§465εἴ τι κἀμοὶ μέτεστιν, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, παρρησίας, πειράσομαι περὶ τῶν παρόντων εἰπεῖν ἃ γιγνώσκω, δεηθεὶς ὑμῶν μὴ θορυβῆσαι πρὶν ἂν πάντων ἀκούσητε.
If I too have some share of freedom of speech, O Athenians, I will try to speak about the present matters what I know, having requested you not to make a clamor until you have heard everything.
ἔστι μὲν οὖν ἔργον τὸ συμφέρον ὑμῖν καθαρῶς ἐξετάσαι.
It is indeed a difficult task to examine clearly what is advantageous for you.
τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ἢ τούτοις ἢ ʼκείνοις συνειρηκόσιν ἥ τε πρὸς οὓς §466ᾕρηνται χάρις αὐτῶν ὕπεστι καὶ ἔτι πρὸς ὑμῶν τοὺς ταὐτὰ γιγνώσκοντας, τοῖς δʼ ἐξεστηκόσι τούτου καὶ μέσοις οὖσι μήτʼ ἐκείνων μηδετέροις τὰ πρὸς ἡδονὴν λέγειν συμβεβηκός ἐστι μήθʼ ὑμῖν ἃ βούλεσθέ τε καὶ προσδοκᾶτε.
For, for those who have spoken in support of either these or those, there underlies both the gratitude towards those whom they have chosen and also, from your side, towards those who hold the same views; but for those who have departed from this and are in the middle, it happens that they speak neither to the pleasure of either of those groups nor to you what you wish and expect.
ὥστʼ εἶναι πολὺ τοῖς διαμαρτοῦσιν ἐκείνων λυσιτελέστερον ἢ τῷ ταῦτα πείσαντι, τοῖς μὲν ὑπαρχόντων ὑπὲρ ὧν ἠγωνίσαντο φίλων, τῷ δὲ οὐδεμιᾶς χάριτος παρʼ ὑμῶν οὔσης.
So that it is much more advantageous for those who have failed to obtain those things than for the one who has persuaded you of these things; since the former have friends on whose behalf they contended, while the latter has no gratitude from you.
οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καίπερ τοιαύτην δυσκολίαν ἔχοντος τοῦ πράγματος οὐκ ἀποκνήσω.
Nevertheless, although the matter has such difficulty, I will not hesitate.
δοκεῖ γάρ μοι τοῖς εἰρηκόσι τούτοις ὑπὲρ ἑκατέρων ὁ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἐρῶν λοιπὸν ἐνδεῖν.
For it seems to me that, beside those who have spoken on behalf of each of the two sides, the one who is passionate on your behalf is still lacking.
ἐὰν οὖν οὗτος ἐγὼ φανῶ, χάριν ὑμῖν ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν εἴσομαι.
If therefore I turn out to be this person, I will feel gratitude to you for your own sake.
τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἑτέρων εἰρηκόσι, κἂν ἡττηθῶσι τῶν ἐναντίων, ἡ πρὸς οὓς ᾕρηνται χάρις σώζεται, ὁ δʼ ἐν μέσῳ γενόμενος τῆς μὲν παρʼ ἑκατέρων αὑτὸν ἤδη προαπεστέρηκε, τῶν δὲ παρʼ ὑμῶν ἄδηλον ὁποίων τεύξεται.
For, for those who have spoken on behalf of one of the two sides, even if they are defeated by their opponents, the gratitude towards those they chose is preserved; but the one who stands in the middle has already deprived himself of that from both sides, and it is unclear what kind of treatment he will receive from you.
συμβαίνει δὴ μηδαμῶς ἴσον εἶναι ἢ τὰ τῶν ἑτέρων συμφέροντα ᾑρημένον καὶ ὑμῶν τοὺς ταὐτὰ γιγνώσκοντας ἔχειν εὐμενεῖς, ἢ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἀνεστηκότα προσκρούειν ὑμῖν, καὶ ἡττηθέντα μὲν τριῶν ἡμαρτηκότα ὑπάρχειν, κρατήσαντα δὲ καὶ διαγενόμενον ἐξ ἴσου τοῖς ἡττηθεῖσι γίγνεσθαι, ἑτέρων ἀνθʼ ὑμῶν ἐκείνοις ὑπαρχόντων οὓς ᾕρηνταί τε καὶ φίλους πεποίηνται.
It turns out to be by no means equal either to have chosen the interests of one of the two parties and to have those of you who think the same things friendly, or to stand up on your behalf and offend you, and on the one hand, if defeated, to have failed in three ways, and on the other hand, if successful and surviving, to become equal to the defeated, since those others have, instead of you, those whom they have chosen and made friends.
οὐ μὴν ἀλλʼ αἰσχρόν μοι φαίνεται καὶ οὐ πολιτικὸν οὐδʼ ἴσον οὐδαμῶς Ἀθήνησι τῶν λόγων γιγνομένων τοὺς μὲν ὑπὲρ Θηβαίων καὶ πάλιν Λακεδαιμονίων ἐροῦντας εὑρῆσθαι, τοὺς δὲ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἐλλείπειν.
Nevertheless, it seems shameful to me, and neither statesmanlike nor in any way fair, when the speeches are being made in Athens, that those who will speak on behalf of the Thebans and again the Lacedaemonians are found, while those on your behalf are lacking.
ἐπαινῶ δὲ τοὺς ῥήτορας ἀμφοτέρους, ὅτι πολλὰ καὶ θαυμαστὰ εὑρόντες καθʼ ἑκατέρων ἐδίδαξάν με κοινῇ τί χρὴ περὶ αὐτῶν ἀποφήνασθαι.
And I praise both orators, because, having found many and wonderful points against each side, they have together taught me what must be declared concerning them.
οἶμαι γὰρ καὶ εἰ μηδὲν ὅλως ἐτύγχανον γιγνώσκων ἐπʼ ἐμαυτοῦ, τοῖς γε ὑπὸ τούτων εἰρημένοις ἀκολουθῶν ἔχειν ἂν κατιδεῖν τὸ κράτιστον.
For I think that even if I happened to know absolutely nothing on my own, by following what has been said by them, I would be able to discern the best course.
μέμφομαι δʼ αὐτοῖς αὖ τοσοῦτον ὅτι πάντʼ ἐπικρυπτόμενοι καὶ ζητοῦντες ὅπως λήσουσι, πρὸς χάριν οἱ μὲν τούτων, οἱ δʼ ἐκείνων λέγοντες ἓν τοῦτʼ οὐκ ἔφυγον, ὅτι λαθεῖν ζητοῦσιν
But on the other hand, I blame them to this extent, that while concealing everything and seeking how they might escape notice, speaking to please, some on behalf of these and others on behalf of those, they did not escape this one thing, namely, that they are seeking to escape notice.