§393ἐγκαλοῦμεν, τοῦτʼ αὐτοὶ πάθωμεν, μηδὲ τῆς τούτων ἀβουλίας μᾶλλον κληρονομήσωμεν ἢ τοῖς ἡμετέροις αὐτῶν λογισμοῖς χρησώμεθα, οὓς περὶ τούτων ἐξ ἀρχῆς εἴχομεν.
let us not then suffer this very thing for which we blame them, nor should we inherit their folly rather than use our own reasonings, which we held from the beginning concerning these matters.
ἴστε γὰρ δή που καὶ τότε πρὸς τὰς πολλὰς πρεσβείας αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ προστάγματα ἐκεῖνα μίαν ταύτην οὖσαν ἀπόκρισιν, δίκῃ διαλύεσθαι, πόλεμον δὲ κοινὸν τοῖς Ἕλλησι μὴ κινεῖν.
For you surely know that even then, in response to their many embassies and those demands, there was this one answer: to settle by law, and not to stir up a common war for the Greeks.
τότε μὲν τοίνυν τούτων οὐ δεχομένων, ἀναγκαίως εἰς τὸν πόλεμον κατέστητε, νῦν δὲ πῶς εἰκὸς ἐφʼ ὑμῖν γεγενημένων μὴ χρῆσθαι τούτοις, ἅ γʼ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἂν, εἰ μηδεὶς ἐκώλυσε μηδὲν, ἐπράξατε, ἀλλʼ ἀμφοτέρωθεν τὸ πρᾶγμα ἀναστραφῆναι, καὶ τοὺς μὲν τότε φυγόντας τὴν εἰρήνην νῦν ἥκειν ἐπὶ ταύτην προκαλουμένους, ἡμᾶς δʼ οἳ τότε τῆς εἰρήνης εἰχόμεθα, αὖθις αὖ τὸν πόλεμον φαίνεσθαι προαιρουμένους;
At that time, since they did not accept this, you necessarily entered into the war; but now, how is it reasonable, when things have come to be in your power, not to use these very means which you would have acted upon from the beginning, if no one had prevented anything, but instead for the matter to be reversed from both sides, and for those who then fled from peace now to come inviting us to it, while we who then held fast to peace should appear in turn to be choosing war?
καὶ μὴν οἱ μὲν ἔχοιεν ἂν εἰπεῖν ὡς εἰκότως μεταβέβληνται, ἡμῖν δʼ ὡς ὀρθῶς τότʼ ἐγιγνώσκομεν αὐτὰ τὰ τούτοις συμβεβηκότα μαρτυρεῖ.
And indeed, they might be able to say that they have changed with good reason, but for us, the very things that have happened to them testify that we were thinking correctly at that time.
ὥστʼ οὐκ ἂν δή που δικαίως μεταβαλλοίμεθα, ἢ κομιδῆ γε ἄτοπον, εἰ Λακεδαιμόνιοι μὲν ἡμῖν σύμψηφοι γεγόνασιν, ἀφέντες τὰ δοκοῦντα ἑαυτοῖς, ἡμεῖς δʼ ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς ὑπεναντία γιγνώσκοντες ὀφθησόμεθα.
So that we would surely not change with justice, or indeed it would be altogether strange if, while the Lacedaemonians have become of the same mind with us, abandoning their own opinions, we shall be seen to hold opinions contrary to our own selves.
ἡγοῦμαι δὲ θεῶν τινα ταυτὶ πάντα στρατηγῆσαι εἴτε γὰρ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐθελονταὶ τὸν πόλεμον προειλόμεθα. ἀνδρείας μὲν ἄν τι τοῦτʼ ἴσως σύμβολον ἐξηνέγκαμεν, τὴν δʼ ἐπιείκειαν οὐδεὶς ἰδεῖν εἶχεν ἂν, οὔκουν ἐν αὐτοῖς γε οἷς ᾑρούμεθα, εἴτε καὶ βουλομένων ἡμῶν τὴν εἰρήνην ἄγειν ἐπείσθησαν οὗτοι, τὸ μὲν προορᾶσθαι τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἡμᾶς καὶ τὸ μὴ προχείρως ἔχειν πρὸς τὰς πλεονεξίας ἐπῄνεσεν ἄν τις δικαίως, τὰ δὲ τῆς ἀνδρείας καὶ τῆς δυνάμεως οὐ πάντες ἔμελλον συνείσεσθαι, οὔκουν ἐν αὐτῷ γε τῷ τὴν εἰρήνην ἄγειν αἱρεῖσθαι.
And I believe that one of the gods has directed all these things; for if from the beginning we had chosen war voluntarily, we would perhaps have displayed this as some token of courage, but no one would have been able to see our fairness, at least not in the very things we chose; or if, while we wished to keep peace, these men had been persuaded, someone would have justly praised us for looking ahead on behalf of Greece and for not being ready for greed, but not everyone was going to be aware of our courage and power, at least not in the very choice of keeping peace.
νῦν δʼ ἀμφότερα ὡς κάλλιστα ἐνεδειξάμεθα.
But as it is, we have demonstrated both in the finest way.
οἷς μὲν γὰρ τὴν εἰρήνην ἐπρεσβεύομεν οὓς πολεμεῖν διεκωλύομεν πραότητος καὶ προνοίας τῶν Ἑλλήνων ὅπως μή τι πείσονται πίστιν παρειχόμεθα, οἷς δʼ ἀναγκασθέντες πολεμεῖν κεκρατήκαμεν ἀνδρείας ἅμα καὶ δυνάμεως δόξαν προσειλήφαμεν, ὥστʼ ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων ὑπάρχειν τῇ πόλει θαυμάζεσθαι μετʼ εὐνοίας.
For to those to whom we were sending embassies for peace and whom we were preventing from making war, we were offering proof of gentleness and foresight on behalf of the Greeks so that they might suffer no harm; while from those whom we have conquered, having been forced to make war, we have gained at the same time a reputation for courage and power, so that from both of these there belongs to our city the right to be admired with goodwill.
ἔπειτά γʼ οἶμαι τρίτος οὑτοσί τις ἥκει πάλιν καιρὸς εὐβουλίας δεόμενος, ὃν ἐὰν ὡς χρὴ μεταχειρισώμεθα,
And then, I think, this third opportunity has come again, needing good counsel, which if we handle as we ought,