§1ἔδει μέν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τοὺς λέγοντας ἅπαντας μήτε πρὸς ἔχθραν ποιεῖσθαι λόγον μηδένα μήτε πρὸς χάριν, ἀλλʼ ὃ βέλτιστον ἕκαστος ἡγεῖτο, τοῦτʼ ἀποφαίνεσθαι, ἄλλως τε καὶ περὶ κοινῶν πραγμάτων καὶ μεγάλων ὑμῶν βουλευομένων·
It was indeed duty, men of Athens, for all speakers to make no speech out of hostility or favor, but to declare what each thought best, especially when you are deliberating on public and important matters.
ἐπεὶ δʼ ἔνιοι τὰ μὲν φιλονικίᾳ, τὰ δʼ ᾑτινιδήποτʼ αἰτίᾳ προάγονται λέγειν, ὑμᾶς, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τοὺς πολλοὺς δεῖ πάντα τἄλλʼ ἀφελόντας, ἃ τῇ πόλει νομίζετε συμφέρειν, ταῦτα καὶ ψηφίζεσθαι καὶ πράττειν.
But since some are prompted to speak, partly from rivalry, and partly from whatever cause, you, men of Athens, who are the majority, must set aside all other things and both vote for and do what you believe is beneficial to the city.
§2ἡ μὲν οὖν σπουδὴ περὶ τῶν ἐν Χερρονήσῳ πραγμάτων ἐστὶ καὶ τῆς στρατείας, ἣν ἑνδέκατον μῆνα τουτονὶ Φίλιππος ἐν Θρᾴκῃ ποιεῖται· τῶν δὲ λόγων οἱ πλεῖστοι περὶ ὧν Διοπείθης πράττει καὶ μέλλει ποιεῖν εἴρηνται.
Now, the present concern is about the affairs in the Chersonese and the expedition which Philip has been making in Thrace for this eleventh month; but most of the speeches have been made about what Diopithes is doing and is about to do.
ἐγὼ δʼ ὅσα μέν τις αἰτιᾶταί τινα τούτων, οὓς κατὰ τοὺς νόμους ἐφʼ ὑμῖν ἐστιν, ὅταν βούλησθε, κολάζειν, κἂν ἤδη δοκῇ κἂν ἐπισχοῦσιν περὶ αὐτῶν σκοπεῖν ἐγχωρεῖν ἡγοῦμαι, καὶ οὐ πάνυ δεῖ περὶ τούτων οὔτʼ ἔμʼ οὔτʼ ἄλλον οὐδένʼ ἰσχυρίζεσθαι· §3ὅσα δʼ ἐχθρὸς ὑπάρχων τῇ πόλει καὶ δυνάμει πολλῇ περὶ Ἑλλήσποντον ὢν πειρᾶται προλαβεῖν, κἂν ἅπαξ ὑστερήσωμεν, οὐκέθʼ ἕξομεν σῶσαι, περὶ τούτων δʼ οἴομαι τὴν ταχίστην συμφέρειν καὶ βεβουλεῦσθαι καὶ παρεσκευάσθαι, καὶ μὴ τοῖς περὶ τῶν ἄλλων θορύβοις καὶ ταῖς κατηγορίαις ἀπὸ τούτων ἀποδρᾶναι.
I believe that concerning those matters for which someone accuses any of those whom it is in your power to punish under the laws whenever you wish, it is permissible to examine them either immediately or after a delay, and there is no need at all for me or anyone else to insist strongly on these; but concerning those things which an enemy of the city, being with a large force around the Hellespont, is trying to seize beforehand, and if we are once too late, we shall no longer have the power to save, I think it is beneficial for us to have deliberated and prepared with the utmost speed, and not to run away from these through the clamors and accusations concerning other matters.
§4πολλὰ δὲ θαυμάζων τῶν εἰωθότων λέγεσθαι παρʼ ὑμῖν, οὐδενὸς ἧττον, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τεθαύμακα, ὃ καὶ πρώην τινὸς ἤκουσʼ εἰπόντος ἐν τῇ βουλῇ, ὡς ἄρα δεῖ τὸν συμβουλεύοντα ἢ πολεμεῖν ἁπλῶς ἢ τὴν εἰρήνην ἄγειν συμβουλεύειν.
While I wonder at many of the things usually said among you, men of Athens, I have wondered at nothing less than what I heard someone saying lately in the council, that indeed the adviser must advise either simply to make war or to keep peace.
§5ἔστι δέ, εἰ μὲν ἡσυχίαν Φίλιππος ἄγει καὶ μήτε τῶν ἡμετέρων ἔχει παρὰ τὴν εἰρήνην μηδὲν μήτε συσκευάζεται πάντας ἀνθρώπους ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς, οὐκέτι δεῖ λέγειν, ἀλλʼ ἁπλῶς εἰρήνην ἀκτέον, καὶ τά γʼ ἀφʼ ὑμῶν ἕτοιμʼ ὑπάρχονθʼ ὁρῶ· εἰ δʼ ἃ μὲν ὠμόσαμεν καὶ ἐφʼ οἷς τὴν εἰρήνην ἐποιησάμεθα, §6ἔστιν ἰδεῖν καὶ γεγραμμένα κεῖται, φαίνεται δʼ ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς ὁ Φίλιππος, πρὶν Διοπείθην ἐκπλεῦσαι καὶ τοὺς κληρούχους, οὓς νῦν αἰτιῶνται πεποιηκέναι τὸν πόλεμον, πολλὰ μὲν τῶν ἡμετέρων ἀδίκως εἰληφώς, ὑπὲρ ὧν ψηφίσμαθʼ ὑμέτερʼ ἐγκαλοῦντα κύρια ταυτί, πάντα δὲ τὸν χρόνον συνεχῶς τὰ τῶν ἄλλων Ἑλλήνων καὶ βαρβάρων λαμβάνων καὶ ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς συσκευαζόμενος, τί τοῦτο λέγουσιν, ὡς πολεμεῖν ἢ ἄγειν εἰρήνην δεῖ;
But the case is this: if Philip is keeping quiet and holds none of our possessions contrary to the peace, and is not organizing all men against us, we should no longer speak, but simply keep peace, and I see that your side is ready; but if the terms on which we swore and made peace are to be seen and lie written, and yet it is clear from the beginning, before Diopithes and the settlers sailed out (whom they now accuse of having made the war), that Philip has unjustly taken many of our possessions (concerning which your decrees of accusation are valid), and has been continuously taking the property of other Greeks and barbarians all the time and organizing them against us, what do they mean by saying that we must either make war or keep peace?
