§2.1ΚΤΗΣΙΦΩΝΤΙ.
Ἐπέστειλεν ἡμῖν Νικόστρατος ὁ πρὸς μητρὸς θεῖος, ὡς ἐπηρεάζοις μὲν εἰς αὐτὸν οὐ μετρίως, ἐμοὶ δὲ ὀνειδίζοις τὴν διὰ σέ μοι συμβᾶσαν συμφοράν.
To Ctesiphon. Nicostratus, my maternal uncle, wrote to us that you are insulting him in no moderate way, and are reproaching me with the misfortune that befell me because of you.
ἐγὼ δὲ θαυμάζω, τί παθὼν ἐξιοῦσι μὲν ἡμῖν οἴκοθεν τοιαῦτα διελέχθης, ὥστε πεισθῆναί με μηδὲν ὡν διελέχθης πεπλάσθαι σε μηδʼ ἄλλως φρονεῖν, βλέποντα πρῶτον μὲν εἰς τὴν ἐμὴν συμφοράν, ἢν οὐκ ἀπεικὸς εἶναι καὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἐλεεῖν ὑπελάμβανον, ἔπειτα δὲ εἰς τὸ τοῦ προσῇ ὤπου σου σκυθρωπὸν καὶ ὄμοιον δεδακρυμένῳ· §2.2ὥστʼ ἔγωγε καὶ ἐπέσκηψα ἐνίοις τῶν προσηκόντων ἡμῖν, εἴ του δέοιντο, προσιέναι σοι, καὶ μηδενὸς ὑστερήσειν ὑπεσχόμην αὐτοῖς, καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ἐπέστειλα περὶ ὡν ἔχρῃζον Ἀθήνησί μοι γενέσθαι πολλάκις·
But I wonder what possessed you to speak to us in such a way when we were leaving home, so that I was convinced that nothing of what you said was fabricated by you, nor that you thought otherwise—looking first at my misfortune, which I supposed it was not unlikely for even enemies to pity, and second at the gloomy and tearful appearance of your face; so that I even enjoined some of my relatives, if they should need anything, to go to you, and I promised them that they would lack nothing, and I myself frequently wrote to you about what I needed to be done for me in Athens.
νῦν δʼ οὐδʼ ἐμποδὼν ἔτι οὗσιν ἡμῖν, οὐδὲ διενοχλοῦσι σοὶ οὐδʼ ἄλλῳ τινὶ Ἀθηναίων ἐπηρεάζεις, καὶ οὔτε εἰς τὴν τύχην ἀποβλέπεις οὔτε εἰς ἄλλο τι τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων, ἀλλʼ ἐπαγωνίζῃ ἔτι καὶ ἐκπεπτωκόσι τῆς πατρίδος καὶ ἀπεστερημένοις ἐπιτιμίας καὶ πόλεως καὶ πολιτῶν καὶ φίλων.
But now, when we are no longer in your way, nor causing trouble to you or to any other of the Athenians, you insult us, and you look neither at fortune nor at anything else of human affairs, but you still fight against those who have been banished from their homeland and deprived of civic rights, city, citizens, and friends.
§2.3καὶ ὅσα μὲν εἰς ἐμὲ ἀπόντα ἐβλασφήμεις, σοὶ μὲν ἴσως φέροι ἄν τινα εκότως καὶ φθόνον καὶ μῖσος, ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τινα τῶν τεθνεώτων ἐπιβάλλοιο βλασφημεῖν, ἐν οὕτω χρηστῇ τε καὶ φιλανθρώπῳ πόλει· ἐγὼ δὲ οὐκ ἄν διὰ ταῦτα φαυλότερος νομισθείην, ὑπὸ σοῦ λοιδορούμενος ἀπών, ἀτυχέστερος μέντοι καὶ ἐλεεινότερος ἴσω,. . . ποτὲ μὲν οὐδενὸς ἥττων, νυνὶ δὲ οὐδεμίαν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ φωνὴν ἐκπέμπειν, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ ἀκούειν λοιδορούμενος δύναμαι.
And as for the slanders you uttered against me in my absence, they might perhaps reasonably bring upon you some envy and hatred, just as if you were to attempt to slander one of the dead, in so good and humane a city; but I would not be thought the worse on this account, being reviled by you in my absence, though perhaps more unfortunate and more pitiable,... once second to none, but now unable to utter any voice on my own behalf, nor even to hear myself being reviled.
§2.4τὸ δὲ γέροντα ἐπιεικῆ ὑβρίζεσθαι, μηδεμίαν ἔτι ἐλπίδα ἔχοντα τοῦ δυνήσεσθαί ποτε ἀμύνασθαι, ὅς γε τὴν σήμπασαν ἐλπίδα ἐφʼ ἡμῖν ἀκμὴν ἔχει τοῖς μηδʼ αὐτοὺς σῴζειν ἔτι δυναμένοις, πῶς οὐκ αἰσχρόν ἐστιν;
But that a decent old man should be insulted, who has no longer any hope of ever being able to defend himself—who indeed still places his entire hope on us, who are not even able to save ourselves—how is this not shameful?
ἀλλὰ μὴ πρὸς τοῦ Διός, μὴ σύ γε, ὧ Κτησιφῶν, μηδὲ εἰ τὰ μάλιστα ἡμᾶς ἀνιᾶν ἔτι βούλει, καὶ εἰ μὴ πεπλήρωκέ σε μηδὲν τῶν ἡμετέρων κακῶν, §2.5μίασμα τοῦτο προσθῇς σαυτῷ τε καὶ τοῖς παισίν, οὕς τρέφεις βοηθοὺς ἔσεσθαι δηλονότι τῷ γήρᾳ σου προσδοκῶν.
But by Zeus, do not do this, Ctesiphon, not you, not even if you wish to vex us to the utmost, and even if none of our misfortunes has sated you, add this pollution to yourself and to your children, whom you rear, expecting of course that they will be helpers to your old age.
καὶ μέμνησο, ὅτι οὐδὲ Αἰσχίνης εἰς τοῦτό ποτε ἀφίξεσθαι ἤλπισεν, οὐδʼ ἀλλοί πολλοὶ καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον ἀκμάσαντες ἐν τῇ ἑαυτῶν πόλει καὶ πολὑ λαμπρότεροι ἐμοῦ τε καὶ σοῦ γενόμενοι.
And remember that not even Aeschines ever expected to come to this, nor did many others who flourished even more in their own city and became far more illustrious than both you and me.