§501δυσχερὲς ἰσχυρίζεσθαι καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν εἰς ἕτερον τρέπειν, νῦν δʼ ὃν ἴστε καθʼ ἡμῶν παριόντα ἐπὶ τῷ ποιῆσαι τοῦθʼ ὅ τι ἂν δύνηται, τούτῳ συμπράττοντας ἑκόντας ὀφθῆναι;
Is it then, O Thebans, characteristic of the same men, while at that time having voted nothing against us (though it is difficult to maintain this and turn the blame upon another), now to be seen willingly cooperating with him whom you know to be marching against us in order to do whatever harm he can?
καὶ μὴν εἰ μὲν ἀληθεῖς τις ἐκείνους εἶναι δοίη τοὺς λόγους ὑμῶν, οἷς ἀπολύεσθε τὴν μέμψιν, ὥσπερ ἡμεῖς γε πεπείσμεθα, οὐ μόνον αἰσχρὰ ταῦτα, ἀλλὰ κἀκείνοις ὑπεναντία· εἰ δὲ ψεύδεσθαι φήσετε, οὐχὶ πρέπονθʼ ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς ἀναθήσετε.
And indeed, if anyone should grant that those arguments of yours by which you clear yourselves of blame are true, as we for our part are convinced, these actions are not only shameful, but also contrary to those arguments; but if you say that you were lying, you will attribute to yourselves what is not fitting.
μὴ τοίνυν ἐξὸν καὶ τότʼ ἀληθεύειν δοκεῖν καὶ νῦν τὰ δίκαια πράττειν, τρία ταῦτʼ ἀνθέλησθε τὰ χείριστα, ἐξ ἀρχῆς τε κακοὶ γνώμην γενέσθαι περὶ ἡμᾶς καὶ ληφθέντες ἀναισχυντεῖν καὶ νῦν αὖθις ἐξεπίτηδες πονηρεύεσθαι, μηδʼ ἀνθʼ ὧν ἥκομεν ἡμεῖς ὑμῖν ἐθέλοντες τοῦ κινδύνου κοινωνεῖν, ἀντὶ τούτων ὑμεῖς Φιλίππῳ συνεμβάλλοντες ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς φανεροὶ γένησθε.
Do not then, when it is possible both to seem to speak the truth then and to do what is right now, choose in their stead these three worst things: to have been of a base mind towards us from the beginning, to act shamelessly when caught, and now again to do evil on purpose; nor, in return for our coming to you willing to share the danger, let yourselves be seen joining Philip in invading us.
οὔτε γὰρ τῶν ἀρχαίων κοινωνιῶν ἄξιον οὔθʼ, ἵνα πάντα τἄλλʼ ἀφῶ, τῆς παρούσης γνώμης ἡμῶν.
For this is neither worthy of our ancient associations nor, to dismiss all other things, of our present mind.
ὅτι τοίνυν καὶ χεῖρον περὶ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν ἢ περὶ ἡμῶν βουλεύσεσθε ἀποκλίναντες πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἐνθένδε λογίσασθε.
That indeed you will deliberate worse concerning yourselves than concerning us by inclining towards him, consider from this.
εἰ γάρ τις ἔροιθʼ ὑμᾶς ὑπὲρ ὅτου νῦν ἡμῖν ἐστι πόλεμος πρὸς Φίλιππον, ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐλευθερίας καὶ τοῦ μὴ ποιεῖν τὸ κελευόμενον πάντες ἂν οἶδʼ ὅτι φήσαιτε.
For if anyone should ask you for what we are now at war with Philip, I know that you would all say, for freedom and for not doing what is commanded.
εἶεν· πότεροι δὲ κρατήσουσιν, ἡμεῖς ἢ Φίλιππος, ἄδηλον οἶμαι παντὶ, πλὴν εἰ μὴ τοῖς θεοῖς.
Very well; but which of the two will prevail, we or Philip, is unclear to everyone, I think, except to the gods.
οὐκοῦν ὅτʼ ἄδηλον εἰ κρατησόμεθα, ἄδηλον εἰ δουλεύσομεν;
Therefore, when it is unclear whether we shall be conquered, is it unclear whether we shall be enslaved?
