§26οὐ μὴν ἀλλʼ εἴ τις ἄλλος λέγει καὶ ὑμᾶς πείθει, ἔστω, μὴ ἀμύνεσθε, ἅπαντα πρόεσθε.
However, if anyone else says so and persuades you, let it be; do not defend yourselves, surrender everything.
εἰ δὲ μηδενὶ τοῦτο δοκεῖ, τοὐναντίον δὲ πρόϊσμεν ἅπαντες ὅτι, ὅσῳ ἂν πλειόνων ἐάσωμεν ἐκεῖνον γενέσθαι κύριον, τοσούτῳ χαλεπωτέρῳ καὶ ἰσχυροτέρῳ χρησόμεθʼ ἐχθρῷ, ποῖ ἀναδυόμεθα, ἢ τί μέλλομεν;
But if no one thinks this, and on the contrary, we all know beforehand that the more things we allow him to master, the more difficult and powerful an enemy we shall have to deal with, where are we retreating to, or why do we delay?
ἢ πότʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τὰ δέοντα ποιεῖν ἐθελήσομεν;
Or when, men of Athens, will we be willing to do what is necessary?
ὅταν νὴ Δίʼ ἀναγκαῖον ᾖ.
When, by Zeus, some necessity arises?
§27ἀλλʼ ἣν μὲν ἄν τις ἐλευθέρων ἀνθρώπων ἀνάγκην εἴποι, οὐ μόνον ἤδη πάρεστιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάλαι παρελήλυθε, τὴν δὲ τῶν δούλων ἀπεύχεσθαι δήπου μὴ γενέσθαι δεῖ.
But the necessity that one might speak of for free men is not only already present, but has long since passed; whereas that of slaves we must surely pray never to experience.
διαφέρει δὲ τί;
And what is the difference?
ὅτι ἐστὶν ἐλευθέρῳ μὲν ἀνθρώπῳ μεγίστη ἀνάγκη ἡ ὑπὲρ τῶν γιγνομένων αἰσχύνη, καὶ μείζω ταύτης οὐκ οἶδʼ ἥντινʼ ἂν εἴποι τις· δούλῳ δὲ πληγαὶ χὠ τοῦ σώματος αἰκισμός, ὃ μήτε γένοιτο οὔτε λέγειν ἄξιον.
It is that for a free man, the greatest necessity is the shame for what is happening, and I do not know what greater necessity one could speak of than this; but for a slave, it is blows and bodily abuse, which may it never happen, and is not even fit to mention.
§28τὸ μὲν τοίνυν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, πρὸς τὰ τοιαῦτʼ ὀκνηρῶς διακεῖσθαι, ἃ δεῖ τοῖς σώμασι καὶ ταῖς οὐσίαις λῃτουργῆσαι ἕκαστον, ἐστὶ μὲν οὐκ ὀρθῶς ἔχον, οὐδὲ πολλοῦ δεῖ, οὐ μὴν ἀλλʼ ἔχει τινὰ πρόφασιν ὅμως·
To be reluctantly disposed towards such matters, where each is required to serve with his body and property, men of Athens, is indeed not correct, far from it; yet it has some excuse nonetheless.
τὸ δὲ μηδʼ ὅσʼ ἀκοῦσαι δεῖ μηδʼ ὅσα βουλεύσασθαι προσήκει, μηδὲ ταῦτʼ ἐθέλειν, τοῦτʼ ἤδη πᾶσαν ἐπιδέχεται κατηγορίαν.
But not to be willing even to hear what must be heard, nor to deliberate on what is fitting to deliberate, this already admits of every possible accusation.
§29ὑμεῖς τοίνυν οὐκ ἀκούειν, πρὶν ἂν ὥσπερ νῦν αὐτὰ παρῇ τὰ πράγματα, οὐχὶ βουλεύεσθαι περὶ οὐδενὸς εἰώθατʼ ἐφʼ ἡσυχίας, ἀλλʼ ὅταν μὲν ἐκεῖνος παρασκευάζηται, ἀμελήσαντες τοῦ ποιεῖν ταὐτὸ καὶ ἀντιπαρασκευάζεσθαι ῥᾳθυμεῖτε, καὶ ἄν τι λέγῃ τις, ἐκβάλλετε, ἐπειδὰν δʼ ἀπολωλὸς ἢ πολιορκούμενόν τι πύθησθε, ἀκροᾶσθε καὶ παρασκευάζεσθε·
Yet you are not accustomed to listen until, as now, the very events are upon you, nor to deliberate about anything in time of quiet; but whenever he is making preparations, you neglect to do the same and make counter-preparations, passing your time in indolence, and if anyone says anything, you hiss him off; but when you hear that some place is lost or besieged, then you listen and prepare.
§30ἦν δʼ ἀκηκοέναι μὲν καὶ βεβουλεῦσθαι τότε καιρός, ὅθʼ ὑμεῖς οὐκ ἠθέλετε, πράττειν δὲ καὶ χρῆσθαι τοῖς παρεσκευασμένοις νῦν, ἡνίκʼ ἀκούετε.
But the time to have heard and deliberated was then, when you were unwilling, and the time to act and make use of your preparations is now, when you are hearing.
τοιγαροῦν ἐκ τῶν τοιούτων ἐθῶν μόνοι τῶν πάντων ἀνθρώπων ὑμεῖς τοῖς ἄλλοις τοὐναντίον ποιεῖτε· οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλοι πρὸ τῶν πραγμάτων εἰώθασι χρῆσθαι τῷ βουλεύεσθαι, ὑμεῖς δὲ μετὰ τὰ πράγματα.
