§503Ἑλλήνων πιστεύσαντες, οἷς ἡμεῖς τόνδε τὸν χρόνον λειτουργήσομεν—οὐ γὰρ ἄλλο γε οὐδὲν ἢ ὑπὲρ τοῦ γένους τοῦ παντὸς ὁ ἀγὼν ἔσται καὶ ἱερῶν καὶ τάφων καὶ τῶν ὑπολοίπων ἐλπίδων, ὧν πολὺ δή που μᾶλλον οἴεσθαι χρὴ μέλειν τοῖς θεοῖς ἢ τῆς Φιλίππου πλεονεξίας—ἔπειτα καὶ τοῖς πρότερον παραδείγμασι χρώμενοι, ὅσον αἱ πόλεις ἠδυνήθησαν ἐν ταὐτῷ γενόμεναι.
...of the Greeks, trusting in whom we shall serve them for this time—for the contest will be for nothing else than for the whole race, and for temples, tombs, and the remaining hopes, which we must think are surely of much more concern to the gods than the greed of Philip—then also using the former examples, as to how much the cities were able to do when they came together in the same place.
καὶ γὰρ τὸ μήτε Φιλίππῳ προσγενέσθαι συμμάχους, ὥσπερ νῦν ὑμᾶς καθʼ ἡμῶν ἐθέλει λαβεῖν, ἡμᾶς τε ἀλλήλοις ὑπάρξαι μεγάλη ῥοπὴ καὶ μερὶς εἰς τὸ θαρρούντως δέχεσθαι τὰ ἀναγκαῖα.
For indeed, both to not join Philip as allies, as he now wishes to take you against us, and for us to be available to one another, is a great influence and share toward receiving with confidence what is necessary.
καίτοι καὶ τοὐναντίον οὐχ ἧττον εἰκότως ὑμᾶς προτρέπει.
And yet, the opposite also urges you no less reasonably.
εἰ γὰρ καὶ νῦν μεθʼ ἡμῶν γιγνομένοις ἔνι τις φόβος, ἦ που κομιδῆ καθʼ ὑμᾶς αὐτοὺς οὐ θαρρήσετε, ἄλλως τε κἂν τὰ ἡμέτερα ἐκποδὼν, ὃ μὴ συμβαίη, γένηται.
For if even now, as you join us, there is some fear, surely indeed when by yourselves you will not be confident at all, especially if our affairs should be out of the way—which may it not happen!
ἃ χρὴ πάντα συλλογιζομένους μὴ πρὸς ἀθυμίαν τρέψαι τὸν φόβον, ἀλλʼ εἰς τὸ προθύμως ἃ γένοιτʼ ἂν, εἰ ῥᾳθυμήσομεν, κωλῦσαι, καὶ μὴ τὸν κίνδυνον νομίζειν χαλεπὸν, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὴ κινδυνεῦσαι περὶ τηλικούτων.
Weighing all of which, you must not turn your fear into despondency, but into eagerly preventing what would happen if we are slack, and not to consider the danger difficult, but the not risking danger concerning such great things.
πῶς γὰρ οὐκ αἰσχρὸν, ὦ ἄνδρες Θηβαῖοι, ὑπὲρ μὲν τῆς Μεσσηνίων κατοικήσεως τοιοῦτον πόλεμον Λακεδαιμονίοις πολεμῆσαι, καὶ φιλοτιμεῖσθαι τῇ πόλει ταύτῃ διʼ ὑμῶν οἰκουμένῃ, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐν Ἀρκαδίᾳ φίλων εἰς Πελοπόννησον διαβαίνειν, καὶ μηδʼ ἐκείνων ἐπιτρέπειν τοῖς βουλομένοις μεταγνῶναι, ἀλλʼ ὑπὲρ τοῦ καλοῦ καὶ δικαίου πάντα κίνδυνον αἱρεῖσθαι, ὑπὲρ δὲ τῆς ὑμετέρας αὐτῶν ἐλευθερίας ἅμα καὶ σωτηρίας, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων Ἑλλήνων, μὴ τολμῆσαι προβαλέσθαι τὰ ὅπλα, ἀπαντήσαντας πρὸς τὰ ὅρια Βοιωτίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἐγνωκότων τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἐλευθεροῦν κωλυτὰς καὶ προδότας γενέσθαι, καὶ λυμήνασθαι μὴ μόνον τοῖς κοινοῖς πράγμασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ὑμετέροις αὐτῶν ἔργοις, ἀφʼ ὧν βεβόησθε.
For how is it not shameful, O Thebans, for the sake of the settlement of the Messenians to have waged such a war against the Lacedaemonians, and to take pride in this city being inhabited through you, and for the sake of your friends in Arcadia to cross over into the Peloponnese, and not to permit those who wish to change their minds, but to choose every danger for the sake of the beautiful and the just, but for the sake of your own freedom and safety, and rather also that of the other Greeks, to not dare to put forward your arms, meeting them at the borders of Boeotia, but even to become obstructors and traitors of those who have resolved to free the Greeks, and to ruin not only the common affairs but also your own deeds from which you have been celebrated?
