§487δʼ οὐδεὶς οὐδὲ κινεῖται, ἀλλʼ ὥσπερ ἄνω καταρρακτῶν ἢ περὶ τὴν ἐρυθρὰν τούτων γιγνομένων, ἢ πρὸς ἅπαντας ἀνθρώπους μᾶλλον ἢ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ὄντων, ὕπνος θαυμαστὸς ἅπασι καὶ ῥᾳθυμία κατακέχυται, καὶ καθάπερ τὰ ἐν ταῖς ἱστορίαις παράδοξα οὕτως ἀκούομεν, θαυμάζοντες τὰ γιγνόμενα, οὐχ ὅπως παύσεται ζητοῦντες·
But no one even moves, but just as if these things were happening near the cataracts on high or around the Red Sea, or as if they concerned all men rather than us, a wondrous sleep and sluggishness has been poured over everyone; and just like the extraordinary events in histories, so we listen to these things, wondering at what is happening, and not seeking how it may be stopped.
καὶ γέγονε πάνθʼ ὥσπερ ἐν Εὐρίπῳ τὰ τῶν Ἑλλήνων πράγματα, νύκια καὶ ἡμέραν ἄνω καὶ κάτω στρεφόμενα, καὶ κατέχει συνήθης ἀκοὴ τῶν κακῶν, ἐν πορθμῷ Φίλιππος, ἐν Μεγάροις Φίλιππος, Ἀρκαδία νοσεῖ, Χαλκιδεῖς ἀπολώλασι, Θετταλία δεδούλωται, πολιορκεῖ Βυζάντιον, Ἦλιν εἴληφεν, Ὁμήρου κατάλογος ἁρπαζομένων γέγονε τῶν Ἑλλήνων.
And all the affairs of the Greeks have become like the Euripus, turning up and down night and day, and a common rumor of evils holds sway: "Philip is in the pass, Philip is at Megara, Arcadia is sick, the Chalcidians have perished, Thessaly is enslaved, he is besieging Byzantium, he has taken Elis"—the list of the Greeks being plundered has become Homer's catalogue.
καὶ τοσούτων χρημάτων καὶ σωμάτων καὶ τόπων ἀπολωλότων καὶ πάντων πάντα σεσυλημένων οὐδέν ἐστι τῶν πάντων φοβερώτερον οὐδʼ ἐφʼ ᾧ μεῖζον ἄν τις στενάξειεν ἢ ὅτι τὰς γνώμας ἡμῶν καὶ τὸ λογίζεσθαι σεσύληκε, καὶ τοσαύτῃ φαρμάκων περιουσίᾳ καὶ γοητείᾳ κέχρηται ὥστε πάντας ἅπαντʼ αὐτῷ καθʼ αὑτῶν συμπράττειν ἀναπέπεικεν, ὥσπερ ἐὰν ἀπόλωνται κερδανοῦντας, καὶ γέγονε τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἔρις ὅστις πρότερος ἐκείνου γένηται, καὶ περίεστι τοσοῦτον ἡμῖν, ὅσον τοῖς ἐκ πληγῆς ἤ τινος ἄλλου κακοῦ σφαλλομένοις βαδίζουσιν οἷς τὸ μὲν κατενεχθήσεσθαι πρόδηλον, τὸ δὲ μέλλειν ἔτι, τοῦτʼ ἐστὶν ἡ δύναμις.
And although so much wealth, so many lives, and so many places have been lost, and all things have been plundered from all, there is nothing of all more fearful, nor over which one might groan more, than that he has plundered our minds and our reasoning power, and he has used such an abundance of drugs and sorcery that he has persuaded all to cooperate with him in all things against themselves, as if they would gain if they should perish, and there has arisen a strife among the Greeks as to who shall be prior to him, and we have only so much left as those who walk stumbling from a blow or some other evil, for whom that they will fall is obvious, but that they still delay—this is their power.
