§28ἐπίσταμαι δὲ καὶ τάδε, ὦ ἄνδρες, ὅτι εἰ μὲν τούτοις ἐμοῦ κατεμαρτύρουν οἱ μάρτυρες οἱ παραγενόμενοι, αὐτοῖς ἂν τούτοις ἰσχυροτάτοις ἐχρῶντο καὶ πίστιν ταύτην σαφεστάτην ἀπέφαινον, τοὺς μάρτυρας τοὺς καταμαρτυροῦντας·
And I know this also, gentlemen, to be the case: if the witnesses who were present had testified against me for them, they would have used these very men as their strongest support and would have presented them as the clearest proof—namely, the witnesses testifying against me.
τῶν αὐτῶν δὲ τούτων μαρτυρούντων, ἃ μὲν ἐγὼ λέγω, ἀληθῆ εἶναι, ἃ δὲ οὗτοι λέγουσιν, οὐκ ἀληθῆ, τοῖς μὲν μάρτυσι τοῖς ἐμοὶ μαρτυροῦσιν ἀπιστεῖν ὑμᾶς διδάσκουσι, τοῖς δὲ λόγοις οἷς αὐτοὶ λέγουσι πιστεύειν ὑμᾶς φασι χρῆναι, οὓς ἐγὼ εἰ ἔλεγον ἄνευ μαρτύρων, ψευδεῖς ἂν κατηγόρουν εἶναι.
But when these same men testify that what I say is true, and what they say is not true, they teach you to distrust the witnesses who testify for me, and they say you ought to believe the words they themselves speak, which, if I had spoken them without witnesses, they would have accused of being false.
§29καίτοι δεινὸν εἰ οἱ αὐτοὶ μάρτυρες τούτοις μὲν ἂν μαρτυροῦντες πιστοὶ ἦσαν, ἐμοὶ δὲ μαρτυροῦντες ἄπιστοι ἔσονται.
And yet, it is a strange thing if the same witnesses, had they testified for them, would be trustworthy, but when they testify for me, will be untrustworthy.
καὶ εἰ μὲν πάνυ μὴ παρεγένοντο μάρτυρες, ἐγὼ δὲ παρειχόμην, ἢ τοὺς παραγενομένους μὴ παρειχόμην, ἑτέρους δέ τινας, εἰκότως ἂν οἱ τούτων λόγοι πιστότεροι ἦσαν τῶν ἐμῶν μαρτύρων· ὅπου δὲ μάρτυράς τε ὁμολογοῦσι παραγενέσθαι, καὶ ἐγὼ τοὺς παραγενομένους παρέχομαι, καὶ εὐθὺς ἀπὸ τῆς πρώτης ἡμέρας καὶ αὐτὸς ἐγὼ καὶ οἱ μάρτυρες ἅπαντες φανεροί ἐσμεν λέγοντες ἅπερ νυνὶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς, πόθεν χρή, ὦ ἄνδρες, ἢ τἀληθῆ πιστὰ ἢ τὰ μὴ ἀληθῆ ἄπιστα ποιεῖν ἄλλοθεν ἢ ἐκ τῶν τοιούτων;
And if no witnesses had been present at all, and I were offering them, or if I were not offering those who were present, but some others, their words would naturally be more trustworthy than my witnesses; but since they admit that witnesses were present, and I offer those who were present, and from the very first day both I myself and all the witnesses have been openly saying the very things we say to you now, from what other source, gentlemen, is one to make the truth trustworthy or the untruth untrustworthy, if not from such facts as these?
§30ὅπου μὲν γὰρ λόγῳ τις διδάσκοι περὶ τῶν πραχθέντων, μάρτυρας δὲ μὴ παρέχοιτο, μαρτύρων ἄν τις τοὺς λόγους τούτους ἐνδεεῖς φαίη εἶναι· ὅπου δὲ μάρτυρας μὲν παρέχοιτο, τεκμήρια δὲ αὖ τοῖς μαρτυροῦσιν ὅμοια μὴ ἀποφαίνοι, ταὐτὰ ἄν τις ἔχοι εἰπεῖν, εἰ βούλοιτο.
For where someone explains the deeds by word, but does not present witnesses, one might say that these words are lacking in witnesses; and where someone presents witnesses, but does not in turn show proofs in harmony with those testifying, one might have the same thing to say, if one wished.
