§9.31.1ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ τῆς γνώμης κατηγοροῦσί μου προδοσίαν μὲν οὐ τολμῶντες ἐπικαλεῖν οὐδʼ ἀνανδρίαν, ἐφʼ οἷς αἱ κατὰ τῶν ἄλλων στρατηγῶν γίνονται κρίσεις, ἀπειρίαν δὲ τοῦ στρατηγεῖν καὶ ἀφροσύνην, ὅτι κίνδυνον ὑπέμεινα οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον ἐπὶ τὸν χάρακα τῶν πολεμίων ὠσάμενος, βούλομαι καὶ περὶ τούτου λόγον ὑποσχεῖν ὑμῖν, προχειρότατον μὲν τοῦτʼ ἔχων εἰπεῖν, ὅτι τὸ μὲν ἐπιτιμᾶν τοῖς γενομένοις πάνυ ῥᾴδιον καὶ παντὸς ἀνθρώπου, τὸ δὲ παραβάλλεσθαι πράγμασι καλοῖς χαλεπὸν καὶ ὀλίγων· καὶ ὅτι οὐχ ὥσπερ τὰ γεγονότα φαίνεται, ὁποῖά ἐστιν, οὕτω καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα, ὁποῖα ἔσται· ἀλλʼ ἐκεῖνα μὲν αἰσθήσει καὶ πάθεσι καταλαμβανόμεθα, ταῦτα δὲ μαντείαις καὶ δόξαις εἰκάζομεν, ἐν αἷς πολὺ τὸ ἀπατηλόν· καὶ ὅτι ῥᾷστον ἁπάντων ἐστὶ λόγῳ στρατηγεῖν πολέμους ἔξω τοῦ δεινοῦ §9.31.2βεβηκότας, ὃ ποιοῦσιν οἱ κατηγοροῦντες ἐμοῦ.
And since they also accuse my judgment, not daring to charge me with treason or cowardice—upon which the trials against other generals are based—but with lack of military experience and foolishness, because I endured an unnecessary danger by pushing against the breastwork of the enemy, I wish to submit to you an account concerning this too. The readiest thing I have to say in this regard is that to censure what has happened is very easy and within the capacity of any man, but to hazard oneself in noble enterprises is difficult and possible for few; and that future events do not appear as they will be in the same way as past events appear as they are; but we grasp the latter by sense and experience, whereas we estimate the former by prophecies and conjectures, in which there is much deceit; and that it is the easiest of all things to conduct campaigns in words when one has taken one's stand outside of danger, which is what my accusers are doing.
ἀλλʼ ἵνα ταῦτʼ ἀφῶ, φέρε πρὸς θεῶν εἴπατέ μοι, μόνος ἢ πρῶτος ὑμῖν ἐγὼ φαίνομαι βιάσασθαι φρούριον ἐπιβαλόμενος καὶ πρὸς ὑψηλὰ χωρία τὰς δυνάμεις ἀγαγών;
But to let these things pass, come, in the name of the gods, tell me: do I appear to you to be the only one, or the first, who attempted to force a fortress and led his forces to high places?
ἢ πολλῶν μετʼ ἄλλων ὑμετέρων στρατηγῶν, ἐξ ὧν οἱ μὲν κατώρθωσαν, τοῖς δʼ οὐκ ἐχώρησεν ἡ πεῖρα κατὰ νοῦν;
Or was it in the company of many other generals of yours, of whom some succeeded, while for others the attempt did not turn out according to their mind?
τί δήποτʼ οὖν τοὺς ἄλλους ἀφέντες ἐμὲ ς κρίνετε, εἰ ταῦτʼ ἀστρατηγησίας καὶ ἀφροσύνης ἔργα νομίζετε;
Why then do you leave the others alone and judge me, if you consider these things to be the works of bad generalship and foolishness?
πόσα δʼ ἄλλα τούτου τολμηρότερα τοῖς ἡγεμόσιν ἔπεισι πράττειν, ὅταν τὸ ἀσφαλὲς καὶ λελογισμένον ἥκιστα οἱ καιροὶ δέχωνται;
And how many other actions more daring than this occur to commanders to perform, when the times least of all admit of safety and calculation?
§9.31.3οἱ μέν γε τὰς σημαίας ἁρπάσαντες τῶν σφετέρων ἔρριψαν εἰς τοὺς πολεμίους, ἵνα τοῖς βλακεύουσι καὶ ἀποδειλιῶσιν ἐκ τοῦ ἀναγκαίου παραστῇ τὸ εὔψυχον ἐπισταμένοις, ὅτι τοὺς μὴ ἀνασώσαντας τὰ σημεῖα ὑπὸ τῶν στρατηγῶν δεῖ σὺν αἰσχύνῃ ἀποθανεῖν· οἱ δʼ εἰς τὴν τῶν πολεμίων χώραν ἐμβαλόντες ἔλυσαν τὰ ζεύγματα τῶν ποταμῶν, οὓς διέβησαν, ἵνα τοῖς φεύγειν διανοουμένοις ἄπορος ἡ τοῦ σωθῆναι ἐλπὶς φανεῖσα θάρσος παραστήσῃ καὶ μένος ἐν ταῖς μάχαις· οἱ δὲ τὰς σκηνὰς καὶ τὰ σκευοφόρα κατακαύσαντες ἀνάγκην ἐπέθηκαν τοῖς σφετέροις ἐκ τῆς πολεμίας, ὅσων δέονται, λαμβάνειν.
Some, indeed, having snatched the standards of their own men, threw them into the enemy, so that those who were sluggish and cowardly might, out of necessity, be inspired with courage, knowing that those who did not recover the standards must be put to death with disgrace by the generals; others, having invaded the enemy's country, broke down the bridges over the rivers which they had crossed, so that the hope of safety appearing impossible to those who intended to flee might inspire them with courage and ardor in battles; and others, having burned their tents and baggage, imposed a necessity on their men to take from the enemy's country whatever they needed.
§9.31.4ἐῶ τἆλλα μυρία ὄντα λέγειν, καὶ ὅσα τολμηρὰ ἔργα καὶ ἐνθυμήματα ἕτερα στρατηγῶν ἱστορίᾳ τε καὶ πείρᾳ παραλαβόντες ἔχομεν, ἐφʼ οἷς οὐδεὶς πώποτε τῶν ψευσθέντων τῆς ἐλπίδος ὑπέσχε δίκας.
I refrain from speaking of the ten thousand other things, and all the other daring deeds and plans of generals which we have received through history and experience, for which no one who was disappointed in his hope ever paid the penalty.
εἰ μὴ ἄρα ἔχει τις ὑμῶν αἰτιάσασθαί με, ὅτι προβαλὼν τοὺς ἄλλους εἰς προὖπτον ὄλεθρον, αὐτὸς ἔξω τοῦ κινδύνου τὸ σῶμα εἶχον.
Unless, indeed, some one of you has it in his power to accuse me of having exposed the others to manifest destruction while keeping my own person out of danger.
εἰ δὲ μετὰ πάντων τʼ ἐξηταζόμην καὶ τελευταῖος ἀπηλλαττόμην καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς τοῖς ἄλλοις μετεῖχον τύχης, τί ἀδικῶ;
But if I was tested with all the rest and was the last to depart and shared the same fortune as the others, in what do I do wrong?
καὶ περὶ μὲν ἐμοῦ ταῦθʼ ἱκανὰ εἰρήσθω.
And concerning myself let these things suffice.