§12.1AΙΣΧΙΝΗΣ ΑΘΗΝΑΙΩΝ ΒΟΥΛΗΙ KAΙ ΤΩΙ ΔΗΜΩΙ.
Κγὼ προσῆλθον τῷ πολιτεύεσθαι γεγονὼς ἔτη τρία καὶ τριάκοντα, μὰ Δίʼ οὐ τριταγωνιστεῖν μαθών, ὡς Δημοσθένης ἔλεγεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τραφεὶς ἐλευθερίως, καὶ παιδείας φροντίσας τὰ μέτρια, καὶ λόγων οἵους λέγειν ἐν Ἀθήναις ἔπρεπε.
AESCHINES TO THE SENATE AND THE PEOPLE OF ATHENS. I too approached public life when I was thirty-three years of age, by Zeus, not having learned to play third-rate roles, as Demosthenes used to say, but having been brought up as a free man, having cared moderately for education, and for such speeches as were fitting to speak in Athens.
§12.2καὶ τούτους οὐκ εἰς συκοφαντίανʼ γυμνάσας, οὐδά τινι τῶν πολιτῶν δίκην δικασάμενος εὑρεθήσομαι λαβὼν ἀργύριον, οὐδὲ ὕβρεις ἀποδόμενος,| ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ ὑβρισθεὶς ὅλως οὐδὲ ἀφορμὴν προπηλακισμοῦ παρασχών, οὐδὲ εἰς δίκην τινὰ τῶν πολιτῶν καταστύσας, ἔξω Τιμάρχου μόνου.
And having trained these speeches not for sycophancy, I shall not be found to have taken money by going to law with any of the citizens, nor to have sold out outrages, but not even having been outraged at all, nor having provided any occasion for insult, nor having brought any of the citizens to trial, except Timarchus alone.
§12.3καὶ οὐκ ἀλαζονεύομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ὡς πολλὰ πάνυ λαβεῖν ἐξόν μοι χρήματα μὴ λαβών, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἥν προσῆκον, δίκην κατὰ τοὺς νόμους λαβών.
And I do not boast to you as though I had not taken very much money when it was permitted to me to take it, but as having taken justice according to the laws, as was fitting.
καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πάλιν Κτησιφῶντα, πολλὰʼ μὲν ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ παθών, πολλὰ δὲ ὑπὸ Δημοσθένους, παρανόμων ἐγραψάμην, δικαιοτάτην ὥ θεοὶ γραφήν.
And after this, again, I indicted Ctesiphon for illegal proposals—having suffered many things at his hands, and many things at the hands of Demosthenes—a most just indictment, O gods!
§12.4καὶ οὐδὲν θαυμαστόν, εἰ καὶ τῶν νόμων τῶν ὑμετέρων καὶ τῶν ἐμῶν λόγων ἡ Δημοσθένους δεινότης κρείττων ἐγένετο.
And it is nothing surprising if the cleverness of Demosthenes proved stronger than both your laws and my speeches.
ἐφάνη δὲ ἰσως ἐφʼ οἷς κατηγορήθην πρότερον ὑπὸ Δημοσθένους, πολὺ μείζοσι δηλονότι τούτων οὗσι, διʼ ἄ νῦν ἐξέπεσον, οὐ μικρὸν δεῖγμα τοῦτο τοῦ καλῶς πολιτεύεσθαι νομίζεσθαι, ὅτι οὐδὲ Δημοσθένους κατηγοροῦντος ἑάλων.
But perhaps it was shown, in the charges on which I was previously accused by Demosthenes—which were clearly much greater than those because of which I have now been exiled—this was no small proof of my being considered to have conducted public life well, that not even when Demosthenes was my accuser was I convicted.
§12.5μετὰ δὲ ταύτην τὴν συμφορὰν καὶ τελέως καταφανῆ πᾶσι τοῖς Ἐλλησιν, οὐχ ὅπως μόνοις ὑμῖν, ἐμαυτὸν οἴομαι γεγονέναι.
And after this misfortune, I think I have become completely manifest to all the Greeks, not only to you.
