§11.12.1εἰ δὲ διὰ φόβον ἐχθρῶν ὀκνεῖς ἀποθέσθαι τὴν ἀρχήν, μή σοι κίνδυνοί τινες ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐπαχθῶσι, καὶ δίκας ἀναγκασθῇς ὑπέχειν τῶν πεπραγμένων, οὐκ ὀρθῶς δέδοικας.
But if, through fear of your enemies, you hesitate to lay down your power, lest some dangers should be brought upon you by them and you should be forced to undergo trial for your past actions, your fear is groundless.
οὐ γὰρ οὕτω μικρόθυμος οὐδʼ ἀχάριστος ἔσται ὁ Ῥωμαίων δῆμος, ὥστε τῶν μὲν ἁμαρτημάτων σου μεμνῆσθαι, τῶν δʼ εὐεργεσιῶν ἐπιλελῆσθαι, ἀλλʼ ἀντιπαρεξετάζων τὰ νῦν ἀγαθὰ τοῖς πάλαι κακοῖς ἐκεῖνα μὲν ἡγήσεται συγγνώμης ἄξια, ταῦτα δʼ ἐπαίνων.
For the Roman people will not be so mean-spirited or ungrateful as to remember your transgressions but forget your benefactions, but, comparing your present good deeds with your past evils, they will consider those past evils worthy of pardon and these present good deeds worthy of praise.
§11.12.2ὑπάρξει δέ σοι καὶ τῶν πρὸ τῆς ὀλιγαρχίας ἔργων πολλῶν καὶ καλῶν ὄντων ὑπομιμνήσκειν τὸν δῆμον, καὶ τὴν ὑπὲρ ἐκείνων χάριν εἰς βοήθειαν καὶ σωτηρίαν ἀπαιτεῖν, ἀπολογίαις τε χρῆσθαι πρὸς τὰ κατηγορήματα πολλαῖς· τοῦτο μέν, ὡς οὐκ αὐτὸς ἥμαρτες, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἄλλων τις ἀγνοοῦντός σου· τοῦτο δʼ, ὡς οὐχ ἱκανὸς ἦσθα τὸν πράττοντα κωλύειν ἰσότιμον ὄντα· τοῦτο δʼ, ὡς ἑτέρου τινὸς ἔργου χρησίμου χάριν ἠναγκάσθης ἀβούλητόν τι ὑπομεῖναι.
And it will be possible for you also to remind the people of your many and noble deeds before the oligarchy, and to demand their gratitude for those deeds for your assistance and safety, and to make use of many defenses against the accusations: on the one hand, that you did not err yourself, but someone else did without your knowledge; on the other hand, that you were not able to prevent the doer, since he was your equal in rank; and again, that for the sake of some other useful deed you were forced to submit to something against your will.
§11.12.3πολὺς γὰρ ἂν εἴη ὁ λόγος, εἰ πάσας ἐξαριθμεῖσθαι βουλοίμην τὰς ἀπολογίας.
For the discourse would be long, if I should wish to enumerate all the defenses.
καὶ οἷς μηδὲν ἀπολόγημα ὑπάρχει μήτε δίκαιον μήτʼ ἐπιεικές, ὁμολογοῦντες καὶ παραιτούμενοι πραΰνουσι τὰς τῶν ἠδικημένων ὀργάς, οἱ μὲν εἰς ἄνοιαν ἡλικίας καταφεύγοντες, οἱ δʼ εἰς πονηρῶν ἀνθρώπων ὁμιλίας, οἱ δʼ εἰς μέγεθος ἀρχῆς, οἱ δʼ εἰς τὴν ἅπαντας πλανῶσαν τοὺς ἀνθρωπίνους λογισμοὺς τύχην.
And even those who have no defense, either just or reasonable, by confessing and begging for pardon soften the anger of those they have wronged, some fleeing for refuge to the folly of youth, others to the company of wicked men, others to the magnitude of their office, and others to fortune, which misleads all human calculations.
§11.12.4ἐγώ σοι τῆς ἀρχῆς ἀποστάντι ὑπισχνοῦμαι πάντων ἀμνηστίαν ὑπάρξειν τῶν ἡμαρτημένων καὶ διαλλαγὰς πρὸς τὸν δῆμον ὡς ἐν κακοῖς εὐπρεπεῖς.
I promise you, if you depart from office, that there will be amnesty for all your transgressions and a reconciliation with the people, as honorable as possible under the bad circumstances.