§367ἡγουμένου, ἐναντιώτατα τῷ στόλῳ ἔχοντος, καὶ χρόνων τριβέντων, ὅμως τοσαύταις πλεονεξίαις ἐπὶ τῶν πραγμάτων κεχρήμεθα, εὔδηλον ὡς ἐξ ἀρχῆς γε οὐδὲν ἡμάρτομεν οἷς ἐψηφισάμεθα.
though Nicias was leading, who was most opposed to the expedition, and though time was wasted, nevertheless we have enjoyed so many advantages in the actual state of affairs that it is clear that from the beginning we made no mistake in what we voted.
εἰ δʼ αὖ μηδενὸς ἡμῖν τοσούτου προκεκομμένου λόγον εἶχεν ἡ πεῖρα, εὔδηλον ὡς αὐταῖς γε ταῖς Συρακούσαις νῦν προσκαθημένων καὶ τῆς ἔξω χώρας ὑφʼ ἡμῖν οὔσης ῥᾳδίως ἕτερος στόλος παρακύψας ἅπαν τὸ λοιπὸν ἐξεργάσεται.
And if, on the other hand, even if no such great progress had been made by us, the attempt would still have been reasonable, it is clear that, since we are now blockading Syracuse itself and the country outside is under our control, another fleet appearing briefly will easily accomplish all the rest.
μὴ γὰρ οἴεσθε Συρακοσίους μὲν ἐπελθόντος Γυλίππου δυοῖν τριήροιν ἀναθαρρῆσαι, τοὺς δʼ ἡμετέρους στρατιώτας, ὅσην εἰκὸς πεμψάντων ὑμῶν δύναμιν, μὴ πολὺ μείζους τὰς γνώμας ἔσεσθαι, οἷς ἅμα τῇ τῶν οἰκείων ὄψει καὶ τὸ συνειδέναι τὸ πλῆθος ὧν ἐφʼ αὑτῶν κατώρθωσαν μεγάλη πρὸς εὐθυμίαν προϋπάρχει ῥοπή.
For do not think that, while the Syracusans were encouraged by the arrival of Gylippus with only two triremes, our soldiers—when you send as great a force as is fitting—will not have their spirits raised far higher, for whom, along with the sight of their own people, the consciousness of the multitude of successes they have achieved by themselves is already present as a great impulse toward encouragement.
καὶ μὴν, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, τὸ μὲν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀποψηφίσασθαι τὸν πλοῦν γνώμῃ κεχρημένων, τὸ δʼ οὐ μόνον ἐψηφισμένους, ἀλλὰ καὶ δύναμιν τοσαύτην ἀποστείλαντας καὶ πᾶσι περιφανεῖς ἐφʼ οἷς διενοήθημεν γεγενημένους. εἶτʼ ἀνακαλεῖν, δυοῖν ἅπασιν ἔσται σημεῖον, ἀβουλίας καὶ ἀνανδρείας· ἀβουλίας μὲν, εἰ μηδὲν τούτων ἐξ ἀρχῆς εἴδομεν, ἀνανδρείας δʼ, εἰ φεύγειν Συρακοσίους δόξομεν.
And indeed, men of Athens, to have voted against the voyage in the first place is the part of those who used their judgment, but, after not only voting for it but also dispatching so great a force and having our designs made manifest to all, then to recall them, will be a sign to all of two things: folly and cowardice; of folly, if we foresaw none of these things from the beginning; and of cowardice, if we shall seem to flee from the Syracusans.
καίτοι κέρδος μὲν οὐδὲν οὕτω τῶν πάντων δή που τίμιον ὥσθʼ ἕνεκα αὐτοῦ τοσαύτην αἰσχύνην ὑποστῆναι, καὶ ταῦτʼ Ἀθηναίους ὄντας, οἷς οὐκ εἴ τι πεισόμεθα εἰς πλείω λόγον ἥκει σκοπεῖν, ἀλλὰ τί πράξαντες ἐν καλῷ τοῦ σχήματος εἴημεν ἄν.
And yet, no gain of any kind is surely so honorable that for its sake we should undergo so great a shame, especially being Athenians, for whom it is appropriate to consider not whether we shall suffer something, as a matter of greater concern, but by doing what we might be in a beautiful posture.
οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τοῦτό γʼ ἂν εἴποι τις, ὡς ἔσθʼ ὅ τι κερδανοῦμεν, ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ὀνείδη νῦν ὑποστάντες.
Indeed, neither could anyone say this, that we shall gain anything by now submitting to these and such-like reproaches.
ἐχθρῶς μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲν ἧττον δή που τούς γε ἐπιβουλευθέντας ἀνάγκη κεκινῆσθαι, ἐάν τε ἐξεργασώμεθα τὴν ἐπιχείρησιν ἐάν τε μὴ, τῇ δὲ ἔχθρᾳ τὸ δοκεῖν χείρους εἶναι προστιθέμεθα.
For those who were plotted against must surely be moved in no less hostile a way, whether we accomplish our enterprise or not, and to their hostility we would be adding the reputation of being inferior.
οὐκοῦν αἰσχύνη πλέον, οὐ κέρδος τὸ φυγεῖν γίγνεται· οὐκ, ἐάν γε ἐμοὶ πείθησθε.
Therefore fleeing becomes more of a shame, not a gain; at least, not if you listen to me.
ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὴ ἀναγκαῖον τὸ τῆς ἔχθρας, ἔργου τινὸς αὐτὸ τιμησόμεθα ἀξίου, κἀκεῖνο εἰσόμεθα ὅτι ἐπεξιόντες μὲν οἷς ἐγνώκαμεν πολεμίων ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀπαλλάττομεν, ἀποδράντες δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων πολεμίους ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς ὑπολείπομεν.
But since hostility is necessary, we shall value it at the price of some worthy deed, and we shall know this, that by carrying out what we have resolved, we rid ourselves of enemies, but by running away from the state of affairs, we leave enemies behind for ourselves.
οὕτω τὸ μὲν πρέπον αἱρούμενοι καὶ τὴν ὠφέλειαν ἅμʼ αὐτῷ κτώμεθα, τῷ δʼ §368αἰσχρῷ τὴν βλάβην ἐπισπώμεθα.
Thus, by choosing what is fitting, we also acquire advantage along with it, whereas by what is shameful we draw harm upon ourselves.
καὶ μηδεὶς ὑμῶν ἐκεῖνο ἐνθυμηθῇ, ὡς οὐχ ὁμοίων τῶν πραγμάτων ὄντων τότε πρῶτον ἐπέμψαμεν καὶ νῦν ἐπανάξομεν, ἂν ταῦτα νικήσῃ.
And let no one of you harbor the thought that, because the circumstances are not similar, we sent the expedition then in one way and shall now recall it in another, if this opinion prevails.
οὐδὲ γὰρ τότε ταῖς σπονδαῖς ταῖς πρὸς Λακεδαιμονίους θαρροῦντες ἐπέμπομεν.
For neither did we send it then because we trusted in the treaty with the Lacedaemonians.
μέγα δὲ, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, τούτου σημεῖον· ἔτι γὰρ τοῦ πολέμου συνεστηκότος καὶ πολὺ πρότερον τῶν σπονδῶν ἐνεχειρήσαμεν τοῖς πράγμασιν.
And a great proof of this, men of Athens: for while the war was still going on and long before the treaty, we laid our hands to the business.
ἀλλὰ τί δὴ ποιῆσαν ἡμᾶς προθύμους εἰς τὴν στρατείαν ἦν;
But what was it, then, that made us eager for the expedition?
ὅπερ, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, καὶ δικαιότατον καὶ πᾶς τις εὔνους ὢν ὑμῖν συνεύχετο, τὸ θαρρεῖν τοῖς ὑπάρχουσι καὶ τὸ προσήκειν ἡγεῖσθαι τῇ τῆς θαλάττης ἀρχῇ τὴν προσθήκην ταύτην, ἣ τά τε ἡμέτερα αὐξήσειν ἔμελλεν οὐκ ὀλίγῳ τινὶ καὶ τῇ Πελοποννήσῳ πολλὰς ποιήσειν τὰς ἀπορίας.
