§1ἀντὶ πολλῶν ἄν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, χρημάτων ὑμᾶς ἑλέσθαι νομίζω, εἰ φανερὸν γένοιτο τὸ μέλλον συνοίσειν τῇ πόλει περὶ ὧν νυνὶ σκοπεῖτε.
I think, men of Athens, that you would choose, at the price of much wealth, to have the future benefit to the city become clear concerning the matters you are now considering.
ὅτε τοίνυν τοῦθʼ οὕτως ἔχει, προσήκει προθύμως ἐθέλειν ἀκούειν τῶν βουλομένων συμβουλεύειν·
Since, then, this is the case, it is fitting that you should be willing to listen readily to those who wish to advise you.
οὐ γὰρ μόνον εἴ τι χρήσιμον ἐσκεμμένος ἥκει τις, τοῦτʼ ἂν ἀκούσαντες λάβοιτε, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ὑμετέρας τύχης ὑπολαμβάνω πολλὰ τῶν δεόντων ἐκ τοῦ παραχρῆμʼ ἐνίοις ἂν ἐπελθεῖν εἰπεῖν, ὥστʼ ἐξ ἁπάντων ῥᾳδίαν τὴν τοῦ συμφέροντος ὑμῖν αἵρεσιν γενέσθαι.
For not only if someone has come having prepared something useful would you receive it by listening, but I also suppose it is a part of your good fortune that many necessary things would occur to some to speak on the spur of the moment, so that from all these the choice of what is advantageous to you becomes easy.
§2ὁ μὲν οὖν παρὼν καιρός, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, μόνον οὐχὶ λέγει φωνὴν ἀφιεὶς ὅτι τῶν πραγμάτων ὑμῖν ἐκείνων αὐτοῖς ἀντιληπτέον ἐστίν, εἴπερ ὑπὲρ σωτηρίας αὐτῶν φροντίζετε· ἡμεῖς δʼ οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅντινά μοι δοκοῦμεν ἔχειν τρόπον πρὸς αὐτά.
The present crisis, men of Athens, all but speaks with a voice of its own, saying that you yourselves must take hold of those affairs, if indeed you care for their preservation; yet we, I know not how, seem to me to behave in a different manner towards them.
ἔστι δὴ τά γʼ ἐμοὶ δοκοῦντα, ψηφίσασθαι μὲν ἤδη τὴν βοήθειαν, καὶ παρασκευάσασθαι τὴν ταχίστην ὅπως ἐνθένδε βοηθήσετε (καὶ μὴ πάθητε ταὐτὸν ὅπερ καὶ πρότερον), πρεσβείαν δὲ πέμπειν, ἥτις ταῦτʼ ἐρεῖ καὶ παρέσται τοῖς πράγμασιν·
My own opinion indeed is that you should decree the aid at once, and make preparations as quickly as possible so that you may send help from here (and not suffer the same fate as before), and dispatch an embassy which will announce this and be present at the scene of action.
§3ὡς ἔστι μάλιστα τοῦτο δέος, μὴ πανοῦργος ὢν καὶ δεινὸς ἅνθρωπος πράγμασι χρῆσθαι, τὰ μὲν εἴκων, ἡνίκʼ ἂν τύχῃ, τὰ δʼ ἀπειλῶν (ἀξιόπιστος δʼ ἂν εἰκότως φαίνοιτο), τὰ δʼ ἡμᾶς διαβάλλων καὶ τὴν ἀπουσίαν τὴν ἡμετέραν, τρέψηται καὶ παρασπάσηταί τι τῶν ὅλων πραγμάτων.
Since there is the greatest fear that this man, being unscrupulous and clever at managing affairs, by yielding at one time when it happens to suit him, by threatening at another (and he would naturally appear trustworthy), and by slandering us and our absence, may turn and wrest away some part of the whole situation.
§4οὐ μὴν ἀλλʼ ἐπιεικῶς, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τοῦθʼ ὃ δυσμαχώτατόν ἐστι τῶν Φιλίππου πραγμάτων, καὶ βέλτιστον ὑμῖν·
However, men of Athens, that which is hardest to fight against in Philip's affairs is also the best for you.
τὸ γὰρ εἶναι πάντων ἐκεῖνον ἕνʼ ὄντα κύριον καὶ ῥητῶν καὶ ἀπορρήτων καὶ ἅμα στρατηγὸν καὶ δεσπότην καὶ ταμίαν, καὶ πανταχοῦ αὐτὸν παρεῖναι τῷ στρατεύματι, πρὸς μὲν τὸ τὰ τοῦ πολέμου ταχὺ καὶ κατὰ καιρὸν πράττεσθαι πολλῷ προέχει, πρὸς δὲ τὰς καταλλαγάς, ἃς ἂν ἐκεῖνος ποιήσαιτʼ ἄσμενος πρὸς Ὀλυνθίους, ἐναντίως ἔχει.
For the fact that he alone is master of all secrets and disclosures, and at once general, master, and treasurer, and is himself everywhere present with his army, is far superior for executing the operations of war quickly and opportunely, but works in the opposite way for the reconciliations which he would gladly make with the Olynthians.
