§477οὔτε Φιλίππου θαυμάσαι τις ἂν, ὦ ἄνδρες Θηβαῖοι, τὰ εἰωθότα πράττοντος· πολὺ γὰρ πλείους ἐξαπατῶν ἢ τοῖς ὅπλοις κεχείρωται, ὃ καὶ νῦν καθʼ ὑμῶν ἐλπίζων πάρεστιν·
Men of Thebes, no one would be surprised at Philip acting as he usually does; for he has conquered far more people by deception than he has subdued by force of arms, which is what he is now here hoping to accomplish against you.
ὅ τε δῆμος ὁ τῶν Ἀθηναίων τὴν εἰωθυῖαν ἑαυτῷ καὶ πάτριον τάξιν φυλάττων ἀπέστειλεν ἡμᾶς δεῦρο, εἰ μὲν ἀγνοεῖτε, ἐν ὅτοις εἴητε διδάξοντας, εἰ δʼ ἐπίστασθε, ὑφεξομένους τὴν βοήθειαν καὶ νὴ Δία δείξοντας ὁμοῦ τοῖς λόγοις.
And the people of Athens, maintaining their accustomed and ancestral station, have sent us here—if you are ignorant, to teach you in what circumstances you stand, and if you know, to offer our assistance and, by Zeus, to demonstrate it in deed along with our words.
ὑμέτερον δʼ ἐστὶ μὴ χείρους γενέσθαι τῆς τύχης, μηδʼ ὅσα μὲν καθʼ ὑμῶν ὁ καιρὸς ἔχει συγκαταστῆσαι κύρια, ἃ δʼ ἀντίρροπα τούτων ὑπάρχει προεμένους ὕστερον ζητεῖν.
It is your duty not to prove inferior to your fortune, nor to confirm as valid all the unfavorable advantages that the occasion holds against you, nor, after abandoning what is countervailing to these, to seek it later.
ἓν μὲν οὖν εὖ ποιῶν ὡμολόγηκε Φίλιππος, τὰ πολλὰ ταῦτα καὶ θαυμαστὰ ἃ διεξῄεσαν ἀρτίως οἱ πρέσβεις, αὐτοῦ χάριν, οὐχ ὑμῶν εἰργάσθαι· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἐνταῦθʼ ἔληγεν οὐδʼ ᾔτει ταῦθʼ ἅπερ νυνί.
Now, Philip has confessed one thing well-doing, namely that those many and marvelous favors which the ambassadors just now recounted were performed for his own sake, not for yours; for otherwise he would not have stopped here, nor would he be asking for the very things he is demanding now.
ὑμεῖς δʼ εἰ μὲν ἴσα ἀντʼ ἴσων ἀποδώσειν μέλλετε, οὐ νεμεσῶμεν, ἀλλʼ ἔστω ταυτὸν ἐκείνῳ τὸ δοκοῦν καὶ ὑμῖν δίκαιον·
But if you intend to return equal for equal, we do not blame you; let what seems right to him be also just to you.
εἰ δʼ ἡ χάρις δουλεύειν ἐστὶν, οὐδέτερόν μοι δοκῶ γιγνώσκειν, οὔθʼ ὁποῖον τοιοῦτον ἐκεῖνος ὑμᾶς εὖ πεποίηκεν οὔθʼ ὅ τι τοσοῦτον μέμψασθε ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς, ὥστε τοσαύτην ἐθελοντὰς δοῦναι δίκην.
If, however, his "favor" is to be enslaved, I do not think I understand either of two things: neither what kind of favor of that sort he has done you, nor what you so greatly blame yourselves for, that you should voluntarily undergo such a heavy penalty.
σκέψασθε δʼ εὐθὺς ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ τούτου τὸ διάφορον τῆς πρεσβείας ἑκατέρας.
But compare at once, from this very point, the difference between the two embassies.
Φίλιππος μὲν γὰρ ἀπέσταλκεν, αὑτῷ βοηθεῖν ἀξιῶν ὑμᾶς, ἡμεῖς δʼ ἥκομεν αὐτοὶ βοηθεῖν ὑμῖν ἐθέλοντες, ἐὰν δέχησθε.
For Philip has sent his embassy demanding that you help him, whereas we have come wishing to help you yourselves, if you will accept us.
ὅτι δʼ οὐδὲν καινὸν οὐδʼ ἔξω τῶν εἰωθότων πράττομεν, ἕν τι τῶν πᾶσι γνωρίμων ἀναμνήσθητε.
And to show that we are doing nothing new or contrary to custom, recall one of those facts known to all.
ὅτε γὰρ πρῶτον ἀπηλλάγητε Λακεδαιμονίων μετὰ τὴν πολλὴν ἐκείνην φιλίαν καὶ συνήθειαν, ἣν οὐχ ὑμεῖς ἐλύσατε, ἀλλʼ ἐκεῖνοι, §478ταυτὸν Φιλίππῳ διανοηθέντες περὶ ὑμῶν, τότε τῶν πάντων Ἑλλήνων οὐδεὶς, οὔθʼ ὅσοι τὴν Εὐρώπην οἰκοῦσι λέγω οὔθʼ ὅσοι τὴν Ἀσίαν, μεθʼ ὑμῶν ἐγένοντο πλὴν ἡμῶν τουτωνί·
For when you first broke away from the Lacedaemonians after that great friendship and intimacy—which not you but they dissolved, harboring the same design toward you as Philip does—at that time not one of all the Greeks, neither of those who inhabit Europe, I say, nor of those who inhabit Asia, stood on your side except us here.