τίς γὰρ οὐκ οἶδεν, ὅτι ἀποθανόντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι καὶ φεύγοντες ἐκ τῶν πατρίδων, τότε δὴ καὶ μάλιστα, ὁποῖοί τινες ἐγένοντο τοὑς τρόπους, διαδείκνυνται;
For who does not know that when men die and when they flee from their homelands, then indeed, and most of all, they show clearly what sort of characters they had?
§12.6και γαρ ἅ συνεχρυπτον αυτοὶ πρόστερον, ἐκ μέσου γενομένων ἐκείνων ἀναφαίνεται καθαρῶς· αἰτιᾶται γὰρ πολὑ μᾶλλον αὐτοὑς τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἕκαστος οὐδὲν ἀντ|ειπεῖν δυναμένους.
For even what they themselves were concealing before is clearly revealed once they are out of the way; for each of their enemies accuses them much more when they are unable to say anything in reply.
οἷ δὲ δὴ φεύγοντες ἐπὶ τοιαύταις αἰτίαις, ὡς τὰ τῶν πολεμίων ἀεὶ προαιρούμενοι, καὶ παντελῶς δεικνύουσι καὶ τοὺς τρόπους καὶ τὰς ἐν τῷ πολιτεύεσθαι γενομένας αὐτοῖς γνώμας καταφανεῖς· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὅπως φέρουσι τὰς συμφοράς, καὶ ὡς διάκεινται πρὸς τὰς ἑαυτῶν πατρίδας, ἐξετάζονται σαφῶς.
And those who are exiled on such charges, as always preferring the interests of the enemy, indeed completely show both their characters and their opinions formed during their public life to be manifest; for indeed, how they bear their misfortunes and how they are disposed toward their own homelands are clearly examined.
§12.7ἆρʼ οὖν καὶ Φιλίππῳ προδοὺς τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ πατρίδα, καὶ παραπρεσβεύσας τοιαῦτα κατὰ τῆς πόλεως, καὶ ἀεὶ θεραπεύσας Μακεδόνας, ἐπειδὴ τάχιστα φεύγων παρʼ ὑμῶν ᾠχόμην, πρὸς Ἀλέξανδρον ἀπηλλάγην, χάριν τε ὧν παρεσχόμην αὐτῷ κομιούμενος καὶ προμηθείας δηλονότι τευξόμενος παρʼ αὐτοῦ;
Did I then, having betrayed my own country to Philip, and having served as an ambassador with such misconduct against the city, and having always courted the Macedonians, as soon as I departed from you as an exile, go off to Alexander, in order to receive gratitude for the services I had rendered to him, and clearly to obtain protection from him?
§12.8καὶ οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅπως οὐχ ἑώρων τὰ μὲν ἐν Βοιωτίᾳ πανδοκεῖα Δημάδην ἔχοντα καὶ χωρία ζευγῶν εἴκοσιν ἀροῦντα καὶ χρυσᾶς ἔχοντα φιάλας, Ἡγήμονα δὲ καὶ Καλλιμέδοντα, τὸν μὲν ἐν Πέλλῃ, τὸν δὲ ἐν Βεροία, καὶ δωρεὰς ἄμα εἰληφότας καὶ γυναῖκας εὐπρεπεστάτας γεγαμηκότας.
And was it impossible that I did not see that Demades possessed the inns in Boeotia, and land ploughed by twenty teams of oxen, and possessed golden cups, and Hegemon and Callimedon, the one in Pella, the other in Beroea, having both received gifts and married most beautiful women?
§12.9καὶ μὴν οὐδὲ πρὸς Θηβαίους οὐδʼ εἰς Θετταλίαν ᾠχόμην παρʼ ὑμῶν, οὐδὲ πρὸς ἄλλους τινάς, παρʼ οἷς ἢ λοιδορεῖν ἔδει με τὴν πατρίδα τὴν ἐμήν, ἢ λοιδορουμένης αὐτῆς ἀκούειν, ἀλλʼ εἰς Ῥόδον ἀφικόμην, οὔτε μὰ τὸν Δία δυσμενῶν ὑμῖν οὔτʼ ἄλλως φιλαπεχθημόνων ἀνθρώπων πόλιν.
And indeed, neither to the Thebans nor to Thessaly did I go away from you, nor to any others, among whom it would have been necessary for me either to abuse my country or to hear it being abused; but I came to Rhodes, a city of men who, by Zeus, are neither hostile to you nor otherwise fond of quarreling.