§24ἵνα δὲ μηδʼ οἴησθʼ εἶναί τι ταῦτα, ἔστι μὲν οὐκ ἴσον (πῶς γάρ; ) πρὸς τοὺς πράξαντας διαλυσαμένους τῶν οὐκ εἰδότων κατηγορεῖν, ὅμως μέντοι, ὦ Ξενοπείθη καὶ Ναυσίμαχε, εἰ μεγάλʼ ὑμῖν καὶ θαυμάστʼ εἶναι τὰ δίκαια ταῦθʼ ὑπολαμβάνετε, ἀποδόντες τὰ τρία τάλαντα περαίνετε.
But so that you may not think that these arguments are of any consequence—though indeed it is not equal (for how could it be?) to settle with those who committed the acts and then to accuse those who knew nothing of them—nevertheless, Xenopithes and Nausimachus, if you suppose these claims of yours to be great and wonderful, refund the three talents and proceed.
ὧν δὲ τοῦ μὴ κατηγορῆσαι τοσαῦτα χρήματʼ ἐπράξασθε, πρὶν ἂν ταῦτʼ ἀποδῶτε, σιωπᾶν ἐστὲ δίκαιοι, καὶ μὴ κατηγορεῖν καὶ ἔχειν· ἔσχατον γὰρ ἤδη πραγμάτων τοῦτό γε.
Since you exacted so much money on the condition of not bringing accusations, before you refund this, you are bound in justice to remain silent, and not to bring accusations while keeping the money; for this is indeed the very limit of shamelessness.
§25τάχα τοίνυν ἴσως καὶ τριηραρχίας ἐροῦσι, καὶ τὰ ὄνθʼ ὡς ἀνηλώκασιν εἰς ὑμᾶς.
Now they will perhaps also speak of trierarchies, and how they have spent their substance upon you.
ἐγὼ δʼ ὅτι μὲν ψεύσονται, καὶ πόλλʼ ἀπολωλεκότες τῶν ὄντων αὑτοῖς, μικρὰ τῆς πόλεως μετειληφυίας, οὐ δικαίαν οὐδὲ γιγνομένην χάριν ἀξιώσουσι κομίζεσθαι παρʼ ὑμῶν, ἐάσω.
But I shall pass over the fact that they will lie, and that, though they have lost much of their own property while the city has received but little benefit, they will expect to obtain from you a gratitude that is neither just nor due.
ἀξιῶ δὲ καὶ αὐτός, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, εἶναι τοῖς λῃτουργοῦσιν ὑμῖν ἅπασιν χάριν τινʼ ὑπάρχουσαν παρʼ ὑμῶν.
But I myself also, men of the jury, think it right that some gratitude should be felt by you toward all who perform public services for you.
τίσιν δὲ μεγίστην;
And to whom is the greatest due?
τοῖς ὃ μὲν χρήσιμον τῇ πόλει τοῦ πράγματός ἐστι ποιοῦσιν, ὃ δʼ αἰσχρὸν ἅπαντες ἂν εἶναι φήσαιεν καὶ ὄνειδος, μὴ κατασκευάζουσιν.
To those who, while doing what is useful to the city in the service, do not bring about what everyone would declare to be shameful and a disgrace.
§26οἱ μὲν τοίνυν μετὰ τοῦ λῃτουργεῖν τὰ σφέτερʼ αὐτῶν διεφθαρκότες τὴν βλασφημίαν ἀντὶ τῆς χρείας τῇ πόλει καταλείπουσιν (οὐδεὶς γὰρ αὐτὸς αὑτοῦ κατηγόρησεν πώποτε, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἡ πόλις τὰ ὄντʼ ἀφῄρηται λέγει)· οἱ δʼ ὅσα μὲν προστάττεθʼ ὑμεῖς ποιοῦντες προθύμως, τῇ περὶ τἄλλα δὲ σωφροσύνῃ τὰ ὄντα σῴζοντες, οὐ μόνον κατὰ τοῦτʼ ἐκείνων πλεονεκτοῖεν ἂν εἰκότως, ὅτι καὶ γεγόνασιν χρήσιμοι καὶ ἔσονται, ἀλλʼ ὅτι καὶ χωρὶς ὀνείδους ταῦτα παρʼ αὐτῶν ὑμῖν γίγνεται.
For those who, while performing public services, ruin their own estates, leave to the city bad reputation instead of service (for no one has ever accused himself, but says that the city has robbed him of his property); whereas those who zealously do whatever you command, but preserve their property by their sobriety in other matters, would reasonably have the advantage over the former, not only because they have been and will be useful, but because these services come to you from them without disgrace.