καὶ μὴν ὅτι γʼ, ἂν πρόσθησθε Φιλίππῳ, τὸ κελευόμενον καὶ πεποιήκατε καὶ ποιήσετε παντὶ γνώριμον.
And indeed, that if you join Philip, you have both done and will do what is commanded is known to everyone.
δεῖ γὰρ οἶμαι μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἕπεσθαι καὶ πράττειν ἃ ἂν ἐκείνῳ δοκῇ.
For it is necessary, I think, to follow with the others and to do whatever seems good to him.
πῶς οὖν οὐ χείρους περὶ ὑμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἢ περὶ ἡμᾶς ἔσεσθε, εἴ γʼ ἃ τῷ πολέμῳ σφαλεῖσιν, ὃ μὴ γένοιτο, ἡμῖν ἀπόκειται, ταῦθʼ ὑμεῖς ἐν τῇ τοῦ ποτέροις δεῖ συμπολεμεῖν αἱρέσει πείσεσθε καὶ πρότερον δουλεύσετε πρὶν πότεροι κρατήσουσι γιγνώσκειν;
How then will you not be worse off concerning yourselves than concerning us, if indeed what is in store for us if we fail in the war—which may it not happen!—you will suffer in your choice of which of the two we ought to fight with, and will be enslaved before you know which of the two will prevail?
δύο γὰρ δή που, κἂν ἄλλο τι συμβαίνῃ, παρά γʼ ὑμᾶς κερδαίνομεν· πρῶτον μὲν τὸν χρόνον, ὃν περὶ τούτων ἀγωνιζόμεθα, ἔπειτα τὸ μὴ δοκεῖν ἡμῶν αὐτῶν ἑκόντες τὰ χείριστα κατεγνωκέναι.
For indeed we gain at least two things in comparison with you, even if anything else happens: first, the time during which we are contending for these things, and then, the not seeming to have willingly condemned ourselves to the worst.
ὥσθʼ ἃ μὲν ἡ τύχη δίδωσιν ἀνεκτὰ τοῖς εὖ φρονοῦσι, τὸ δʼ αὑτοὺς τῶν χειρίστων §502ἑκόντας τιμᾶν οὐδὲν αἰσχύνης ἐλλείπει· καὶ γὰρ δικαίως αὑτῷ καὶ μὴ ποιεῖν εἰς ταυτὸν τελεῖ.
So that what fortune gives is tolerable to those who are wise, but to willingly honor the worst for oneself leaves nothing of shame; for indeed treating oneself justly and not doing so do not turn out to the same thing.
καὶ μὴν εἰ μηδεὶς ὑμῶν ἄχρι τούτου νομίζει πρὸς Φίλιππον ἡμῖν εἶναι τὸν ἀγῶνα, ἄχρι τοῦ τὸ κελευόμενον ποιεῖν ἢ μὴ, ἀλλʼ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἐδάφους καὶ τῶν ἐσχάτων ἔσεσθαι καὶ φύσει ταῦτα τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις ὀφείλεσθαι, πρῶτον μὲν οὐκ εἰς καλὸν ὑμᾶς αὐτοὺς σχῆμα καθίστατε, ὅταν τῷ τοιούτῳ αὐτὰ συμπράττητε· ἔπειτα πῶς ὑμῖν γε θαρρεῖν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἔξεστιν, ὅταν μηδὲ δουλεύειν ἀλλήλοις ἐξῇ, ἀλλὰ δέῃ καθάπαξ ἀπολωλέναι Φίλιππον, ἔγωγε προσθείην ἂν, ὦ Ζεῦ;
And indeed, if none of you thinks up to this point that our contest with Philip is up to the point of doing what is commanded or not, but that it will be for the soil itself and the extreme things, and that these are by nature due to foreigners, first indeed you do not place yourselves in a good posture when you cooperate with such a man in these things; then how is it possible for you to be confident about freedom, when it is not even permitted to be enslaved to one another, but it is necessary for Philip to perish once for all—O Zeus, I would add?
τίς δὲ καὶ ὁ νοῦς ἔσται τῆς συμμαχίας;
And what will be the sense of the alliance?