τοσοῦτον εἰς τὸ πρόσω προβέβηκε τὸ νῦν παρόν.
The present situation has advanced even further than that.
τότε μὲν γὰρ ὑμῶν ἐλθόντων ὡς ἡμᾶς ὑπηκούσαμεν, νυνὶ δʼ ἥκομεν αὐτεπάγγελτοι, τὴν τῶν παρʼ ὑμῶν συμβούλων τάξιν εἰληφότες, εἰ δὲ βούλεσθε, προειληφότες.
For then, we complied when you came to us; but now we have come uninvited, having assumed—or, if you prefer, having pre-assumed—the role of counselors for you.
τοσοῦτον γὰρ ἡμῖν εἶναι δοκεῖ τὸ περιὸν τῶν φόβων ἁπάσῃ τῇ Ἑλλάδι ὥστε ἀγαπητὸν ποιούμεθα, εἰ καὶ προσδεηθείς τις οἷός τε ἔσται πεῖσαι τοὺς ὑπολοίπους ἐθελῆσαι σωθῆναι.
For the surplus of fears hanging over the whole of Greece seems so great to us that we count it a matter of satisfaction if, even when requested, someone shall be able to persuade the rest to wish to be saved.
καὶ ταῦτʼ οὐ νῦν πρῶτον γιγνώσκομεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ βαρβάρου τὸ πάλαι στρατείαν ἅπαντας ὅσους οἷοί τʼ ἦμεν ἐπηγείραμεν, καὶ οὐκ ᾐσχυνόμεθα ὑπὲρ τῶν κοινῇ συμφερόντων δεόμενοι.
And we do not realize this now for the first time, but even during the ancient expedition of the barbarian we aroused as many as we could, and we were not ashamed to beg for the common interests.
πρὸς μὲν οὖν τοὺς ταὐτὰ γιγνώσκοντας ἡμῖν βραχὺς ἀρκεῖ λόγος καὶ τοσοῦτος ἴσως, ὅτι τοὺς ἱππέας καὶ τοὺς ὁπλίτας κατελείπομεν·
To those, therefore, who hold the same views as we do, a brief word is sufficient, and perhaps only this: that we left behind our cavalry and hoplites.
πρὸς δὲ τοὺς οὔπω τοῦ μέλλοντος οὐδὲν ἐνθυμουμένους, ἀλλʼ ἔτι τῆς ἀπάτης καὶ τῶν ἐλπίδων ὄντας, ἓν μὲν ἐκεῖνο λέγω, ὅτι καὶ τοὺς λόγους αὐτοὺς βλάβος ἡγοῦμαι τοῖς πράγμασιν, εἰ μή τις αὐτοὺς ὡς εἰς ἐλάχιστον καταστήσει· ἔπειθʼ ὅσα καιρὸς ἤδη δίειμι.
But to those who do not yet look forward to the future, but are still under the influence of deceit and hope, I say first this one thing: that I consider words themselves a harm to affairs, unless one reduces them to the very minimum; and then I will go through what is now opportune.
εἰ μὲν ἐν ὑμῖν πρώτοις ὁ Φίλιππος ἐκρίνετο, τῶν μὲν ἄλλων Ἑλλήνων εὐτύχημʼ ἂν ἦν· τοῦτο δʼ ὑμῖν ἴσως εἶχε κίνδυνον, οὐχὶ προειδόσιν οὐδʼ ἑορακόσιν ἔξω τὸν τρόπον αὐτοῦ.
If Philip were being judged first among you, it would have been a stroke of good fortune for the other Greeks; but for you, who did not foresee or see his ways abroad, this would perhaps have carried danger.
νῦν δὲ τὰ τῶν ἄλλων πταίσματα ὑμῖν ἐν εὐτυχίας γενέσθω μέρει, καὶ τοὺς λόγους τοὺς παρʼ ἀμφοτέρων ἀνελόντες τοῖς ἔργοις τοῖς ἐκείνου πιστεύσατε.
As things are, let the failures of others become part of your good fortune, and, dismissing the words of both sides, trust in his deeds.
ὡς μὴ ὤφελε μὲν τοιαῦτα ὑπάρχειν τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἀπʼ ἀλλήλων παραδείγματα, ἀλλὰ πάντας ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ μετʼ εὐδαιμονίας τὰς πόλεις οἰκεῖν.
Would that such examples had not occurred to the Greeks from one another, but that all might inhabit their cities in quietness and prosperity.
τὸ δὲ μηδʼ ἐξ ὧν ἑοράκαμεν ἀξιοῦν πεπαιδεῦσθαι πᾶσα ἂν εἴη συμφορά.
But to refuse to be instructed even by what we have seen would be an absolute calamity.
ἦν ὅτʼ ἦσαν Ὀλύνθιοι.
There was a time when the Olynthians existed.
τούτοις πῶς ἐχρῆτο Φίλιππος;
How did Philip treat them?
ἐγὼ μὲν οἶμαι φιλανθρωπότερον ἢ ʼκείνοις ἦν δεομένοις.
I think more kindly than they themselves expected in their need.
καὶ πάντα μὲν τίς ἂν εἴποι;
And who could recount everything?
ἀλλʼ εἶχον μὲν τὸν Ἀνθεμοῦντα τῆς ἐκείνου χώρας, οὗ μηδʼ ἐπιβῆναι πρόσθεν αὐτοῖς ἦν.
But they held Anthemus, a part of his territory, which previously they were not even permitted to set foot upon.
οὕτω δὲ πλείω
And thus more...