§135Ὁ μὲν δὴ Λάμπων τοιοῦτος ὢν ἐφειστήκει κατήγορος, ὁ δ’ Ἰσίδωρος οὐκ ἀποδέων τὴν μοχθηρίαν, ἄνθρωπος ὀχλικός, δημοκόπος, ταράττειν καὶ συγχέειν πράγματα μεμελετηκώς, ἐχθρὸς εἰρήνῃ καὶ εὐσταθείᾳ, στάσεις καὶ θορύβους κατασκευάσαι μὲν οὐκ ὄντας, γενομένους δὲ συγκροτῆσαι καὶ συναυξῆσαι δεινός, ὄχλον ἀσύντακτον καὶ πεφορημένον ἐκ μιγάδων καὶ συγκλύδων ἡρμοσμένον περὶ αὑτὸν ἔχειν ἐσπουδακώς, ὃς εἰς μοίρας καθάπερ τινὰς συμμορίας διανενέμηται.
Now Lampon, being such a man, stood as an accuser, while Isidorus, not falling short in wickedness, a man of the crowd, a demagogue, practiced in disturbing and throwing affairs into confusion, an enemy to peace and stability, clever at fabricating factions and tumults when they did not exist, and at consolidating and increasing them when they had arisen, eager to keep about himself an unorganized and excited crowd of mixed and rabble elements, which was divided into parts like certain factions.
§136θίασοι κατὰ τὴν πόλιν εἰσὶ πολυάνθρωποι, ὧν κατάρχει τῆς κοινωνίας οὐδὲν ὑγιές, ἀλλ’ ἄκρατος καὶ μέθη καὶ παροινίαι καὶ ἡ τούτων ἔκγονος ὕβρις· σύνοδοι καὶ κλῖναι προσονομάζονται ὑπὸ τῶν ἐγχωρίων.
There are populous clubs throughout the city, in whose association nothing healthy rules, but unmixed wine, drunkenness, drunken revelry, and their offspring, insolence; they are called convocations and dining-couches by the inhabitants.
§137ἐν ἅπασι τοῖς θιάσοις ἢ τοῖς πλείστοις ὁ Ἰσίδωρος τὰ πρωτεῖα φέρεται καὶ λέγεται ὁ συμποσίαρχος, ὁ κλινάρχης, ὁ ταραξίπολις.
In all or most of these clubs, Isidorus carries off the first prize and is called the feast-master, the couch-master, the city-disturber.
εἶτα ὅταν τι βουληθῇ διαπράξασθαι τῶν ἀλυσιτελῶν, ἀφ’ ἑνὸς συνθήματος ἀθρόως συνέρχονται καὶ τὸ κελευσθὲν λέγουσι καὶ δρῶσι.
Then, whenever he wishes to accomplish any of his unprofitable designs, at a single signal they assemble in a body and say and do what is commanded.
καί ποτε τῷ Φλάκκῳ δυσχεράνας, §138ὅτι δόξας παρ’ αὐτῷ τις εἶναι κατ’ ἀρχὰς οὐκέθ’ ὁμοίως αὖθις ἐσπουδάζετο, μισθοδοτήσας τοὺς ἀλειφοβίους καὶ φωνασκεῖν εἰωθότας, οἳ τὰς καταβοήσεις ὥσπερ ἐπ’ ἀγορᾶς πιπράσκουσι τοῖς ἔχουσιν ὠνητικῶς, παρακελεύει συνελθεῖν εἰς τὸ γυμνάσιον.
And once, having become vexed with Flaccus, because, having seemed to be someone of importance with him at first, he was no longer eagerly regarded in the same way afterward, having bribed the gym-parasites and those accustomed to shout, who sell their outcries as if in a market to those who are ready to buy, he orders them to assemble in the gymnasium.
§139οἱ δὲ πληρώσαντες αὐτὸ τοῦ Φλάκκου ἀπ’ οὐδεμιᾶς προφάσεως κατηγόρουν, ἀγένητα πλάττοντες ἐγκλήματα καὶ ψευδεῖς ῥήσεις δι’ ἀναπαίστων καὶ μακρὰς συνείροντες, ὡς καταπεπλῆχθαι μὴ μόνον Φλάκκον ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἐπὶ τῷ παραλόγῳ καί, ὅπερ ἦν, συμβαλεῖν, ὅτι πάντως ἐστί τις ᾧ χαρίζονται, μήτ’ αὐτοί τι πεπονθότες ἀνήκεστον μήτε τὴν ἄλλην πόλιν εὖ εἰδότες πλημμεληθεῖσαν.
And they, having filled it, accused Flaccus without any pretext, fabricating crimes that had never happened and stringing together long and false speeches in anapaestic measures, so that not only Flaccus but also the others were dumbfounded at the absurdity and, which was indeed the case, guessed that there was certainly someone they were gratifying, since they themselves had suffered no irreparable injury, nor did they know that the rest of the city had been wronged.
§140ἔπειτα βουλευομένοις ἔδοξε συλλαβεῖν τινας καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ἀκρίτου καὶ αἰφνιδίου μανίας καὶ λύττης πυνθάνεσθαι.
Then, when they deliberated, it seemed good to arrest some of them and inquire into the cause of this senseless and sudden madness and rage.