Therefore, from such habits, you alone of all men do the opposite of others; for while others are accustomed to deliberate before events, you do so after events.
§31ὃ δὴ λοιπόν ἐστι, καὶ πάλαι μὲν ἔδει, διαφεύγει δʼ οὐδὲ νῦν, τοῦτʼ ἐρῶ.
I will speak of what remains, which was necessary long ago but even now does not escape us.
οὐδενὸς τῶν πάντων οὕτως ὡς χρημάτων δεῖ τῇ πόλει πρὸς τὰ νῦν ἐπιόντα πράγματα.
There is nothing among all things that the city needs so much for the presently impending events as money.
συμβέβηκε δʼ εὐτυχήματʼ ἀπὸ ταὐτομάτου, οἷς ἂν χρησώμεθʼ ὀρθῶς, ἴσως ἂν γένοιτο τὰ δέοντα.
But some fortunate events have happened spontaneously, which, if we use them rightly, might perhaps result in what is necessary.
πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ οἷς βασιλεὺς πιστεύει καὶ εὐεργέτας ὑπείληφεν ἑαυτοῦ, οὗτοι μισοῦσι καὶ πολεμοῦσι Φίλιππον.
First, those whom the King trusts and has regarded as his own benefactors now hate Philip and are at war with him.
§32ἔπειθʼ ὁ πράττων καὶ συνειδὼς ἅπανθʼ ἃ Φιλλιππος κατὰ βασιλέως παρασκευάζεται, οὗτος ἀνάσπαστος γέγονε, καὶ πάσας τὰς πράξεις βασιλεὺς οὐχ ἡμῶν κατηγορούντων ἀκούσεται, οὓς ὑπὲρ τοῦ συμφέροντος ἂν ἡγήσαιτο τοῦ ἰδίου λέγειν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ πράξαντος αὐτοῦ καὶ διοικοῦντος, ὥστʼ εἶναι πιστάς, καὶ λοιπὸν λόγον εἶναι τοῖς παρʼ ὑμῶν πρέσβεσιν, ὃν βασιλεὺς ἥδιστʼ ἂν ἀκούσαι, §33ὡς τὸν ἀμφοτέρους ἀδικοῦντα κοινῇ τιμωρήσασθαι δεῖ, καὶ ὅτι πολὺ τῷ βασιλεῖ φοβερώτερός ἐσθʼ ὁ Φίλιππος, ἂν προτέροις ἡμῖν ἐπιθῆται· εἰ γὰρ ἐγκαταλειπόμενοί τι πεισόμεθʼ ἡμεῖς, ἀδεῶς ἐπʼ ἐκεῖνον ἤδη πορεύσεται.
Secondly, the one who was acting and is privy to all that Philip is preparing against the King has been carried up to him; and the King will hear of all these actions, not from our accusations—whom he might think are speaking for our own interest—but from the very person who acted and managed them, so that they will be credible, and there remains a message for your envoys which the King would most gladly hear, namely, that the one who wrongs both must be punished in common, and that Philip is far more fearsome to the King if he should attack us first; for if we, being abandoned, should suffer anything, he will then march against the King without fear.
ὑπὲρ δὴ τούτων ἁπάντων οἶμαι δεῖν ὑμᾶς πρεσβείαν ἐκπέμπειν, ἥτις τῷ βασιλεῖ διαλέξεται, καὶ τὴν ἀβελτερίαν ἀποθέσθαι, διʼ ἣν πολλάκις ἠλαττώθητε,
ὁ δὴ βάρβαρος, καὶ ὁ κοινὸς ἅπασιν ἐχθρός,
καὶ πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα.
Therefore, for all these reasons, I think you ought to send an embassy to negotiate with the King, and to cast aside that foolishness through which you have often been disadvantaged—'the barbarian, indeed,' and 'the common enemy of all,' and all such talk.
§34ἐγὼ γὰρ ὅταν τινʼ ἴδω τὸν μὲν ἐν Σούσοις καὶ Ἐγβατάνοις δεδοικότα καὶ κακόνουν εἶναι τῇ πόλει φάσκοντα, ὃς καὶ πρότερον συνεπηνώρθωσε τὰ τῆς πόλεως πράγματα καὶ νῦν ἐπηγγέλλετο (εἰ δὲ μὴ ἐδέχεσθʼ ὑμεῖς, ἀλλʼ ἀπεψηφίζεσθε, οὐ τἀκείνου αἴτια), ὑπὲρ δὲ τοῦ ἐπὶ ταῖς θύραις ἐγγὺς οὑτωσὶ ἐν μέσῃ τῇ Ἑλλάδι αὐξανομένου λῃστοῦ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἄλλο τι λέγοντα, θαυμάζω, καὶ δέδοικα τοῦτον, ὅστις ἂν ᾖ ποτʼ, ἔγωγε, ἐπειδὴ οὐχ οὗτος Φίλιππον.
For when I see someone who fears the one in Susa and Ecbatana, claiming he is ill-disposed to the city—who indeed formerly helped restore the city's affairs and was now offering to do so (and if you did not accept but voted against it, that is not his fault)—but speaks otherwise of the robber of the Greeks who is growing at our very doors, right in the midst of Greece, I wonder, and I, for my part, fear this man, whoever he may be, since he does not fear Philip.