§479λόγον τῆς πρὸς ἐκείνους φιλίας ἢ τῆς πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἔχθρας ἐποιεῖτο ὥστε Ποτίδαιαν ἡμῶν ἀποστερήσας ἐκείνοις ἔδωκε, καὶ τὸν μὲν κίνδυνον αὑτοῦ, τὸ δʼ ἆθλον ἐκείνων ἐποιήσατο.
He made his friendship toward them, or his enmity toward us, the standard of his actions, so that he deprived us of Potidaea and gave it to them, taking the danger upon himself and making the prize theirs.
τί οὖν ἐλυσιτέλησε τοῖς Ὀλυνθίοις ταῦτα;
What benefit, then, did this bring to the Olynthians?
ἦ καλούς τινας ἤνεγκε τοὺς καρπούς;
Did it bear any fine fruit?
ἀλλʼ ὁ πρόσθεν ἃ μηδεὶς ᾔτει διδοὺς, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ μηδὲν ὕστερον λιπὼν αὐτοῖς, ἀλλʼ ἀντὶ μὲν τοῦ τότε δοῦναι τὴν Ποτίδαιαν αὐτοὺς οὐ παραδοὺς ἑτέροις, ἀλλʼ ἀνελὼν ὅλως, ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ στῆσαι τὴν πλεονεξίαν ἐν Ὀλύνθῳ δύο καὶ τριάκοντα πόλεις ἐπιλαβὼν καὶ τὴν Σκυθῶν ἐρημίαν τοῖς ἐπὶ Θρᾴκης Ἕλλησι ποιήσας.
On the contrary, he who formerly gave what no one asked for is the very one who later left them nothing. Instead of giving them Potidaea at that time, he did not hand them over to others, but utterly destroyed them; and instead of limiting his ambition at Olynthus, he seized thirty-two cities in addition and turned the region of the Greeks in Thrace into a Scythian desert.
καίτοι πρὸς θεῶν πόσου ποτʼ ἂν ἡγεῖσθε πρίασθαι τοὺς Ὀλυνθίους, ἡνίκʼ ἀπώλλυντο καὶ τὰ πολλὰ καὶ δεινὰ ἐκεῖνα ἔπασχον, ἐκγενέσθαι γνῶναι ταῦθʼ ἑαυτοῖς πρότερον καὶ βουλεύσασθαι βέλτιον περὶ τῶν πραγμάτων;
And yet, by the gods, at what price do you think the Olynthians, when they were perishing and suffering those many terrible things, would have valued the opportunity to have known this beforehand and to have deliberated better concerning their affairs?
ἐγὼ μὲν οἶμαι τοῦ παντός.
For my part, I think at the price of everything they had.
τοῦτο τοίνυν ἐκείνοις μὲν, ὡς ἔοικεν, οὐκ ἐξεγένετο, ἀλλʼ ἅμʼ ἐγίγνωσκον καὶ ἀπολώλεσαν.
That opportunity, then, as it seems, was not granted to them, but they perished at the moment they realized their situation.
ὑμεῖς δʼ ἕως ἐστὲ κύριοι, χρήσασθε τῷ παραδείγματι καὶ μὴ βούλεσθʼ ἑτέροις αὐτοὶ γενέσθαι τῶν ὁμοίων.
But you, while you are still masters of your own destiny, make use of this example and do not wish to become a similar warning to others.
ἀλλʼ ὅταν ὑμῖν τὸ Τιλφωσσαῖον καὶ ἡ τῶν Φωκέων χώρα θαυμαστόν τι κέρδος φαίνηται, τότε τὴν ὑμετέραν αὐτῶν πόλιν καὶ χώραν καὶ ἱερὰ καὶ τάφους καὶ ἔθη καὶ δόξαν καὶ πάνθʼ ὅσα τοιαῦτʼ ἂν εἴποι τις ἀντιθέντες κρίνετε, καὶ ἐρωτᾶτε ὑμᾶς αὐτοὺς, εἰ οὐ πλείονος ἄξια· ὧν πάντων, εἰ πρὸς ἐκεῖνα βλέψετε, στέρεσθαι πρόκειται.
