὶ περὶ τῶν κοινῶν· ἡγοῦμαι γὰρ δεῖν ἡμᾶς οὐ μέγα φρονεῖν οὐδʼ ἀγαπᾶν, εἰ κακοδαιμονησάντων καὶ μανέντων ἀνθρώπων νομιμώτεροι γεγόναμεν, ἀλλὰ πολὺ μᾶλλον ἀγανακτεῖν καὶ βαρέως φέρειν, εἰ χείρους τῶν προγόνων τυγχάνοιμεν ὄντες· πρὸς γὰρ τὴν ἐκείνων ἀρετὴν ἀλλʼ οὐ πρὸς τὴν τῶν τριάκοντα πονηρίαν ἁμιλλητέον ἡμῖν ἐστιν, ἄλλως τε καὶ προσῆκον ἡμῖν βελτίστοις ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων εἶναι.
I hold, then, the same opinion also concerning public affairs; for I think we ought not to be proud nor to be content if we have become more law-abiding than men who were wretched and insane, but much rather to be indignant and to take it hard if we happen to be worse than our ancestors; for we must compete with their virtue and not with the wickedness of the Thirty, especially since it is fitting for us to be the best of all mankind.
§74καὶ τοῦτον εἴρηκα τὸν λόγον οὐ νῦν πρῶτον, ἀλλὰ πολλάκις ἤδη καὶ πρὸς πολλούς.
And I have said this not for the first time now, but many times already and to many people.
ἐπίσταμαι γὰρ ἐν μὲν τοῖς ἄλλοις τόποις φύσεις ἐγγιγνομένας καρπῶν καὶ δένδρων καὶ ζώων ἰδίας ἐν ἑκάστοις καὶ πολὺ τῶν ἄλλων διαφερούσας, τὴν δʼ ἡμετέραν χώραν ἄνδρας φέρειν καὶ τρέφειν δυναμένην οὐ μόνον πρὸς τὰς τέχνας καὶ τὰς πράξεις καὶ τοὺς λόγους εὐφυεστάτους, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς ἀνδρίαν καὶ πρὸς ἀρετὴν πολὺ διαφέροντας.
For I know that while in other places there arise peculiar natures of crops and trees and animals in each, far differing from the others, our own land is capable of bearing and rearing men who are not only most naturally gifted for the arts, actions, and speeches, but also far excelling in courage and virtue.
§75τεκμαίρεσθαι δὲ δίκαιόν ἐστι τοῖς τε παλαιοῖς ἀγῶσιν, οὓς ἐποιήσαντο πρὸς Ἀμαζόνας καὶ Θρᾷκας καὶ Πελοποννησίους ἅπαντας, καὶ τοῖς κινδύνοις τοῖς περὶ τὰ Περσικὰ γενομένοις, ἐν οἷς καὶ μόνοι καὶ μετὰ Πελοποννησίων, καὶ πεζομαχοῦντες καὶ ναυμαχοῦντες, νικήσαντες τοὺς βαρβάρους ἀριστείων ἠξιώθησαν· ὧν οὐδὲν ἂν ἔπραξαν, εἰ μὴ πολὺ τὴν φύσιν διήνεγκαν.
And it is just to judge this by the ancient contests which they waged against the Amazons and the Thracians and all the Peloponnesians, and by the dangers that arose in the Persian wars, in which, both alone and with the Peloponnesians, fighting both by land and by sea, they conquered the barbarians and were deemed worthy of the prize of valor; none of which they would have accomplished if they had not far excelled in their nature.