§450μὴ οὐ πολὺ μεῖζον καὶ χαλεπώτερον εἶναι;
is it not far greater and more difficult?
ὥστε πῶς ἡμῖν ἀκολουθήσουσιν οἱ τότʼ ἐκεῖνα δυσχεράναντες οὐ δύναμαι συνιδεῖν ἔγωγε.
Thus, how those who were displeased with those things then will follow us now, I for my part cannot see.
καὶ γὰρ εἴ τινες αὐτῶν μισοῦσι Λακεδαιμονίους, ὡς εἶεν ἅπαντες τοῦτο πεπονθότες, καὶ νὴ Δίʼ ἴσως εἰσὶν οἱ πλείους διὰ τοὺς ἁρμοστὰς καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ Λυσάνδρου τότʼ ἐπήρειαν· μέχρι μὲν τοῦ μὴ τὴν τοῦ ταὐτὰ ποιεῖν ἔχειν δύναμιν μισοῦσιν ἴσως αὐτοὺς τῆς αὐτῶν ἕνεκʼ ἀσφαλείας ἕκαστοι, ὥστε δὲ καὶ ἀπολωλότας καθάπαξ ἰδεῖν, οὔ μοι δοκοῦσιν, εἰδότες ὡς ἔχει τι σχῆμα τῇ Ἑλλάδι εἶναι τὴν Λακεδαιμονίων πόλιν.
For even if some of them hate the Lacedaemonians—as if everyone had suffered this, and by Zeus, perhaps the majority do on account of the harmosts and the insolence of Lysander at that time—yet they hate them perhaps for the sake of their own safety, each wanting them not to have the power to do the same things; but to see them utterly destroyed, I do not think they wish, knowing that the city of the Lacedaemonians holds a certain dignity for Greece.
καὶ μὴν οὐδὲ ἐπʼ ἴσης Θηβαίοις τε καὶ ὑμῖν βουλευτέον ἐστὶ περὶ τούτων.
And indeed, you must not deliberate about these matters on equal terms with the Thebans.
πολὺ γὰρ μᾶλλον ἐκείνοις μικρῶν ἕνεκα αἰτιῶν τὴν ἐσχάτην δίκην ἁρμόττει λαβεῖν ἢ ὑμῖν τῶν μεγίστων μετρίαν.
For it is much more fitting for them to receive the extreme penalty for small charges than for you to receive a moderate one for the greatest.
ἐὰν γάρ τις τὸ ἑκατέρων ἦθος προσλογίζηται τῇ πράξει, τὴν μὲν ἐκείνων μετρίαν, κἂν ᾖ χαλεπωτάτη, τὴν δʼ ὑμετέραν μεγίστην, κἂν μετρίως ἔχῃ, κρινεῖ· τοσοῦτον ὑμῖν μὲν φιλανθρωπίας, ἐκείνοις δὲ ὠμότητος περίεστιν.
For if one factors the character of each into the deed, one will judge their moderate treatment, even if it is most severe, and your greatest, even if it is moderate; so much does humanity abound in you, and cruelty in them.
εἶτα κἀκείνοις μὲν ἀρχαῖόν ἐστι, μηδὲν τοῦ κοινοῦ τῆς Ἑλλάδος φροντίζειν, ἀλλʼ ὁπόθεν τι πλέον σχήσουσι, τοῦτο μόνον καθορᾶν, ὑμῖν δὲ προστάταις τῶν κοινῶν δικαίων οὖσι καὶ ὑπειλημμένοις οὐκ ἔνεστι παρορᾶν τὰ τοιαῦτα ὀργῆς ἰδίας ἕνεκα ἢ μέμψεως.
Furthermore, for them it is ancient custom to care nothing for the common good of Greece, but to look only to where they will gain some advantage, whereas for you, who are champions of common rights and are so understood, it is not possible to overlook such things for the sake of private anger or blame.
πρὸς δὲ τὸ ἐρώτημα ἐκεῖνο, πότερον τοῖς ἐκ Πειραιῶς ἢ τοῖς ἐξ ἄστεος προσήκει σῶσαι Λακεδαιμονίους, ἀπεκρινάμην ἂν ἔγωγε ὅτι ἀμφοτέροις, εἴπερ εἰσὶν Ἀθηναῖοι.
