§11ὅτι δʼ οὐδʼ ἂν ἐναντιωθῆναί μοι δοκεῖ τῇ πράξει ταύτῃ νῦν Ἀρτεμισία τῆς πόλεως οὔσης ἐπὶ τῶν πραγμάτων, μίκρʼ ἀκούσαντες σκοπεῖτε εἴτʼ ὀρθῶς λογίζομαι ταῦτʼ εἴτε μή.
And to show you that I do not think Artemisia will even oppose this action now, if our city takes active charge of affairs, listen to a few words and then consider whether my reasoning is correct or not.
ἐγὼ νομίζω, πράττοντος μὲν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ πάνθʼ ὡς ὥρμηκε βασιλέως, σφόδρʼ ἂν Ἀρτεμισίαν πειραθῆναι περιποιῆσαι Ῥόδον αὐτῷ, οὐ τῇ βασιλέως εὐνοίᾳ, ἀλλὰ τῷ βούλεσθαι πλησίον αὐτῆς διατρίβοντος ἐκείνου μεγάλην εὐεργεσίαν καταθέσθαι πρὸς αὐτόν, ἵνʼ ὡς οἰκειότατʼ αὐτὴν ἀποδέχηται·
I believe that if the King were succeeding in all his designs in Egypt, Artemisia would make a strong effort to secure Rhodes for him, not out of goodwill toward him, but because she would wish, while he is staying in her neighborhood, to lay him under a great obligation, so that he might receive her as familiarly as possible.
§12πράττοντος δʼ ὡς λέγεται, καὶ διημαρτηκότος οἷς ἐπεχείρησεν, ἡγεῖσθαι τὴν νῆσον ταύτην, ὅπερ ἔστιν, ἄλλο μὲν οὐδὲν ἂν εἶναι βασιλεῖ χρησίμην ἐν τῷ παρόντι, τῆς δʼ αὑτῆς ἀρχῆς ἐπιτείχισμα πρὸς τὸ μηδʼ ὁτιοῦν παρακινεῖν.
But if he is faring as is reported, and has failed in his attempts, she would think that this island, as indeed is the case, would be of no other use to the King for the present, but would be a stronghold commanding her own dominion to prevent any movement of revolt.
ὥστε μοι δοκεῖ μᾶλλον ἂν ὑμᾶς ἔχειν μὴ φανερῶς αὐτῆς ἐνδούσης, ἢ ʼκεῖνον λαβεῖν βούλεσθαι.
So it seems to me that she would rather you had it, without her openly giving it up, than that he should take it.
οἶμαι μὲν οὖν οὐδὲ βοηθήσειν αὐτήν, ἂν δʼ ἄρα τοῦτο ποιῇ, φαύλως καὶ κακῶς.
I think, therefore, that she will not even send help, or if she does, it will be weak and ineffective.
§13ἐπεὶ καὶ βασιλέα γε, ὅ τι μὲν ποιήσει μὰ Δίʼ οὐκ ἂν εἴποιμʼ ἔγωγʼ ὡς οἶδα, ὅτι μέντοι συμφέρει τῇ πόλει δῆλον ἤδη γενέσθαι πότερʼ ἀντιποιήσεται τῆς πόλεως τῆς Ῥοδίων ἢ οὔ, τοῦτʼ ἂν ἰσχυρισαίμην·
As for the King, indeed, what he will do, by Zeus, I would not pretend to know; but that it is advantageous to our city that it should at once become clear whether he will lay claim to the city of the Rhodians or not, of this I would speak with certainty.
οὐ γὰρ ὑπὲρ Ῥοδίων βουλευτέον, ὅταν ἀντιποιῆται, μόνον, ἀλλʼ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν πάντων Ἑλλήνων.
For we must not deliberate merely on behalf of the Rhodians when he does lay claim to it, but on behalf of ourselves and of all the Greeks.
