§39σκέψασθε δὲ ὅτι καὶ ταῦτα ψεύδονται· ῥᾳδίως δὲ ἐκ τῶνδε γνώσεσθε.
Consider that they are lying in these things as well; and you will easily know it from what follows.
ἐμοὶ γάρ, ὦ ἄνδρες, ὅπερ καὶ πρότερον εἶπον, φίλος ὢν Σώστρατος καὶ οἰκείως διακείμενος ἀπαντήσας ἐξ ἀγροῦ περὶ ἡλίου δυσμὰς συνεδείπνει, καὶ ἐπειδὴ καλῶς εἶχεν αὐτῷ, ἀπιὼν ᾤχετο.
For me, gentlemen, Sostratos, who is a friend of mine and closely associated with me, as I said before, having met me as he came from the country about sunset, dined with me, and when he had fared well, he departed and went away.
§40καίτοι πρῶτον μέν, ὦ ἄνδρες, ἐνθυμήθητε· εἰ ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ νυκτὶ ἐγὼ ἐπεβούλευον Ἐρατοσθένει, πότερον ἦν μοι κρεῖττον αὐτῷ ἑτέρωθι δειπνεῖν ἢ τὸν συνδειπνήσοντά μοι εἰσαγαγεῖν;
And yet first, gentlemen, consider this: if on that night I was plotting against Eratosthenes, which would have been better for me, to dine elsewhere myself, or to bring in someone to dine with me?
οὕτω γὰρ ἂν ἧττον ἐτόλμησεν ἐκεῖνος εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν.
For in this way, he would have been less bold to enter the house.
εἶτα δοκῶ ἂν ὑμῖν τὸν συνδειπνοῦντα ἀφεὶς μόνος καταλειφθῆναι καὶ ἔρημος γενέσθαι, ἢ κελεύειν ἐκεῖνον μεῖναι, ἵνα μετʼ ἐμοῦ τὸν μοιχὸν ἐτιμωρεῖτο;
Furthermore, do I seem to you to have let my dinner guest go and be left alone and deserted, or to have ordered him to stay, so that he might punish the adulterer with me?
§41ἔπειτα, ὦ ἄνδρες, οὐκ ἂν δοκῶ ὑμῖν τοῖς ἐπιτηδείοις μεθʼ ἡμέραν παραγγεῖλαι, καὶ κελεῦσαι αὐτοὺς συλλεγῆναι εἰς οἰκίαν του τῶν φίλων ἐγγυτάτω, μᾶλλον ἢ ἐπειδὴ τάχιστα ᾐσθόμην τῆς νυκτὸς περιτρέχειν, οὐκ εἰδὼς ὅντινα οἴκοι καταλήψομαι καὶ ὅντινα ἔξω;
Then, gentlemen, do I not seem to you to have been likely to send word to my close friends during the day, and to command them to gather at the house of one of my friends who lived closest, rather than to run around in the night as soon as I realized, not knowing whom I would find at home and whom away?
καὶ ὡς Ἁρμόδιον μὲν καὶ τὸν δεῖνα ἦλθον οὐκ ἐπιδημοῦντας (οὐ γὰρ ᾔδη), ἑτέρους δὲ οὐκ ἔνδον ὄντας κατέλαβον, οὓς δʼ οἷός τε ἦ λαβὼν ἐβάδιζον.
And indeed, I went to Harmodios and so-and-so, who were not in town (for I did not know it), and others I found not to be at home, and taking those whom I was able, I went on.
§42καίτοιγε εἰ προῄδη, οὐκ ἂν δοκῶ ὑμῖν καὶ θεράποντας παρασκευάσασθαι καὶ τοῖς φίλοις παραγγεῖλαι, ἵνʼ ὡς ἀσφαλέστατα μὲν αὐτὸς εἰσῄα (τί γὰρ ᾔδη εἴ τι κἀκεῖνος εἶχε σιδήριον; ), ὡς μετὰ πλείστων δὲ μαρτύρων τὴν τιμωρίαν ἐποιούμην;
And yet, if I had known beforehand, do I not seem to you to have been likely to prepare servants and to send word to my friends, so that I might enter as safely as possible myself (for how did I know if he also had some iron weapon?), and inflict the punishment with as many witnesses as possible?
νῦν δʼ οὐδὲν εἰδὼς τῶν ἐσομένων ἐκείνῃ τῇ νυκτί, οὓς οἷός τε ἦ παρέλαβον.
But as it was, knowing nothing of what would happen on that night, I took along those whom I was able.
καί μοι ἀνάβητε τούτων μάρτυρες.
And step up for me, witnesses of these things.
§43Μάρτυρες
τῶν μὲν μαρτύρων ἀκηκόατε, ὦ ἄνδρες· σκέψασθε δὲ παρʼ ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς οὕτως περὶ τούτου τοῦ πράγματος, ζητοῦντες εἴ τις ἐμοὶ καὶ Ἐρατοσθένει ἔχθρα πώποτε γεγένηται πλὴν ταύτης.
Μάρτυρες You have heard the witnesses, gentlemen; but consider this matter within yourselves in this way, searching whether any enmity has ever existed between me and Eratosthenes except this one.
