§8νῦν δὲ πρωτεύειν μὲν ὑμεῖς ἀξιοῦτε καὶ τὰ δίκαιʼ ὁρίζειν τοῖς ἄλλοις, τὴν δὲ ταῦτʼ ἐφορεύσουσαν καὶ φυλάξουσαν δύναμιν οὔτε κατεσκεύασθʼ οὔτε κατασκευάζεσθε, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ πολλῆς μὲν ἡσυχίας καὶ ἐρημίας ὑμῶν ὁ Μυτιληναίων δῆμος καταλέλυται, ἐπὶ πολλῆς δʼ ἡσυχίας ὁ Ῥοδίων, ἐχθρός γʼ ὢν ἡμῖν, φαίη τις ἄν·
But now, while you claim to hold the first place and to define justice for others, you have neither prepared nor are preparing the force that will oversee and guard these things; rather, while you remained in great quiet and isolation, the democracy of the Mytilenaeans was overthrown, and in great quiet that of the Rhodians—yes, someone might say, though they are our enemies.
ἀλλὰ μείζω χρὴ νομίζειν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τὴν πρὸς τὰς ὀλιγαρχίας ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς τῆς προαιρέσεως ἔχθραν, ἢ τὴν πρὸς τοὺς δήμους ὑπὲρ ὧν ποτʼ ἂν ᾖ.
But you must believe, O men of Athens, that hostility toward oligarchies on behalf of your political system itself is greater than hostility toward democracies on account of whatever individual causes there may be.
§9ἀλλʼ ἵνʼ ἐκεῖσʼ ἐπανέλθω, φημὶ δεῖν ὑμᾶς συντετάχθαι, καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν τοῦ τε λαβεῖν καὶ τοῦ ποιεῖν ἃ προσήκει σύνταξιν εἶναι.
But to return to that point, I say that you must be organized, and that there must be the same organization for receiving and for doing what is proper.
διελέχθην δʼ ὑμῖν περὶ τούτων καὶ πρότερον, καὶ διεξῆλθον ὡς ἂν συνταχθείητε, οἵ θʼ ὁπλῖται καὶ οἱ ἱππεῖς καὶ ὅσοι τούτων ἐκτός ἐστε, καὶ εὐπορία τις ἂν ἅπασι γένοιτο κοινή.
I spoke to you about these things before, and went through how you might be organized—both the hoplites and the cavalry and those of you who are outside these classes—and how a common resource might arise for all.
§10ὃ δέ μοι πλείστην ἀθυμίαν παρέσχεν ἁπάντων, ἐρῶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς καὶ οὐκ ἀποκρύψομαι, ὅτι πολλῶν καὶ μεγάλων καὶ καλῶν ὄντων τούτων ἁπάντων, τῶν μὲν ἄλλων οὐδενὸς οὐδεὶς μέμνηται, τοῖν δυοῖν δʼ ὀβολοῖν ἅπαντες.
But what has caused me the greatest discouragement of all, I will tell you and not conceal it: that though all these proposals are many, great, and noble, no one remembers any of the others, but everyone remembers the two obols.
καίτοι τοὺς μὲν οὐκ ἔστι πλείονος ἢ δυοῖν ὀβολοῖν ἀξίους εἶναι, τἄλλα δὲ μετὰ τούτων ὧν εἶπον τῶν βασιλέως ἄξιʼ ἐστὶ χρημάτων, πόλιν τοσούτους ὁπλίτας ἔχουσαν καὶ τριήρεις καὶ ἵππους καὶ χρημάτων πρόσοδον συντετάχθαι καὶ παρεσκευάσθαι.
And yet, while those two obols cannot be worth more than two obols, the other things, together with what I have mentioned, are worth the wealth of the King—namely, that a city possessing so many hoplites, triremes, cavalry, and financial revenues should be organized and prepared.
§11τί οὖν ταῦτα νῦν λέγω;
Why then do I say these things now?
ὅτι φημὶ δεῖν ὑμᾶς, ἐπειδὴ τὸ μὲν πάντας μισθοφορεῖν δυσχεραίνουσί τινες, τὸ δὲ συνταχθῆναι καὶ παρασκευασθῆναι παρὰ πάντων χρήσιμον εἶναι δοκιμάζεται, ἐντεῦθεν ἄρξασθαι τοῦ πράγματος, καὶ προθεῖναι περὶ τούτων τῷ βουλομένῳ γνώμην ἀποφήνασθαι.
Because I say that since some are displeased with the idea of everyone receiving pay, while organization and preparation are approved by all as useful, you should begin the matter from here, and propose a motion on these things for anyone who wishes to declare his opinion.
