§15ἀλλὰ πῶς καταλύεται, οὐδεὶς λέγει οὐδὲ παρρησιάζεται.
But how it is overthrown, no one says nor speaks out frankly.
ἐγὼ δὲ φράσω· ὅταν ὑμεῖς, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, φαύλως ἠγμένοι, πολλοὶ καὶ ἄποροι καὶ ἄοπλοι καὶ ἀσύντακτοι καὶ μὴ ταὐτὰ γιγνώσκοντες ἦτε, καὶ μήτε στρατηγὸς μήτʼ ἄλλος μηδεὶς ὧν ἂν ὑμεῖς ψηφίσησθε φροντίζῃ, καὶ ταῦτα μηδεὶς λέγειν ἐθέλῃ μηδʼ ἐπανορθοῖ, μηδʼ ὅπως παύσεται τοιαῦτʼ ὄντα πράττῃ, ὃ νῦν ἀεὶ συμβαίνει.
But I will tell you: whenever you, O men of Athens, are poorly led, being many, impoverished, unarmed, unorganized, and not of the same mind, and neither a general nor anyone else cares at all for what you may decree, and no one wishes to speak of these things or correct them, nor does anything to stop them from being so—which is what is always happening now—[it is then that democracy is overthrown].
§16καὶ νὴ Δίʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, ἕτεροί γε λόγοι παρερρυήκασι πρὸς ὑμᾶς ψευδεῖς, καὶ πολλὰ τὴν πολιτείαν βλάπτοντες, οἷον
ἐν τοῖς δικαστηρίοις ὑμῖν ἐστιν ἡ σωτηρία,
καὶ
δεῖ τῇ ψήφῳ τὴν πολιτείαν ὑμᾶς φυλάττειν. ἐγὼ δʼ οἶδʼ ὅτι ταῦτα μὲν ὑμῖν τῶν πρὸς ἀλλήλους δικαίων ἐστὶ κύρια, ἐν δὲ τοῖς ὅπλοις δεῖ κρατεῖν τῶν ἐχθρῶν, καὶ διὰ τούτων ἐστὶν ἡ σωτηρία τῆς πολιτείας.
And by Zeus, O men of Athens, other false speeches have slipped in among you, doing great harm to the commonwealth, such as: "In the law-courts is your salvation," and "You must guard the commonwealth with your vote." But I know that while these things have authority over your mutual rights against one another, you must overcome your enemies in arms, and through these is the salvation of the commonwealth.
§17οὐ γὰρ τὸ ψηφίσασθαι τοῖς ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις ποιήσει τὸ νικᾶν, ἀλλʼ οἱ μετὰ τούτων κρατοῦντες τοὺς ἐχθροὺς καὶ ψηφίζεσθαι καὶ ἄλλʼ ὅ τι ἂν βούλησθε ποιεῖν ὑμῖν ἐξουσίαν καὶ ἄδειαν παρασκευάσουσι· δεῖ γὰρ ἐν μὲν τοῖς ὅπλοις φοβερούς, ἐν δὲ τοῖς δικαστηρίοις φιλανθρώπους εἶναι.
For it is not passing decrees that will bring victory to those in arms, but those who overcome the enemy with arms will provide you with the authority and security to pass decrees and to do whatever else you wish; for you must be formidable in arms, but humane in the law-courts.
§18εἰ δέ τῳ δοκῶ μείζους ἢ κατʼ ἐμαυτὸν λέγειν λόγους, αὐτὸ τοῦτʼ ὀρθῶς αὐτῶν ἔχει· τὸν γὰρ ὑπὲρ τηλικαύτης πόλεως ῥηθησόμενον λόγον καὶ τοιούτων πραγμάτων παντὸς ἑνὸς τοῦ λέγοντος ἀεὶ μείζω φαίνεσθαι δεῖ, καὶ τῆς ἀξίας τῆς ὑμετέρας ἐγγὺς εἶναι, μὴ τῆς τοῦ λέγοντος.
And if I seem to anyone to speak words greater than my own worth, this very thing is right about them; for a speech to be delivered on behalf of so great a city and such important matters must always appear greater than any single speaker, and must be close to your dignity, not to that of the speaker.
ὅτι δʼ οὐδεὶς τῶν ὑφʼ ὑμῶν τιμωμένων ταῦτα λέγει, τὰς προφάσεις ἐγὼ διέξειμʼ ὑμῖν.
But why none of those honored by you says these things, I will explain the reasons to you.
§19οἱ μὲν πρὸς ἀρχαιρεσίας καὶ ταύτην τὴν τάξιν προσιόντες δοῦλοι τῆς ἐπὶ τῷ χειροτονεῖσθαι χάριτος περιέρχονται, τελεσθῆναι στρατηγὸς ἕκαστος σπουδάζων, οὐκ ἀνδρὸς ἔργον οὐδὲν πρᾶξαι.
