§20πρὸς δὲ τούτοις, εἰ μὲν μὴ καὶ πρότερον τοῖς αὐτοῖς τούτοις χρώμενος λόγοις ἐξηπάτησεν ὑμᾶς, ὅτʼ ἠγωνίσατο τὴν προτέραν ἔνδειξιν, ἦν μὲν οὐδʼ οὕτω δίκαιον παρὰ τοὺς ὑπάρχοντας νόμους τι συγχωρεῖν (οὐ δεῖ γὰρ παρανομεῖν δόντας τισὶ τοὺς ἄλλους κατὰ τοὺς νόμους ἀξιοῦν πράττειν), οὐ μὴν ἀλλʼ ἴσως γʼ εὐλογώτερον ἦν τὸ πιστεῦσαι καὶ καταχαρίσασθαι καὶ προέσθαι τι τῶν τοιούτων.
Furthermore, if he had not even on the previous occasion deceived you by using these very same arguments when he contested the first indictment, it would not have been right even in that case to concede anything contrary to the existing laws (for we must not, by permitting some to violate the law, expect others to act according to the laws), nevertheless it would perhaps have been more reasonable to believe him, to grant him a favor, and to surrender some of such rights.
§21ἐπειδὴ δὲ τότʼ ἀφέντες ἐπὶ ταῖς ὁμολογουμέναις ἐλπίσιν, μικρὸν ὕστερον τὸν αὐτὸν τοῦτον, ὡς πράττοντα καὶ λέγοντα μὴ τὰ ἄριστα τῷ δήμῳ, πάλιν ἐκολάσατε, τίς ὑπολείπεται σκῆψις ὑμῖν ἁρμόττουσα, ἂν νῦν παρακρουσθῆτε;
But since on that occasion you acquitted him on the strength of recognized hopes, and a little later punished this same man again as one who acts and speaks not for the best interests of the people, what suitable excuse is left for you if you are deceived now?
ὧν μὲν γὰρ ἔργῳ πεῖραν εἰλήφατε, τί δεῖ τοῖς λόγοις πιστεύειν;
For concerning matters of which you have had experience in fact, why is there any need to trust in words?
ὧν δὲ μηδέπω τὴν δοκιμασίαν ἔχετʼ ἀκριβῆ παρʼ ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς, ἐκ τῶν λεγομένων ἴσως ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστι κρίνειν.
But concerning things of which you do not yet have an accurate test among yourselves, it is perhaps necessary to judge from what is said.
§22θαυμάζω δʼ ἔγωγε τῶν οὕτως ἐχόντων ὥστε τὰ μὲν ἴδια τοῖς ἐκ τῶν παρεληλυθότων χρόνων οὖσιν ἐπιεικέσι, τούτοις παρακατατίθεσθαι, τὰ δʼ ἐν τῇ πολιτείᾳ κοινὰ τοῖς ὁμολογουμένως ἐξεληλεγμένοις οὖσι φαύλοις ἐπιτρέπειν.
For my part, I wonder at those who are so disposed as to deposit their private property with those who have been decent in past times, but to entrust the common interests in the state to those who are admittedly proved to be worthless.
καὶ κύνα μὲν ἐπὶ ποίμνην ἀγεννῆ καὶ φαῦλον οὐδʼ ἂν εἷς ἐπιστήσειε φυλάττειν· ἐπὶ δὲ τοὺς τὰ κοινὰ πράττοντας τοὺς τυχόντας ἀνθρώπους φασὶν ἔνιοι φύλακας δεῖν ἐπιπέμπειν, οἳ προσποιούμενοι μηνύειν τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας αὐτοὶ τῆς μεγίστης εἰσὶ φυλακῆς δεόμενοι.
And not a single person would set an ignoble and worthless dog to guard a flock; but some say that we ought to send random men as guards over those who manage the common interests, who, while pretending to report those who do wrong, themselves stand in need of the greatest guarding.
§23ὧν, ἐὰν ἔχητε νοῦν, ἐνθυμούμενοι τοὺς μὲν φάσκοντας τούτους τῷ λόγῳ φιλεῖν ὑμᾶς χαίρειν ἐάσετε, αὐτοὶ δὲ τοῦτʼ ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου παραφυλάξετε, ὅπως μηδενὶ δῶτʼ ἐξουσίαν ἀκύρους τοὺς νόμους ποιεῖν, ἄλλως τε καὶ τῶν ὑπὲρ τοῦ πλήθους καὶ λέγειν καὶ γράφειν δύνασθαι προσποιουμένων.
If you have sense, considering these things, you will let go of those who claim in word to love you, and you yourselves will by all means guard against giving anyone the authority to make the laws invalid, especially to those who pretend to be able to speak and propose decrees on behalf of the multitude.
ὡς πάνδεινόν ἐστιν τοὺς μὲν προγόνους ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ καταλυθῆναι τοὺς νόμους ἀποθνῄσκειν τολμᾶν, ὑμᾶς δὲ μηδὲ τοὺς ἐξαμαρτάνοντας εἰς αὐτοὺς τιμωρεῖσθαι, καὶ τὸν μὲν γράψαντα τοὺς νόμους Σόλωνα χαλκοῦν ἐν ἀγορᾷ στῆσαι, αὐτῶν δὲ τῶν νόμων ὀλιγωροῦντας φαίνεσθαι, διʼ οὓς κἀκεῖνον ὑπερβαλλόντως συμβέβηκε τιμᾶσθαι.