But when the Tilphossaeum and the territory of the Phocians appear to you as some marvelous gain, then judge by contrasting it with your own city, territory, sanctuaries, tombs, customs, glory, and everything of that sort that one might mention, and ask yourselves if these are not worth more; all of which you are bound to be deprived of if you look to those other things.
ἄτοπον γὰρ τοῖς μὲν δανείζουσι μὴ ὅπως χάριν ἔχειν, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ προσελθεῖν ἐθέλειν πρῶτον, ἂν ἐπὶ πολλῷ τοῦτο ποιῶσι, τοῖς δʼ ἐπὶ τοιούτῳ τῷ τέλει χαριζομένοις καὶ τοσαῦτʼ ἀνταπαιτοῦσι μὴ μῖσος μηδʼ ἀπιστίαν ἀξιοῦν παρὰ πάντων ὀφείλεσθαι.
For it is absurd that, while people are not only ungrateful but even unwilling to approach creditors in the first place if they lend at a high rate, they should not think that hatred and distrust are owed by all to those who bestow favors with such an end in view and demand so much in return.
ἐνθυμεῖσθε δὲ τοῖς τῶν Ὀλυνθίων ὁμοιοῦντες τὰ ὑμέτερʼ αὐτῶν, πλὴν τῆς τύχης.
Consider your own situation, comparing it with that of the Olynthians in all respects except their fortune.
μὴ γὰρ εἰ τὰ ὀνόματα ἕτερα τῶν χωρίων, τά γε πράγματα ἡγεῖσθε διαφέρειν.
For do not think that, if the names of the places are different, the realities are different.
ἀλλʼ ἢ ἔδωκεν ἐκείνοις δωρεὰς ὥσπερ ὑμῖν, ἢ οὐκ ἔδωκε;
Did he not give them gifts just as he did to you?
καὶ πολλάς.
Indeed, many.
καὶ συνήνεγκεν ἐκείνοις εἰς τέλος, ἢ οὐ συνήνεγκε;
And did it benefit them in the end, or did it not?
φέρε δὴ κἀκεῖνο σκέψασθε πῶς αὖ πρὸς ἡμᾶς εἶχον κατʼ ἐκείνους τοὺς χρόνους οἱ Ὀλύνθιοι.
Come now, consider also how the Olynthians stood toward us in those times.
ὡς ἂν μάλιστα Φίλιππος ηὔξατο, προσθήσω δὲ καὶ διέθηκεν· ἠπίστουν, §480ἐμίσουν, οὐδʼ ὄνομʼ ἠνείχοντο.
In the way Philip would have most prayed for—and indeed, I will add, he disposed them so: they distrusted, they hated, and they could not even bear our name.
τί οὖν;
What then?
ἐπεὶ πρὸς τὸν εὐεργέτην ἐκινδύνευον καὶ περιειστήκει κακῶν αὐτοὺς Ἰλιὰς, τίνες αὐτοῖς ἧκον εἰς σωτηρίαν;
When they were in danger against their "benefactor" and an Iliad of woes surrounded them, who came to their salvation?
οὐδένες οὔτε πρὸ ἡμῶν οὔτε μεθʼ ἡμᾶς.
None, either before us or after us.
ἀλλʼ ἐνταῦθα καὶ κάλλιστα ἐδείχθη τὸ μέσον τῆς τε ἡμετέρας καλοκἀγαθίας καὶ τῆς ἐκείνου πλεονεξίας.
But there the gap between our nobility and his greed was most beautifully displayed.
οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐν ἐχθρῶν μοίρᾳ κριθέντες ὑπʼ αὐτῶν, ἡνίκʼ ἀληθινῶν φίλων ἐδέησε, παρῆμεν πρῶτοι καὶ μόνοι, ὁ δὲ πάντʼ ἐλάττω διδοὺς ἢ ἐβούλετο, οὑτοσὶ πάντα συλλαβὼν εἶχεν, αὐτοὺς, τὰ ὅπλα, τὴν πόλιν, τὴν χώραν·
For we, who were counted by them in the rank of enemies, when they had need of true friends, were present first and alone; while he, who had been giving less than he wished (as they thought), seized everything and held it—themselves, their arms, their city, and their territory.
καὶ διὰ μέν γε Φίλιππον ἠρήμωνται, διὰ δὲ τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀρετὴν οἱ διαφυγόντες Ἀθήνησι σώζονται.
