§258ἐλθόντος, οὐ σπάσαντος ἐξεφαίνετο. §259λόγοι δʼ ἐν ἀλλήλοισιν ἐρρόθουν κακοί, §260φύλαξ ἐλέγχων φύλακα, κἂν ἐγίγνετο §261πληγὴ τελευτῶσʼ, οὐδʼ ὁ κωλύσων παρῆν. §262εἷς γάρ τις ἦν ἕκαστος οὑξειργασμένος, §263κοὐδεὶς ἐναργής, ἀλλʼ ἔφευγε μὴ εἰδέναι. §264ἦμεν δʼ ἕτοιμοι καὶ μύδρους αἴρειν χεροῖν §265καὶ πῦρ διέρπειν καὶ θεοὺς ὁρκωμοτεῖν, §266τὸ μήτε δρᾶσαι μήτε τῳ ξυνειδέναι §267τὸ πρᾶγμα βουλεύσαντι μηδʼ εἰργασμένῳ. §268τέλος δʼ ὅτʼ οὐδὲν ἦν ἐρευνῶσιν πλέον, §269λέγει τις εἷς, ὃ πάντας ἐς πέδον κάρα §270νεῦσαι φόβῳ προὔτρεψεν· οὐ γὰρ εἴχομεν §271οὔτʼ ἀντιφωνεῖν οὔθʼ ὅπως δρῶντες καλῶς §272πράξαιμεν.
of beast or dog having come and torn him was visible. And harsh words bandied back and forth among us, guard accusing guard, and it would have come to blows in the end, nor was there anyone to stop it. For every single one of us was the doer, and no one was clearly guilty, but everyone pleaded ignorance. And we were ready both to lift red-hot iron in our hands, and to walk through fire, and to swear by the gods, that we neither did it nor were accomplice to anyone who planned or executed the deed. At last, when there was no further use in our searching, one spoke, who forced us all to bend our heads to the ground in fear; for we had no way either to answer him or how, by doing what, we might fare well.
ἦν δʼ ὁ μῦθος ὡς ἀνοιστέον §273σοὶ τοὔργον εἴη τοῦτο κοὐχὶ κρυπτέον. §274καὶ ταῦτʼ ἐνίκα, κἀμὲ τὸν δυσδαίμονα §275πάλος καθαιρεῖ τοῦτο τἀγαθὸν λαβεῖν. §276πάρειμι δʼ ἄκων οὐχ ἑκοῦσιν, οἶδʼ ὅτι· §277στέργει γὰρ οὐδεὶς ἄγγελον κακῶν ἐπῶν. §278ἄναξ, ἐμοί τοί, μή τι καὶ θεήλατον §279τοὔργον τόδʼ, ἡ ξύννοια βουλεύει πάλαι §280παῦσαι, πρὶν ὀργῆς καὶ ʼμὲ μεστῶσαι λέγων, §281μὴ ʼφευρεθῇς ἄνους τε καὶ γέρων ἅμα. §282λέγεις γὰρ οὐκ ἀνεκτὰ δαίμονας λέγων §283πρόνοιαν ἴσχειν τοῦδε τοῦ νεκροῦ πέρι. §284πότερον ὑπερτιμῶντες ὡς εὐεργέτην §285ἔκρυπτον αὐτόν, ὅστις ἀμφικίονας §286ναοὺς πυρώσων ἦλθε κἀναθήματα §287καὶ γῆν ἐκείνων καὶ νόμους διασκεδῶν; §288ἢ τοὺς κακοὺς τιμῶντας εἰσορᾷς θεούς;
And his speech was that this deed must be reported to you and not be hidden. And this opinion won out, and the lot condemns me, the ill-fated one, to win this fine prize. I am here unwillingly to those who are unwilling, I know well; for no one loves a messenger of evil tidings. My lord, my thoughts have long been whispering to me whether this deed might not indeed be of divine origin. Stop, before you fill me with anger by your speech, lest you be found both foolish and old at the same time. For you say what is intolerable, saying that the gods have care for this corpse. Did they hide him, honoring him exceedingly as a benefactor, who came to burn with fire their temple-columns and their offerings, and to scatter their land and laws? (already integrated in the lines above) Or do you see the gods honoring the wicked? It is not so.
§289οὔκ ἔστιν. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα καὶ πάλαι πόλεως §290ἄνδρες μόλις φέροντες ἐρρόθουν ἐμοί, §291κρυφῇ κάρα σείοντες, οὐδʼ ὑπὸ ζυγῷ §292λόφον δικαίως εἶχον, ὡς στέργειν ἐμέ. §293ἐκ τῶνδε τούτους ἐξεπίσταμαι καλῶς §294παρηγμένους μισθοῖσιν εἰργάσθαι τάδε. §295οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀνθρώποισιν οἷον ἄργυρος §296κακὸν νόμισμʼ ἔβλαστε.
But long since, men of this city, bearing my rule with difficulty, muttered against me, shaking their heads in secret, nor did they keep their necks under the yoke properly, so as to obey me. From these I know well that those guards were seduced by bribes to do this deed. For no such evil institution as money ever grew up among men.