§5δῆλον γάρ ἐστι τοῖς Ὀλυνθίοις ὅτι νῦν οὐ περὶ δόξης οὐδʼ ὑπὲρ μέρους χώρας πολεμοῦσιν, ἀλλʼ ἀναστάσεως καὶ ἀνδραποδισμοῦ τῆς πατρίδος, καὶ ἴσασιν ἅ τʼ Ἀμφιπολιτῶν ἐποίησε τοὺς παραδόντας αὐτῷ τὴν πόλιν καὶ Πυδναίων τοὺς ὑποδεξαμένους·
For it is clear to the Olynthians that they are not now fighting for glory or for a portion of territory, but to prevent the destruction and enslavement of their fatherland; and they know what he did to those of the Amphipolitans who surrendered their city to him, and to those of the Pydnaeans who received him.
καὶ ὅλως ἄπιστον, οἶμαι, ταῖς πολιτείαις ἡ τυραννίς, ἄλλως τε κἂν ὅμορον χώραν ἔχωσι.
Indeed, tyranny, I believe, is generally a thing of distrust to free constitutions, especially if they share a common border.
§6ταῦτʼ οὖν ἐγνωκότας ὑμᾶς, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, καὶ τἄλλʼ ἃ προσήκει πάντʼ ἐνθυμουμένους φημὶ δεῖν ἐθελῆσαι καὶ παροξυνθῆναι καὶ τῷ πολέμῳ προσέχειν εἴπερ ποτὲ καὶ νῦν, χρήματʼ εἰσφέροντας προθύμως καὶ αὐτοὺς ἐξιόντας καὶ μηδὲν ἐλλείποντας.
Therefore, men of Athens, I say that you, having recognized this and keeping in mind all other proper considerations, must be willing and aroused, and apply yourselves to the war now if ever before, contributing funds eagerly, taking the field yourselves, and omitting nothing.
οὐδὲ γὰρ λόγος οὐδὲ σκῆψις ἔθʼ ὑμῖν τοῦ μὴ τὰ δέοντα ποιεῖν ἐθέλειν ὑπολείπεται.
For no excuse or pretext is left for you to be unwilling to do what is necessary.
§7νυνὶ γάρ, ὃ πάντες ἐθρύλουν τέως, Ὀλυνθίους ἐκπολεμῶσαι δεῖν Φιλίππῳ, γέγονεν αὐτόματον, καὶ ταῦθʼ ὡς ἂν ὑμῖν μάλιστα συμφέροι.
For that which everyone was babbling about until recently, namely that the Olynthians must be brought into war with Philip, has come about of itself, and in such a way as would best benefit you.
εἰ μὲν γὰρ ὑφʼ ὑμῶν πεισθέντες ἀνείλοντο τὸν πόλεμον, σφαλεροὶ σύμμαχοι καὶ μέχρι του ταῦτʼ ἂν ἐγνωκότες ἦσαν ἴσως· ἐπειδὴ δʼ ἐκ τῶν πρὸς αὑτοὺς ἐγκλημάτων μισοῦσι, βεβαίαν εἰκὸς τὴν ἔχθραν αὐτοὺς ὑπὲρ ὧν φοβοῦνται καὶ πεπόνθασιν ἔχειν.
For if they had undertaken the war because they were persuaded by you, they would perhaps have been unstable allies and resolved on this only up to a point; but since they hate him because of grievances against themselves, it is likely that they will hold their enmity firm because of what they fear and have suffered.
§8οὐ δεῖ δὴ τοιοῦτον, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, παραπεπτωκότα καιρὸν ἀφεῖναι, οὐδὲ παθεῖν ταὐτὸν ὅπερ ἤδη πολλάκις πρότερον πεπόνθατε.
You must not, then, men of Athens, let slip such an opportunity that has presented itself, nor suffer the same fate that you have already suffered many times before.
εἰ γάρ, ὅθʼ ἥκομεν Εὐβοεῦσιν βεβοηθηκότες καὶ παρῆσαν Ἀμφιπολιτῶν Ἱέραξ καὶ Στρατοκλῆς ἐπὶ τουτὶ τὸ βῆμα, κελεύοντες ἡμᾶς πλεῖν καὶ παραλαμβάνειν τὴν πόλιν, τὴν αὐτὴν παρειχόμεθʼ ἡμεῖς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν προθυμίαν ἥνπερ ὑπὲρ τῆς Εὐβοέων σωτηρίας, εἴχετʼ ἂν Ἀμφίπολιν τότε καὶ πάντων τῶν μετὰ ταῦτʼ ἂν ἦτʼ ἀπηλλαγμένοι πραγμάτων.
For if, when we had returned from helping the Euboeans, and Hierax and Stratocles of Amphipolis came to this very speaker's platform, urging us to sail and take over their city, we had displayed the same eagerness for ourselves as we did for the safety of the Euboeans, you would have held Amphipolis then and would have been rid of all the troubles that followed.