ὁ δʼ ὥσπερ τυφὼς ἢ πρηστὴρ ἐμπεσὼν ἐλαύνει κατάκρας αἰγίδι λαμπρᾷ πάντα τὰ πράγματα, οὐδὲν παριεὶς, τοῖς μὲν ὅπλα, τοῖς δὲ λόγους προσφέρων, μόνον οὐκ ἐπαναγκάζων ἅπαντας ἀναστῆναι.
But he, like a typhoon or a hurricane falling upon them, drives all things headlong with a bright storm, omitting nothing, bringing weapons to some and words to others, all but forcing everyone to be displaced.
ἀλλʼ ὅμως οὐδείς πω τοῦθʼ ὑπήκουσεν αὐτῷ, ἀλλʼ ὥσπερ ὁμίχλης ἢ ζόφου πάντα κατειληφότος οὔθʼ ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς οὔτʼ ἐκεῖνον γνῶναι δυνάμεθα, ἀλλʼ εἰδότες μὲν τὸ μέλλον, οὐ βουλόμενοι δὲ εἰδέναι δοκεῖν, ἑκούσιοι τὰς ἀνάγκας ἀναμένομεν.
But nevertheless no one has yet obeyed him in this, but as if a mist or darkness had seized all things, we can know neither ourselves nor him, but knowing the future, yet not wishing to seem to know, we voluntarily await our dooms.
καὶ φάσματος μὲν ἄλλου του συμβάντος οἷα κατʼ οὐρανὸν, ἢ σεισμῶν ἢ πνευμάτων ἔξω τοῦ μετρίου κατασχόντων, ἔδει μὲν δεδιέναι πάντας, ἔδει δʼ ἀλλήλους συγκαλεῖν, ἰέναι δὲ θεωροὺς εἰς Δελφοὺς καὶ Δωδώνην καὶ παρʼ §488Ἀμφιάρεων περὶ σωτηρίας, Φιλίππου δʼ ἐπιπολάζοντος τοσοῦτον ἤδη χρόνον καὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἐκ βάθρων κινοῦντος καὶ τοσαύτην γῆν ἐπερχομένου, ὅσην οὐδέπω κῦμα ἐπέκλυσεν, οὐδεὶς οὐ λόγος, οὐ σύλλογος, οὐκ εὐχὴ πρέπουσα, οὐκ ἐρώτημα Ἑλληνικὸν, ἀλλʼ ὥσπερ νεφέλῃ κεκαλυμμένος, ἢ τὴν τῶν ποιητῶν ἄτοπον κυνῆν περικείμενος, δρᾶσαι φανερὸς, παθεῖν δʼ ἀφανὴς, περιέρχεται δημαγωγῶν τοὺς Ἕλληνας, πάντα ἐκζητῶν, πάντα εὑρίσκων εἴ τί τῳ πέπρακται δυσχερὲς εἰς τὸ πλησίον, εἰ ῥῆμά τις ἔφθεγκται μόνον, διαβάλλων ἐν μέρει πάντας, ὥσπερ παισὶ τοῖς Ἕλλησι διαλεγόμενος. σοὶ δὲ τί τούτων, ὦ κακῶς ἀμφικτύων; ἅπαντα ταῦθʼ ἕν ἐστι, δεινὸν πλεονάζων Φίλιππος.
And if some other omen had occurred, such as those in heaven, or earthquakes or winds beyond measure had taken hold, all ought to have feared, and ought to have called one another, and sent envoys to Delphi and Dodona and to Amphiaraus for safety; but while Philip has been dominant for so long a time, shaking Greece from its foundations and invading so much land as no wave ever flooded, there is no word, no assembly, no fitting prayer, no Greek inquiry, but as if covered by a cloud, or wearing the strange helmet of the poets, visible in doing, but invisible in suffering, he goes about playing the demagogue to the Greeks, searching out everything, finding everything if anyone has done anything disagreeable to his neighbor, if someone has only uttered a word, slandering everyone in turn, talking as if to the children of the Greeks: "What is this to you, O evil Amphictyon?" All these things are one: Philip fearfully gaining too much.
