§378νόμους αὐτοὺς ἐξεῖναι λύειν, ἐάν τι βλάπτωσιν, ἐν αὐτοῖς εἴρηται τοῖς νόμοις, ἦ που ψήφισμά γε, καὶ τοῦτο ὑπὲρ πλοῦ καὶ στρατείας, ἀνεπίφθονον διορθώσασθαι.
It is stated in the laws themselves that it is permitted to repeal the laws themselves, if they cause any harm; surely then it is free from blame to correct a decree, and that too concerning a voyage and an expedition.
ἐγὼ δʼ οὐδὲ λύσειν ὑμᾶς φημι τῶν δεδογμένων οὐδέν.
But I say that you do not even have to repeal any of the decisions.
εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἔχει τις δεῖξαι καὶ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς προσεψηφισμένους, μηδέποτʼ ἐξεῖναι δεῦρʼ ἐπαναπλεῦσαι αὖθις, ἄλλος ἂν εἴη λόγος· νῦν δὲ κἀκεῖνο πεπλήρωται καὶ τὰ δεύτερα μὴ κεκωλύσθω.
For if anyone is able to show that we also decreed this, that it should never be permitted to sail back here again, that would be another story; but as it is, that first order has been fulfilled, and let not the second course be hindered.
φέρε γὰρ πρὸς θεῶν, εἴ τις εὐθὺς ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς ἠδυνήθη πᾶν ὑμῖν ἀκριβῶς τὸ μέλλον παραστῆσαι—ἦν δʼ ἂν οὗτος, ὡς ἔοικε, θεῶν τις· οὐ γὰρ ἀνθρώπων γε οὐδεὶς οἷος ἀντισχεῖν τοῖς τόθʼ ὑμᾶς ἀνάπτουσιν—ὡς τὰ πράγματα εἰς τοῦτο περιστήσεται ὥσθʼ ἡμῖν περὶ τῶν ἀπελθόντων πρότερον γενέσθαι τὸν λόγον ἢ περὶ τῆς Σικελίας, ἔσθʼ οὕτω τις ἄφρων ἢ δυστυχὴς ὅτῳ ταῦτα ἤδη ἀφικέσθαι παρέστη, ὥστε τὴν πόλιν τοσαύτῃ δαπάνῃ καὶ τοσούτοις κινδύνοις περιβαλεῖν;
For consider, by the gods, if someone right from the beginning had been able to set before you all the future accurately—and this person, as it seems, would have been one of the gods; for no human being was able to withstand those things that then set you on fire—that affairs would turn to this point, so that we should have to hold a discussion about those who went away before discussing Sicily, is there anyone so foolish or unfortunate to whom it occurred that these things would now arrive, so as to involve the city in such great expense and so many dangers?
οὐκ ἂν ἔγωγε πειθοίμην.
I, for one, would not believe it.
οὐκοῦν ἅ γε προγνόντες οὐκ ἂν ἐπέμψατε, ταῦτʼ ἐπιγνόντες μεταπέμποισθʼ ἂν ἐν καιρῷ τοὺς ἄνδρας, ἄλλως τε καὶ οὐκ ἐν ὁμοίοις, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, τοῖς ὅλοις πράγμασι καὶ καιροῖς τὴν τότε γνώμην ἔσχομεν καὶ τὴν νῦν μεταθησόμεθα, ἂν ἐμοὶ πείθησθε.
Would you not then, having come to know afterwards what you would not have sent had you known beforehand, recall the men in due season? Especially since, O Athenians, we did not hold our opinion then under similar circumstances of our overall affairs and times as those under which we shall now alter it, if you obey me.