§14οὐ μὴν οὐδʼ ἂν εἰ διʼ αὑτῶν εἶχον τὴν πόλιν οἱ νῦν ὄντες ἐν αὐτῇ Ῥόδιοι, παρῄνεσʼ ἂν ὑμῖν τούτους ἑλέσθαι, οὐδʼ εἰ πάνθʼ ὑπισχνοῦνθʼ ὑμῖν ποιήσειν.
Yet, even if the Rhodes of today were held by the current rulers by their own power, I would not have advised you to choose them, not even if they promised to do everything for you.
ὁρῶ γὰρ αὐτοὺς τὸ μὲν πρῶτον, ὅπως καταλύσωσι τὸν δῆμον, προσλαβόντας τινὰς τῶν πολιτῶν, ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοῦτʼ ἔπραξαν, πάλιν ἐκβαλόντας τούτους·
For I see that in the first place, in order to overthrow the democracy, they associated themselves with some of the citizens, and when they had accomplished this, they drove them out again.
τοὺς οὖν μηδετέροις πιστῶς κεχρημένους οὐδʼ ἂν ὑμῖν βεβαίους ἡγοῦμαι γενέσθαι συμμάχους.
I do not think, therefore, that those who have been faithful to neither side would ever become reliable allies to you.
§15καὶ ταῦτʼ οὐδεπώποτʼ εἶπον ἄν, εἰ τῷ Ῥοδίων δήμῳ μόνον ἡγούμην συμφέρειν· οὔτε γὰρ προξενῶ τῶν ἀνδρῶν οὔτʼ ἰδίᾳ ξένος αὐτῶν οὐδείς ἐστί μοι.
And I would never have said this if I thought it was advantageous to the democracy of the Rhodians alone; for I am not their host-representative, nor is any of them my private guest.
οὐ μὴν οὐδʼ εἰ ταῦτʼ ἀμφότερʼ ἦν, εἰ μὴ συμφέρειν ὑμῖν ἡγούμην, εἶπον ἄν, ἐπεὶ Ῥοδίοις γε, εἰ οἷόν τε τοῦτʼ εἰπεῖν τῷ συναγορεύοντι τῇ σωτηρίᾳ αὐτῶν, συγχαίρω τῶν γεγενημένων.
Nor indeed, even if both of these were the case, would I have spoken if I did not think it was advantageous to you, since as for the Rhodians, if it is permitted to say this to one who is speaking for their salvation, I rejoice at what has happened.
τοῦ κομίσασθαι γὰρ τὰ ὑμέτερʼ ὑμῖν φθονήσαντες τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἐλευθερίαν ἀπολωλέκασι, καὶ παρὸν αὐτοῖς Ἕλλησι καὶ βελτίοσιν αὐτῶν ἐξ ἴσου συμμαχεῖν, βαρβάροις καὶ δούλοις, οὓς εἰς τὰς ἀκροπόλεις παρεῖνται, δουλεύουσιν.
For by envying you the recovery of your possessions, they have lost their own liberty; and when they might have allied themselves on equal terms with Greeks and their betters, they are slaves to barbarians and servants whom they have admitted into their citadels.
§16ὀλίγου δὲ δέω λέγειν, ἐὰν αὐτοῖς ὑμεῖς ἐθελήσητε βοηθῆσαι, ὡς καὶ συνενήνοχε ταῦτʼ αὐτοῖς·
I am almost inclined to say, if you are willing to help them, that this has even been beneficial to them.
εὖ μὲν γὰρ πράττοντες οὐκ οἶδʼ εἴ ποτʼ ἂν εὖ φρονῆσαι ἠθέλησαν, ὄντες Ῥόδιοι, ἔργῳ δὲ πειραθέντες καὶ διδαχθέντες ὅτι πολλῶν κακῶν ἡ ἄνοιʼ αἰτία τοῖς πολλοῖς γίγνεται, τάχʼ ἄν, εἰ τύχοιεν, σωφρονέστεροι πρὸς τὸν λοιπὸν τοῦ χρόνου γένοιντο.
