§8τί οὖν ὑπόλοιπον, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, πλὴν βοηθεῖν ἐρρωμένως καὶ προθύμως;
What else is left, men of Athens, except to help with strength and eagerness?
ἐγὼ μὲν οὐχ ὁρῶ· χωρὶς γὰρ τῆς περιστάσης ἂν ἡμᾶς αἰσχύνης, εἰ καθυφείμεθά τι τῶν πραγμάτων, οὐδὲ τὸν φόβον, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, μικρὸν ὁρῶ τὸν τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα, ἐχόντων μὲν ὡς ἔχουσι Θηβαίων ἡμῖν, ἀπειρηκότων δὲ χρήμασι Φωκέων, μηδενὸς δʼ ἐμποδὼν ὄντος Φιλίππῳ τὰ παρόντα καταστρεψαμένῳ πρὸς ταῦτʼ ἐπικλῖναι τὰ πράγματα.
I for my part do not see anything; for apart from the shame that would surround us if we should neglect any of our duties, I do not see the fear, men of Athens, of what will follow to be small, since the Thebans are disposed towards us as they are, the Phocians are exhausted of money, and there is no one to stand in the way of Philip, once he has subdued the present crisis, turning his attention to these matters.
§9ἀλλὰ μὴν εἴ τις ὑμῶν εἰς τοῦτʼ ἀναβάλλεται ποιήσειν τὰ δέοντα, ἰδεῖν ἐγγύθεν βούλεται τὰ δεινά, ἐξὸν ἀκούειν ἄλλοθι γιγνόμενα, καὶ βοηθοὺς ἑαυτῷ ζητεῖν, ἐξὸν νῦν ἑτέροις αὐτὸν βοηθεῖν· ὅτι γὰρ εἰς τοῦτο περιστήσεται τὰ πράγματα, ἐὰν τὰ παρόντα προώμεθα, σχεδὸν ἴσμεν ἅπαντες δήπου.
But indeed, if any of you postpones doing his duty until then, he wishes to see the terrors from nearby, when it is possible to hear of them happening elsewhere, and to seek helpers for himself, when it is possible now for him to help others; for that affairs will come to this if we abandon the present opportunities, almost all of us, I presume, know well.
§10ἀλλʼ ὅτι μὲν δὴ δεῖ βοηθεῖν, εἴποι τις ἄν, πάντες ἐγνώκαμεν, καὶ βοηθήσομεν· τὸ δʼ ὅπως, τοῦτο λέγε. μὴ τοίνυν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, θαυμάσητε, ἂν παράδοξον εἴπω τι τοῖς πολλοῖς.
But indeed, someone might say, "We all know that we must help, and we will help; but tell us how." Do not then, men of Athens, be surprised if I say something contrary to the expectation of the majority.
νομοθέτας καθίσατε.
Appoint lawmakers.
ἐν δὲ τούτοις τοῖς νομοθέταις μὴ θῆσθε νόμον μηδένα (εἰσὶ γὰρ ὑμῖν ἱκανοί), ἀλλὰ τοὺς εἰς τὸ παρὸν βλάπτοντας ὑμᾶς λύσατε.
And among these lawmakers, pass no law (for you have enough of them), but repeal those that are harmful to you in the present situation.
§11λέγω τοὺς περὶ τῶν θεωρικῶν, σαφῶς οὑτωσί, καὶ τοὺς περὶ τῶν στρατευομένων ἐνίους, ὧν οἱ μὲν τὰ στρατιωτικὰ τοῖς οἴκοι μένουσι διανέμουσι θεωρικά, οἱ δὲ τοὺς ἀτακτοῦντας ἀθῴους καθιστᾶσιν, εἶτα καὶ τοὺς τὰ δέοντα ποιεῖν βουλομένους ἀθυμοτέρους ποιοῦσιν.
I mean those concerning the festival fund, to speak thus clearly, and some concerning those on military service, of which some distribute the military funds as festival money to those who remain at home, while others make those who are disorderly go unpunished, and then make those who wish to do their duty more despondent.
ἐπειδὰν δὲ ταῦτα λύσητε καὶ τὴν τοῦ τὰ βέλτιστα λέγειν ὁδὸν παράσχητʼ ἀσφαλῆ, τηνικαῦτα τὸν γράψονθʼ ἃ πάντες ἴσθʼ ὅτι συμφέρει ζητεῖτε.
And when you have repealed these and made the path of speaking what is best safe, only then seek someone who will propose what you all know is advantageous.
