§12ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ τοῦτο μέμνημαι διηγορευμένον ἐν τοῖς νόμοις (ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ διὰ τὴν πολλὴν δουλείαν ἐπιλέλησμαι τῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς εἰρημένων) αἰτίας θανάτου εἶναι διττάς, καὶ εἴ τις μὴ αὐτὸς μὲν ἀπέκτεινε μηδὲ τῇ χειρὶ ἔδρασεν τὸ ἔργον, ἠνάγκασεν δὲ καὶ παρέσχεν ἀφορμὴν τοῦ φόνου, τὰ ἴσα καὶ τοῦτον ἀξιοῖ ὁ νόμος αὐτὸν ἀντικολάζεσθαι — μάλα δικαίως· οὐ γὰρ ἠβούλετο τοῦ πεπραγμένου ἥσσων γίνεσθαι τῷ τῆς ἀδείας·
And I also remember that this is explicitly stated in the laws (unless, because of our long servitude, I have forgotten what is said in them), that the causes of death are twofold: and if anyone did not slay the victim himself nor do the deed with his own hand, but compelled and provided the occasion of the murder, the law deems it right that this person too should be punished in return to an equal degree—and very justly; for it did not wish to fall short of the deed by allowing impunity; and therefore the examination of the manner of the slaughter is superfluous.
καὶ περιττὴ λοιπὸν ἡ ἐξέτασις τοῦ τρόπου τῆς σφαγῆς. εἶτα τὸν μὲν οὕτως ἀποκτείναντα κολάζειν ὡς ἀνδροφόνον δικαιοῖς καὶ οὐδαμῶς ἀφεῖσθαι θέλεις, τὸν δὲ κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τούτῳ τρόπον εὖ πεποιηκότα τὴν πόλιν οὐ τῶν ὁμοίων ἀξιώσεις τοῖς εὐεργέταις;
Then, do you deem it right to punish as a murderer the one who kills in this way, and wish by no means to let him go free, but will you not deem worthy of the same rewards as benefactors the one who has benefited the city in the very same way as this man?
§13οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκεῖνο ἂν ἔχοις λέγειν, ὡς ἐγὼ μὲν ἁπλῶς αὐτὸ ἔπραξα, ἠκολούθησε δέ τι τέλος ἄλλως χρηστόν, ἐμοῦ μὴ θελήσαντος.
For you would not even be able to say that, namely that I simply did the deed, and some otherwise beneficial end followed without my wishing it.
τί γὰρ ἔτι ἐδεδίειν τοῦ ἰσχυροτέρου πεφονευμένου;
For what did I still have to fear once the stronger man was slain?
τί δὲ κατέλιπον τὸ ξίφος ἐν τῇ σφαγῇ, εἰ μὴ πάντως τὸ ἐσόμενον αὐτὸ προεμαντευόμην;
And why did I leave the sword in the wound if I did not altogether foresee what was going to happen?
ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ τοῦτο φής, ὡς οὐ τύραννος ὁ τεθνεὼς ἦν οὐδὲ ταύτην εἶχε τὴν προσηγορίαν, οὐδὲ δωρεὰς ἐπʼ αὐτῷ πολλάς, εἰ ἀποθάνοι, ἡδέως ἂν ὑμεῖς ἐδώκατε.
Unless you say this, that the deceased was not a tyrant and did not have this title, nor would you have gladly given many rewards for him if he died.
ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἂν εἴποις.
But you could not say so.
Εἶτα τοῦ τυράννου πεφονευμένου τῷ τὴν αἰτίαν παρασχόντι τῆς σφαγῆς οὐκ ἀποδώσεις τὴν δωρεάν;
Then, when the tyrant has been slain, will you not grant the reward to the one who provided the cause of the slaughter?
ὢ τῆς πολυπραγμοσύνης.
Oh, what meddlesomeness!
μέλει δέ σοι, πῶς ἀπέθανεν, ἀπολαύοντι τῆς ἐλευθερίας, ἢ τὸν τὴν δημοκρατίαν ἀποδεδωκότα περιττότερόν τι προσαπαιτεῖς;
And does it matter to you how he died, while you enjoy freedom? Or do you demand something extra from the one who has restored democracy?
καίτοι ὅ γε νόμος,
ὡς φής,
τὸ κεφάλαιον ἐξετάζει τῶν πεπραγμένων, τὰ διὰ μέσου δὲ πάντα ἐᾷ καὶ οὐκέτι πολυπραγμονεῖ.
And yet the law, as you say, examines the main point of what has been done, and leaves aside all intermediate steps, and meddles no further.
τί γάρ;
For why?
οὐχὶ καὶ ἐξελάσας τις τύραννον ἤδη τιμὴν ἔλαβεν τυραννοκτόνου;
Has not someone who merely expelled a tyrant already received the honor of a tyrannicide?
καὶ μάλα δικαίως· ἐλευθερίαν γὰρ κἀκεῖνος ἀντὶ δουλείας παρέσχηται.
And very justly so; for he too has provided freedom instead of slavery.
τὸ δʼ ὑπʼ ἐμοῦ γεγενημένον οὐ φυγὴ οὐδὲ δευτέρας ἐπαναστάσεως ἐλπίς, ἀλλὰ παντελὴς καθαίρεσις καὶ πανωλεθρία παντὸς τοῦ γένους καὶ ῥιζόθεν τὸ δεινὸν ἅπαν ἐκκεκομμένον.
But what has been done by me is not flight, nor the hope of a second rebellion, but complete overthrow and utter destruction of the entire race, and the whole terror cut out from the roots.