§31ἐγὼ τοίνυν τοὺς τε λόγους ὑμῖν εἰκότας ἀποφαίνω, καὶ τοῖς λόγοις τοὺς μάρτυρας ὁμολογοῦντας καὶ τοῖς μάρτυσι τὰ ἔργα, καὶ τεκμήρια ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν ἔργων, καὶ ἔτι πρὸς τούτοις δύο τὼ μεγίστω καὶ ἰσχυροτάτω, τούτους μὲν αὐτούς τε ὑπὸ σφῶν αὐτῶν ἐξελεγχομένους καὶ ὑπʼ ἐμοῦ, ἐμὲ δὲ ὑπό τε τούτων καὶ ὑπὸ ἐμαυτοῦ ἀπολυόμενον·
I, therefore, present to you words that are probable, and witnesses agreeing with the words, and the deeds agreeing with the witnesses, and proofs from the deeds themselves, and in addition to these, two of the greatest and strongest things: they themselves being refuted both by themselves and by me, and I being acquitted both by them and by myself.
§32ὅπου γὰρ ἐθέλοντος ἐλέγχεσθαι ἐμοῦ περὶ ὧν ᾐτιῶντο οὗτοι μὴ ἤθελον ἐλέγχειν εἴ τι ἠδικοῦντο, ἐμὲ μὲν δήπου ἀπέλυον, αὐτοὶ δὲ κατὰ σφῶν αὐτῶν μάρτυρες ἐγένοντο, ὅτι οὐδὲν δίκαιον οὐδʼ ἀληθὲς ᾐτιῶντο.
For where, when I wished to be examined concerning the things they accused me of, they did not wish to examine whether they had been wronged at all, they surely acquitted me, and themselves became witnesses against themselves, that they made no just or true accusation.
καίτοι εἰ πρὸς τοῖς ἐμαυτοῦ μάρτυσι τοὺς ἀντιδίκους αὐτοὺς μάρτυρας παρέχομαι, ποῖ ἔτι ἐλθόντα δεῖ ἢ πόθεν ἀποδείξαντα τῆς αἰτίας ἀπολελύσθαι;
And yet, if in addition to my own witnesses I present my opponents themselves as witnesses, where else must one go, or from what source must one show proof, to be acquitted of the accusation?
§33ἡγοῦμαι μὲν οὖν καὶ ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων καὶ ἀποδεδειγμένων, ὦ ἄνδρες, δικαίως ἄν μου ἀποψηφίσασθαι ὑμᾶς, καὶ ἐπίστασθαι ἅπαντας ὅτι οὐδέν μοι προσήκει τῆς αἰτίας ταύτης.
I think, therefore, gentlemen, both from what has been said and from what has been demonstrated, that you would justly acquit me, and that everyone knows that this accusation does not belong to me at all.
ἵνα δʼ ἔτι καὶ ἄμεινον μάθητε, τούτου ἕνεκα πλείω λέξω, καὶ ἀποδείξω ὑμῖν τοὺς κατηγόρους τούτους ἐπιορκοτάτους ὄντας καὶ ἀσεβεστάτους ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ἀξίους οὐ μόνον ὑπʼ ἐμοῦ μισεῖσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑφʼ ὑμῶν πάντων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων πολιτῶν τῆς δίκης ἕνεκα ταυτησί.
But so that you may learn even better, for this reason I will speak at greater length, and I will show you that these accusers are the most perjured and impious of men, and worthy of being hated not only by me, but also by all of you and the other citizens because of this very trial.
§34οὗτοι γὰρ τῇ μὲν πρώτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ ἀπέθανεν ὁ παῖς, καὶ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ ᾗ προέκειτο, οὐδʼ αὐτοὶ ἠξίουν αἰτιᾶσθαι ἐμὲ [οὐδʼ] ἀδικεῖν ἐν τῷ πράγματι τούτῳ οὐδέν, ἀλλὰ συνῆσαν ἐμοὶ καὶ διελέγοντο· τῇ δὲ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ ἐξεφέρετο ὁ παῖς, ταύτῃ δὴ πεπεισμένοι ἦσάν [τινες] ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν τῶν ἐμῶν, καὶ παρεσκευάζοντο αἰτιᾶσθαι καὶ προαγορεύειν εἴργεσθαι τῶν νομίμων.
For on the first day the boy died, and on the next day when he was laid out, they themselves did not think it right to accuse me of doing any wrong in this matter, but they were with me and conversed with me; but on the third day when the boy was being carried out, on this very day indeed they were persuaded by my enemies, and prepared to accuse me and to proclaim my exclusion from the sacred rites.
τίνες οὖν ἦσαν οἱ πείσαντες αὐτούς;
Who then were those who persuaded them?
καὶ τίνος ἕνεκα καὶ πρόθυμοι ἐγένοντο πεῖσαι αὐτούς;
And for what reason did they become eager to persuade them?
δεῖ γάρ με καὶ ταῦτα ὑμᾶς διδάξαι.
For I must instruct you on these matters as well.