§18ἐγὼ δὲ νομίζω τὴν πόλιν, πρῶτον μὲν καὶ χωρὶς τοῦ καθυφεῖναι Λακεδαιμονίοις τινὰς Ἀρκάδων, Ὠρωπὸν ἂν κομίσασθαι, καὶ μετʼ ἐκείνων, ἂν τὰ δίκαια ποιεῖν ἐθέλωσι, καὶ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν οὐκ οἰομένων δεῖν Θηβαίους ἐᾶν ἔχειν τἀλλότρια.
I believe that the city, in the first place, even without giving up some of the Arcadians to the Lacedaemonians, could recover Oropus, both with them, if they are willing to do what is just, and with the others who do not think we should permit the Thebans to hold what belongs to others.
εἰ δʼ ἄρα τοῦτʼ εὔδηλον ἡμῖν γένοιτο, ὅτι μὴ Λακεδαιμονίους ἐῶντες τὴν Πελοπόννησον καταστρέψασθαι οὐχ οἷοί τʼ ἐσόμεθʼ Ὠρωπὸν λαβεῖν, αἱρετώτερον, εἰ οἷόν τʼ εἰπεῖν, ἡγοῦμαι τὸν Ὠρωπὸν ἐᾶν ἢ Λακεδαιμονίοις Μεσσήνην προέσθαι καὶ Πελοπόννησον.
But if, indeed, this should become clear to us, that unless we permit the Lacedaemonians to subdue the Peloponnese, we shall not be able to take Oropus, I think it is more desirable, if it is permitted to say so, to abandon Oropus than to surrender Messene and the Peloponnese to the Lacedaemonians.
οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἡγοῦμαι περὶ τούτου μόνον ἡμῖν εἶναι τὸν λόγον πρὸς ἐκείνους, ἀλλʼ—ἐάσω τό γʼ ἐπελθὸν εἰπεῖν μοι· περὶ πολλῶν δʼ ἂν οἶμαι κίνδυνον ἡμῖν γενέσθαι.
For I do not think that our debate with them would be about this alone, but—I will refrain from saying what has occurred to me—I think we would face danger concerning many things.
§19ἀλλὰ μὴν ἅ γέ φασιν πεπρᾶχθαι διὰ Θηβαίους τοῖς Μεγαλοπολίταις ὑπεναντία πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ἄτοπον νῦν ἐν κατηγορίας μέρει ποιεῖσθαι, βουλομένων δὲ γενέσθαι φίλων αὐτῶν, ἵνα τοὐναντίον εὖ ποιῶσιν ἡμᾶς, βασκαίνειν καὶ σκοπεῖν ἐξ ὅτου τρόπου μὴ γενήσονται, καὶ μὴ γιγνώσκειν ὅτι, ὅσῳ ἂν σπουδαιοτέρους τούτους περὶ Θηβαίους γεγενημένους ἀποδείξωσι, τοσούτῳ πλείονος ὀργῆς αὐτοὶ δικαίως ἂν τυγχάνοιεν, εἰ τοιούτων συμμάχων τὴν πόλιν, ὅτʼ ἐφʼ ὑμᾶς προτέρους ἦλθον ἢ Θηβαίους, ἀπεστέρησαν.
Furthermore, as for what they say has been done by the Megalopolitans contrary to us on account of the Thebans, it is absurd to treat this now as a matter of accusation, and while they wish to become friends, so that on the contrary they may do us good, to bear ill-will and observe by what means they shall not become so, and not to recognize that, by as much as they prove these people to have been zealous toward the Thebans, by so much more would they themselves justly meet with greater anger, if they deprived the city of such allies when they came to you before the Thebans.
§20ἀλλʼ, οἶμαι, ταῦτα μέν ἐστι δεύτερον ἀνθρώπων βουλομένων ἑτέρων ποιῆσαι τούτους συμμάχους.
But, I think, these things are a secondary pretext of men who wish to make these people allies of others.
ἐγὼ δʼ οἶδα, ὅσʼ ἂν ἐκ λογισμοῦ σκοπῶν τις εἰκάσαι, καὶ τοὺς πολλοὺς οἶμαι ὑμῶν ἐμοὶ ταὐτὰ φήσειν, ὅτι εἰ λήψονται Μεγάλην πόλιν Λακεδαιμόνιοι, κινδυνεύσει Μεσσήνη· εἰ δὲ καὶ ταύτην λήψονται, φήμʼ ἡμᾶς ἔσεσθαι συμμάχους Θηβαίων.
But I know, as far as anyone considering by reasoning might conjecture, and I think most of you will agree with me, that if the Lacedaemonians take Megalopolis, Messene will be in danger; and if they also take this, I declare that we shall become allies of the Thebans.