Those who go after elections and this class go about as slaves to the favor of being voted for, each one striving to be appointed general, rather than to perform any manly deed.
εἰ δέ τις καὶ τοιοῦτός ἐστιν οἷος ἐγχειρεῖν ἔργῳ τῳ, νῦν μὲν ἡγεῖται τὴν τῆς πόλεως δόξαν ἀφορμὴν ἔχων καὶ τοὔνομα, τῆς τῶν ἐναντιωσομένων ἐρημίας ἀπολαύων, τὰς ἐλπίδας ὑμῖν ὑποτείνων, ἄλλο δʼ οὐδὲ ἕν, κληρονομήσειν αὐτὸς τῶν ὑμετέρων ἀγαθῶν, ὅπερ ἐστίν, ἂν δʼ ὑμεῖς διʼ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν ἕκαστα πράττητε, τὸ ἴσον τοῖς ἄλλοις ὥσπερ τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν, οὕτω καὶ τῶν ἐκ τούτων ἕξειν.
And if there is anyone of such a character as to attempt any deed, he now believes that, having the reputation and the name of the city as his starting-point, and enjoying the absence of any opposition, and holding out hopes to you but doing nothing else, he himself will inherit your advantages—which is indeed the case; but he knows that if you perform each task by yourselves, he will have only an equal share with the others in the deeds themselves and in the results arising from them.
§20οἱ δὲ πολιτευόμενοι καὶ περὶ ταῦτʼ ὄντες, τὸ τὰ βέλτιστα σκοπεῖν ὑμῖν ἀφέντες, προσκεχωρήκασι πρὸς τούτους· καὶ πρότερον μὲν κατὰ συμμορίας εἰσεφέρετε, νυνὶ δὲ πολιτεύεσθε κατὰ συμμορίας.
And the politicians who are busy with these matters, having abandoned to you the consideration of what is best, have gone over to these men; and whereas formerly you used to pay taxes by tax-groups, now you conduct politics by tax-groups.
ῥήτωρ ἡγεμὼν καὶ στρατηγὸς ὑπὸ τούτῳ καὶ οἱ βοησόμενοι μεθʼ ἑκατέρων τριακόσιοι· οἱ δʼ ἄλλοι προσνενέμησθε οἱ μὲν ὡς τούτους, οἱ δʼ ὡς ἐκείνους.
An orator is the leader, a general is under him, and those who will shout for them are three hundred on each side; and the rest of you are distributed, some to these, some to those.
τοιγαροῦν ὑμῖν περίεστιν ἐκ τούτων ὁ δεῖνα χαλκοῦς καὶ ὁ δεῖνʼ εὐδαίμων, εἷς ἢ δύο, ὑπὲρ τὴν πόλιν· οἱ δʼ ἄλλοι μάρτυρες τῆς τούτων εὐδαιμονίας κάθησθε, τῆς καθʼ ἡμέραν ῥᾳθυμίας πολλὴν καὶ μεγάλην ὑπάρχουσαν ὑμῖν εὐδαιμονίαν τούτοις προϊέμενοι.
Therefore, what remains to you from these things is that so-and-so has a bronze statue and so-and-so is wealthy, one or two of them rising above the city; while the rest of you sit as witnesses of their prosperity, giving up to them, in return for daily ease, the abundant and great prosperity that rightfully belongs to you.
§21καίτοι σκέψασθε πῶς ἐπὶ τῶν προγόνων ταῦτʼ εἶχεν· οὐ γὰρ ἀλλοτρίοις ὑμῖν παραδείγμασι χρησαμένοις, ἀλλʼ οἰκείοις ἔξεσθʼ ἃ προσήκει πράττειν εἰδέναι.
And yet consider how these things were in the time of your ancestors; for you will be able to know what you ought to do, not by using foreign examples, but your own.
ἐκεῖνοι Θεμιστοκλέα τὸν τὴν ἐν Σαλαμῖνι ναυμαχίαν στρατηγοῦντα καὶ Μιλτιάδην τὸν ἡγούμενον Μαραθῶνι καὶ πολλοὺς ἄλλους, οὐκ ἴσα τοῖς νῦν στρατηγοῖς ἀγάθʼ εἰργασμένους, μὰ Δίʼ οὐ χαλκοῦς ἵστασαν, ἀλλʼ ὡς οὐδὲν αὑτῶν κρείττους ὄντας, οὕτως ἐτίμων.
They did not, by Zeus, set up bronze statues of Themistocles, who commanded the sea-fight at Salamis, nor of Miltiades, who led at Marathon, nor of many others who performed benefits not equal to those of the present generals, but they honored them in such a way as being in no way superior to themselves.