That which, men of Athens, was both most just and which everyone well-disposed to you prayed for: namely, to be confident in what we had, and to deem this addition appropriate to our empire of the sea—an addition which was destined to increase our power by no small measure and to cause many difficulties for the Peloponnese.
οὐ δὴ τοῦτο σκεπτέον, εἰ τότε εἰρήνην ἤγομεν, ἀλλʼ εἰ τοῖς τοῦ πολέμου πράγμασι συμφέρει τἀκεῖ διʼ ἡμῶν εἶναι, καὶ ὅτι γʼ εἰ τὰ σφόδρα πρῶτα δεῖ ζητεῖν, ἐν ἀκμῇ τοῦ πολέμου ταῦθʼ ὑμῖν ἔδοξε.
Therefore we must not consider this, whether we were then keeping peace, but whether it is advantageous for the conduct of the war that affairs there should be in our hands, and that, if we must seek the very first decisions, you resolved on these things at the height of the war.
καὶ μὴν οὐδὲ τὴν ἐπιτείχισιν οὐδὲ τὰς αὐτομολίας ἄξιον ἐμποδὼν θέσθαι.
Moreover, neither the enemy's fortifying of our territory nor the desertions are worthy of being placed as obstacles in our way.
εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἐμέλλομεν παραλαβόντες τοὺς ὄντας ἡμῶν ἐν Σικελίᾳ κατὰ γῆν συμβαλεῖν Πελοποννησίοις, ἦν ἄν τι τοῦτο· εἰ δὲ ἀνάγκη μένειν εἴσω τείχους, κἂν δὶς τοσούτους μεταπεμψώμεθα, οὐχ ὁρῶ τὸ κέρδος ὃ τῇ κλήσει πρόσεστιν, εἰ μὴ καὶ τοῦτο πάντων ἐναντιώτατον τῇ πολιορκίᾳ, ἥν φασί τινες ἡμᾶς πολιορκεῖσθαι, πάντας ἐν ταὐτῷ συνειλεγμένους ἀργεῖν.
For if we were going to recall our forces in Sicily and engage the Peloponnesians on land, this would be of some weight; but if it is necessary to remain inside the wall, even if we recall twice as many, I do not see the advantage attached to this recall, unless indeed this, the most contrary of all to a siege—in which some say we are besieged—is that all gathered in the same place should remain idle.
ἡγοῦμαι δʼ ἔγωγε οὐδὲ τοὺς οἰκέτας τοῦ πλήθους ἡμῶν ὑπερορῶντας νῦν ἀποδιδράσκειν, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν τῷ λήσειν ἐξ ἀρχῆς πιστεύοντας, τὰ δʼ εἰ γένοιντο ἅπαξ ἐν τοῖς πολεμίοις, οὐδὲν πείσεσθαι νομίζοντας, ὅλως δὲ τῇ δούλων φύσει χρωμένους, ἣ καθάπερ τῷ προσρήματι τοῖς δεσπόταις ἐναντία, οὕτω κἀν τοῖς βουλήμασιν.
And I, for my part, believe that our slaves are not running away now because they look down on our numbers, but rather because, on the one hand, they believe from the beginning that they will escape detection, and on the other, they think that once they are among the enemy, they will suffer nothing, and in general they are acting according to the nature of slaves, which, just as it is opposite to masters in its appellation, is so also in its desires.
ἀντὶ γὰρ ὧν εὖ πάσχουσι μισοῦσι καὶ δίκην ἐθέλουσι λαμβάνειν ὧν χάριν ἐκτίνειν εἰκὸς ἦν.
For instead of being grateful for the benefits they receive, they hate us and wish to take vengeance for those things for which they ought naturally to have returned thanks.
αὕτη δέ ἐστι μὴ παντάπασιν ἔχειν εὐμενῶς τοῖς δεσπόταις.
And this nature consists in not being altogether well-disposed to their masters.
ἐγὼ τοίνυν καὶ πρὸς αὐτὰς τὰς αὐτομολίας ἐπιτηδειότερον τὸν ἀπόστολον εὑρίσκω.
Therefore, I find the expedition even more suitable against these very desertions.
ὁρῶντες
For seeing...