ὡς οὕτως ἔχει· ἂν μὲν ὑμεῖς νῦν πεισθῆτε τούτων καιρὸν εἶναι, ὅταν αὐτῶν εἰς χρείαν ἔλθητε, ἕτοιμʼ ὑπάρξει· ἂν δʼ ἀκαιρίαν ἡγησάμενοι παρίδητε, ὅταν δέῃ χρῆσθαι, τότʼ ἀναγκασθήσεσθε παρασκευάζεσθαι.
For the situation is thus: if you are now persuaded that this is the right time for these things, whenever you have need of them, they will be ready; but if you overlook them, thinking it is the wrong time, when it is necessary to use them, you will then be forced to prepare them.
§12ἤδη δέ τις εἶπεν ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοί που λέγων, οὐχ ὑμῶν τῶν πολλῶν, ἀλλὰ τῶν διαρρηγνυμένων εἰ ταῦτα γενήσεται,
τί δʼ ὑμῖν ἐκ τῶν Δημοσθένους λόγων ἀγαθὸν γέγονεν;
And already someone somewhere has spoken, O men of Athens, saying—not from among the multitude of you, but from those who would burst with rage if these things should happen: "What good has come to you from Demosthenes' speeches?
παρελθὼν ὑμῶν, ὅταν αὐτῷ δόξῃ, ἐνέπλησε τὰ ὦτα λόγων, καὶ διέσυρε τὰ παρόντα, καὶ τοὺς προγόνους ἐπῄνεσεν, καὶ μετεωρίσας καὶ φυσήσας ὑμᾶς κατέβη. §13ἐγὼ δʼ εἰ μὲν ὑμᾶς δυναίμην ὧν λέγω τι πεῖσαι, τηλικαῦτʼ ἂν οἶμαι τὴν πόλιν πρᾶξαι ἀγαθὰ ὥστʼ, εἰ νῦν εἰπεῖν ἐπιχειρήσαιμι, πολλοὺς ἂν ἀπιστῆσαι ὡς μείζοσιν ἢ δυνατοῖς·
Coming forward before you whenever he pleases, he fills your ears with words, and disparages the present state of affairs, and praises your ancestors, and having excited and puffed you up, he steps down." But for my part, if I could persuade you of any of the things I say, I think the city would achieve such great benefits that if I were to attempt to state them now, many would disbelieve them as being greater than possible; nevertheless, I do not think even this is of small benefit, if I accustom you to hear what is best.
οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τοῦτο μικρὸν ὠφελεῖν οἶμαι, εἰ τὰ βέλτιστʼ ἀκούειν ὑμᾶς συνεθίζω. δεῖ γάρ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τὸν βουλόμενόν τι ποιῆσαι τὴν πόλιν ἡμῶν ἀγαθὸν τὰ ὦτα πρῶτον ὑμῶν ἰάσασθαι· διέφθαρται γάρ· οὕτω πολλὰ καὶ ψευδῆ καὶ πάντα μᾶλλον ἢ τὰ βέλτιστʼ ἀκούειν εἴθισθε.
For it is necessary, O men of Athens, for anyone who wishes to do some good for our city first to heal your ears; for they have been ruined; so accustomed have you become to hearing many lies and anything rather than what is best.
§14οἷον (ὅπως δὲ μὴ θορυβήσει μοι μηδείς, πρὶν ἂν ἅπαντʼ εἴπω) ἀνέῳξαν δήπου πρώην τινὲς τὸν ὀπισθόδομον.
For example (and let no one clamor against me until I have said everything), some people, I believe, recently broke open the opisthodomos.
οὐκοῦν οἱ παριόντες ἅπαντες τὸν δῆμον καταλελύσθαι, τοὺς νόμους οὐκέτʼ εἶναι, τοιαῦτʼ ἔλεγον.
Well, then, all the speakers came forward saying that the democracy had been overthrown, and that the laws no longer existed, and things of that sort.
καίτοι, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, (καὶ σκοπεῖτʼ ἂν ἀληθῆ λέγω) οἱ μὲν ταῦτα ποιοῦντες ἄξιʼ ἐποίουν θανάτου, ὁ δῆμος δʼ οὐ διὰ τούτων καταλύεται.
And yet, O men of Athens (and consider whether I speak the truth), those who did these things performed deeds worthy of death, but the democracy is not overthrown because of these things.
πάλιν κώπας τις ὑφείλετο· μαστιγοῦν, στρεβλοῦν πάντες οἱ λέγοντες, τὸν δῆμον καταλύεσθαι.
Again, someone stole some oars; all the speakers cried out: "Scourge him, torture him, the democracy is being overthrown!" But what do I say?
ἐγὼ δὲ τί φημί; τὸν μὲν ὑφαιρούμενον θανάτου ποιεῖν ἄξια, ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνοι, τὸν δῆμον δʼ οὐ διὰ τούτων καταλύεσθαι.
I say that the one who stole them performed deeds worthy of death, just like those others, but the democracy is not overthrown because of these things.