And while they have been desolated because of Philip, those who escaped are saved at Athens because of our virtue.
ἆρʼ οὐχ ἡμεῖς πολέμιοι βελτίους ἢ Φίλιππος φίλος καὶ πλείω χάριν ἡμῖν τῆς ἔχθρας ἢ Φιλίππῳ δεῖ τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν ἔχειν;
Are we not, therefore, better as enemies than Philip as a friend, and should we not receive more gratitude for our enmity than Philip for his benefits?
καὶ μὴν οὐδʼ ἐκεῖνό γʼ ἔστʼ εἰπεῖν ὡς ὑμεῖς τι τοιοῦτον ἐνδείξεσθε φιλανθρώπευμα Φιλίππῳ, διὸ καὶ παρὰ τὴν ὑπάρχουσαν φύσιν αὐτῷ φείσαιτʼ ἂν ὑμῶν.
Furthermore, it is not even possible to say that you will display some such kindness to Philip that, contrary to his natural disposition, he would spare you.
οὔτε γὰρ τῆς ἀξίας τῆς ὑμετέρας τοὺς ἔξω θαυμάζειν οὔθʼ ὑπερβάλλοισθʼ ἂν Ἀμφιπολίτας καὶ Πυδναίους, ὧν οἱ μὲν ἔθυον ὡς θεῷ, οἱ δὲ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ νεὼν εἶχον δεικνύναι.
For neither will those abroad admire your worth, nor would you surpass the Amphipolitans and Pydnaeans, of whom some offered sacrifices to him as to a god, and others could point to the temple of his father.
ἀλλʼ ὅμως τοὺς μὲν ἐξέβαλεν, ἡνίκʼ αὐτῶν ἦν διακορὴς, τοὺς δʼ ἀπέσφαττεν ἐν τῷ νεῷ τοῦ πατρὸς, ὀμνὺς ἔτι, καὶ τὰς σπονδὰς αἱ σφαγαὶ κατελάμβανον.
Yet nevertheless, he expelled the former when he was sated with them, and slaughtered the latter in the temple of his father, even while swearing oaths, and the slaughter overtook the treaties.
καίτοι μὴ νομίζετʼ αὐτὸν τοῖς μὲν ἔξω Πυλῶν καὶ τοῖς ἐπὶ Θρᾴκης ἐποικοῦσιν οὕτω χαλεπῶς ἔχειν καὶ φθονεῖν, οἳ τίνος αὐτοὺς εἶναι δεῖ σκοποῦντες ἀεὶ διαγεγόνασιν, ὑμῶν δὲ τῶν σὺν ἡμῖν τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἐξεταζομένων καὶ ὧν οἱ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ποτʼ ἄρχοντες μίαν πληγὴν οὐχ ὑπήνεγκαν μηδένα ποιεῖσθαι λόγον, ἀλλʼ ἡδέως ἂν ἄμεινον ὁρᾶν πράττοντας ἢ ʼκείνῳ συμφέρει·
And yet, do not suppose that he is so harsh and hostile toward those outside the Gates and those inhabiting Thrace—who have lived always looking to see whose subjects they must be—but makes no account of you who are numbered among the Greeks with us, and whose former rulers did not endure a single blow, but would gladly see you faring better than is expedient for him.
οὐχ οὕτω ταπεινὸν οὐδὲν σύνιστε ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς, ὥστε ἢ μὴ δεῖσαι τὸν Φίλιππον, ἢ μὴ πιστεύειν ἐκείνῳ τοῦτʼ ἐνεῖναι πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἀλλʼ ἐξ ὧνπερ ἡμᾶς, ἐκ τῶν αὐτῶν οἶμαι καὶ ὑμᾶς κρῖναι πολεμίους.
You are conscious of nothing so humble in yourselves as either not to fear Philip or not to believe that this disposition toward you is in him; rather, from the very same grounds on which he judged us, I think he has judged you also to be enemies.
ἡμᾶς τε γὰρ οἶδεν οὐδαμῶς ἂν ὑπείξοντας ἐν δούλων μοίρᾳ ὑμᾶς τε ἑτέρους τοιούτους ὑπολαμβάνων ἐχθροὺς
For he knows that we would in no way yield to the condition of slaves, and he assumes you to be another such enemy.