τότε μὲν γὰρ καὶ σπονδῶν οὐσῶν πρὸς Λακεδαιμονίους καὶ τὸν οἴκοι πόλεμον νενικηκότες λαμπρῶς ἐν ἐρημίᾳ πολεμίων ὄντες εἰκότως ἐτρυφῶμεν, νῦν δὲ ὁρᾶτε μὲν δή που τοὺς πολεμίους ἀπὸ τοῦ τείχους, ἀντὶ δὲ ὀχληροῦ κἀκείνου καὶ βαρέος, τοῦ καθʼ ἕκαστον ἔτος ἐμβάλλειν εἰς τὴν χώραν, ἵδρυνται συνεχῶς ἐπὶ ταῖς πύλαις καὶ περιέστηκεν, εἰ δεῖ μὴ ληρεῖν, ἀκριβὴς πολιορκία·
For then, while there was a truce with the Lacedaemonians and having brilliantly conquered the war at home, being in a state devoid of enemies, we were naturally luxurious; but now you surely see the enemies from the wall, and instead of that troublesome and heavy burden of invading our territory every year, they are continuously established at our gates, and there surrounds us, if we must not talk nonsense, an absolute siege.
χρήματα δʼ ἡμῖν τὰ μὲν εἰς τὸν ἀπόστολον τὸν καλὸν ἐξανήλωται, τὰ δʼ ἐν τοῖς ἄνω καιροῖς κατεχρησάμεθα· οἰκέται δʼ αὐτομολοῦσιν ὁσημέραι, τοσούτοις δὲ τοῖς πᾶσιν ἐλάττους γεγόναμεν, ὅσοις ἱκανῶς ἡ μεγίστη μεθʼ ἡμᾶς πόλις κατεσκεύαστο.
Our funds, on the one hand, have been exhausted on that fine expedition, and on the other hand, we have consumed them in former times; our slaves desert daily, and we have become fewer in all respects by as many as the largest city after us was sufficiently equipped with.
σκοπῶμεν οὖν εἰ δόξομεν ἢ ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς γιγνώσκειν, ἢ τὴν πόλιν καλῶς θεραπεύειν, εἰ πολιορκούμενοι μὲν αὐτοὶ τοῦθʼ ἑτέρους ποιεῖν ἐπιχειρήσομεν διαπόντιοι καὶ πρὶν ἐξελθεῖν ἔχειν §379ἔξω τείχους πλευσούμεθα ἐπʼ ἄλλους, τὴν Ἀττικὴν ἀποκρύψαντες, τῶν δὲ οἰκείων ἄρχειν οὐχ οἷοί τε ὄντες τῶν ἐν Σικελίᾳ βουλησόμεθα Ἑλλήνων καὶ βαρβάρων ἅμα.
Let us consider, therefore, whether we shall seem either to know ourselves or to serve the city well, if, while we ourselves are besieged, we attempt to do this to others across the sea, and before we are able to go outside our wall, we sail against others, turning our eyes away from Attica, and being unable to rule our own domestic possessions, we wish to rule the Greeks and barbarians in Sicily at the same time.
ἀλλʼ οὐ τοῖς εἰς ἀνάγκας ἀφιγμένοις, ἀλλʼ οἷς περίεστι τὰ τοιαῦτα ἴσως ἀποδέδοται.
But such things are perhaps granted not to those who have arrived at necessities, but to those who have an abundance of such resources.
καὶ τὰ μὲν ἐνταῦθα τοιαῦτα· τὰ δʼ ἐκεῖ ποῖʼ ἄττα;
And the affairs here are of this kind; but what are those over there like?
οὐδὲν ἀμείνω τούτων, εἰ μὴ πολλῷ φοβερώτερα, ὅσῳ γῆ τε ξένη καὶ πλείων ἡ τῶν ἀναγκαίων χρεία καὶ τοὺς κινδύνους ὀξυτέρους ἔχουσα.
No better than these, if not much more fearful, in as much as the land is foreign, and the need for necessaries is greater, and contains sharper dangers.
νῆες μὲν διάβροχοι, ναῦται δὲ ἀτακτοῦσι, χρήματα δʼ ἔρρει, τῶν δὲ ἐμπόρων οἱ πλείους μεθεστᾶσιν, οἰκέται δʼ αὐτομολοῦσιν, ἐφορμοῦσι δʼ οἱ πολέμιοι, μάχῃ δʼ ἡττήμεθα, τῶν δὲ ἐπιτηδείων ἡ κομιδὴ παρʼ αὐτὰς τὰς χεῖρας τῶν πολεμίων, ἀφέστηκε δʼ ἡ Σικελία, Γύλιππος δʼ οἴχεται δυνάμεις ἄξων ἑτέρας, πεπράγαμεν δʼ εὐχῆς τε ἔξω καὶ πέρα προσδοκίας, ὑπὸ μὲν γὰρ τῶν καταφρονούμεθα, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς διαβεβλήμεθα, οἱ δʼ ἀσθενέστατοι μόνοι λειπόμενοι φίλοι τοῦ μηδενὸς ἄξιοι τῇ χρείᾳ.