τοῦτο καὶ πόλεις §297πορθεῖ, τόδʼ ἄνδρας ἐξανίστησιν δόμων· §298τόδʼ ἐκδιδάσκει καὶ παραλλάσσει φρένας §299χρηστὰς πρὸς αἰσχρὰ πράγμαθʼ ἵστασθαι βροτῶν· §300πανουργίας δʼ ἔδειξεν ἀνθρώποις ἔχειν §301καὶ παντὸς ἔργου δυσσέβειαν εἰδέναι. §302ὅσοι δὲ μισθαρνοῦντες ἤνυσαν τάδε, §303χρόνῳ ποτʼ ἐξέπραξαν ὡς δοῦναι δίκην. §304ἀλλʼ εἴπερ ἴσχει Ζεὺς ἔτʼ ἐξ ἐμοῦ σέβας, §305εὖ τοῦτʼ ἐπίστασʼ, ὅρκιος δέ σοι λέγω· §306εἰ μὴ τὸν αὐτόχειρα τοῦδε τοῦ τάφου §307εὑρόντες ἐκφανεῖτʼ ἐς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐμούς, §308οὐχ ὑμὶν Ἅιδης μοῦνος ἀρκέσει, πρὶν ἂν §309ζῶντες κρεμαστοὶ τήνδε δηλώσηθʼ ὕβριν, §310ἵνʼ εἰδότες τὸ κέρδος ἔνθεν οἰστέον §311τὸ λοιπὸν ἁρπάζητε, καὶ μάθηθʼ ὅτι §312οὐκ ἐξ ἅπαντος δεῖ τὸ κερδαίνειν φιλεῖν. §313ἐκ τῶν γὰρ αἰσχρῶν λημμάτων τοὺς πλείονας §314ἀτωμένους ἴδοις ἂν ἢ σεσωσμένους. §315εἰπεῖν τι δώσεις ἢ στραφεὶς οὕτως ἴω; §316οὐκ οἶσθα καὶ νῦν ὡς ἀνιαρῶς λέγεις; §317ἐν τοῖσιν ὠσὶν ἢ ʼπὶ τῇ ψυχῇ δάκνει; §318τί δὲ ῥυθμίζεις τὴν ἐμὴν λύπην ὅπου; §319ὁ δρῶν σʼ ἀνιᾷ τὰς φρένας, τὰ δʼ ὦτʼ ἐγώ. §320οἴμʼ ὡς λάλημα δῆλον ἐκπεφυκὸς εἶ. §321οὔκουν τό γʼ ἔργον τοῦτο ποιήσας ποτέ. §322καὶ ταῦτʼ ἐπʼ ἀργύρῳ γε τὴν ψυχὴν προδούς. §323φεῦ· §323aἦ δεινὸν ᾧ δοκῇ γε καὶ ψευδῆ δοκεῖν. §324κόμψευέ νυν τὴν δόξαν· εἰ δὲ ταῦτα μὴ §325φανεῖτέ μοι τοὺς δρῶντας, ἐξερεῖθʼ ὅτι §326τὰ δειλὰ κέρδη πημονὰς ἐργάζεται. §327ἀλλʼ εὑρεθείη μὲν μάλιστʼ· ἐὰν δέ τοι §328ληφθῇ τε καὶ μή, τοῦτο γὰρ τύχη κρινεῖ, §329οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅπως ὄψει σὺ δεῦρʼ ἐλθόντα με· §330καὶ νῦν γὰρ ἐκτὸς ἐλπίδος γνώμης τʼ ἐμῆς §331σωθεὶς ὀφείλω τοῖς θεοῖς πολλὴν χάριν. §333πολλὰ τὰ δεινὰ κοὐδὲν ἀνθρώπου δεινότερον πέλει. §334τοῦτο καὶ πολιοῦ πέραν πόντου χειμερίῳ νότῳ §335χωρεῖ, περιβρυχίοισιν §336περῶν ὑπʼ οἴδμασιν. §337θεῶν τε τὰν ὑπερτάταν, Γᾶν §338ἄφθιτον, ἀκαμάταν, ἀποτρύεται §339ἰλλομένων ἀρότρων ἔτος εἰς ἔτος
This lays cities low, this drives men from their homes; this trains and warps honest minds of mortals to turn to shameful deeds; it showed men how to practice villainies, and to know impiety in every work. But those who did this for hire, in time have brought it about that they shall pay the penalty. But if Zeus still has reverence from me, know this well, and I speak to you under oath: unless you find the author of this burial and bring him before my eyes, Hades alone shall not suffice for you, until hung up alive you shall make clear this insolence, so that, knowing whence gain is to be won, you may snatch it in the future, and learn that one must not love to gain from every source. For by shameful gains you would see more men ruined than saved. Will you allow me to say something, or shall I turn and go thus? Do you not know even now how painfully you speak? Does it bite in your ears or in your soul? Why do you define where my pain is? The doer hurts your mind, but I your ears. Alas, how clearly you are a born babbler. But at least I never did this deed. And that too having betrayed your life for money. Ah, indeed it is terrible when one who conjectures conjectures falsely. Play now with your "conjecture"; but if you do not show me the doers, you shall declare that cowardly gains work ruin. May he indeed be found above all; but whether he be caught or not—for fortune will decide this— you will certainly not see me coming here again; for even now, saved beyond my hope and my thought, I owe the gods great thanks. Many are the wonders, and nothing is more wonderful than man. This power crosses even the gray sea with the wintry south wind, passing under the engulfing waves. And the eldest of deities, Earth, immortal and unwearied, he wears away, as the plows go back and forth year after year.