§5.1Δημοσθένης Ἡρακλεοδώρῳ εὖ πράττειν.
Demosthenes to Heracleodorus, greetings.
οὔθʼ ὅπως χρὴ πιστεύειν οἷς ἀπήγγελλέ μοι Μενεκράτης οὔθʼ ὅπως ἀπιστεῖν, ἔχω.
I know neither how I ought to believe nor how to disbelieve the things Menecrates was reporting to me.
ἔφη γὰρ Ἐπίτιμον ἐνδεδεῖχθαι μὲν καὶ ἀπῆχθαι ὑπʼ Ἀράτου, σὲ δʼ ἀγωνίζεσθαι καὶ ἁπάντων αὐτῷ χαλεπώτατον εἶναι.
For he said that Epitimes had been indicted and led away by Aratus, and that you were contending against him and were the harshest of all towards him.
δέομαι δή σου πρὸς Διὸς ξενίου καὶ πάντων τῶν θεῶν, μή με καταστήσῃς ἀηδεῖ καὶ δεινῷ μηδενὶ περιπετῆ.
I beg of you, then, by Zeus the protector of guests and by all the gods, do not place me in a position where I fall into anything unpleasant and terrible.
§5.2εὖ γὰρ ἴσθι, χωρὶς τοῦ μέλειν μοι τῆς Ἐπιτίμου σωτηρίας καὶ νομίσαι μεγάλην ἂν συμφοράν, εἴ τι πάθοι καὶ τούτου σὺ συναίτιος εἴης, αἰσχύνομαι τοὺς συνειδότας μοι τοὺς λόγους οὓς ἐγὼ περὶ σοῦ πρὸς ἅπαντας ἀνθρώπους ἔλεγον, πεπεικὼς ἐμαυτὸν ἀληθῆ λέγειν, οὐκ ἐκ τοῦ πεπλησιακέναι σοι πεῖραν ἔχων, §5.3ἀλλʼ ὁρῶν ὅτι δόξης ἐπιτυγχάνων καὶ παιδείαν ἀπεδέχου, καὶ ταῦτα τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς Πλάτωνος διατριβῆς, ἥπερ ἐστὶν ὡς ἀληθῶς τῶν μὲν πλεονεκτημάτων καὶ τῶν περὶ ταῦτα σοφισμάτων ἔξω, τοῦ βελτίστου δὲ καὶ τοῦ δικαιοτάτου πάνθʼ ἕνεκʼ ἐξητασμένη· ἧς μὰ τοὺς θεοὺς τῷ μετασχόντι μὴ οὐχὶ ἀψευδεῖν καὶ πρὸς ἅπαντας ἀγαθῷ εἶναι οὐχ ὅσιον ἡγοῦμαι.
For know well, quite apart from my caring for the safety of Epitimes and my thinking it would be a great misfortune if he should suffer anything and you should be a contributor to this, I am ashamed before those who are conscious of the words which I used to speak about you to all men, having persuaded myself that I was speaking the truth, having experience not from having been close to you, but seeing that, while obtaining reputation, you also welcomed education, and that too the education from the school of Plato, which is truly far removed from self-seeking and the sophistries concerning these things, and has been examined in every respect for the sake of the best and the most just; to participate in which, by the gods, I deem it not holy for a man not to be free from falsehood and good towards all.
§5.4γένοιτο δʼ ἄν μοι κἀκεῖνο τῶν χαλεπωτάτων, εἰ παρωρμηκὼς ἐμαυτὸν εὐνοϊκῶς ἔχειν σοι τὴν ἐναντίαν γνώμην μεταλαβεῖν ἀναγκασθείην, οἷα δὴ ὑπολαμβάνων παρεωρᾶσθαι καὶ πεφενακίσθαι.
And that other thing would also become one of the most difficult things for me, if, having urged myself to be well-disposed toward you, I should be forced to adopt the opposite opinion, as if assuming that I had been disregarded and cheated.
κἂν μὴ φῶ, νόμιζέ μʼ οὕτως ἕξειν.
And even if I do not say so, believe that I shall feel this way.
§5.5εἰ δʼ ἡμῶν καταπεφρόνηκας ὅτι τῶν πρώτων οὐκ ἐσμέν πω, λόγισαι ὅτι καὶ σύ ποτʼ ἦσθα νέος καὶ τὴν ἡλικίαν εἶχες ἣν ἡμεῖς νῦν, ἐκ δὲ τοῦ συμβουλεύειν καὶ πράττειν γεγένησαι τηλικοῦτος.
And if you look down on us because we are not yet among the first, consider that you too were once young and had the age which we have now, and from advising and acting you have become so great.
κἂν ἡμῖν τοῦτο συμβαίη.
And this might happen to us as well.
τὸ μὲν γὰρ εὖ βουλεύεσθαι πάρεστιν, τῆς δὲ τύχης συλλαμβανούσης καὶ τοὔργον γένοιτʼ ἄν.
For deliberating well is present with us, and if fortune assists, the deed too would come to pass.
καλὸς οὖν ἔρανος χάρις δικαία· ἣν καὶ σὺ ποίησαι πρὸς ἐμέ.
A just favor, therefore, is a beautiful mutual contribution; make this also toward me.
§5.6καὶ μηδʼ ὑφʼ ἑνὸς τῶν σοῦ φρονούντων χεῖρον ἄγου μηδʼ ἡττῶ, ἀλλʼ ἐκείνους ἄγʼ ἐπὶ τὰ σοὶ δοκοῦντα· καὶ πρᾶττε οὕτως ὅπως μηδενὸς τῶν ὁμολογηθέντων στερηθῶμεν, ἀλλʼ Ἐπιτίμῳ γένηται σωτηρία τις καὶ ἀπαλλαγὴ τῶν κινδύνων.
And do not be led for the worse or be overcome by even one of those who think less wisely than you, but lead them to those things which seem good to you; and act in such a way that we may not be deprived of any of the things agreed upon, but that some safety and deliverance from dangers may come to Epitimes.
παρέσομαι δʼ εἰς τὸν χρόνον κἀγώ, καθʼ ὃν ἂν σὺ φῇς καιρὸν εἶναι.
And I also will be present at that time, at whatever moment you say is the opportunity.
γράψας δέ μοι πέμψον, ἢ καὶ ὡς φίλῳ ἐπίστελλε.
Write and send to me, or even enjoin me as a friend.
εὐτύχει.
Farewell.