§14.4.1ὁ δὲ δῆμος θεωρῶν τὴν Θηραμένους ἐπιείκειαν καὶ νομίζων τῇ τούτου καλοκἀγαθίᾳ τὴν πλεονεξίαν τῶν προεστηκότων ἐπὶ ποσὸν ἀνασταλήσεσθαι, καὶ τοῦτον ἐν τοῖς τριάκοντʼ ἄρχουσιν ἐχειροτόνησεν.
But the people, seeing the moderation of Theramenes and believing that by his nobility the greed of those in power would be checked to some extent, elected him too as one of the thirty rulers.
ἔδει δὲ τοὺς ᾑρημένους βουλήν τε καὶ τὰς ἄλλας ἀρχὰς καταστῆσαι, καὶ νόμους συγγράψαι καθʼ οὓς ἔμελλον πολιτεύεσθαι.
It was necessary for those who had been chosen to establish the senate and the other offices, and to compile laws according to which they were to conduct the government.
§14.4.2τὰ μὲν οὖν περὶ τῆς νομοθεσίας ἀνεβάλοντο, προφάσεις εὐλόγους αἰεὶ ποριζόμενοι, βουλὴν δὲ καὶ τὰς ἄλλας ἀρχὰς ἐκ τῶν ἰδίων φίλων κατέστησαν, ὥστε τούτους καλεῖσθαι μὲν ἄρχοντας, εἶναι δʼ ὑπηρέτας τῶν τριάκοντα.
On the one hand, they postponed the matter of legislation, always providing plausible pretexts, but on the other hand, they established the senate and the other offices from their own friends, so that these men were called rulers in name, but were in fact servants of the Thirty.
καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον παραδιδόντες κρίσει τοὺς πονηροτάτους τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει κατεδίκαζον θανάτῳ· καὶ μέχρι τούτου τοῖς ἐπιεικεστάτοις τῶν πολιτῶν εὐαρέστει τὰ γινόμενα.
And at first, they brought the most wicked men in the city to trial and condemned them to death; and up to this point, what was being done was pleasing even to the most moderate of the citizens.
§14.4.3μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα βουλόμενοι βιαιότερα καὶ παράνομα πράττειν, ᾐτήσαντο παρὰ Λακεδαιμονίων φρουράν, λέγοντες ὅτι τὴν πολιτείαν καταστήσουσιν ἐκείνοις συμφέρουσαν.
But after this, wishing to act more violently and illegally, they requested a garrison from the Lacedaemonians, saying that they would establish a constitution advantageous to them.
ᾔδεισαν γὰρ ὅτι φόνους ἐπιτελεῖν οὐκ ἂν δύναιντο χωρὶς ξενικῶν ὅπλων· πάντας γὰρ ἀνθέξεσθαι τῆς κοινῆς ἀσφαλείας.
For they knew that they would not be able to carry out the executions without foreign arms, since they thought that everyone would cling to the common safety.
§14.4.4Λακεδαιμονίων δὲ πεμψάντων φρουρὰν καὶ τὸν ταύτης ἡγησόμενον Καλλίβιον, τὸν μὲν φρούραρχον ἐξεθεράπευσαν δώροις καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις φιλανθρώποις οἱ τριάκοντα, τῶν δὲ πλουσίων ἐπιλέγοντες τοὺς ἐπιτηδείους συνελάμβανον ὡς νεωτερίζοντας, καὶ θανάτῳ περιβάλλοντες τὰς οὐσίας ἐδήμευον.
When the Lacedaemonians sent a garrison and Callibius to command it, the Thirty on the one hand won over the garrison commander with gifts and other kindnesses, and on the other hand, selecting suitable victims from the wealthy, they arrested them on the ground that they were plotting revolution, and putting them to death, they confiscated their property.
§14.4.5τοῦ δὲ Θηραμένους ἐναντιουμένου τοῖς συνάρχουσι, καὶ μετὰ τῶν ἀντεχομένων τῆς σωτηρίας ἀπειλοῦντος ἀμύνεσθαι, συνήγαγον τὴν βουλὴν οἱ τριάκοντα.
Since Theramenes opposed his colleagues in office and threatened to defend himself along with those who clung to their safety, the Thirty convened the senate.
Κριτίου δὲ προεστῶτος αὐτῶν, καὶ πολλὰ κατηγορήσαντος τοῦ Θηραμένους, ὅτι προδίδωσι τὴν πολιτείαν ταύτην ἧς αὐτὸς ἑκουσίως κοινωνεῖ, παραλαβὼν τὸν λόγον ὁ Θηραμένης καὶ περὶ τῶν κατὰ μέρος ἀπολογησάμενος, ἅπασαν ἔσχε τὴν βουλὴν εὔνουν.
When Critias, who stood at their head, had accused Theramenes at length, saying that he was betraying this constitution in which he himself voluntarily participated, Theramenes took the floor and defended himself on each point, and won the goodwill of the entire senate.
§14.4.6οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Κριτίαν φοβούμενοι τὸν ἄνδρα μήποτε καταλύσῃ τὴν ὀλιγαρχίαν, περιέστησαν στρατιώτας ἔχοντας ἐσπασμένα τὰ ξίφη, καὶ τὸν Θηραμένη συνελάμβανον.
But those around Critias, fearing that the man might some day overthrow the oligarchy, surrounded him with soldiers holding drawn swords and proceeded to arrest Theramenes.
§14.4.7ὁ δὲ φθάσας ἀνεπήδησε μὲν πρὸς τὴν βουλαίαν Ἑστίαν, ἔφησε δὲ πρὸς τοὺς θεοὺς καταφεύγειν, οὐ σωθήσεσθαι νομίζων, ἀλλὰ σπεύδων τοῖς ἀνελοῦσιν αὐτὸν περιποιήσασθαι τὴν εἰς τοὺς θεοὺς ἀσέβειαν.
But he, anticipating them, leaped up to the altar of Hestia of the Senate, and said that he fled to the gods for refuge, not thinking that he would be saved, but striving to bring upon those who would destroy him the guilt of impiety against the gods.