§13.23.1καλόν, ὦ ἄνδρες Συρακόσιοι, κατάρξασθαι φιλίας, καὶ τῷ τῶν ἠτυχηκότων ἐλέῳ σπείσασθαι τὴν διαφοράν.
It is a beautiful thing, men of Syracuse, to initiate friendship and to settle our difference through mercy for those who have been unfortunate.
δεῖ γὰρ τὴν μὲν πρὸς τοὺς φίλους εὔνοιαν ἀθάνατον φυλάττειν, τὴν δὲ πρὸς τοὺς ἐναντίους ἔχθραν θνητήν· οὕτω γὰρ συμβήσεται τοὺς μὲν συμμάχους γίνεσθαι πλείους, τοὺς δὲ πολεμίους ἐλάττους.
For we ought to keep our goodwill toward friends immortal, but our enmity toward opponents mortal; for thus it will come about that our allies will become more numerous and our enemies fewer.
§13.23.2τὴν δὲ διαφορὰν αἰώνιον διαφυλάττοντας παραδιδόναι παισὶ παίδων οὔτʼ εὔγνωμον οὔτε ἀσφαλές· ἐνίοτε γὰρ οἱ δοκοῦντες ὑπερέχειν ἐν ῥοπῇ καιροῦ τῶν πρότερον ὑποπεπτωκότων ἀσθενέστεροι γίνονται.
But to preserve our difference as eternal and hand it down to children's children is neither wise nor safe; for sometimes those who seem to excel become, by a turn of opportunity, weaker than those who were previously subjugated.
§13.23.3μαρτυρεῖ δʼ ὁ νῦν γενόμενος πόλεμος· οἱ γὰρ ἐπὶ πολιορκίᾳ παραγενόμενοι καὶ διὰ τὴν ὑπεροχὴν ἀποτειχίσαντες τὴν πόλιν ἐκ μεταβολῆς αἰχμάλωτοι γεγόνασιν, ὡς ὁρᾶτε.
The war that has now occurred bears witness to this; for those who came for a siege and, because of their superiority, walled off the city, have, by a reversal, become captives, as you see.
καλὸν οὖν ἐν ταῖς τῶν ἄλλων ἀτυχίαις ἡμέρους φανέντας ἕτοιμον ἔχειν τὸν παρὰ πάντων ἔλεον, ἐάν τι συμβαίνῃ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων.
It is a beautiful thing, therefore, by showing ourselves mild in the misfortunes of others, to have the mercy of all men ready, if any human turn of fortune should happen to us.
πολλὰ γὰρ ὁ βίος ἔχει παράδοξα, στάσεις πολιτικάς, λῃστείας, πολέμους, ἐν οἷς οὐ ῥᾴδιον διαφεύγειν τὸν κίνδυνον ἄνθρωπον ὄντα.
For life has many unexpected events, civil strifes, robberies, wars, in which it is not easy for a man, being human, to escape danger.
§13.23.4διόπερ εἰ τὸν πρὸς τοὺς ὑποπεπτωκότας ἔλεον ἀποκόψομεν, πικρὸν καθʼ ἑαυτῶν νόμον θήσομεν εἰς ἅπαντα τὸν αἰῶνα.
Therefore, if we cut off mercy toward those who have been subjugated, we shall establish a harsh law against ourselves for all time.
οὐ γὰρ δυνατὸν τοὺς ἄλλοις ἀνημέρως χρησαμένους αὐτοὺς παρʼ ἑτέρων τυχεῖν ποτε φιλανθρωπίας, ἄλλους τε πράξαντας δεινὰ παθεῖν εὐγνώμονα, καὶ παρὰ τοὺς τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐθισμοὺς τοσούτους ἄνδρας φονεύσαντας ἐν ταῖς τοῦ βίου μεταβολαῖς ἐπιβοᾶσθαι τὰ κοινὰ πάντων νόμιμα.
For it is not possible that those who have treated others mercilessly should themselves ever obtain humanity from others, or that those who have done dreadful things to others should experience a fair-minded treatment, or that those who have slaughtered so many men contrary to the customs of the Greeks should, in the vicissitudes of life, appeal to the common laws of all.
§13.23.5τίς γὰρ Ἑλλήνων τοὺς παραδόντας ἑαυτοὺς καὶ τῇ τῶν κρατούντων εὐγνωμοσύνῃ πιστεύσαντας ἀπαραιτήτου τιμωρίας ἠξίωκεν, ἢ τίς ἧττον τοῦ μὲν ὠμοῦ τὸν ἔλεον, τῆς δὲ προπετείας τὴν εὐλάβειαν ἔσχηκεν;
For who of the Greeks has ever deemed those who surrendered themselves and trusted in the fair-mindedness of their conquerors worthy of inexorable punishment, or who has held mercy in less esteem than cruelty, and caution in less esteem than rashness?