§12πρὶν δὲ ταῦτα πρᾶξαι, μὴ σκοπεῖτε τίς εἰπὼν τὰ βέλτισθʼ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ὑφʼ ὑμῶν ἀπολέσθαι βουλήσεται· οὐ γὰρ εὑρήσετε, ἄλλως τε καὶ τούτου μόνου περιγίγνεσθαι μέλλοντος, παθεῖν ἀδίκως τι κακὸν τὸν ταῦτʼ εἰπόντα καὶ γράψαντα, μηδὲν δʼ ὠφελῆσαι τὰ πράγματα, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς τὸ λοιπὸν μᾶλλον ἔτʼ ἢ νῦν τὸ τὰ βέλτιστα λέγειν φοβερώτερον ποιῆσαι.
But before doing this, do not look for who will wish, by speaking what is best for you, to be destroyed by you; for you will not find him, especially since the only result likely to follow is that the one who spoke and proposed these things will suffer some unjust harm without benefiting affairs at all, but rather making the speaking of what is best even more terrifying for the future than it is now.
καὶ λύειν γʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τοὺς νόμους δεῖ τούτους τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἀξιοῦν οἵπερ καὶ τεθήκασιν· §13οὐ γάρ ἐστι δίκαιον, τὴν μὲν χάριν, ἣ πᾶσαν ἔβλαπτε τὴν πόλιν, τοῖς τότε θεῖσιν ὑπάρχειν, τὴν δʼ ἀπέχθειαν, διʼ ἧς ἂν ἅπαντες ἄμεινον πράξαιμεν, τῷ νῦν τὰ βέλτιστʼ εἰπόντι ζημίαν γενέσθαι.
And indeed, men of Athens, you must demand that those very same people who passed these laws should also repeal them; for it is not just that the favor, which harmed the whole city, should remain with those who then passed them, while the unpopularity, through which we might all fare better, should become a penalty for the one who now speaks what is best.
πρὶν δὲ ταῦτʼ εὐτρεπίσαι, μηδαμῶς, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, μηδένʼ ἀξιοῦτε τηλικοῦτον εἶναι παρʼ ὑμῖν ὥστε τοὺς νόμους τούτους παραβάντα μὴ δοῦναι δίκην, μηδʼ οὕτως ἀνόητον ὥστʼ εἰς προῦπτον κακὸν αὑτὸν ἐμβαλεῖν.
And before putting these things in order, men of Athens, by no means demand that anyone among you should be so great as to violate these laws without paying the penalty, nor so foolish as to cast himself into obvious ruin.
§14οὐ μὴν οὐδʼ ἐκεῖνό γʼ ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν δεῖ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, ὅτι ψήφισμʼ οὐδενὸς ἄξιόν ἐστιν, ἂν μὴ προσγένηται τὸ ποιεῖν ἐθέλειν τά γε δόξαντα προθύμως.
Nor indeed must you be ignorant of this, men of Athens, that a decree is worth nothing unless there is added to it the willingness to do what has been decided with eagerness.
εἰ γὰρ αὐτάρκη τὰ ψηφίσματʼ ἦν ἢ ὑμᾶς ἀναγκάζειν ἃ προσήκει πράττειν ἢ περὶ ὧν γραφείη διαπράξασθαι, οὔτʼ ἂν ὑμεῖς πολλὰ ψηφιζόμενοι μικρά, μᾶλλον δʼ οὐδὲν ἐπράττετε τούτων, οὔτε Φίλιππος τοσοῦτον ὑβρίκει χρόνον· πάλαι γὰρ ἂν εἵνεκά γε ψηφισμάτων ἐδεδώκει δίκην.
For if decrees were self-sufficient, either to force you to do what is fitting or to accomplish the matters about which they were written, you would not be doing so little, or rather nothing of these things, while voting so much, nor would Philip have insulted you for so long; for long ago, as far as decrees are concerned, he would have paid the penalty.
§15ἀλλʼ οὐχ οὕτω ταῦτʼ ἔχει· τὸ γὰρ πράττειν τοῦ λέγειν καὶ χειροτονεῖν ὕστερον ὂν τῇ τάξει, πρότερον τῇ δυνάμει καὶ κρεῖττόν ἐστιν.
But things are not so; for doing, though being later in order than speaking and voting, is prior in power and is superior.
τοῦτʼ οὖν δεῖ προσεῖναι, τὰ δʼ ἄλλʼ ὑπάρχει· καὶ γὰρ εἰπεῖν τὰ δέοντα παρʼ ὑμῖν εἰσιν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, δυνάμενοι, καὶ γνῶναι πάντων ὑμεῖς ὀξύτατοι τὰ ῥηθέντα, καὶ πρᾶξαι δὲ δυνήσεσθε νῦν, ἐὰν ὀρθῶς ποιῆτε.
This, therefore, must be added, while the other things are already present; for indeed there are those among you, men of Athens, who are capable of speaking what is necessary, and you are the sharpest of all to understand what has been said, and you will also be able to act now, if you do what is right.