And as to that question, whether it is fitting for those from the Peiraeus or those from the city to save the Lacedaemonians, I for my part would reply that it is fitting for both, if indeed they are Athenians.
καὶ γὰρ οὐδʼ ἐκεῖνο ἔχει λόγον, αὐτοὺς μὲν ἡμᾶς ὀμωμοκέναι καὶ πίστεσιν ἰσχυραῖς διωρίσθαι ἦ μὴν ταὐτὰ φρονήσειν καὶ μὴ μνησικακήσειν ἀλλήλοις, Λακεδαιμονίους δʼ ὥστʼ ἀνελεῖν ἀνακινεῖν τὴν τούτων μνήμην, ἃ συγκρύψειν συνεθέμεθα, καὶ μὴ λογίζεσθαι μηδὲ σκοπεῖν ὅτι ὁ ταῦτʼ ἐξετάζων ἀκριβῶς τὸ πιστὸν τῶν συνθηκῶν ἀναιρεῖ.
For indeed that other thing makes no sense: that we ourselves have sworn and bound ourselves by strong pledges that we will surely be of the same mind and not bear grudges against one another, but to destroy the Lacedaemonians we revive the memory of those things which we agreed to conceal together, and do not calculate or consider that he who examines these things precisely destroys the credibility of the treaties.
καὶ μὴν οὐδὲ οἱ δεδοικότες μὴ Θηβαῖοι τῶν παρʼ ἡμῶν ἁμαρτόντες βασιλέα καλέσωσι νοῦν ἔχοντα φόβον δεδίασιν.
And indeed, those who fear lest the Thebans, failing in their designs with us, should call in the King, do not fear with a rational fear.
ἀλλʼ ἐμοὶ μὲν καὶ ἄτοπα δοκοῦσι πεπονθέναι, φοβούμενοι μὲν μή τινων εὐπορήσωσι συμμάχων, ὑμᾶς δὲ πείθοντες γενέσθαι τούτοις αὐτοὺς, §451καὶ μὴ λογιζόμενοι τοῦτο, ὅτι βελτίους ἂν ἦσαν, εἰ δεινὸν ἐνόμιζον ταύτῃ προσγενέσθαι τινὰ Θηβαίοις ὠφέλειαν, κωλύοντες μᾶλλον ἢ πορίζοντες.
Rather, they seem to me to have suffered a strange state of mind, fearing lest they should find some allies, yet persuading you to become those very allies to them, and not calculating this: that they would be better off, if they thought it a terrible thing for any benefit to accrue to the Thebans in this way, by preventing it rather than providing it.
νῦν δὲ ὥσπερ οὓς ἂν φοβῆταί τις μὴ ποιήσῃ τις εὖ, τούτους αἱρεῖσθαι δέον, οὐχ οἷς ἄν τις καὶ ἄλλους προσγενέσθαι συνεύξαιτο, οὕτω ταῦτα παραινοῦσι.
But now, just as if one ought to choose those whom one fears lest someone should benefit, and not those with whom one would pray that others also might be joined, so they advise these things.
καίτοι εἰ βασιλέα μὴ δύνανται κωλῦσαι βοηθεῖν, ἀλλʼ ὑμᾶς μὴ παρακαλεῖν ἠδύναντο.
And yet, if they cannot prevent the King from helping, they could at least have refrained from calling upon you.
ἐγὼ δʼ οὐχ οὕτως ἀναισθήτους οὐδʼ ἔκφρονας εἶναι νομίζω Θηβαίους ὥσθʼ ὑπὲρ ἀρχῆς Λακεδαιμονίοις πολεμοῦντας βασιλεῖ περὶ δουλείας συμβαίνειν.
But I do not think the Thebans are so senseless or out of their minds that, while fighting the Lacedaemonians for empire, they would make terms with the King for slavery.
καὶ γὰρ γελοῖον τούτους μὲν ζητεῖν ἀνελεῖν, ἵνα μὴ ἐμποδὼν αὐτοῖς ὦσιν, ἐκεῖνον δὲ καλεῖν ἐπὶ τοῖς ** ὃν ἴσασι δεσπότην ἕξοντες.
