§25ἵνα τοίνυν μὴ τοῦτʼ ἐμποδὼν γένηται τῷ Θηβαίους γενέσθαι μικρούς, τὰς μὲν Θεσπιὰς καὶ τὸν Ὀρχομενὸν καὶ τὰς Πλαταιὰς κατοικίζεσθαι φῶμεν δεῖν καὶ συμπράττωμεν αὐτοῖς καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἀξιῶμεν (ταῦτα γὰρ καὶ καλὰ καὶ δίκαια, μὴ περιορᾶν πόλεις ἀρχαίας ἐξανεστώσας), τὴν δὲ Μεγάλην πόλιν καὶ τὴν Μεσσήνην μὴ προώμεθα τοῖς ἀδικοῦσι, μηδʼ ἐπὶ τῇ προφάσει τῇ Πλαταιῶν καὶ Θεσπιῶν τὰς οὔσας καὶ κατοικουμένας πόλεις ἀναιρεθείσας περιίδωμεν.
Therefore, so that this may not become an obstacle to making the Thebans small, let us declare that Thespiae, Orchomenus, and Plataea must be rebuilt, and let us cooperate with them and demand it of the others (for these things are both noble and just, not to overlook ancient cities that have been destroyed), but let us not abandon Megalopolis and Messene to those who do wrong, nor under the pretext of Plataea and Thespiae permit cities that exist and are inhabited to be destroyed.
§26κἂν ᾖ ταῦτα πρόδηλα, οὐδεὶς ὅστις οὐ βουλήσεται παύσασθαι Θηβαίους ἔχοντας τὴν ἀλλοτρίαν· εἰ δὲ μή, πρῶτον μὲν ἐναντίους ἕξομεν πρὸς ἐκεῖνα τούτους εἰκότως, ὅταν ἡγῶνται τὴν ἐκείνων κατοίκισιν αὑτοῖς ὄλεθρον φέρειν, εἶτʼ ἀνήνυτα πράγμαθʼ ἕξομεν αὐτοί·
And if these things are clear, there is no one who will not wish the Thebans to cease holding what belongs to others; but if not, in the first place, we shall naturally have these people as opponents to those measures, when they think that the rebuilding of those cities brings ruin to themselves, and secondly, we ourselves shall have endless trouble.
τί γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς ἔσται πέρας, ὅταν ἀεὶ τὰς μὲν οὔσας πόλεις ἐῶμεν ἀναιρεῖν, τὰς δʼ ἀνῃρημένας ἀξιῶμεν οἰκίζειν;
For what in truth will be the limit, if we always permit existing cities to be destroyed, but demand that destroyed cities be rebuilt?
§27λέγουσι τοίνυν οἱ μάλιστα δοκοῦντες δίκαια λέγειν ὡς δεῖ τὰς στήλας καθελεῖν αὐτοὺς τὰς πρὸς Θηβαίους, εἴπερ ἡμέτεροι βεβαίως ἔσονται σύμμαχοι.
Now, those who seem to speak the most just things say that they must demolish their pillars containing the treaty with the Thebans, if indeed they are to be our secure allies.
οἱ δέ φασι μὲν αὑτοῖς οὐ στήλας, ἀλλὰ τὸ συμφέρον εἶναι τὸ ποιοῦν τὴν φιλίαν, τοὺς δὲ βοηθοῦντας ἑαυτοῖς, τούτους νομίζειν εἶναι συμμάχους.
But they reply that for them it is not pillars, but interest that makes friendship, and that they regard those who help them as their allies.
ἐγὼ δʼ, εἰ τὰ μάλιστʼ εἰσὶ τοιοῦτοι, ὡδί πως ἔχω. φημὶ δεῖν ἅμα τούτους ἀξιοῦν καθαιρεῖν τὰς στήλας καὶ Λακεδαιμονίους ἄγειν εἰρήνην, ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ʼθέλωσι ποιεῖν ὁπότεροι ταῦτα, τότʼ ἤδη μετὰ τῶν ἐθελόντων ἡμᾶς γίγνεσθαι.
For my part, even if they are like this to the utmost degree, my view is somewhat as follows: I say that we must at the same time demand that these people demolish the pillars and that the Lacedaemonians keep the peace; and if either party is unwilling to do these things, then at last we should side with those who are willing.
§28εἴτε γὰρ εἰρήνης γιγνομένης αὐτοῖς οἱ Μεγαλοπολῖται τῆς Θηβαίων συμμαχίας ἕξονται, φανεροὶ πᾶσιν ἔσονται τὴν πλεονεξίαν τὴν Θηβαίων, οὐ τὸ δίκαιον αἱρούμενοι· εἴτε συμμάχους ἡμᾶς ἀδόλως τῶν Μεγαλοπολιτῶν ποιουμένων μὴ ʼθελήσουσιν ἄγειν εἰρήνην οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι, δῆλοι δήπου πᾶσιν ἔσονται, οὐχ ἵνα Θεσπιαὶ κατοικισθῶσι ποιούμενοι τὴν σπουδήν, ἀλλʼ ἵνα τοῦ πολέμου περιεστηκότος Θηβαίοις τὴν Πελοπόννησον ὑφʼ αὑτοῖς ποιήσωνται.