§14καί μοι πρὸς θεῶν ἤδη ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς ἐς τέλος, εἰ δοκεῖ, πάντα ἐξετάσατε, εἴ τι τῶν πρὸς τὸν νόμον παραλέλειπται καὶ εἰ ἐνδεῖ τι τῶν προσεῖναι ὀφειλόντων τυραννοκτόνῳ.
And, by the gods, if it seems good to you, examine everything now from beginning to end, whether anything required by the law has been omitted, and whether anything is lacking that ought to belong to a tyrannicide.
πρῶτα μὲν δὴ γνώμην προϋπάρχειν χρὴ γενναίαν καὶ φιλόπολιν καὶ πρὸ τῶν κοινῶν κινδυνεύειν ἐθέλουσαν καὶ τῷ οἰκείῳ θανάτῳ τὴν τῶν πολλῶν σωτηρίαν ὠνησομένην.
First of all, there must be a noble and patriotic intention, willing to face danger for the common good and ready to purchase the salvation of the many at the cost of one's own death.
ἆρʼ οὖν πρὸς τοῦτο ἐνεδέησα, ἐμαλακίσθην, ἢ προελόμενός τινα τῶν διὰ μέσου κινδύνων ἀπώκνησα;
Did I then fall short in this respect, or show weakness, or shrink back when choosing any of the intermediate dangers?
οὐκ ἂν εἴποις.
You could not say so.
μένε τοίνυν ἐπὶ τούτου ἔτι μόνου καὶ νόμιζε τοῦ θελῆσαι μόνον καὶ τοῦ βουλεύσασθαι ταῦτα, εἰ καὶ μὴ χρηστὸν ἀποβεβήκει, ἔκ γε τῆς γνώμης αὐτῆς καταστάντα με γέρας ἀξιοῦν ὡς εὐεργέτην λαμβάνειν.
Remain, then, on this point alone, and consider that for the mere wishing and planning of these things, even if a beneficial result had not followed, I would be justified, on the basis of that intention itself, in demanding to receive a prize as a benefactor.
ἐμοῦ μὲν οὐ δυνηθέντος, ἄλλου δὲ μετʼ ἐμὲ τετυραννοκτονηκότος, ἄλογον, εἰπέ μοι, ἢ ἀγνῶμον ἦν παρασχεῖν;
If I had been unable, but someone else after me had slain the tyrant, tell me, would it have been unreasonable or ungrateful to grant it?
καὶ μάλιστα εἰ ἔλεγον,
ἄνδρες, ἐβουλόμην, ἠθέλησα, ἐπεχείρησα, ἐπειράθην· τῆς γνώμης μόνης ἄξιός εἰμι τιμᾶσθαι, τί
ἂν ἀπεκρίνω τότε;
And especially if I were saying: 'Gentlemen, I wished, I intended, I attempted, I tried; I deserve to be honored for my intention alone'—what would you have answered then?
§15νῦν δὲ οὐ τοῦτό φημι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀνῆλθον καὶ ἐκινδύνευσα καὶ μυρία πρὸ τῆς τοῦ νεανίσκου σφαγῆς ἐπόνησα·
But now I am not saying this; rather, I also went up, risked danger, and endured countless labors before the slaughter of the young man.
μὴ γὰρ οὕτω ῥᾷστον μηδὲ εὐχερὲς ὑπολάβητε εἶναι τὸ πρᾶγμα, φρουρὰν ὑπερβῆναι καὶ δορυφόρων κρατῆσαι καὶ τρέψασθαι τοσούτους μόνον, ἀλλὰ σχεδὸν τὸ μέγιστον ἐν τῇ τυραννοκτονίᾳ καὶ τὸ κεφάλαιον τῶν ἔργων τοῦτό ἐστιν.
For do not suppose that it is so very easy or simple a matter to pass the guard, to overpower the bodyguards, and to put so many to flight alone; on the contrary, this is virtually the greatest part of tyrannicide and the chief of the deeds.
οὐ γὰρ δὴ αὐτός γε ὁ τύραννος μέγα καὶ δυσάλωτον καὶ δυσκατέργαστόν ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ τὰ φρουροῦντα καὶ συνέχοντα τὴν τυραννίδα, ἅ τις ἂν νικήσῃ, πάντα οὗτος κατώρθωσεν, καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ὀλίγον.
For indeed, the tyrant himself is not great, hard to capture, or difficult to subdue, but rather those things that guard and maintain the tyranny; if one conquers these, he has achieved everything, and what remains is little.
τὸ δὴ ἄχρι τῶν τυράννων προελθεῖν οὐκ ἂν ὑπῆρξέ μοι, μὴ οὐχὶ τῶν περὶ αὐτοὺς φυλάκων καὶ δορυφόρων ἁπάντων κεκρατηκότι κἀκείνους ἅπαντας προνενικηκότι.
Indeed, advancing as far as the tyrants would not have been possible for me, had I not overpowered all the guards and bodyguards around them and conquered them all beforehand.
οὐδὲν ἔτι προστίθημι, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ τούτων αὖθις μένω· φυλακῆς ἐκράτησα, δορυφόρους ἐνίκησα, τὸν τύραννον ἀφύλακτον, ἄνοπλον, γυμνὸν ἀπέδωκα.
I add nothing more, but remain again on these facts: I overcame the guard, I conquered the bodyguards, I delivered the tyrant unguarded, unarmed, and naked.
τιμῆς ἄξιος ἐπὶ τούτοις εἶναί σοι δοκῶ, ἢ ἔτι ἀπαιτεῖς παρʼ ἐμοῦ τὸν φόνον;
Do I seem to you to be worthy of honor for these things, or do you still demand the murder from me?