§7οὐ γὰρ αἵρεσίς ἐστιν ἡμῖν τοῦ πράγματος, ἀλλʼ ὑπολείπεται τὸ δικαιότατον καὶ ἀναγκαιότατον τῶν ἔργων, ὃ ὑπερβαίνουσιν ἑκόντες οὗτοι.
For we have no choice in the matter, but there remains the most just and necessary of actions, which these men willingly bypass.
τί οὖν ἐστι τοῦτο;
What then is this?
ἀμύνεσθαι τὸν πρότερον πολεμοῦνθʼ ἡμῖν.
To defend ourselves against the one who is first making war on us.
πλὴν εἰ τοῦτο λέγουσι νὴ Δίʼ, ὡς, ἂν ἀπέχηται τῆς Ἀττικῆς καὶ τοῦ Πειραιῶς Φίλιππος, οὔτʼ ἀδικεῖ τὴν πόλιν οὔτε ποιεῖ πόλεμον.
Unless, by Zeus, they mean this: that as long as Philip keeps away from Attica and the Peiraeus, he neither wrongs the city nor makes war.
§8εἰ δʼ ἐκ τούτων τὰ δίκαια τίθενται καὶ τὴν εἰρήνην ταύτην ὁρίζονται, ὅτι μὲν δήπουθεν οὔθʼ ὅσιʼ οὔτʼ ἀνεκτὰ λέγουσιν οὔθʼ ὑμῖν ἀσφαλῆ, δῆλόν ἐστιν ἅπασιν, οὐ μὴν ἀλλʼ ἐναντία συμβαίνει ταῖς κατηγορίαις ἃς Διοπείθους κατηγοροῦσι καὶ αὐτὰ ταῦτα λέγειν αὐτούς.
But if they place justice on these terms and define peace in this way, it is obvious to everyone that they speak neither holy nor tolerable nor safe things for you; nevertheless, it happens that their saying these very things is contrary to the accusations they bring against Diopithes.
τί γὰρ δήποτε τῷ μὲν Φιλίππῳ πάντα τἄλλα ποιεῖν ἐξουσίαν δώσομεν, ἂν τῆς Ἀττικῆς ἀπέχηται, τῷ Διοπείθει δʼ οὐδὲ βοηθεῖν τοῖς Θρᾳξὶν ἐξέσται, ἢ πόλεμον ποιεῖν αὐτὸν φήσομεν;
For why indeed shall we give Philip permission to do all other things as long as he keeps away from Attica, while Diopithes shall not even be allowed to help the Thracians, or we shall say that he himself is making war?
§9ἀλλὰ νὴ Δία, ταῦτα μὲν ἐξελέγχονται, δεινὰ ποιοῦσι δʼ οἱ ξένοι περικόπτοντες τὰ ἐν Ἑλλησπόντῳ, καὶ Διοπείθης ἀδικεῖ κατάγων τὰ πλοῖα, καὶ δεῖ μὴ ἐπιτρέπειν αὐτῷ. ἔστω, γιγνέσθω ταῦτα, οὐδὲν ἀντιλέγω.
But, by Zeus, "these things are indeed refuted, but the mercenaries are doing terrible things by ravaging the parts in the Hellespont, and Diopithes is doing wrong by bringing in the ships, and we must not permit him." Let it be so, let these things happen, I do not object.
οἶμαι μέντοι δεῖν, εἴπερ ὡς ἀληθῶς ἐπὶ πᾶσι δικαίοις ταῦτα συμβουλεύουσιν, §10ὥσπερ τὴν ὑπάρχουσαν τῇ πόλει δύναμιν καταλῦσαι ζητοῦσι, τὸν ἐφεστηκότα καὶ πορίζοντα χρήματα ταύτῃ διαβάλλοντες ἐν ὑμῖν, οὕτω τὴν Φιλίππου δύναμιν δεῖξαι διαλυθησομένην, ἂν ὑμεῖς ταῦτα πεισθῆτε.
I think, however, that if indeed they advise these things in all honesty and justice, just as they seek to dissolve the existing force of the city by slandering before you the one who is in command and providing funds for it, so they must show that Philip's force will be dissolved if you are persuaded by these things.
εἰ δὲ μή, σκοπεῖθʼ ὅτι οὐδὲν ἄλλο ποιοῦσιν ἢ καθιστᾶσι τὴν πόλιν εἰς τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον διʼ οὗ τὰ πράγμαθʼ ἅπαντʼ ἀπολώλεκεν.
If not, consider that they are doing nothing else than bringing the city into the very same state through which all our affairs have been ruined.