For if, when peace is made for them, the Megalopolitans hold to the alliance of the Thebans, they will be clear to all as choosing the greed of the Thebans, not what is just; and if, when the Megalopolitans make us their allies without deceit, the Lacedaemonians are unwilling to keep the peace, they will surely be clear to all as making their exertion not so that Thespiae may be rebuilt, but so that, while the war encompasses the Thebans, they may bring the Peloponnese under their own power.
§29θαυμάζω δʼ ἐνίων, εἰ τὸ μὲν Θηβαίων συμμάχους εἶναι τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίων ἐχθροὺς φοβοῦνται, εἰ δὲ καταστρέψονται Λακεδαιμόνιοι τούτους, μηδὲν ἡγοῦνται φοβερόν, καὶ ταῦτʼ ἔργῳ πεῖραν ἡμῖν δεδωκότος τοῦ χρόνου ὅτι Θηβαῖοι μὲν τούτοις συμμάχοις ἐπὶ Λακεδαιμονίους ἀεὶ χρῶνται, Λακεδαιμόνιοι δʼ ὅτʼ εἶχον αὐτούς, ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς ἐχρῶντο.
And I wonder at some, if they fear that the enemies of the Lacedaemonians are allies of the Thebans, but if the Lacedaemonians subdue these people, they think it is nothing to be feared, and that too when time has given us proof in action that the Thebans always use these people as allies against the Lacedaemonians, but the Lacedaemonians, when they held them, used them against us.
§30οἶμαι τοίνυν ἔγωγε κἀκεῖνʼ ἐνθυμεῖσθαι δεῖν, ὅτι μὴ προσδεξαμένων μὲν ὑμῶν τοὺς Μεγαλοπολίτας, ἐὰν μὲν ἀναιρεθῶσι καὶ διοικισθῶσιν, ἰσχυροῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις ἔστιν εὐθὺς εἶναι, ἐὰν δὲ σωθῶσιν ἄρα, ὡς ἤδη τι καὶ παρʼ ἐλπίδας ἐξέβη, βέβαιοι σύμμαχοι Θηβαίων δικαίως ἔσονται·
I think, therefore, that we must also consider this: that if you do not receive the Megalopolitans, if they are destroyed and dispersed, it is possible for the Lacedaemonians to be strong immediately; but if they should survive—as indeed some things have already turned out contrary to expectation—they will justly be secure allies of the Thebans.
ἂν δὲ προσδέξησθε, τούτοις μὲν ὑπάρξει ἤδη σωθῆναι διʼ ὑμᾶς, τὸ δὲ συμβησόμενον, τὸν τοῦ κινδύνου λογισμὸν μετενεγκόντες, σκοπῶμεν ἐπὶ Θηβαίων καὶ Λακεδαιμονίων.
But if you receive them, it will at once be possible for them to be saved through you, and as for what will result, let us consider it by transferring the calculation of the danger to the Thebans and the Lacedaemonians.
§31ἂν μὲν τοίνυν καταπολεμηθῶσιν οἱ Θηβαῖοι, ὥσπερ αὐτοὺς δεῖ, οὐκ ἔσονται μείζους τοῦ δέοντος οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι, τούτους ἔχοντες ἀντιπάλους τοὺς Ἀρκάδας ἐγγὺς οἰκοῦντας· ἂν δʼ ἀνενέγκωσιν ἄρʼ οἱ Θηβαῖοι καὶ σωθῶσιν, ἀλλʼ οὖν ἀσθενέστεροί γʼ ἔσονται, ἡμῖν συμμάχων γεγενημένων τῶνδε καὶ διʼ ἡμᾶς σεσωμένων.
For if, on the one hand, the Thebans are subdued, as they ought to be, the Lacedaemonians will not be greater than they should be, having these Arcadians living near them as rivals; and if, on the other hand, the Thebans recover and survive, at least they will be weaker, since these people have become our allies and have been saved through us.
ὥστε πανταχῇ συμφέρει μήτε προέσθαι τοὺς Ἀρκάδας μήτε διʼ αὑτούς, ἂν ἄρα σωθῶσι, περιγεγονέναι δοκεῖν, μηδὲ διʼ ἄλλους τινάς, ἀλλὰ διʼ ὑμᾶς.
So in every way it is advantageous neither to abandon the Arcadians nor to let them seem, if indeed they survive, to have come through safely by their own efforts, or by those of any others, but through you.
§32ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, μὰ τοὺς θεοὺς οὔτε φιλῶν οὐδετέρους οὔτε μισῶν ἰδίᾳ εἴρηκα, ἀλλʼ ἃ νομίζω συμφέρειν ὑμῖν· καὶ παραινῶ μὴ προέσθαι Μεγαλοπολίτας, μηδʼ ἄλλον ἁπλῶς μηδένα τῶν ἐλαττόνων τῷ μείζονι.
I indeed, O men of Athens, swear by the gods, have spoken not out of private love or hatred for either side, but what I believe to be advantageous for you; and I advise you not to abandon the Megalopolitans, nor simply anyone of the weaker to the stronger.