§34πρίασθαι γενέσθαι τινʼ αὐτοῖς καιρὸν διʼ οὗ τὰς προτέρας ἀναλύσονται πρὸς τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἁμαρτίας.
to purchase the occurrence of some opportunity for themselves, through which they might expiate their former offenses against the Greeks.
εἰ δʼ ἄρα παντάπασί τις οὕτως οἴεται φύσει δυστυχεῖς Θηβαίους εἶναι, ἐκεῖνό γε δήπουθεν ἅπαντες ἐπίστασθε, ὅτι Θηβαίων τἀκείνου φρονούντων, ἀνάγκη τοὺς τούτων ἐχθροὺς τὰ τῶν Ἑλλήνων φρονεῖν. §35ἡγοῦμαι τοίνυν ἐγὼ ταύτην τὴν τάξιν τοῦ δικαίου καὶ τοὺς μετʼ αὐτῆς ὄντας κρείττους τῶν προδοτῶν καὶ τοῦ βαρβάρου ἔσεσθαι πρὸς ἅπαντα.
But if indeed anyone believes that the Thebans are so completely unfortunate by nature, you surely all know that, if the Thebans favor the King's cause, their enemies must of necessity favor the cause of the Greeks. I believe, therefore, that this alignment of justice, and those who stand with it, will be superior in every respect to the traitors and the barbarian.
ὥστʼ οὔτε φοβεῖσθαί φημι δεῖν πέρα τοῦ μετρίου, οὔθʼ ὑπαχθῆναι προτέρους ἐκφέρειν τὸν πόλεμον.
So that I say we must neither fear beyond measure, nor be induced to be the first to declare war.
καὶ μὴν οὐδὲ τῶν ἄλλων οὐδένʼ ἂν εἰκότως Ἑλλήνων φοβηθέντα τὸν πόλεμον τοῦτον ὁρῶ. §36τίς γὰρ οὐκ οἶδεν αὐτῶν ὅτι, τέως μὲν κοινὸν ἐχθρὸν ἐκεῖνον ὑπειληφότες ὡμονόουν ἀλλήλοις, πολλῶν ἀγαθῶν ἦσαν κύριοι, ἐπειδὴ δὲ φίλον αὐτὸν νομίσαντες αὑτοῖς ὑπάρχειν περὶ τῶν πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς διηνέχθησαν διαφόρων, ὅσʼ ἂν οὐδὲ καταρώμενος εὗρέ τις αὐτοῖς, τοσαῦτα πεπόνθασι κακά;
Indeed, I do not see that any of the other Greeks would with good reason fear this war. For who among them does not know that, as long as they regarded him as a common enemy and were in harmony with one another, they were masters of many blessings, but since they thought he was their friend and disputed over their mutual differences, they have suffered so many evils as no one could have wished upon them even in a curse?
εἶθʼ ὃν ἡ τύχη καὶ τὸ δαιμόνιον φίλον μὲν ἀλυσιτελῆ, συμφέροντα δʼ ἐχθρὸν ἐμφανίζει, τοῦτον ἡμεῖς φοβώμεθα;
Shall we then fear this man, whom fortune and divine power reveal as an unprofitable friend but an advantageous enemy?
μηδαμῶς· ἀλλὰ μηδʼ ἀδικῶμεν, αὐτῶν ἡμῶν εἵνεκα καὶ τῆς τῶν ἄλλων Ἑλλήνων ταραχῆς καὶ ἀπιστίας· §37ἐπεὶ εἴ γʼ ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἦν μετὰ πάντων ἐπιθέσθαι μόνῳ, οὐδʼ ἀδικεῖν ἡμᾶς ἐκεῖνον ἀδίκημʼ ἂν ἔθηκα.
By no means; but let us not commit injustice either, for our own sake and because of the confusion and distrust among the other Greeks. For if indeed it were possible to attack him alone with one mind in company with all, I would not even have considered our treating him unjustly to be an injustice.
ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοῦτʼ οὐχ οὕτως ἔχει, φυλάττεσθαί φημι δεῖν μὴ πρόφασιν δῶμεν βασιλεῖ τοῦ τὰ δίκαιʼ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἄλλων Ἑλλήνων ζητεῖν·
But since this is not the case, I say we must be on our guard lest we give the King a pretext for seeking to champion the rights of the other Greeks.
ἡσυχίαν μὲν γὰρ ἐχόντων ὑμῶν ὕποπτος ἂν εἴη τοιοῦτόν τι πράττων, πόλεμον δὲ ποιησαμένων προτέρων εἰκότως ἂν δοκοίη διὰ τὴν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἔχθραν τοῖς ἄλλοις φίλος εἶναι βούλεσθαι. §38μὴ οὖν ἐξελέγξηθʼ ὡς κακῶς ἔχει τὰ Ἑλληνικά, συγκαλοῦντες ὅτʼ οὐ πείσονται, καὶ πολεμοῦντες ὅτʼ οὐ δυνήσεσθε·
For if you remain quiet, he would be suspected if he attempted any such thing, but if you are the first to make war, he would naturally appear to wish to be a friend to the others because of his hostility toward you. Do not, therefore, expose the weakness of the Greek cause by summoning them when they will not obey, and making war when you will not be able to do so.
