§467ἐνδείξασθαι.
to reveal.
ἐπεὶ τί δεῖ λέγειν, νῦν οὐχ ἵνα Θηβαίοις χαρίσωμαι παρελήλυθα, κᾆτα κελεύειν βοηθεῖν αὐτοῖς, ἢ πάλιν οὐκ ἐθέλων χαρίσασθαι Λακεδαιμονίοις, εἶτα προστάττειν ὑμῖν κινδυνεύειν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν;
For why is there any need to speak, since I have not come forward now to please the Thebans, and then to command you to help them, or again, not wishing to please the Lacedaemonians, then to order you to run risks on their behalf?
εἰ γάρ ἐστιν ἀληθὲς τοῦτο τὸ σχῆμα ἀμφοτέροις καὶ δεῖ πιστεύειν αὐτοῖς ὥσπερ ἔγωγε φημὶ δεῖν, οὑμὸς ἔχει χώραν λόγος ἀμφοτέροις ἐκποδὼν στῆναι.
For if this pretext is true for both, and we must believe them, just as I indeed say we must, my argument has room to stand aloof from both.
νῦν δὲ ὥσπερ ζητούντων ὑμῶν τίσι πολεμήσετε, ἀλλʼ οὐχ ὃ τῇ πόλει συμφέρει πράττειν ὀφειλόντων, οὕτως οἱ μὲν τοῖς, οἱ δὲ τοῖς κελεύουσι πολεμεῖν, ὡς εἰ μὴ κινδυνεύσετε ζημίας οὔσης.
But as it is, as if you were seeking whom you will fight, and not as if you ought to do what is advantageous to the city, thus some command you to make war on these, and others on those, as if there would be a loss if you do not run risks.
τοῦτο δʼ ἢν ἐν μέσῳ κείμενον, τὸ μηδετέροις οἰκείως ἔχουσι τὰ ὑμέτερʼ αὐτῶν πράττειν παραινεῖν ὑμῖν· οὗ λυσιτελέστερον οὐδέν ἐστι τῇ πόλει, οὐδʼ ὅ τι μᾶλλον καὶ τοὺς ἐν ἡλικίᾳ διατηρήσει, καὶ ναυσὶ καὶ χρήμασι καὶ πᾶσιν ἔσται σωτήριον.
But this was the course lying in the middle, namely, to advise you to manage your own affairs while being friendly to neither side; than which nothing is more advantageous to the city, nor is there anything that will more preserve those of military age, and it will be a means of safety for ships and money and everything.
λέγουσι δὲ ὡς πολλοὺς ὑπὲρ πολλῶν ᾕρησθε κινδύνους καὶ αὐτοὶ καὶ οἱ πρόγονοι, καὶ λέγουσιν ἀληθῆ.
And they say that both you and your ancestors have chosen many dangers on behalf of many people, and they speak the truth.
ἀλλʼ εἰ τῶν ἄλλων οὕτω προνοεῖσθε, ὥστʼ εἰ καὶ πολεμεῖν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν δέοι μὴ κατοκνεῖν, πῶς οὐχ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν γε αὐτῶν μέχρι τοῦ μὴ κινδυνεῦσαι παρὰ καιρὸν προνοήσεσθε;
But if you take such forethought for others, so that even if it should be necessary to make war on their behalf you do not hesitate, how will you not take forethought for yourselves, even to the extent of not running risks out of season?
οὐ γὰρ δή που τὰ μὲν τῶν ἄλλων συμφέροντα καὶ μετὰ κινδύνων βεβαιοῦν ἄξιον, τὰ δʼ ἡμέτερα αὐτῶν οὐδʼ ἡσυχῆ.
For surely it is not right to secure the interests of others even with dangers, but our own not even quietly.
ἔπειτα εἴ τις βούλεται σκέψασθαι διὰ τί ποθʼ ἡμῶν εὐδοκίμησαν οἱ πατέρες, πότερον διʼ αὐτὸ τὸ πλεῖν καὶ στρατεύεσθαι καὶ φιλοκινδύνως ἔχειν, ἢ διὰ τὸ σχῆμα τῶν ἔργων καὶ τὰς προφάσεις εὐλόγους καὶ ἀναγκαίας οὔσας, οὐκ ἂν, οἶμαι, φαίη διʼ ἐκεῖνα.