πολλὰ δὲ λοιδορησαμένων ἡμῖν Θετταλῶν καὶ Πύθωνος ἐν τοῖς λόγοις, Θετταλοὺς μὲν ἐάσωμεν· ἱκανὴ γὰρ ἣν Φιλίππῳ διδόασι δίκην, ὥστʼ οὐ χαλεπαίνειν αὐτοῖς ἄμεινον ἢ §504συνάχθεσθαι καὶ συνεύχεσθαι γενέσθαι γνώμης κυρίους.
And though the Thessalians and Python abused us much in their speeches, let us leave the Thessalians; for the penalty they pay to Philip is sufficient, so that it is better not to be angry with them but to sympathize and pray with them that they may become masters of their own mind.
ὑμεῖς δὲ τοσοῦτον ἐνθυμεῖσθε, ὅτι, ἂν μὲν ἡμῖν πείθησθε, ἡμῖν ὁμοίως διακείσεσθε, ἐὰν δὲ Θετταλοῖς, τούτοις.
But do you consider this much, that if you obey us, you will be in the same condition as we, but if the Thessalians, as they.
οὗτοι μὲν τοίνυν τετραδαρχίας οἴκοι καταλιπόντες ἥκουσιν, ἡμεῖς δʼ οὐδένα δεσπότην πλὴν τῶν νόμων εἰδότες.
For these indeed have come leaving tetra-archies at home, but we know no master except the laws.
καὶ μὴν καὶ κατʼ αὐτοὺς τοὺς λόγους οὗτοι μὲν ταῦτα συμβουλεύουσιν ἐξ ὧν βεβαιότερον δουλεύσετε, ἡμεῖς δʼ ἐξ ὧν τὴν ὑπάρχουσαν εὐδαιμονίαν αὐξήσετε.
And indeed, even in the speeches themselves, these suggest those things from which you will be more securely enslaved, but we those from which you will increase your existing happiness.
ἀλλὰ μὴν πρὸς Πύθωνα τὸν χρηστὸν μικρὰ ἀποκρινούμεθα.
But indeed, to the good Python we shall reply briefly.
οὗτός ἐστιν, ὦ ἄνδρες Θηβαῖοι, Βυζάντιος· καὶ σκέψασθε μὴ πόρρωθεν ἡμᾶς οἵτινες φύσιν, καὶ ταῦτα οὐδαμῶς φιλικῶς ἡμῖν ἐκ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν δοκεῖ μένειν, ἡμεῖς τε οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι καὶ οὗτος, ἀλλʼ ἀπʼ αὐτῆς τῆς τούτου πατρίδος.
He is, O Thebans, a Byzantine; and consider what sort of nature we have, and that too when no friendly relation seems to remain to us from former times, we Athenians and he, not from afar, but from his very own country.
οὗτος μὲν τοίνυν τοὺς οἴκοι προδοὺς Φιλίππῳ ζῇ, ἡμεῖς δʼ ἐπὶ Βυζάντιον ἐλθόντος Φιλίππου βοηθήσαντες ἐλύσαμεν τὴν πολιορκίαν καὶ τὴν πόλιν διετηρήσαμεν.
This man indeed lives having betrayed those at home to Philip, but we, when Philip went against Byzantium, having brought aid, raised the siege and preserved the city.
οὗτος μὲν οὖν ἃ τοῖς αὑτοῦ πολίταις εἰσηγεῖται τὸ καθʼ αὑτὸν, ταῦτα καὶ ὑμῖν προξενεῖ, δουλεύειν, ἀκροᾶσθαι τοῦ χείρονος, ἐν προσθήκης εἶναι μέρει· ἡμεῖς δʼ ἃ τοῖς τούτου πολίταις διʼ ἡμῶν ἐγένετο, ταῦτα καὶ ὑμῖν ἂν βουλοίμεθα, οἶμαι δὲ καὶ πολὺ μειζόνως, ὅσῳ τιμιώτερον ἡμῖν ἐξ ἀρχῆς τὸ τῶν Θηβαίων ἔδαφος καὶ πρὸς τὰ παρόντα πράγματα μᾶλλον τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἐν καιρῷ.
He then brings to you as a host what he introduced to his own citizens on his part, to be enslaved, to listen to the worse, to be in the place of an addition; but we would wish for you those things which happened to his citizens through us, and I think also much more greatly, by as much as the soil of the Thebans is more honorable to us from the beginning and more in season for the Greeks for the present affairs.
ἡμῖν μὲν οὖν καὶ λόγῳ καὶ ἔργῳ τὰ μὲν ἠγώνισται, τὰ δʼ, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἀγωνισθήσεται· ὥρα δὲ καὶ ἡμῖν ἤδη βεβουλεῦσθαι καὶ πρὶν ἰδεῖν Φίλιππον ὃ πράξετε ἐπιστῆναι μετὰ τῶν ὅπλων, ἵνʼ εἰδῇ σωζομένας τοῖς Ἕλλησι τὰς χεῖρας, ἕως ἂν Ἀθῆναι καὶ Θῆβαι συνασπίζωσιν.
For us, therefore, both in word and deed, some things have been contested, and others, as it seems, will be contested; but it is time also for us already to have deliberated, and before seeing what you will do, to stand with our arms against Philip, so that he may know that the hands are preserved for the Greeks as long as Athens and Thebes shield-to-shield together.