ἀλλʼ ἔχεθʼ ἡσυχίαν θαρροῦντες καὶ παρασκευαζόμενοι, καὶ βούλεσθʼ ἀπαγγέλλεσθαι μὲν περὶ ὑμῶν πρὸς βασιλέα, μὴ μὰ Δίʼ ὡς ἀποροῦσιν ἢ φοβοῦνται ἢ θορυβοῦνται πάντες, πολλοῦ γε καὶ δεῖ· §39ἀλλʼ ὅτι, εἰ μὲν μὴ τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ὁμοίως αἰσχρὸν ἦν τὸ ψεύδεσθαι καὶ ἐπιορκεῖν ὥσπερ ἐκείνῳ καλόν, πάλαι ἂν ἐπʼ αὐτὸν ὑμεῖς ἐπορεύεσθε, νῦν δὲ τοῦτο μὲν οὐκ ἂν ποιήσαιτε ὑμῶν ἕνεκʼ αὐτῶν, εὔχεσθε δὲ πᾶσι τοῖς θεοῖς τὴν αὐτὴν λαβεῖν παράνοιαν ἐκεῖνον ἥνπερ ποτὲ τοὺς προγόνους αὐτοῦ.
But keep quiet with confidence and make your preparations, and wish that reports may be brought to the King concerning you—not, by Zeus, that all are at a loss, or terrified, or thrown into confusion, far from it indeed!— but that, if indeed lying and breaking oaths were not as shameful to the Greeks as they are honorable to him, you would long ago have marched against him, but now, for your own sakes, you would not do this, while you pray to all the gods that he may be seized with the same madness that once possessed his ancestors.
καὶ ταῦτʼ ἂν ἐπίῃ σκοπεῖν αὐτῷ, οὐκ ὀλιγώρως ὑμᾶς βουλευομένους εὑρήσει. §40ἐκ μέν γε τῶν πρὸς τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ προγόνους πολέμων σύνοιδε τὴν πόλιν εὐδαίμονα καὶ μεγάλην γεγενημένην, ἐκ δὲ τῆς ἡσυχίας ἧς ἦγέ ποτε, οὐδεμιᾶς τῶν Ἑλληνίδων πόλεων τοσοῦτον ὅσον νῦν ὑπεραίρουσαν.
And if it should occur to him to consider these things, he will find that you are not deliberating carelessly. For from the wars against his own ancestors, he well knows that our city became prosperous and great, and from the peace she once maintained, that she did not surpass any of the Greek cities as much as she does now.
καὶ μὴν καὶ τοὺς Ἕλληνας ὁρᾷ δεομένους ἤτοι τινὸς ἑκουσίου ἢ ἀκουσίου διαλλακτοῦ, τοῦτον δʼ αὑτὸν ἂν οἶδε φανέντʼ αὐτοῖς, εἰ πόλεμον κινοίη.
Moreover, he also sees that the Greeks are in need of either a voluntary or an involuntary mediator, and he knows that he himself would appear to them as such, if he should stir up war.
ὥστε καὶ γνώριμα καὶ πίστʼ αὐτῷ τῶν ἀπαγγελλόντων ἀκούειν ἔσται. §41ἵνα δʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, μὴ μακρὰ λίαν λέγων ἐνοχλῶ, τὰ κεφάλαιʼ ὧν συμβουλεύω φράσας ἄπειμι.
So that what he hears from the reporters will be both familiar and credible to him. And so that I may not trouble you, O men of Athens, by speaking at too great length, I will state the chief points of my advice and depart.
παρασκευάζεσθαι μὲν πρὸς τοὺς ὑπάρχοντας ἐχθροὺς κελεύω, ἀμύνεσθαι δὲ καὶ βασιλέα καὶ πάντας, ἂν ἀδικεῖν ἐπιχειρῶσι, ταύτῃ τῇ αὐτῇ δυνάμει φημὶ δεῖν, ἄρχειν δὲ μηδενὸς μήτε λόγου μήτʼ ἔργου ἀδίκου, τὰ δʼ ἔργʼ ἡμῶν ὅπως ἄξια τῶν προγόνων ἔσται σκοπεῖν, μὴ τοὺς ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος λόγους.
I urge you to make preparations against your existing enemies, but I say you must defend yourselves against the King also and all others, if they should attempt to commit injustice, with this very same force, and to begin no unjust word or deed, but to see to it that our deeds, and not the words spoken from the platform, shall be worthy of our ancestors.
κἂν ταῦτα ποιῆτε, καὶ ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς καὶ τοῖς τἀναντία πείθουσι συμφέροντα πράξετε· οὐ γὰρ ὀργιεῖσθʼ αὐτοῖς ὕστερον, νῦν ἁμαρτόντες.
And if you do these things, you will do what is advantageous both to yourselves and to those who advise the opposite; for you will not be angry with them later, having made a mistake now.