§456ἐπανελθεῖν εἶναι μήθʼ ὅ τι χρὴ ποιεῖν ἔχειν εὑρεῖν;
[will there be any other result than to be unable] to return to either, nor to be able to find what one ought to do?
ἂν δὲ δὴ τοῦτο νικήσῃ πᾶσι συνδόξαν, ἑκάστους ἐκ περιτροπῆς ἡγεῖσθαι, οἷον Θηβαίους, Ἀργείους, Ἠλείους, Ἀρκάδας, ὑμᾶς, καλόν γε ὄντας Ἀθηναίους διαλαγχάνειν πρὸς τοὺς πάντας ἀνθρώπους περὶ τῆς ἡγεμονίας, καὶ ἄρχειν τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐκ περιτροπῆς, ὥσπερ ἄλλην τινὰ μοῖραν ἢ ἔρανον διῃρημένους.
If, indeed, this proposal should prevail as the common opinion of all, that each should lead in turn, as for instance the Thebans, the Argives, the Eleans, the Arcadians, and you—fine indeed it is for you, being Athenians, to draw lots with all other men for the hegemony, and to rule the Greeks in turn, as if you had divided some other share or contribution!
καὶ πότερον βέλτιον τὸ πέμπτον μέρος μεταλαμβάνειν, ἂν οὕτω τύχῃ, τῆς προστασίας, τὰ δʼ ἄλλα πάντα ἀρχομένους διατελεῖν ὑφʼ ὧν εἶπον, ἢ Λακεδαιμονίους ἐφʼ ἡμισείᾳ προσδέξασθαι καὶ δύʼ εἶναι μέρη προεστηκότα, εἰς ἅπερ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἡ Ἑλλὰς διῄρηται;
And is it better to share a fifth part of the leadership, if it should so happen, and to continue to be ruled for all the rest of the time by those I have mentioned, or to receive the Lacedaemonians on the basis of a half share, so that there should be two leading parts, into which Greece has been divided from the beginning?
οὐ γὰρ μὴ Φλιάσιοί γε ὑμῖν ἀμφισβητήσωσι δέδιτε, καὶ οὔπω λέγω δεῖν ἐπὶ τούτῳ δέξασθαι τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους· οὐχ ὁρίζω τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ μάλιστα μὲν οἶμαι καὶ καθάπαξ αὐτοὺς παραχωρήσειν·
For surely you do not fear that the Phliasians will dispute with you! And indeed I do not yet say that we must receive the Lacedaemonians on this condition; I do not define this, but I think above all that they will concede the leadership altogether.
καὶ νὴ Δίʼ ἔγωγε κελεύω, εἴπερ ὡς ἀληθῶς ἡμῶν δέονται καὶ τῆς σεμνότητος καθυφείκασί τι, ἢ φήσαιμʼ ἂν τοῖς πρέσβεσιν αὐτῶν τοὺς Θηβαίους αἱρήσεσθαι, ἐὰν ἐκεῖνοι ταῦθʼ ὑπακούωσιν, εἰ δὲ μὴ, μετριώτερον, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, Λακεδαιμονίους ἐξ ἴσου δέξασθαι ἢ τοιαύτην ἀκρισίαν κοινωνίας ὑποστῆναι Θηβαίοις.
And by Zeus, I indeed demand it, if they truly need us and have abated something of their pride; or should I say to their envoys that we will choose the Thebans, if they submit to those things? Otherwise, Athenians, it is more moderate to receive the Lacedaemonians on equal terms than to submit to such a disorderly partnership with the Thebans.
οἶμαι τοίνυν κἀκεῖνο προσήκειν ὑμῖν σκοπεῖν, ὅπως μὴ εἰς τὰς αὐτὰς αἰτίας Λακεδαιμονίοις ἔλθητε, μηδʼ ἃ μέμφεσθε δικαίως, ταῦτα μιμήσεσθε.
I think, therefore, that it is fitting for you to consider this also: that you may not fall into the same charges as the Lacedaemonians, nor imitate those things which you justly censure.
ἔστι τοίνυν τούτων οὐ μικρὸν κατηγόρημα, ὅτι Θηβαίοις τουτοισὶ συνεξεῖλον Πλαταιὰς καὶ παρέδοσαν, καὶ πάλιν τὸ τελευταῖον, ὅτι τοὺς Ἴωνας ἐκδότους ἐποίησαν ἐν ταύταις ταῖς συνθήκαις ταῖς πρὸς βασιλέα.
For indeed there is no small accusation against them: that they joined with these very Thebans in destroying Plataea and delivered it to them, and again, most recently, that they betrayed the Ionians in those treaties with the King.
μὴ τοίνυν ὑμῖν τὸ τὴν Σπάρτην Θηβαίοις συνεξελεῖν καλὸν οἴεσθε λόγον σχήσειν, μηδὲ Λακεδαιμονίοις ἐγκαλοῦντες, ἐπειδήπερ τοὺς ἀποίκους ὑμῶν ἐξέδοσαν τῷ βασιλεῖ, αὐτοὶ Θηβαίοις ἐκδῶτε ὑμᾶς αὐτούς· ἐκδώσετε δὲ, ἂν πρὸς οὓς ἄσχολοι νῦν εἰσι Λακεδαιμονίους, τούτους ἐκποδὼν αὐτοῖς θήσετε.
Do not, therefore, think that joining the Thebans in destroying Sparta will bring you an honorable reputation, nor, while accusing the Lacedaemonians because they betrayed your colonists to the King, should you yourselves betray yourselves to the Thebans; and you will betray yourselves if you put out of their way those Lacedaemonians with whom they are now busy.
μικρὸν δʼ ἔτι προσθήσω· εἰ μὲν εὐπορήσουσιν ἑτέρων Λακεδαιμόνιοι συμμάχων ὑμῶν ἁμαρτόντες, τις ἂν μείζων αἰσχύνη γένοιτο τῶν πασῶν ἢ τὸ πρῶτον μὲν ἐζητηκέναι τινὰς ἄλλους, εἶτα καὶ ἀνευρηκέναι τοὺς συνδιατηρήσοντας τὴν Σπάρτην αὐτὴν, ὄντων Ἀθηναίων, εἰ δʼ οὐδένων ἑτέρων
I will add a little more: if the Lacedaemonians, having missed you, find an abundance of other allies, what greater shame of all could there be than that they should have first sought some others, and then actually found those who would join in preserving Sparta itself, while Athenians exist?
§457τεύξονται βοηθῶν, ὑμῖν οὐκ ἀμελητέον, οὓς ἔχουσι μόνους.
But if they obtain no other helpers, you must not neglect them, whom they have as their only hope.
εὔχομαι δʼ αὐτοῖς, εἰ μὲν ὑμεῖς συναγωνιεῖσθε, σωτηρίαν καὶ κράτος· εἰ δʼ ἐγκαταλείψετε, ἀπολεῖσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ διʼ ἑτέρων ἀνενεγκεῖν, ἵνα καὶ ἁπλοῦν ἡμῖν τοὔνειδος ᾖ.
I pray for them, if you fight alongside them, for safety and victory; but if you abandon them, I pray that they may perish rather than recover through others, so that our shame may be single.
ἐμοὶ μὲν ταῦτʼ ἔδοξεν ἀμφότερα ἐξετάζοντι· ἔτι δὲ, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, καὶ ὑμῖν δεικνύοιτʼ ἂν ἤδη τό γʼ ἐμὸν μέρος.
These things seemed best to me as I examined both sides; and furthermore, Athenians, my own part would now be shown to you.