ἡμεῖς μὲν τοίνυν τοιοῦτοι εἰς ὑμᾶς ἅπαντες φανούμεθʼ ὄντες· τούτους δʼ ἐάσω, μή με φῶσιν κακῶς αὑτοὺς λέγειν.
We, then, shall be shown to be of this character in all our relations toward you; but as for these men, I shall leave them alone, lest they say that I am speaking ill of them.
§27οὐ τοίνυν θαυμάσαιμʼ ἄν, εἰ καὶ δακρύειν καὶ ἐλεινοὺς ἑαυτοὺς πειρῷντο ποιεῖν.
I should not, therefore, be surprised if they should even attempt to weep and make themselves pitiable.
ἐγὼ δʼ ἀξιῶ πρὸς ταῦθʼ ὑπολαμβάνειν ἅπαντας ὑμᾶς, ὅτι τῶν αἰσχρῶν ἐστι, μᾶλλον δʼ οὐδὲ δικαίων, τὰ μὲν ὄντα κατεσθίοντας καὶ παροινοῦντας μετʼ Ἀριστοκράτους καὶ Διογνήτου καὶ τοιούτων ἑτέρων αἰσχρῶς καὶ κακῶς ἀνηλωκέναι, τὰ δʼ ἀλλότριʼ ὥστε λαβεῖν, δακρύειν νυνὶ καὶ κλάειν.
But I think it right that you should all bear this in mind against such attempts: that it is a shameful thing, or rather not even just, that after consuming their own property and spending it shamelessly and basely in drunken revelry with Aristocrates and Diognetus and others of that sort, they should now weep and wail in order to get what belongs to others.
ἐπʼ ἐκείνοις ἐκλάετʼ ἄν, οἷς ἐποιεῖτε, δικαίως.
It was for those actions of yours that you might justly have wept.
νῦν δʼ οὐ δεῖ δακρύειν, ἀλλʼ ὡς οὐκ ἀφήκατε δεικνύναι, ἢ ὡς εἰσὶν ὧν ἀφήκατʼ αὖθις ὑμῖν δίκαι, ἢ ὡς εἰκοστῷ λαγχάνειν ἔτει δίκαιόν ἐστι, τοῦ νόμου πέντʼ ἔτη τὴν προθεσμίαν δεδωκότος· ταῦτα γάρ ἐστιν ὑπὲρ ὧν οὗτοι δικάζουσιν.
But now you must not weep, but show either that you did not release them, or that you have a right to bring suits again for what you did release, or that it is just to bring a suit in the twentieth year, when the law has given five years as the term of limitation; for these are the issues upon which they are bringing their suit.
§28ἐὰν δὲ μὴ δύνωνται ταῦτα δεικνύναι, ὡς οὐ δυνήσονται, ἡμεῖς ὑμῶν ἁπάντων, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, δεόμεθα μὴ ἡμᾶς προέσθαι τούτοις, μηδὲ τετάρτην οὐσίαν ἔτι δοῦναι τρεῖς ἑτέρας κακῶς διῳκηκόσιν, ἣν παρʼ ἑκόντων ἔλαβον τῶν ἐπιτρόπων, ἣν ὑπὲρ τῶν δικῶν εἰσεπράξαντο, ἣν πρῴην ἀφείλοντʼ Αἰσίου δίκην ἑλόντες, ἀλλʼ ἡμᾶς τὰ ἡμέτερα, ὥσπερ ἐστὶν δίκαιον, ἐᾶν ἔχειν· ἃ καὶ ὑμῖν ἐστιν ἐν ὠφελείᾳ μείζονι παρʼ ἡμῖν ὄντʼ ἢ παρὰ τούτοις, καὶ δικαιότερον δήπου τὰ ἡμέτερα ἡμᾶς ἐστιν ἔχειν ἢ τούτους.
But if they cannot show these things, as they will not be able to do, we, men of the jury, beg you all not to abandon us to these men, nor to give a fourth estate to those who have already miserably managed three others—which they received from the guardians with their consent, which they recovered through their suits, and which they recently took away from Aesius after winning their case—but to allow us to keep our own, as is just; which, being in our hands, is of greater benefit to you than if it were in theirs, and indeed it is more just that we should keep our own than they.
οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅ τι δεῖ πλείω λέγειν· οἶμαι γὰρ ὑμᾶς οὐδὲν ἀγνοεῖν τῶν εἰρημένων.
I do not know what more I need to say; for I think you are not ignorant of anything that has been said.
ἐξέρα τὸ ὕδωρ.
Pour out the water.