§1καὶ σπουδαῖα νομίζων, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, περὶ ὧν βουλεύεσθε, καὶ ἀναγκαῖα τῇ πόλει, πειράσομαι περὶ αὐτῶν εἰπεῖν ἃ νομίζω συμφέρειν.
Believing, men of Athens, that the matters on which you are deliberating are both important and necessary for the city, I shall try to speak on them what I think is beneficial.
οὐκ ὀλίγων δʼ ὄντων ἁμαρτημάτων οὐδʼ ἐκ μικροῦ χρόνου συνειλεγμένων, ἐξ ὧν φαύλως ταῦτʼ ἔχει, οὐδέν ἐστιν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τῶν πάντων δυσκολώτερον εἰς τὸ παρὸν ἢ ὅτι ταῖς γνώμαις ὑμεῖς ἀφεστήκατε τῶν πραγμάτων, καὶ τοσοῦτον χρόνον σπουδάζεθʼ ὅσον ἂν κάθησθʼ ἀκούοντες ἢ προσαγγελθῇ τι νεώτερον, εἶτʼ ἀπελθὼν ἕκαστος ὑμῶν οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν φροντίζει περὶ αὐτῶν, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ μέμνηται.
Although there are not a few errors, accumulated over no short time, from which our affairs are in a bad state, there is nothing, men of Athens, more difficult in the present situation than that you have in your minds withdrawn from practical affairs, and you show zeal only for as long as you sit listening or until some newer news is announced, and then each of you, having departed, not only cares nothing about them, but does not even remember them.
§2ἡ μὲν οὖν ἀσέλγεια καὶ πλεονεξία, ᾗ πρὸς ἅπαντας ἀνθρώπους Φίλιππος χρῆται, τοσαύτη τὸ πλῆθος ὅσην ἀκούετε· ὅτι δʼ οὐκ ἔνι ταύτης ἐκεῖνον ἐπισχεῖν ἐκ λόγου καὶ δημηγορίας οὐδεὶς ἀγνοεῖ δήπου.
Now, the insolence and greed which Philip displays toward all men is as great in extent as you hear; but that it is impossible to restrain him from this by words and public speeches, no one, I suppose, is ignorant.
καὶ γὰρ εἰ μηδʼ ἀφʼ ἑνὸς τῶν ἄλλων τοῦτο μαθεῖν δύναταί τις, ὡδὶ λογισάσθω.
For even if one cannot learn this from any other source, let him reason as follows.
ἡμεῖς οὐδαμοῦ πώποτε, ὅπου περὶ τῶν δικαίων εἰπεῖν ἐδέησεν, ἡττήθημεν οὐδʼ ἀδικεῖν ἐδόξαμεν, ἀλλὰ πάντων πανταχοῦ κρατοῦμεν καὶ περίεσμεν τῷ λόγῳ.
We have never yet been defeated anywhere, wherever it was necessary to speak about justice, nor have we been thought to act unjustly, but we prevail everywhere over everyone and surpass them in speech.
§3ἆρʼ οὖν διὰ τοῦτʼ ἐκείνῳ φαύλως ἔχει τὰ πράγματα, ἢ τῇ πόλει καλῶς;
Does it then, for this reason, go badly for him, or well for the city?
πολλοῦ γε καὶ δεῖ·
Far from it!
ἐπειδὰν γὰρ ὁ μὲν λαβὼν μετὰ ταῦτα βαδίζῃ τὰ ὅπλα, πᾶσιν τοῖς οὖσιν ἑτοίμως κινδυνεύσων, ἡμεῖς δὲ καθώμεθʼ εἰρηκότες τὰ δίκαια, οἱ δʼ ἀκηκοότες, εἰκότως, οἶμαι, τοὺς λόγους τἄργα παρέρχεται, καὶ προσέχουσιν ἅπαντες οὐχ οἷς εἴπομέν ποθʼ ἡμεῖς δικαίοις ἢ νῦν ἂν εἴποιμεν, ἀλλʼ οἷς ποιοῦμεν.
For when he, having taken up arms, marches after this, ready to risk all his possessions, while we sit having spoken what is just, and having heard it, naturally, I think, deeds surpass words, and everyone pays attention not to the just words we once spoke or might speak now, but to what we do.
ἔστι δὲ ταῦτʼ οὐδένα τῶν ἀδικουμένων σῴζειν δυνάμενα· οὐδὲν γὰρ δεῖ πλείω περὶ αὐτῶν λέγειν.
And these deeds are capable of saving none of those who are being wronged; therefore there is no need to say more about them.