τίνες οὖν ἄλλοι ταῦτα κωλύσουσι;
Who else then will prevent these things?
τίνων, ὦ ἄνδρες Θηβαῖοι, χρὴ τοῦτο γενέσθαι τὸ ἕρμαιον;
For whom, O Thebans, must this windfall be?
ἡμῖν τὰς ἀνάγκας ταύτας οἱ θεοὶ προὐξενήκασι.
The gods have negotiated these necessities for us.
σκέψασθε δὴ καὶ περὶ τῆς παλαιᾶς αἰτίας ὡς καλῶς αὐτὴν ἀπελύσασθε, λέγοντες οὐκ εἶναι τὴν πόλιν αὑτῆς, ἀλλὰ τοὺς κρατοῦντας τῶν πραγμάτων μηδίσαι.
Consider indeed also concerning the old accusation, how beautifully you cleared yourselves of it, saying that the city was not its own master, but that those in power meddized.
τούτοις μέντοι τοῖς λόγοις οὐκ ἀκολουθεῖ τὸ νυνὶ δέξασθαι Φίλιππον.
However, to these arguments the receiving of Philip now does not follow.
ἀλλʼ ἢ κἀκεῖνα δεῖ ψεύδεσθαι δοκεῖν, ἢ τούτοις λόγος οὐ λείπεται.
Rather, either those things too must seem to be false, or no argument is left to these men.
ὅτι τοίνυν οὐκ ἔστιν ἐφʼ ὑμῖν, οὐδʼ ἐὰν βούλησθε, ἁμαρτεῖν σκέψασθε.
Consider then that it is not in your power to err, even if you wish.
νυνὶ δυοῖν θάτερον αἰτεῖ Φίλιππος, ἢ συνεμβαλεῖν, ἢ διεῖναι.
Now Philip asks one of two things, either to join in the invasion, or to let him pass through.
διέντες μὲν τοίνυν ἡμᾶς μὲν ὁμοίως προδεδώκατε, ἐκείνῳ δʼ οὐχ ὅσον βούλεται χαρίζεσθε.
If you let him pass, you have betrayed us in like manner, but you do not gratify him as much as he wishes.
ὥσθʼ ἥ τε παρʼ ἡμῶν ὑπάρχει μέμψις καὶ ἡ παρʼ ἐκείνου προσγίγνεται.
So that there is both the blame from us, and that from him is added.
ἂν οὖν διοικήσηται τὰ πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ἔστʼ ἐφʼ ὅτους πρώτους εἶσιν ἢ ὑμᾶς;
If therefore he settles matters against us, is there any other than you whom he will go against first?
ἢ τοῦτο μὲν κἂν εἰ μηδὲν ἔχοι μέμψασθαι πρόδηλον, πρὸς Διὸς, ἂν δʼ εἰσέλθῃ μὲν ὡς εὔνους καὶ φίλος, εἰσελθὼν δʼ ἔχῃ καὶ μὴ ἀνίῃ τὴν πόλιν—ἴσμεν δʼ ὃν τρόπον εἴληφε Φερὰς καὶ χωρὶς τῶν Φερῶν ἴσμεν ὃν τρόπον Φοιβίδας ἔσχε τὴν Καδμείαν ταυτηνὶ—ἂν οὖν ὡς τότʼ ἐκεῖνος παριὼν ὡς ἐπʼ Ὀλύνθου τὸ πρῶτον ἕρμαιον ἠξίωσε μὴ παρεῖναι, οὕτω καὶ νῦν οὗτος πρὶν εἰς Ἀττικὴν ἐλθεῖν,
Or is this obvious even if he had nothing to blame, by Zeus? But if he enters as well-disposed and a friend, but having entered, holds and does not let go of the city—and we know in what manner he took Pherae, and apart from Pherae we know in what manner Phoebidas held this Cadmea—if therefore, as he then passing by deemed it right not to pass by the first windfall as if against Olynthus, so now also this man before coming into Attica,...