For when they were prosperous, I doubt if they would ever have wished to be wise, being Rhodians; but having been tried in deed and taught that folly is the cause of many evils to the majority, they might perhaps, if it so happen, become wiser for the future.
τοῦτο δʼ οὐ μικρὰν ὠφέλειαν αὐτοῖς ἡγοῦμαι.
And this I consider to be no small advantage to them.
φημὶ δὴ χρῆναι πειρᾶσθαι σῴζειν τοὺς ἄνδρας καὶ μὴ μνησικακεῖν, ἐνθυμουμένους ὅτι πολλὰ καὶ ὑμεῖς ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπιβουλευσάντων ἐξηπάτησθε, ὧν οὐδενὸς αὐτοὶ δοῦναι δίκην δίκαιον ἂν εἶναι φήσαιτε.
I say, therefore, that you ought to try to save these men and not bear malice, bearing in mind that you too have often been deceived by those who plotted against you, for none of whom you yourselves would say it was just to pay the penalty.
§17ὁρᾶτε δὲ κἀκεῖνʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, ὅτι πολλοὺς ὑμεῖς πολέμους πεπολεμήκατε καὶ πρὸς δημοκρατίας καὶ πρὸς ὀλιγαρχίας.
Observe also this, men of Athens, that you have waged many wars both against democracies and against oligarchies.
καὶ τοῦτο μὲν ἴστε καὶ αὐτοί· ἀλλʼ ὑπὲρ ὧν πρὸς ἑκατέρους ἔσθʼ ὑμῖν ὁ πόλεμος, τοῦτʼ ἴσως ὑμῶν οὐδεὶς λογίζεται.
And this you know yourselves; but the object for which you are at war against each, this perhaps none of you considers.
ὑπὲρ τίνων οὖν ἐστίν;
For what then is it?
πρὸς μὲν τοὺς δήμους ἢ περὶ τῶν ἰδίων ἐγκλημάτων, οὐ δυνηθέντων δημοσίᾳ διαλύσασθαι ταῦτα, ἢ περὶ γῆς μέρους ἢ ὅρων ἢ φιλονικίας ἢ τῆς ἡγεμονίας· πρὸς δὲ τὰς ὀλιγαρχίας ὑπὲρ μὲν τούτων οὐδενός, ὑπὲρ δὲ τῆς πολιτείας καὶ τῆς ἐλευθερίας·
Against democracies, it is either on account of private complaints, when they could not settle them publicly, or about a portion of land, or boundaries, or rivalry, or supremacy; but against oligarchies, it is for none of these, but for your constitution and your liberty.
§18ὥστʼ ἔγωγʼ οὐκ ἂν ὀκνήσαιμʼ εἰπεῖν μᾶλλον ἡγεῖσθαι συμφέρειν δημοκρατουμένους τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἅπαντας πολεμεῖν ὑμῖν ἢ ὀλιγαρχουμένους φίλους εἶναι.
So that I would not hesitate to say that I think it is more to your advantage that all the Greeks should be at war with you under democracies than be your friends under oligarchies.
πρὸς μὲν γὰρ ἐλευθέρους ὄντας οὐ χαλεπῶς ἂν εἰρήνην ὑμᾶς ποιήσασθαι νομίζω, ὁπότε βουληθείητε, πρὸς δʼ ὀλιγαρχουμένους οὐδὲ τὴν φιλίαν ἀσφαλῆ νομίζω·
For with those who are free, I think you would have no difficulty in making peace whenever you wished; but with those who are ruled by oligarchies, I do not think even friendship is secure.
οὐ γὰρ ἔσθʼ ὅπως ὀλίγοι πολλοῖς καὶ ζητοῦντες ἄρχειν τοῖς μετʼ ἰσηγορίας ζῆν ᾑρημένοις εὖνοι γένοιντʼ ἄν.
For it is impossible that the few should be well-disposed to the many, or those who seek to rule to those who have chosen to live with equal rights of speech.