§33καίτοι πάντες ἂν ὁμολογήσαιτε δικαιότερον εἶναι τοῖς μεγάλοις χρῆσθαι τεκμηρίοις περὶ τῶν μεγάλων, καὶ πιστότερα ἡγεῖσθαι περὶ ὧν ἅπασα ἡ πόλις μαρτυρεῖ, μᾶλλον ἢ περὶ ὧν μόνος οὗτος κατηγορεῖ.
And yet, you would all agree that it is more just to use great proofs for great matters, and to consider more trustworthy those things to which the whole city testifies, rather than those which this man alone accuses.
§34ἔτι τοίνυν, ὦ βουλή, ἐκ τῶν ἄλλων σκέψασθε.
Furthermore, members of the Council, consider this from other facts.
μάρτυρας γὰρ ἔχων αὐτῷ προσῆλθον, λέγων ὅτι μοι πάντες ἔτι εἰσὶν οἱ θεράποντες, οὓς ἐκεκτήμην ἐπειδὴ παρέλαβον τὸ χωρίον, καὶ ἕτοιμός εἰμι, εἴ τινα βούλοιτο, παραδοῦναι βασανίζειν, ἡγούμενος οὕτως ἂν τὸν ἔλεγχον ἰσχυρότερον γενέσθαι τῶν τούτου λόγων καὶ τῶν ἔργων τῶν ἐμῶν.
For I approached him with witnesses, saying that all the servants are still mine whom I possessed when I took over the estate, and that I am ready, if he wished any of them, to hand them over to be tortured, believing that in this way the test would become stronger than his words and my deeds.
οὗτος δʼ οὐκ ἤθελεν, §35οὐδὲν φάσκων πιστὸν εἶναι τοῖς θεράπουσιν.
But he did not wish to, claiming that there is no trustworthiness in servants.
ἐμοὶ δὲ δοκεῖ θαυμαστὸν εἶναι, εἰ περὶ αὑτῶν μὲν οἱ βασανιζόμενοι κατηγοροῦσιν, εὖ εἰδότες ὅτι ἀποθανοῦνται, περὶ δὲ τῶν δεσποτῶν, οἷς πεφύκασι κακονούστατοι, μᾶλλον ἂν ἕλοιντο ἀνέχεσθαι βασανιζόμενοι ἢ κατειπόντες ἀπηλλάχθαι τῶν παρόντων κακῶν.
But to me it seems wonderful, if those who are tortured accuse themselves, knowing well that they will die, while on behalf of their masters, to whom they are by nature most hostile, they would rather choose to endure being tortured than to be released from their present evils by speaking out.
§36καὶ μὲν δή, ὦ βουλή, φανερὸν οἶμαι εἶναι πᾶσιν ὅτι, εἰ Νικομάχου ἐξαιτοῦντος τοὺς ἀνθρώπους μὴ παρεδίδουν, ἐδόκουν ἂν ἐμαυτῷ συνειδέναι· ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ἐμοῦ παραδιδόντος οὗτος παραλαβεῖν οὐκ ἤθελε, δίκαιον καὶ περὶ τούτου τὴν αὐτὴν γνώμην σχεῖν, ἄλλως τε καὶ τοῦ κινδύνου οὐκ ἴσου ἀμφοτέροις ὄντος.
And indeed, members of the Council, I think it is clear to all that, if when Nicomachus demanded the men I did not hand them over, I should have been thought to be conscious of my guilt; since, therefore, when I was handing them over, this man did not wish to receive them, it is just to hold the same opinion on this matter as well, especially since the danger is not equal for both of us.
§37περὶ ἐμοῦ μὲν γὰρ εἰ ἔλεγον ἃ οὗτος ἐβούλετο, οὐδʼ ἂν ἀπολογήσασθαί μοι ἐξεγένετο· τούτῳ δʼ εἰ μὴ ὡμολόγουν, οὐδεμιᾷ ζημίᾳ ἔνοχος ἦν.
For concerning me, if they had said what this man wished, it would not even have been possible for me to make a defense; whereas for him, if they did not agree, he was liable to no penalty.
ὥστε πολὺ μᾶλλον τοῦτον παραλαμβάνειν ἐχρῆν ἢ ἐμὲ παραδοῦναι προσῆκεν.
So it was much more necessary for him to receive them than it was fitting for me to hand them over.
ἐγὼ τοίνυν εἰς τοῦτο προθυμίας ἀφικόμην, ἡγούμενος μετʼ ἐμοῦ εἶναι καὶ ἐκ βασάνων καὶ ἐκ μαρτύρων καὶ ἐκ τεκμηρίων ὑμᾶς περὶ τοῦ πράγματος τἀληθῆ πυθέσθαι.
I, therefore, arrived at this level of zeal, believing that it was to my advantage for you to learn the truth about the matter from tortures, from witnesses, and from proofs.
§38ἐνθυμεῖσθαι δὲ χρή, ὦ βουλή, ποτέροις χρὴ πιστεύειν μᾶλλον, οἷς πολλοὶ μεμαρτυρήκασιν ἢ ᾧ μηδεὶς τετόλμηκε, καὶ πότερον εἰκὸς μᾶλλον τοῦτον ἀκινδύνως ψεύδεσθαι ἢ μετὰ τοσούτου κινδύνου τοιοῦτον ἐμὲ ἔργον ἐργάσασθαι, καὶ πότερον οἴεσθε αὐτὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς πόλεως βοηθεῖν ἢ συκοφαντοῦντα αἰτιάσασθαι.