Then, if anyone wishes to consider for what reason our fathers once gained high repute, whether because of sailing and campaigning and being fond of danger itself, or because of the character of their deeds and their pretexts being reasonable and necessary, he would not, I think, say it was because of those former things.
λῃστῶν γὰρ ἂν αὐτοῖς ἔπαινον καὶ καταποντιστῶν ἀνατιθείη, εἰ τοῦτο θαυμάζοι καὶ ζηλωτὸν ἡγοῖτο τὸ τοῖς κινδύνοις ἀεὶ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ὑποτεθεικέναι.
For he would be ascribing to them the praise of pirates and corsairs, if he should admire this and think it enviable always to have subjected themselves to dangers.
ἀλλʼ οἶμαι τὸ τοὺς βαρβάρους ὑπὲρ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἀμύνεσθαι καὶ μηδαμοῦ προΐεσθαι διὰ μαλακίαν τὰ δίκαια, τοῦτʼ ἐνδόξους ἐποίησεν αὐτοὺς εἰκότως.
But I think that to ward off the barbarians on behalf of the Greeks and never to abandon justice through cowardice, this made them famous, and naturally so.
ἀλλʼ οὐχ ὁ νῦν πόλεμος τοιαύτην ἔχει τάξιν, ὥστʼ ἢ διʼ ἀνάγκην ὑμᾶς μετέχειν αὐτοῦ, ἢ διὰ προστασίαν, ἢ διὰ τοιούτου τινὸς δικαίου λόγον.
But the present war does not have such a character, so that you must take part in it either through necessity, or through leadership, or through the principle of some such justice.
αὐτὸ γὰρ τοῦτο πρῶτον οὐκ ἔνεστι διακρῖναι ποτέροις δεῖ βοηθεῖν.
For this very thing first of all cannot be decided, namely, which of the two sides we ought to help.
διὰ τί;
Why?
διʼ ἓν μὲν ἐκεῖνο, ὅτι εἰ τὸ πολλοῖς ἡμᾶς συνεπειλῆφθαι §468πραγμάτων αἴτιον εἶναι δεῖ τοῦ μηδὲ νῦν ἡσυχάσαι, κοινὸν ἀμφοτέροις ἐστὶ τοῦτο.
For one reason, because if our having been involved in many affairs must be the cause of our not remaining quiet even now, this is common to both sides.
ὥσθʼ οἷς μετὰ τῶν ἑτέρων ἔσεσθε δικαίως, τούτοις τοὺς ἑτέρους παριδόντες ἁμαρτάνειν δόξετε.
So that, towards those with whom you would justly be together with the others, you will seem to err by overlooking the others.
ἔπειτα εἰ μὲν δεῖ μνημονεύειν ὧν ἠδικήμεθα ὑπʼ ἀμφοτέρων, οὐδετέροις προσθετέον· εἰ δʼ ἀφίεμεν τὴν μέμψιν, οὐ δή που τοῖς μὲν, τοῖς δʼ οὒ, ἀλλʼ ἀμφοτέροις ὁμοίως ἀφήσομεν.
Then, if we must remember the wrongs we have suffered from both, we must join neither; but if we dismiss the blame, surely we shall not dismiss it for some and not for others, but we shall dismiss it equally for both.
τούτων δʼ οὕτως ἐχόντων οὐχ ἕξομεν οὓς αἱρησόμεθα, ἀμφοῖν ὑπάρχοντος ταὐτοῦ δικαίου.
Since these things are so, we shall not have those whom we will choose, since the same justice exists for both.
ὅλως δὲ πῶς οὐκ ἔστιν ἄτοπον, οἷς ἂν οὕτω τύχῃ καὶ βοηθεῖν δεῖ κατὰ τὸν τοῦ μὴ μνησικακεῖν λόγον, τούτοις τοὺς ἑτέρους συναναιρεῖν ἐξεπίτηδες;
On the whole, how is it not absurd, when we happen to have to help some according to the principle of not bearing malice, to destroy the others along with them on purpose?