§4τοιγάρτοι διεστηκότων εἰς δύο ταῦτα τῶν ἐν ταῖς πόλεσι, τῶν μὲν εἰς τὸ μήτʼ ἄρχειν βίᾳ βούλεσθαι μηδενὸς μήτε δουλεύειν ἄλλῳ, ἀλλʼ ἐν ἐλευθερίᾳ καὶ νόμοις ἐξ ἴσου πολιτεύεσθαι, τῶν δʼ εἰς τὸ ἄρχειν μὲν τῶν πολιτῶν ἐπιθυμεῖν, ἑτέρῳ δʼ ὑπακούειν, διʼ ὅτου ποτʼ ἂν οἴωνται τοῦτο δυνήσεσθαι ποιῆσαι, οἱ τῆς ἐκείνου προαιρέσεως, οἱ τυραννίδων καὶ δυναστειῶν ἐπιθυμοῦντες, κεκρατήκασι πανταχοῦ, καὶ πόλις δημοκρατουμένη βεβαίως οὐκ οἶδʼ εἴ τίς ἐστι τῶν πασῶν λοιπὴ πλὴν ἡ ἡμετέρα.
Therefore, when the people in the cities are divided into these two factions—some wishing neither to rule others by force nor to be enslaved to another, but to live as citizens in freedom and under equal laws, while others desire to rule their fellow citizens and to obey another, through whomsoever they think they will be able to accomplish this—those who favor his policy, desiring tyrannies and oligarchic rules, have prevailed everywhere, and I do not know if any democratic city is left firmly established among them all, except ours.
§5καὶ κεκρατήκασιν οἱ διʼ ἐκείνου τὰς πολιτείας ποιούμενοι πᾶσιν ὅσοις πράγματα πράττεται, πρώτῳ μὲν πάντων καὶ πλείστῳ τῷ τοῖς βουλομένοις χρήματα λαμβάνειν ἔχειν τὸν δώσονθʼ ὑπὲρ αὑτῶν, δευτέρῳ δὲ καὶ οὐδὲν ἐλάττονι τούτου τῷ δύναμιν τὴν καταστρεψομένην τοὺς ἐναντιουμένους αὐτοῖς ἐν οἷς ἂν αἰτήσωσι χρόνοις παρεῖναι.
And those who shape their constitutions through him have prevailed in all the means by which affairs are transacted: first of all and greatest, by having a donor to give money on their behalf to those who wish to receive it; and second, and no less than this, by having a force present, at whatever time they may ask, that will subdue those who oppose them.
§6ἡμεῖς δʼ οὐ μόνον τούτοις ὑπολειπόμεθʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, ἀλλʼ οὐδʼ ἀνεγερθῆναι δυνάμεθα, ἀλλὰ μανδραγόραν πεπωκόσιν ἤ τι φάρμακον ἄλλο τοιοῦτον ἐοίκαμεν ἀνθρώποις·
And we, men of Athens, are not only left behind in these matters, but we cannot even be aroused; rather, we resemble men who have drunk mandragora or some other such drug.
εἶτʼ, οἶμαι, (δεῖ γάρ, ὡς ἐγὼ κρίνω, λέγειν τἀληθῆ) οὕτω διαβεβλήμεθα καὶ καταπεφρονήμεθʼ ἐκ τούτων ὥστε τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ κινδυνεύειν ὄντων οἱ μὲν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἡγεμονίας ἡμῖν ἀντιλέγουσιν, οἱ δʼ ὑπὲρ τοῦ ποῦ συνεδρεύσουσι, τινὲς δὲ καθʼ αὑτοὺς ἀμύνεσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ μεθʼ ἡμῶν ἐγνώκασιν.
Consequently, I think (for I must speak the truth, as I judge it), we have been so discredited and despised as a result of these things that of those who are in the midst of danger itself, some dispute with us about the leadership, others about where they should hold their meetings, and some have resolved to defend themselves on their own rather than with us.
§7τοῦ χάριν δὴ ταῦτα λέγω καὶ διεξέρχομαι;
For what reason, indeed, do I say these things and go through them?
οὐ γὰρ ἀπεχθάνεσθαι μὰ τὸν Δία καὶ πάντας θεοὺς προαιροῦμαι.
For, by Zeus and all the gods, I do not choose to make myself enemies.
ἵνʼ ὑμῶν ἕκαστος, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τοῦτο γνῷ καὶ εἰδῇ, ὅτι ἡ καθʼ ἡμέραν ῥᾳστώνη καὶ ῥᾳθυμία, ὥσπερ τοῖς ἰδίοις βίοις, οὕτω καὶ ταῖς πόλεσιν οὐκ ἐφʼ ἑκάστου τῶν ἀμελουμένων ποιεῖ τὴν αἴσθησιν εὐθέως, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ τῷ κεφαλαίῳ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀπαντᾷ.
It is so that each of you, men of Athens, may know and realize this: that daily ease and slackness, just as in private lives, so also for cities, does not make its effect felt immediately in each neglected detail, but meets us in the general sum of affairs.