§9ἐγὼ δʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, νομίζω τὸν μὲν πόλεμον τὸν πρὸς βασιλέα χαλεπὸν τῇ πόλει, τὸν δʼ ἀγῶνα τὸν ἐκ τοῦ πολέμου ῥᾴδιον ἂν συμβῆναι.
And I, O men of Athens, think that the war against the King is difficult for the city, but that the contest resulting from the war would turn out to be easy.
διὰ τί;
Why?
ὅτι τοὺς μὲν πολέμους ἅπαντας ἀναγκαίως ἡγοῦμαι τριήρων καὶ χρημάτων καὶ τόπων δεῖσθαι, ταῦτα δὲ πάντʼ ἀφθονώτερʼ ἐκεῖνον ἔχονθʼ ἡμῶν εὑρίσκω· τοὺς δʼ ἀγῶνας οὐδενὸς οὕτω τῶν ἄλλων ὁρῶ δεομένους ὡς ἀνδρῶν ἀγαθῶν, τούτους δʼ ἡμῖν καὶ τοῖς μεθʼ ἡμῶν κινδυνεύουσι πλείους ὑπάρχειν νομίζω.
Because I believe that all wars of necessity require triremes and money and positions, and all of these I find him possessing more abundantly than we do; but the contests I see requiring nothing else so much as brave men, and these I think belong in greater numbers to us and to those who share the danger with us.
§10τὸν μὲν δὴ πόλεμον διὰ ταῦτα παραινῶ μηδʼ ἐξ ἑνὸς τρόπου προτέρους ἀνελέσθαι, ἐπὶ δὲ τὸν ἀγῶνα ὀρθῶς φημι παρεσκευασμένους ὑπάρχειν χρῆναι.
For these reasons, then, I advise that we should by no means be the first to undertake the war, but I say that we must be properly prepared for the contest.
εἰ μὲν οὖν ἕτερος μὲν ἦν τις τρόπος δυνάμεως ᾗ τοὺς βαρβάρους οἷόν τʼ ἦν ἀμύνασθαι, ἕτερος δέ τις ᾗ τοὺς Ἕλληνας, εἰκότως ἂν ἴσως φανεροὶ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἐγιγνόμεθʼ ἀντιταττόμενοι· §11ἐπεὶ δὲ πάσης ἐστὶ παρασκευῆς ὁ αὐτὸς τρόπος καὶ δεῖ ταὔτʼ εἶναι κεφάλαια τῆς δυνάμεως, τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἀμύνασθαι δύνασθαι, τοῖς οὖσι συμμάχοις βοηθεῖν, τὰ ὑπάρχοντʼ ἀγαθὰ σῴζειν, τί τοὺς ὁμολογουμένως ἐχθροὺς ἔχοντες ἑτέρους ζητοῦμεν;
If, then, there were one kind of force by which it was possible to ward off the barbarians, and another by which to ward off the Greeks, we might perhaps with good reason be openly arrayed against him; but since the manner of all preparation is the same, and the chief points of our force must be the same—to be able to ward off enemies, to help our existing allies, and to preserve our present advantages—why, when we have acknowledged enemies, do we seek others?
ἀλλὰ παρασκευασώμεθα μὲν πρὸς αὐτούς, ἀμυνούμεθα δὲ κἀκεῖνον, ἂν ἡμᾶς ἀδικεῖν ἐπιχειρῇ.
Rather, let us prepare against them, and we shall also ward him off, if he attempts to wrong us.
§12καὶ νῦν μὲν καλεῖτε πρὸς ὑμᾶς αὐτοὺς τοὺς Ἕλληνας· ἂν δʼ ἃ κελεύουσιν οὗτοι μὴ ποιῆτε, οὐχ ἡδέως ἐνίων ὑμῖν ἐχόντων, πῶς χρὴ προσδοκᾶν τινʼ ὑπακούσεσθαι;
And now indeed you are calling the Greeks to your side; but if you do not do what these people command, since some are not well-disposed toward you, how can you expect anyone to obey?
ὅτι νὴ Δίʼ ἀκούσονται παρʼ ἡμῶν ὡς ἐπιβουλεύει βασιλεὺς αὐτοῖς. αὐτοὺς δʼ οὐ προορᾶν, ὦ πρὸς τοῦ Διός, οἴεσθε τοῦτο;
"Because, by Zeus, they will hear from us that the King is plotting against them!" But do you think, by Zeus, that they do not foresee this themselves?
ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ οἶμαι.
For I certainly think they do.
ἀλλʼ οὔπω μείζων ἔσθʼ ὁ φόβος τῶν πρὸς ὑμᾶς καὶ πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐνίοις διαφορῶν.
But their fear of him is not yet greater than their disputes with you and with one another.
οὐδὲν οὖν ἀλλʼ ἢ ῥαψῳδήσουσιν οἱ πρέσβεις περιιόντες.
Therefore, the ambassadors, going around, will do nothing but recite a futile rhapsody.
§13τότε δʼ, ἂν ἄρʼ ἃ νῦν οἰόμεθʼ ἡμεῖς πράττηται, οὐδεὶς δήπου τῶν πάντων Ἑλλήνων τηλικοῦτον ἐφʼ αὑτῷ φρονεῖ, ὅστις ὁρῶν ὑμῖν χιλίους μὲν ἱππέας, ὁπλίτας δʼ ὅσους ἂν ἐθέλῃ τις, ναῦς δὲ τριακοσίας, οὐχ ἥξει καὶ δεήσεται, μετὰ τούτων ἀσφαλέστατʼ ἂν ἡγούμενος σωθῆναι.
