§7.28.1ἡ μὲν ὑπὲρ τῆς σιτοδείας ἀπολογία πάνυ βραχεῖά ἐστιν, ὦ δημόται, καὶ οὐκ ἄλλους τινὰς παρεξόμεθα ὧν ἂν λέγωμεν ἢ ὑμᾶς μάρτυρας.
Our defense concerning the scarcity of corn, citizens, is very short, and we shall not produce any other witnesses for what we shall say than yourselves.
τήν τε γὰρ ἀφορίαν τῶν σιτικῶν καρπῶν ἐπίστασθε δήπου καὶ αὐτοὶ διὰ τὸν ἐκλειφθέντα σπόρον γενομένην· τήν τʼ ἄλλην καταφθορὰν τῆς χώρας οὐ παρʼ ἑτέρων ὑμᾶς δεῖ μαθεῖν, ἀφʼ ἧς αἰτίας συνέβη,. καὶ ὡς τελευτῶσα ἡ πλείστη τε καὶ ἀρίστη γὴ πάντων ἐσπάνικε καρπῶν τε καὶ ἀνδραπόδων καὶ βοσκημάτων τὰ μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων διαρπαζομένη, τὰ δʼ ὑμῖν μὴ ἐπιχορηγοῦσα τοσούτοις οὖσι καὶ μηδεμίαν ἄλλην ἀποστροφὴν ἔχουσιν.
For you yourselves surely know that the barrenness of the grain crops arose because the sowing was omitted; and you do not need to learn from others from what cause the other destruction of the country occurred, and how finally the greatest and best part of the land has come to lack all crops, slaves, and cattle, being partly plundered by the enemy, and partly failing to supply you who are so numerous and have no other refuge.
§7.28.2ὥστʼ οὐκ ἐξ ὧν οἱ δημαγωγοὶ διαβάλλουσιν, ἀλλʼ ἐξ ὧν αὐτοὶ ἴστε, τὸν λιμὸν ἡγούμενοι γεγονέναι παύσασθε προσάπτοντες ἐπιβουλὴν ἡμετέραν τῷ πάθει καὶ §7.28.3δι’ ὀργῆς ἔχοντες ἡμᾶς οὐθὲν ἀδικοῦντας.
Therefore, believing that the famine arose not from the charges of the demagogues, but from what you yourselves know, cease attributing our conspiracy to this misfortune, and cease holding us in anger when we are guilty of no wrong.
αἱ δʼ ἀποστολαὶ τῶν κληρούχων ἐκ τοῦ ἀναγκαίου ἐγένοντο, κοινῇ δόξαν ὑμῖν ἅπασι διὰ φυλακῆς ἔχειν χωρία εἰς πόλεμον ἐπιτήδεια, καὶ μεγάλα ὤνησαν ἐν καιρῷ σφόδρα ἀναγκαίῳ γενόμεναι τούς τʼ ἐξιόντας καὶ τοὺς ὑπολειπομένους ὑμῶν.
And the sending out of the colonists was done out of necessity, it having been resolved by you all in common to keep under guard the places suitable for war, and having occurred at a most critical time, it brought great benefit both to those who departed and to those of you who remained behind.
οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἀφθονωτέρων εὐποροῦσιν ἐκεῖ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων· οἱ δʼ ἐνθάδε ὑπομείναντες ἧττον σπανίζουσι τῆς ἀγορᾶς· ἥ τʼ ἰσομοιρία τῆς τύχης ἧς μετέσχομεν ὑμῖν τοῖς δημοτικοῖς οἱ πατρίκιοι κλήρῳ ποιησάμενοι τὴν ἔξοδον, οὐ ψέγεται.
For the former enjoy a greater abundance of provisions there, while those who remained here suffer less from the scarcity of the market; and the equal sharing of fortune which we patricians participated in with you plebeians, having made the departure by lot, is not to be blamed.