οὐδεμίαν γὰρ εὑρήσετε.
For you will find none.
§44οὔτε γὰρ συκοφαντῶν γραφάς με ἐγράψατο, οὔτε ἐκβάλλειν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἐπεχείρησεν, οὕτε ἰδίας δίκας ἐδικάζετο, οὔτε συνῄδει κακὸν οὐδὲν ὃ ἐγὼ δεδιὼς μή τις πύθηται ἐπεθύμουν αὐτὸν ἀπολέσαι, οὔτε εἰ ταῦτα διαπραξαίμην, ἤλπιζόν ποθεν χρήματα λήψεσθαι· ἔνιοι γὰρ τοιούτων πραγμάτων ἕνεκα θάνατον ἀλλήλοις ἐπιβουλεύουσι.
For he neither brought public charges against me as a sycophant, nor did he attempt to expel me from the city, nor was he prosecuting private lawsuits against me, nor was he privy to any evil of mine which I, fearing lest someone should find out, desired to destroy him for, nor, if I accomplished these things, did I hope to receive money from anywhere; for some people plot death against one another for the sake of such things.
§45τοσούτου τοίνυν δεῖ ἢ λοιδορία ἢ παροινία ἢ ἄλλη τις διαφορὰ ἡμῖν γεγονέναι, ὥστε οὐδὲ ἑωρακὼς ἦ τὸν ἄνθρωπον πώποτε πλὴν ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ νυκτί.
So far from any insult or drunken brawl or any other dispute having occurred between us, I had not even ever seen the man except on that night.
τί ἄν οὖν βουλόμενος ἐγὼ τοιοῦτον κίνδυνον ἐκινδύνευον, εἰ μὴ τὸ μέγιστον τῶν ἀδικημάτων ἦ ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ ἠδικημένος;
Why then, with what intent, would I run such a risk, unless I had been wronged by him with the greatest of wrongs?
§46ἔπειτα παρακαλέσας αὐτὸς μάρτυρας ἠσέβουν, ἐξόν μοι, εἴπερ ἀδίκως ἐπεθύμουν αὐτὸν ἀπολέσαι, μηδένα μοι τούτων συνειδέναι;
Furthermore, would I myself call witnesses and commit an impiety, when it was open to me, if indeed I unjustly desired to destroy him, to have no one privy to these things with me?
§47ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν, ὦ ἄνδρες, οὐκ ἰδίαν ὑπὲρ ἐμαυτοῦ νομίζω ταύτην γενέσθαι τὴν τιμωρίαν, ἀλλʼ ὑπὲρ τῆς πόλεως ἁπάσης·
I therefore, gentlemen, do not think that this punishment was inflicted for my own private sake, but for the sake of the whole city.
οἱ γὰρ τοιαῦτα πράττοντες, ὁρῶντες οἷα τὰ ἆθλα πρόκειται τῶν τοιούτων ἁμαρτημάτων, ἧττον εἰς τοὺς ἄλλους ἐξαμαρτήσονται, ἐὰν καὶ ὑμᾶς ὁρῶσι τὴν αὐτὴν γνώμην ἔχοντας.
For those who do such things, seeing what kind of prizes are proposed for such offenses, will be less likely to offend against others, if they also see that you have the same mind.
§48εἰ δὲ μή, πολὺ κάλλιον τοὺς μὲν κειμένους νόμους ἐξαλεῖψαι, ἑτέρους δὲ θεῖναι, οἵτινες τοὺς μὲν φυλάττοντας τὰς ἑαυτῶν γυναῖκας ταῖς ζημίαις ζημιώσουσι, τοῖς δὲ βουλομένοις εἰς αὐτὰς ἁμαρτάνειν πολλὴν ἄδειαν ποιήσουσι.
Otherwise, it would be much better to erase the existing laws, and to establish others, which will punish with penalties those who guard their own wives, and will create complete impunity for those who wish to offend against them.
§49πολὺ γὰρ οὕτω δικαιότερον ἢ ὑπὸ τῶν νόμων τοὺς πολίτας ἐνεδρεύεσθαι, οἳ κελεύουσι μέν, ἐάν τις μοιχὸν λάβῃ, ὅ τι ἂν οὖν βούληται χρῆσθαι, οἱ δʼ ἀγῶνες δεινότεροι τοῖς ἀδικουμένοις καθεστήκασιν ἢ τοῖς παρὰ τοὺς νόμους τὰς ἀλλοτρίας καταισχύνουσι γυναῖκας.
For it would be much more just in this way than for citizens to be entrapped by the laws, which indeed command, if anyone catches an adulterer, to treat him in whatever way he wishes, but the trials turn out to be more dangerous for the wronged than for those who, contrary to the laws, disgrace other men's wives.
§50ἐγὼ γὰρ νῦν καὶ περὶ τοῦ σώματος καὶ περὶ τῶν χρημάτων καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων κινδυνεύω, ὅτι τοῖς τῆς πόλεως νόμοις ἐπειθόμην.
For I am now in danger of my life, my property, and all other things, because I obeyed the laws of the city.