The ships are waterlogged, the sailors are undisciplined, the money has run out, most of the merchants have departed, the slaves desert, the enemies lie in wait, we have been defeated in battle, the transport of provisions is right under the very hands of the enemies, Sicily has revolted, Gylippus has gone to bring other forces, and we have fared outside our prayers and beyond expectation; for we are despised by some, and discredited with others, while the weakest alone remain as friends, worth nothing for our need.
τὰ δʼ Ἐγεσταίων χρήματα φροῦδα ὁμοῦ τῷ καπνῷ.
The money of the Egestaeans has vanished along with the smoke.
Συρακοσίους δὲ οὐδὲν ἐπιχωρεῖν φασιν, εἰ μὴ δίκην προσλήψονται τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς ἀξίαν.
And they say that the Syracusans will yield in nothing unless they exact a worthy penalty for our plot.
εἶθʼ ἡμεῖς, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, ταῦτʼ ἀναμενοῦμεν καὶ τῶν πραγμάτων οὐκ ἀκολουθησάντων οἷς ἐψηφισάμεθα αὐτοὶ τοῖς ἐψηφισμένοις ἀκολουθεῖν ἀξιώσομεν, ὥσπερ τοῦτʼ ἀρκέσον, ἂν μὴ παυσώμεθα μωραίνοντες, ἢ Συρακοσίους κατὰ τὰς ἡμετέρας ἐπιθυμίας τὸν ἀγῶνα τὸν πρὸς ἡμᾶς διοίσοντας;
Will we then, O Athenians, wait for these things, and when affairs have not followed what we decreed, will we expect ourselves to follow what has been decreed, as if this would suffice unless we cease playing the fool, or as if the Syracusans, according to our desires, will carry through the contest against us?
καὶ τριῶν μὲν ἐκπεμφθέντων στρατηγῶν ὁ μὲν τέθνηκεν, ὁ δʼ εἰς τοὺς πολεμίους οἴχεται, εἷς δὲ ὁ λειπόμενος ὃν ἄκοντα ἐνθένδε ἐξηλάσαμεν, τούτῳ δʼ αὖ νῦν ἑτέρους προσκαταστήσομεν;
And when three generals were sent out, one is dead, another has gone over to the enemies, and the one remaining is he whom we drove out from here against his will; shall we now establish others in addition to him?
καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦτʼ αὐτὸ ποιησόμεθα ὡσπερεὶ σύμβολον τοῦ παντὸς, ὅτι οὐχ ἡμέτερα τἀκεῖ οὐδʼ ἴσα τῇ δυνάμει σπουδάζομεν, εἴ γε ὁ μὲν τὰς περὶ αὐτῶν ὑποθεὶς ἐλπίδας ἐν τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐστὶ νῦν, τῷ δʼ ἀπαγορεύοντι μάλιστα τούτῳ πάντων χρῆσθαι πρὸς αὐτὰ ἠναγκάσμεθα, ἀλλʼ ὥσπερ κακῶν ἐπιθήκην ζητοῦντες ἑτέρους στρατηγοὺς καὶ στρατιὰν ἄλλην ἐπιπέμψομεν καὶ φιλονεικήσομεν;
And shall we not make even this very thing, as it were, a token of the whole, that we are pursuing things over there that are not ours nor equal to our power? If indeed he who held out the hopes concerning them is now among the enemies, while we are forced to employ for this very task the one who of all men most declined it. But as if seeking an addition of evils, shall we send out other generals and another army and persist in our rivalry?
τίνι θαρρήσαντες, ὦ
Relying on what, O...