§12.39.1τὸ τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς ἄγαλμα Φειδίας μὲν κατεσκεύαζε, Περικλῆς δὲ ὁ Ξανθίππου καθεσταμένος ἦν ἐπιμελητής.
Phidias was fashioning the statue of Athena, and Pericles, the son of Xanthippus, had been appointed overseer.
τῶν δὲ συνεργασαμένων τῷ Φειδίᾳ τινὲς διενεχθέντες ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν τοῦ Περικλέους ἐκάθισαν ἐπὶ τῶν τῶν θεῶν βωμῶν· διὰ δὲ τὸ παράδοξον προσκαλούμενοι ἔφασαν πολλὰ τῶν ἱερῶν χρημάτων ἔχοντα Φειδίαν δείξειν, ἐπισταμένου καὶ συνεργοῦντος τοῦ ἐπιμελητοῦ Περικλέους.
But some of those who had worked with Phidias, having been set at variance by the enemies of Pericles, seated themselves as suppliants at the altars of the gods; and when they were called upon because of the unusual nature of the event, they declared that they would show that Phidias had a large amount of the sacred money in his possession, with the knowledge and complicity of Pericles, the overseer.
§12.39.2διόπερ ἐκκλησίας συνελθούσης περὶ τούτων, οἱ μὲν ἐχθροὶ τοῦ Περικλέους ἔπεισαν τὸν δῆμον συλλαβεῖν τὸν Φειδίαν, καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Περικλέους κατηγόρουν ἱεροσυλίαν.
Therefore, when an assembly met concerning these matters, the enemies of Pericles persuaded the people to arrest Phidias, and they accused Pericles himself of sacrilege.
πρὸς δὲ τούτοις Ἀναξαγόραν τὸν σοφιστήν, διδάσκαλον ὄντα Περικλέους, ὡς ἀσεβοῦντα εἰς τοὺς θεοὺς ἐσυκοφάντουν· συνέπλεκον δʼ ἐν ταῖς κατηγορίαις καὶ διαβολαῖς τὸν Περικλέα, διὰ τὸν φθόνον σπεύδοντες διαβαλεῖν τὴν τἀνδρὸς ὑπεροχήν τε καὶ δόξαν.
In addition to this, they falsely accused Anaxagoras the sophist, who was Pericles' teacher, of impiety against the gods; and they implicated Pericles in these accusations and slanders, striving out of envy to defame the man's preeminence and reputation.
§12.39.3ὁ δὲ Περικλῆς, εἰδὼς τὸν δῆμον ἐν μὲν τοῖς πολεμικοῖς ἔργοις θαυμάζοντα τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς ἄνδρας διὰ τὰς κατεπειγούσας χρείας, κατὰ δὲ τὴν εἰρήνην τοὺς αὐτοὺς συκοφαντοῦντα διὰ τὴν σχολὴν καὶ φθόνον, ἔκρινε συμφέρειν αὑτῷ τὴν πόλιν ἐμβαλεῖν εἰς μέγαν πόλεμον, ὅπως χρείαν ἔχουσα τῆς Περικλέους ἀρετῆς καὶ στρατηγίας μὴ προσδέχηται τὰς κατʼ αὐτοῦ διαβολάς, μηδʼ ἔχῃ σχολὴν καὶ χρόνον ἐξετάζειν ἀκριβῶς τὸν περὶ τῶν χρημάτων λόγον.
And Pericles, knowing that in times of war the people admire outstanding men because of urgent needs, but in times of peace they falsely accuse those same men because of leisure and envy, decided that it was to his advantage to plunge the city into a great war, so that, having need of Pericles' virtue and generalship, it might not receive the slanders against him, nor have the leisure and time to examine precisely the account of the money.
§12.39.4ὄντος δὲ ψηφίσματος παρὰ τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις Μεγαρέας εἴργεσθαι τῆς τε ἀγορᾶς καὶ τῶν λιμένων, οἱ Μεγαρεῖς κατέφυγον ἐπὶ τοὺς Σπαρτιάτας.
Since there was a decree among the Athenians that the Megarians should be excluded from both the market and the harbours, the Megarians fled to the Spartans for refuge.
οἱ δὲ Λακεδαιμόνιοι πεισθέντες τοῖς Μεγαρεῦσιν ἀπέστειλαν πρέσβεις ἐκ τοῦ προφανεστάτου ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ κοινοῦ συνεδρίου γνώμης προστάττοντες τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις ἀνελεῖν τὸ κατὰ τῶν Μεγαρέων ψήφισμα, μὴ πειθομένων δὲ αὐτῶν ἀπειλοῦντες πολεμήσειν αὐτοῖς μετὰ τῶν συμμάχων.
And the Lacedaemonians, persuaded by the Megarians, sent ambassadors in the most public manner, in accordance with the decision of the common council, ordering the Athenians to rescind the decree against the Megarians, and threatening, if they did not comply, to make war upon them with their allies.
§12.39.5συναχθείσης οὖν περὶ τούτων ἐκκλησίας, ὁ Περικλῆς, δεινότητι λόγου πολὺ διαφέρων ἁπάντων τῶν πολιτῶν, ἔπεισε τοὺς Ἀθηναίους μὴ ἀναιρεῖν τὸ ψήφισμα, λέγων ἀρχὴν δουλείας εἶναι τὸ πείθεσθαι παρὰ τὸ συμφέρον τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίων προστάγμασι.
Therefore, an assembly having been gathered concerning these matters, Pericles, who was far superior to all the other citizens in eloquence, persuaded the Athenians not to rescind the decree, saying that to yield to the commands of the Lacedaemonians contrary to their own interest was the beginning of slavery.
συνεβούλευεν οὖν τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς χώρας κατακομίζειν εἰς τὴν πόλιν καὶ θαλαττοκρατοῦντας διαπολεμεῖν τοῖς Σπαρτιάταις.
He advised them, therefore, to carry their property from the countryside into the city and to carry the war through to the end against the Spartans, relying on their supremacy at sea.