For it is a terrible thing that, on the one hand, your ancestors dared to die so that the laws might not be abolished, but on the other hand, you do not even punish those who commit offenses against them, and while you have set up Solon, who wrote the laws, in bronze in the marketplace, you appear to disregard the very laws on account of which he has happened to be exceedingly honored.
§24πῶς δʼ οὐκ ἂν εἴη τὸ συμβαῖνον ἄλογον, εἰ νομοθετοῦντες μὲν ὀργίζεσθε τοῖς πονηροῖς, ἐπʼ αὐτοφώρῳ δέ τινας εἰληφότες ἀθῴους ἐάσετε;
And how would the result not be unreasonable, if, on the one hand, when making laws, you are angry with the wicked, but on the other hand, having caught some in the very act, you let them go unpunished?
καὶ τὸν μὲν νομοθέτην ἕνʼ ὄντα πᾶσιν ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἀπεχθάνεσθαι τοῖς φαύλοις, ὑμᾶς δὲ μηδʼ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν κοινῇ συλλεγέντας ἐπιδείξασθαι μισοῦντας τοὺς πονηρούς, ἀλλʼ ὑφʼ ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς πονηρίας ἡττηθῆναι;
And if the lawgiver, being one person, is hated by all the worthless on your behalf, but you, gathered in common on your own behalf, do not even show that you hate the wicked, but are defeated by one man's wickedness?
καὶ θάνατον μὲν ὡρικέναι τὴν ζημίαν, ἐάν τις οὐκ ὄντα νόμον παράσχηται, τοὺς δὲ τοὺς ὄντας εἰς τὴν τῶν οὐκ ὄντων νόμων τάξιν ἄγοντας, τούτους ἀτιμωρήτους περιορᾶν;
And if you have fixed death as the penalty if someone produces a law that does not exist, but you look on unpunished at those who bring existing laws into the class of non-existent ones?
§25οὕτω δʼ ἂν ἀκριβέστατα συνθεωρήσαιτε τὸ τοῖς κειμένοις νόμοις πείθεσθαι ἡλίκον ἀγαθόν ἐστιν, καὶ τὸ καταφρονεῖν καὶ τὸ μὴ πειθαρχεῖν αὐτοῖς ἡλίκον κακόν, εἰ τά τʼ ἐκ τῶν νόμων ἀγαθὰ χωρὶς καὶ τὰ διὰ τῆς παρανομίας συμβαίνοντα πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς ποιησάμενοι θεωρήσαιτε.
And in this way you would most accurately observe how great a good it is to obey the established laws, and how great an evil to despise and disobey them, if you should observe by putting before your own eyes, separately, both the goods that come from the laws and the things that happen through lawlessness.
εὑρήσετε γὰρ τὴν μὲν τὰ τῆς μανίας καὶ ἀκρασίας καὶ πλεονεξίας, τοὺς δὲ τὰ τῆς φρονήσεως καὶ σωφροσύνης καὶ δικαιοσύνης ἔργα διαπραττομένους.
For you will find that the latter performs the deeds of madness, licentiousness, and greed, while the former achieves those of wisdom, temperance, and justice.
§26δῆλον δέ· τῶν γὰρ πόλεων ταύτας ἄριστʼ οἰκουμένας ἴδοιμεν ἂν ἐν αἷς ἄριστοι νομοθέται γεγόνασιν· τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἐν τοῖς σώμασιν ἀρρωστήματα τοῖς τῶν ἰατρῶν εὑρήμασι καταπαύεται, τὰς δʼ ἐν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἀγριότητας αἱ τῶν νομοθετῶν ἐξορίζουσι διάνοιαι.
And this is clear; for we may see those of the cities best governed in which the best lawgivers have arisen; for while the diseases in bodies are stopped by the discoveries of physicians, the savageries in souls are banished by the minds of the lawgivers.
ὅλως δʼ οὐδὲν οὔτε σεμνὸν οὔτε σπουδαῖον εὑρήσομεν ὃ μὴ νόμου κεκοινώνηκεν,
And on the whole, we shall find nothing either venerable or serious that has not partaken of law.
§27ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸν ὅλον κόσμον καὶ τὰ θεῖα καὶ τὰς καλουμένας ὥρας νόμος καὶ τάξις, εἰ χρὴ τοῖς ὁρωμένοις πιστεύειν, διοικεῖν φαίνεται.
Since indeed both the whole universe and divine things and the so-called seasons appear, if we must believe what is seen, to be governed by law and order.
παρακαλέσαντες οὖν ὑμᾶς αὐτούς, ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, βοηθήσατε μὲν τοῖς νόμοις, καταψηφίσασθε δὲ τῶν εἰς τὸ θεῖον ἀσεβεῖν προῃρημένων.
Calling upon yourselves, therefore, men of Athens, defend the laws, and vote to condemn those who have chosen to be impious toward the divine.
καὶ ταῦτʼ ἐὰν πράξητε, τὰ δέοντα ποιήσετε καὶ τὰ κράτιστα ψηφιεῖσθε.
And if you do this, you will perform your duty and vote for what is best.