εἰ μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ἐπιτρέψετε τούτῳ ταῦτα ποιεῖν, πῶς ἄξιον συνάρασθαι;
For if you will not permit him to do these things, how is it worthy to join him?
εἰ δʼ ἄχρι παντὸς συμπράξετε, πῶς ἄξια ταῦτα τοῦ Διονύσου καὶ τοῦ Ἡρακλέους, οἳ παρʼ ὑμῖν φύντες ὑφʼ ἡμῶν πρῶτον ἐθαυμάσθησαν;
But if you cooperate to the end, how are these things worthy of Dionysus and Heracles, who, having been born among you, were first admired by us?
οἷς νῦν ὑμεῖς πολλῷ δικαιότερον σπένδοιτʼ ἂν μεθʼ ἡμῶν καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐλευθερίας ἢ καθʼ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν ὑπʼ ἐκείνων προκριθέντων.
To whom you would now far more justly pour libations with us and for the freedom of the Greeks, than against yourselves and the things preferred by them.
κἀκεῖνο μέμνησθε ὅτι νῦν Φίλιππος ὑμῶν ἐγγυτέρω ὥσπερ νέφος ἢ πῦρ, καὶ ὅτι οὐ διὰ τῆς Ἀττικῆς εἰς τὴν Βοιωτίαν βαδιεῖται, ἀλλʼ εἰς τὴν Ἀττικὴν διὰ τῆς Βοιωτίας.
And remember that now Philip is nearer to you like a cloud or fire, and that he will not march into Boeotia through Attica, but into Attica through Boeotia.
οὐ βαδιεῖται δὲ, ἐὰν οἵ τε θεοὶ τὰ δίκαια ποιῶσι καὶ ὑμεῖς σωφρονῆτε.
But he will not march, if the gods do what is right and you are wise.
καὶ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα λόγους καὶ χρόνους ἐστὶν ἐνδεχόμενα, ἅττα ποτʼ αὐτῷ περὶ ἡμῶν πράττειν ἔπεισι, τοῦτο δὲ ὁρῶμεν, πρὸς τοῖς ὅροις ὑμῶν ἁνὴρ, οὐκέτʼ εἰς Φωκέας ἐμβάλλων ὥσπερ πρὸ τοῦ, ἀλλʼ αὐτοῖς ὑμῖν τὰ ὅπλα, ἐπισείων, πάντως ἐπιβησόμενος τῶν Θηβῶν, ἂν δέχησθε· ὁμοιότατον πείθων ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ δυοῖν ἀνδροῖν ἑστώτων ἐπιὼν τὸν μέσον καὶ πρὸ αὑτοῦ τοῦτʼ ἀνέπειθεν, ὅτι διʼ αὐτοῦ τὸ σιδήριον ὤσας ἀποκτενεῖ τὸν ἕτερον, αὐτοῦ δὲ ἀφέξεται. [καὶ ἐφʼ ὑμᾶς τὰ πρῶτα τῆς πληγῆς, ἡμεῖς δὲ δεύτεροι. ] θώμεθα ὅ τι βούλεσθε ὄνομα τῷ πράγματι, ἢ δέξασθαι ἡμᾶς συμμάχους, ἢ γενέσθαι αὐτοὶ σύμμαχοι, οὐδὲν διοισόμεθα· τὸν δʼ ἐπʼ ἀμφοτέρους ἰόντα κωλύοιμεν ἀμφότεροι, μάλιστα μὲν, ὦ ἄνδρες Θηβαῖοι, τοῖς θεοῖς τοῖς κοινοῖς τῶν
And other things indeed admit of talk and time, whatever he may intend to do against us, but this we see, that the man is at your borders, no longer invading Phocis as before, but brandishing his arms against you yourselves, absolutely about to tread on Thebes, if you receive him; persuading you in a manner most like as if, when two men were standing, one coming up to the one in the middle and in front of him persuaded him of this, that by thrusting the iron weapon through him he would kill the other, but would keep away from him. [And upon you the first of the blow, and we second.] Let us call the matter by whatever name you wish, either to receive us as allies, or to become allies yourselves, we shall not differ at all; but let both of us prevent him who is coming against both, most of all, O Thebans, by the common gods of...