οἱ δὲ συλληφθέντες ἄνευ βασάνων ὁμολογοῦσι τἀληθές, ἅμα καὶ τὰς διὰ τῶν ἔργων πίστεις ἐφαρμόζοντες, τὸν διομολογηθέντα μισθόν, τὸν ἤδη δεδομένον, τὸν καθ’ ὑποσχέσεις ὕστερον δοθησόμενον, τοὺς ἐπὶ τὴν διανομὴν αἱρεθέντας ὡς ἂν ἡγεμόνας τῆς στάσεως, τὸν τόπον, τὸν καιρόν, ἐν ᾧ γέγονεν ἡ δωροδοκία.
And those who were arrested, without torture, confessed the truth, at the same time applying the proofs from facts: the agreed-upon bribe, that already given, that to be given later according to promises, those chosen for the distribution as if leaders of the faction, the place, and the time in which the bribery took place.
§141πάντων δ’, ὡς εἰκός, ἀγανακτούντων καὶ τῆς πόλεως χαλεπῶς φερούσης ἐπὶ τῷ τὴν ἐνίων ἀγνωμοσύνην προσαναμάττεσθαι τοὔνομ’ αὐτῆς, ἔδοξε τὸ καθαρώτατον τοῦ δήμου μεταπεμψαμένῳ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ παραγαγεῖν τοὺς τὸν μισθὸν ἐπινείμαντας, ἵνα καὶ τὸν Ἰσίδωρον ἀπελέγξῃ καὶ ἀπολογήσηται περὶ τῆς αὑτοῦ πολιτείας ὡς ἀδίκως διαβληθείς.
And when everyone, as was natural, was indignant and the city was taking it hard that its name was being stained with the folly of some, it seemed good to Flaccus, after sending for the purest part of the populace, on the following day to bring forward those who had distributed the bribe, in order both to refute Isidorus and to defend his own administration as having been unjustly slandered.
αἰσθόμενοι δὲ τῆς παραγγελίας οὐχ οἱ ἐν τέλει μόνον ἧκον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ σύμπασα πόλις, ἔξω τοῦ μέλλοντος ἀπελέγχεσθαι μέρους ἐπὶ τῷ μεμισθοδοτῆσθαι.
And hearing of the summons, not only those in authority came, but also the entire city, except for the part that was going to be refuted because of having been bribed.
§142καὶ οἱ μὲν ὑπηρετήσαντες τὴν καλὴν ταύτην ὑπηρεσίαν ἀναβιβασθέντες, ἵνα μετέωροι καὶ ἐμφανεῖς εἶεν καὶ γνωρίζοιντο πρὸς ἁπάντων, ἤλεγχον τὸν Ἰσίδωρον ὡς αἴτιον τῶν θορύβων καὶ τῶν βλασφημιῶν τῶν εἰς Φλάκκον γενομένων, οὐκ ὀλίγῳ πλήθει παρασχόντα καὶ ἀργύριον καὶ οἶνον δι’ αὐτόν.
And those who had performed this fine service, having been brought up so that they might be aloft and conspicuous and recognized by everyone, refuted Isidorus as the cause of the tumults and of the slanders that had been made against Flaccus, showing that he had provided both money and wine to a not small crowd through himself.
§143„ἐπεὶ πόθεν“ἔφασκον „ἡμῖν ἀφθονία τοσαύτη;
"For from where," they said, "should we have such abundance?
πένητές ἐσμεν καὶ μόλις τοὐφήμερον εἰς αὐτὰ τὰ ἀναγκαῖα πορίζειν δυνάμεθα.
We are poor and can scarcely provide the daily necessaries for our very needs.
τί δὲ καὶ δεινὸν ἐπεπόνθειμεν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἡγεμόνος, ὡς βιασθῆναι μνησικακεῖν;
And what terrible thing had we suffered from the governor, so as to be forced to bear a grudge?
ἀλλ’ ὁ πάντων αἴτιος καὶ δημιουργὸς ἐκεῖνος, ἀεὶ τοῖς εὖ πράττουσι βασκαίνων καὶ εὐνόμῳ καταστάσει πολέμιος. “ §144ἃ γνωρίζοντες οἱ παρατυγχάνοντες — τύποι γάρ τινες ἦσαν ἀρίδηλοι καὶ χαρακτῆρες τὰ λεγόμενα τῆς τοῦ κατηγορουμένου προαιρέσεως — ἀνεβόων, οἱ μὲν ἀτιμοῦν, οἱ δὲ φυγαδεύειν, οἱ δ’ αἴρειν· πλείους δ’ ἦσαν οὗτοι· πρὸς οὓς καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι μετεβάλλοντο, ὡς ἅπαντας ὁμοθυμαδὸν μιᾷ φωνῇ κεκραγέναι, κτείνειν τὸν κοινὸν λυμεῶνα, τὸν ἀφ’ οὗ παρῆλθε καὶ διέκυψεν ἐπὶ τὰ κοινά, μηδὲν μέρος τῆς πόλεως ἄνοσον ἐάσαντα.
But that man is the cause and author of everything, always envying those who prosper and an enemy to a law-abiding constitution." Recognizing these things, those who were present—for the things said were clear impressions and characters of the accused man's purpose—shouted out, some to disenfranchise him, some to exile him, some to dispatch him; and these last were the majority; with whom the others also joined, so that everyone with one accord cried out with one voice to kill the common destroyer, who, since he came forward and peeked into public affairs, left no part of the city free from disease.