And you must reflect, members of the Council, which of the two you ought to believe more, those for whom many have testified, or him for whom no one has dared to do so; and whether it is more likely that this man is lying without danger, or that I performed such a deed with so great danger; and whether you think he is helping on behalf of the city or accusing as a sycophant.
§39ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ ὑμᾶς ἡγοῦμαι νομίζειν ὅτι Νικόμαχος ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν πεισθεὶς τῶν ἐμῶν τοῦτον τὸν ἀγῶνα ἀγωνίζεται, οὐχ ὡς ἀδικοῦντα ἐλπίζων ἀποδείξειν, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἀργύριον παρʼ ἐμοῦ λήψεσθαι προσδοκῶν.
For my part, I think you believe that Nicomachus, persuaded by my enemies, is fighting this case, not hoping to show that I am doing wrong, but expecting to receive money from me.
ὅσῳ γὰρ οἱ τοιοῦτοί εἰσιν ἐπαιτιώτατοι καὶ ἀπορώτατοι τῶν κινδύνων, τοσούτῳ πάντες αὐτοὺς φεύγουσι μάλιστα.
For the more such dangers are most troublesome and difficult to escape, the more everyone especially avoids them.
§40ἐγὼ δέ, ὦ βουλή, οὐκ ἠξίουν, ἀλλʼ ἐπειδήπερ με ᾐτιάσατο, παρέσχον ἐμαυτὸν ὅ τι βούλεσθε χρῆσθαι, καὶ τούτου ἕνεκα τοῦ κινδύνου οὐδενὶ ἐγὼ τῶν ἐχθρῶν διηλλάγην, οἳ ἐμὲ ἥδιον κακῶς λέγουσιν ἢ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἐπαινοῦσι.
But I, members of the Council, did not think this right, but since he accused me, I presented myself for you to deal with as you wish, and for the sake of this danger I did not reconcile with any of my enemies, who would more gladly speak ill of me than praise themselves.
καὶ φανερῶς μὲν οὐδεὶς πώποτε ἐμὲ αὐτὸς ἐπεχείρησε ποιῆσαι κακὸν οὐδέν, τοιούτους δὲ ἐπιπέμπουσί μοι, οἷς ὑμεῖς οὐκ ἂν δικαίως πιστεύοιτε. πάντων γὰρ ἀθλιώτατος ἂν γενοίμην,
And while no one has ever openly attempted to do me any harm, they send such people against me, whom you would not justly believe.
§41εἰ φυγὰς ἀδίκως καταστήσομαι, ἄπαις μὲν ὢν καὶ μόνος, ἐρήμου δὲ τοῦ οἴκου γενομένου, μητρὸς δὲ πάντων ἐνδεοῦς οὔσης, πατρίδος δὲ τοιαύτης ἐπʼ αἰσχίσταις στερηθεὶς αἰτίαις, πολλὰς μὲν ναυμαχίας ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς νεναυμαχηκώς, πολλὰς δὲ μάχας μεμαχημένος, κόσμιον δʼ ἐμαυτὸν καὶ ἐν δημοκρατίᾳ καὶ ἐν ὀλιγαρχίᾳ παρασχών.
For I should become the most wretched of all men, if I am unjustly established as an exile, being childless and alone, with my house left desolate, my mother in want of all things, and deprived of such a fatherland on the most shameful charges, after having fought many naval battles on its behalf, and having fought many battles on land, and having presented myself as orderly under both democracy and oligarchy.
§42ἀλλὰ γάρ, ὦ βουλή, ταῦτα μὲν ἐνθάδε οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅ τι δεῖ λέγειν· ἀπέδειξα δʼ ὑμῖν ὡς οὐκ ἐνῆν σηκὸς ἐν τῷ χωρίῳ, καὶ μάρτυρας παρεσχόμην καὶ τεκμήρια.
But indeed, members of the Council, I do not know why it is necessary to say these things here; for I have shown to you that there was no stump in the field, and I produced witnesses and proofs.
ἃ χρὴ μεμνημένους διαγιγνώσκειν περὶ τοῦ πράγματος, καὶ ἀξιοῦν παρὰ τούτου πυθέσθαι ὅτου ἕνεκα, ἐξὸν ἐπʼ αὐτοφώρῳ ἐλέγξαι, τοσούτῳ χρόνῳ ὕστερον εἰς τοσοῦτόν με κατέστησεν ἀγῶνα, §43καὶ μάρτυρα οὐδένα παρασχόμενος ἐκ τῶν λόγων ζητεῖ πιστὸς γενέσθαι, ἐξὸν αὐτοῖς ἔργοις ἀδικοῦντα ἀποδεῖξαι, καὶ ἐμοῦ ἅπαντας διδόντος τοὺς θεράποντας, οὕς φησι παραγενέσθαι, παραλαβεῖν οὐκ ἤθελεν.
Remembering these things, you must judge the case, and demand to learn from this man for what reason, when it was possible to convict me in the act, he has brought me into so great a trial after so long a time, and producing no witness, seeks to become trustworthy from his words, when it was possible to show me doing wrong by the facts themselves, and when I offered all the servants, who he says were present, he did not wish to receive them.