ὥστε εἰ δεῖ μὲν βοηθεῖν, τοῦτο δʼ ἀμήχανον ἀμφοτέροις, ὁ τοῦ μὴ δεῖν ἐγκαλεῖν λόγος εἰς τὸ μέσον κάτεισι, τῷ μήτε τούτοις βοηθεῖν, ὅτι κἀκείνοις ἔδει, μήτε ἐκείνοις, ὅτι καὶ τούτοις ὠφείλετο.
So that if we must help, but this is impossible for both, the principle of not having to bring accusations comes into the middle, by helping neither these, because it was necessary to help those too, nor those, because it was owed to these as well.
ὥστε ὅτι οὐ μνησικακητέον, διὰ τοῦτο οὐ βοηθητέον.
So that because we must not bear malice, for this reason we must not help.
συμβέβηκε δʼ ἃ μάλιστʼ ἄν τις εὔξατο, Θηβαίους καὶ Λακεδαιμονίους συμπεπτωκέναι καὶ ὑμῖν δεδωκέναι σχολῆς καιρὸν καὶ ἀναπαύσεως, αὐτοὺς δʼ ἀνηνύτῳ πολέμῳ συνέχεσθαι, θεῶν τινος, ὡς ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, προστασίᾳ καὶ προνοίᾳ περὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας πόλεως.
And there has happened what one would have prayed for most, that the Thebans and the Lacedaemonians have clashed and have given you a time of leisure and rest, while they themselves are gripped by an endless war, by the protection and providence of some god, as it seems to me, for our city.
εἴτε γὰρ δίκην ἐβουλόμεθα λαβεῖν παρʼ αὐτῶν, πραγματείας ἔδει καὶ κινδύνων, εἴθʼ ἡσυχίαν ἤγομεν, ἀθώους εἶναι κατελείπετο ἐκείνους.
For if we wished to take vengeance on them, there would have been need of trouble and dangers; and if we kept quiet, it was left for them to be unpunished.
νῦν τοίνυν οὕτως ὑπὸ τοῦ δαιμονίου τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐστρατήγηται, ὥστʼ οἴκοι καθημένοις ὑμῖν ὑπάρχειν αὐτοὺς τιμωρήσασθαι διʼ αὐτῶν.
Now, therefore, the matter has been so marshalled by the divine power, that while you sit at home, it is possible for you to be avenged on them through themselves.
δεῖ δὴ τοιούτῳ καιρῷ σωφρόνως καὶ πεφυλαγμένως χρήσασθαι, καὶ μὴ ὅπως ἐκείνων οἱ ἕτεροι τῶν ἑτέρων περιέσονται τοῦτο σκοπεῖν, ἀλλʼ ὅπως ὑμεῖς μηδʼ ὑφʼ ἑτέρων ἐνοχλῆσθε.
It is necessary indeed to use such an opportunity wisely and cautiously, and not to consider how one of them will prevail over the other, but how you will not be troubled by either.
καὶ γὰρ ἄτοπον ἐκείνους μὲν ἑκατέρους τὸ σφίσιν αὐτοῖς λυσιτελοῦν, μὴ τὸ ὑμῖν ζητοῦντας ἀπεσταλκέναι δεῦρο, ὑμᾶς δὲ τἀκείνων ἔμπροσθεν θεῖναι τῶν ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς συμφερόντων.
For indeed it is absurd that those on each side, seeking what is advantageous to themselves and not to you, have sent envoys here, but that you should put their affairs before your own advantages.
σκέψασθε δὴ πρὸς Διὸς ὁπότεροι βελτίω λέγουσι καὶ μετριώτερα, οἱ πράγματʼ ἔχειν καὶ τοὺς ἑτέρους ἀμύνεσθαι καὶ ἐν ἐχθρῶν τάξει τοῦτο ποιεῖν κελεύοντες, ἢ ὁ
Consider then, by Zeus, which of the two speak better and more moderately, those who command you to have trouble and to ward off the others, and to do this in the rank of enemies, or he who...