For indeed it is ridiculous to seek to destroy the former so that they may not be in their way, while calling in the latter over [...] whom they know they will have as a master.
τοσούτῳ γὰρ ἄμεινον περὶ ἡμῶν καὶ Λακεδαιμονίων βουλεύσονται, καλοῦντες βασιλέα σύμμαχον, ἤπερ αὐτοὶ περὶ αὑτῶν, ὅσῳ ἡμῖν μὲν τὸ ἀμύνασθαι γοῦν αὐτὸν καταλείψουσιν, αὐτοὶ δʼ οὐδʼ ὅπλα ἀνταράμενοι παραχρῆμα ὑποκύψουσιν αὐτῷ καὶ ἡμᾶς μὲν, ἐὰν ἄρα κρατήσῃ, διʼ αὐτοῦ κεκρατηκὼς ἔσται, ἐκείνους δὲ διʼ αὑτῶν ἔχων προτέρους· ταῦτα δὲ μαίνοιντʼ ἂν εἰ βούλοιντο.
For they will deliberate so much better concerning us and the Lacedaemonians by calling the King as an ally than they will concerning themselves, inasmuch as they will leave to us at least the means to defend ourselves against him, while they themselves, without even raising arms, will immediately submit to him, and he will have conquered us through them, if indeed he prevails, but will have them first through themselves; and they would be mad if they wished for this.
καὶ μὴν εἴ τις θαρρεῖν αὐτοὺς τῇ παλαιᾷ φιλίᾳ καὶ συμμαχίᾳ πρὸς τὸν βάρβαρον ἡγεῖται, ταῦτα μάλιστα φοβήσονται.
And indeed, if anyone thinks that they are confident because of their ancient friendship and alliance with the barbarian, they will fear these things most of all.
ἐπίστανται γὰρ τότε καὶ πάντων ἀγαθῶν ἀνόνητοι γενόμενοι, καὶ παραχωρήσαντες ὧν εἶχον ἐκείνῳ, πρότερον μὲν αὐτὸν τὸν βασιλέα, μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ Μαρδόνιον δεξάμενοι τὸν ὕπαρχον αὐτοῦ, ὃς ἐγκαθήμενος μετὰ τῆς ἵππου καὶ στρατιᾶς ἀπείρου τὰ μὲν φθείρων, τὰ δὲ καρπούμενος αὐτῶν διετέλει τὴν χώραν, τῇ πόλει δʼ ἐχρῆτο στρατοπέδῳ, παρρησίας δʼ οὐδʼ ὁτιοῦν οὐδενὶ μετεδίδου· ὥστʼ εἶναι μηδὲν ἀθλιώτερον ἐν τῷ τότε καιρῷ Θηβαίων, ὄνειδος μὲν ἐν τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἐχόντων, ἐπιτριβομένων δὲ κακῶς ὑπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων.
For they know that at that time they reaped no benefit from all their advantages, and yielded what they had to him, first receiving the King himself, and after that Mardonius his lieutenant, who, established with his cavalry and an infinite army, continued to waste and harvest their land, used the city as a camp, and allowed no freedom of speech to anyone; so that there was nothing more wretched at that time than the Thebans, who bore a reproach among the Greeks and were miserably crushed by the barbarians.
οὔκουν βουλήσονται τοιαύτης κακοδαιμονίας πάλιν ἐλθεῖν εἰς πεῖραν, οὐδὲ δεηθῆναι βασιλέως καταπέμψαι σφίσιν ἄνδρα, ὃς ἐγκαθίσας εἰς τὴν Βοιωτίαν καὶ ἡγεμὼν τοῦ πολέμου γενόμενος γρύζειν οὐκ ἐάσει σφᾶς.
Therefore they will not wish to make trial of such ill fortune again, nor to petition the King to send down a man to them, who, having established himself in Boeotia and become leader of the war, will not allow them to mutter.
εἶτα καὶ νενικηκότες νίκην
Furthermore, even if they have won a victory...