§21πολὺ δὴ κάλλιον καὶ ἄμεινον τὴν μὲν Θηβαίων συμμαχίαν αὐτοὺς παραλαβεῖν, τῇ δὲ Λακεδαιμονίων πλεονεξίᾳ μὴ ʼπιτρέψαι, ἢ νῦν ὀκνοῦντας μὴ τοὺς Θηβαίων σώσωμεν συμμάχους, τούτους μὲν προέσθαι, πάλιν δὲ σῴζειν αὐτοὺς τοὺς Θηβαίους, καὶ προσέτʼ ἐν φόβῳ καθεστάναι περὶ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν.
It is surely much nobler and better for us ourselves to assume the alliance of the Thebans and not to permit the greed of the Lacedaemonians, than now, shrinking lest we should save the allies of the Thebans, to abandon these people, and then again to have to save the Thebans themselves, and moreover to be established in fear concerning ourselves.
§22οὐ γὰρ ἔγωγʼ ἀδεὲς τοῦθʼ ὑπολαμβάνω τῇ πόλει, τὸ λαβεῖν Μεγάλην πόλιν Λακεδαιμονίους καὶ πάλιν γενέσθαι μεγάλους.
For I, at least, do not suppose this to be free from fear for the city, that the Lacedaemonians should take Megalopolis and become great again.
ὁρῶ γὰρ αὐτοὺς καὶ νῦν οὐχ ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ παθεῖν τι κακὸν πολεμεῖν αἱρουμένους, ἀλλʼ ὑπὲρ τοῦ κομίσασθαι τὴν πρότερον οὖσαν αὑτοῖς δύναμιν· ὧν δʼ, ὅτʼ ἐκείνην εἶχον, ὠρέγοντο, ταῦθʼ ὑμεῖς μᾶλλον ἴσως εἰδότες ἢ ʼγὼ φοβοῖσθʼ ἂν εἰκότως.
For I see them even now choosing to wage war not for the sake of not suffering some harm, but for the sake of recovering the power that was formerly theirs; and what they were grasping for when they had that, you, knowing perhaps better than I, would naturally fear.
§23ἡδέως δʼ ἂν πυθοίμην τῶν λεγόντων καὶ τοὺς Θηβαίους μισεῖν φασκόντων καὶ τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους, πότερʼ ἑκάτεροι μισοῦσιν, οὓς δὴ μισοῦσιν, ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν καὶ τοῦ συμφέροντος ὑμῖν, ἢ ὑπὲρ Λακεδαιμονίων μὲν Θηβαίους, ὑπὲρ δὲ Θηβαίων Λακεδαιμονίους ἑκάτεροι.
And I would gladly ask those who speak and claim to hate both the Thebans and the Lacedaemonians, whether each party hates those whom they indeed hate for your sake and for what is advantageous to you, or each party respectively hates the Thebans on behalf of the Lacedaemonians, and the Lacedaemonians on behalf of the Thebans.
εἰ μὲν γὰρ ὑπὲρ ἐκείνων, οὐδετέροις ὡς μαινομένοις πείθεσθαι προσήκει· εἰ δʼ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν φήσουσι, τί πέρα τοῦ καιροῦ τοὺς ἑτέρους ἐπαίρουσιν;
For if it is on behalf of those, it is not fitting to obey either, as they are mad; but if they say it is for your sake, why do they beyond measure elevate the one of the two?
§24ἔστι γάρ, ἔστι Θηβαίους ταπεινοὺς ποιεῖν ἄνευ τοῦ Λακεδαιμονίους ἰσχυροὺς καθιστάναι, καὶ πολύ γε ῥᾷον· ὡς δʼ, ἐγὼ πειράσομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς εἰπεῖν.
For it is possible, indeed possible, to make the Thebans humble without making the Lacedaemonians strong, and indeed much easier; and how, I will try to tell you.
ἴσμεν ἅπαντες τοῦθʼ ὅτι τὰ μὲν δίκαια πάντες, ἐὰν καὶ μὴ βούλωνται, μέχρι τού γʼ αἰσχύνονται μὴ πράττειν, τοῖς δʼ ἀδίκοις ἐναντιοῦνται φανερῶς, ἄλλως τε κἄν τινες βλάπτωνται· καὶ τοῦτο λυμαινόμενον πάνθʼ εὑρήσομεν, καὶ ταύτην ἀρχὴν οὖσαν πάντων τῶν κακῶν, τὸ μὴ ʼθέλειν τὰ δίκαια πράττειν ἁπλῶς.
We all know this, that all men, even if they do not wish to, at least so far as to be ashamed not to do so, practice what is just, and openly oppose what is unjust, especially if any are being harmed; and we shall find that this is what ruins everything, and that this is the beginning of all evils: simply not wishing to do what is just.