But then, if indeed those things which we now imagine should be done, surely no one of all the Greeks is so proud of himself that, seeing you have a thousand cavalry, as many hoplites as anyone could wish, and three hundred ships, he will not come and entreat you, believing that with these he would be saved most securely.
οὐκοῦν ἐκ μὲν τοῦ καλεῖν ἤδη τὸ δεῖσθαι κἂν μὴ τύχητʼ ἀφαμαρτεῖν, ἐκ δὲ τοῦ μετὰ τοῦ παρεσκευάσθαι τὰ ὑμέτερʼ αὐτῶν ἐπισχεῖν δεομένους σῴζειν καὶ εὖ εἰδέναι πάντας ἥξοντάς ἐστιν.
Therefore, to call them now is to fail in your request even if you do not obtain it, whereas to wait after having prepared your own resources means that they will come entreating you to save them, and you can be well assured that all will come.
§14ἐγὼ τοίνυν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, ταῦτά τε καὶ παραπλήσια τούτοις λογιζόμενος λόγον μὲν οὐδένʼ ἐβουλόμην θρασὺν οὐδʼ ἔχοντα μάταιον μῆκος εὑρεῖν·
I therefore, O men of Athens, calculating these and similar things, did not wish to devise any bold speech or one of useless length; but as to the preparation, how it may be made best and quickest, I have taken very great trouble in considering.
τὴν μέντοι παρασκευήν, ὅπως ὡς ἄριστα καὶ τάχιστα γενήσεται, πάνυ πολλὰ πράγματʼ ἔσχον σκοπῶν. οἴομαι δὴ δεῖν ἀκούσαντας ὑμᾶς αὐτήν, ἂν ὑμῖν ἀρέσκῃ, ψηφίσασθαι.
I think indeed you must hear it and, if it pleases you, vote for it.
ἔστι τοίνυν πρῶτον μὲν τῆς παρασκευῆς, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, καὶ μέγιστον, οὕτω διακεῖσθαι τὰς γνώμας ὑμᾶς ὡς ἕκαστον ἑκόντα προθύμως ὅ τι ἂν δέῃ ποιήσοντα.
Now the first and greatest part of the preparation, O men of Athens, is that you should be so disposed in your minds that each one will willingly and eagerly do whatever is necessary.
§15ὁρᾶτε γάρ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, ὅτι, ὅσα μὲν πώποθʼ ἅπαντες ἐβουλήθητε καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα τὸ πράττειν αὐτὸς ἕκαστος ἑαυτῷ προσήκειν ἡγήσατο, οὐδὲν πώποθʼ ὑμᾶς ἐξέφυγεν, ὅσα δʼ ἐβουλήθητε μέν, μετὰ ταῦτα δʼ ἀπεβλέψατʼ εἰς ἀλλήλους ὡς αὐτὸς μὲν ἕκαστος οὐ ποιήσων, τὸν δὲ πλησίον πράξοντα, οὐδὲν πώποθʼ ὑμῖν ἐγένετο.
For you see, O men of Athens, that whatever you have ever all wished, and after this each one considered that the action belonged to himself individually, nothing has ever escaped you; but whatever you wished, and after this you looked away to one another as if each one himself were not going to do it but his neighbor would act, nothing has ever succeeded for you.
§16ἐχόντων δʼ ὑμῶν οὕτω καὶ παρωξυμμένων, τοὺς διακοσίους καὶ χιλίους ἀναπληρῶσαί φημι χρῆναι καὶ ποιῆσαι δισχιλίους, ὀκτακοσίους αὐτοῖς προσνείμαντας· ἐὰν γὰρ τοῦτʼ ἀποδείξητε τὸ πλῆθος, ἡγοῦμαι, τῶν ἐπικλήρων καὶ τῶν ὀρφανῶν καὶ τῶν κληρουχικῶν καὶ τῶν κοινωνικῶν καὶ εἴ τις ἀδύνατος ἀφαιρεθέντων, ἔσεσθαι χίλια καὶ διακόσια ταῦθʼ ὑμῖν σώματα.
Now, when you are thus disposed and stimulated, I say that we must fill up the twelve hundred and make them two thousand, by assigning eight hundred to them; for if you appoint this number, I think that, after the heiresses, orphans, cleruchs, commercial associations, and any unable persons have been deducted, there will be these twelve hundred individuals remaining for you.
§17ἐκ τοίνυν τούτων οἶμαι δεῖν ποιῆσαι συμμορίας εἴκοσιν, ὥσπερ νῦν εἰσιν, ἑξήκοντα σώματʼ ἔχουσαν ἑκάστην.
From these, then, I think we must make twenty symmories, as there are now, each containing sixty individuals.
τούτων δὲ τῶν συμμοριῶν ἑκάστην διελεῖν κελεύω πέντε μέρη κατὰ δώδεκʼ ἄνδρας, ἀνταναπληροῦντας πρὸς τὸν εὐπορώτατον ἀεὶ τοὺς ἀπορωτάτους.
And I propose to divide each of these symmories into five parts of twelve men, always matching the poorest with the richest to fill up the numbers.
καὶ τὰ μὲν σώμαθʼ οὕτω συντετάχθαι φημὶ δεῖν· διʼ ὃ δʼ, εἴσεσθε, ἐπειδὰν ὅλον τὸν τρόπον τῆς συντάξεως ἀκούσητε.
And I say that the individuals must be organized in this way; and why so, you will know when you have heard the whole manner of the organization.