§10καὶ ἕτεροι μὲν οὐδεπώποτε ὁπλιτεύσαντες, ἱππεύοντες δὲ τὸν ἄλλον χρόνον καὶ πολλὰ κακὰ τοὺς πολεμίους πεποιηκότες, οὐκ ἐτόλμησαν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἵππους ἀναβῆναι, δεδιότες ὑμᾶς καὶ τὸν νόμον· οὕτω γὰρ ἦσαν παρεσκευασμένοι, οὐχ ὡς ἀπολουμένης τῆς πόλεως, ἀλλʼ ὡς σωθησομένης καὶ μεγάλης ἐσομένης καὶ τιμωρησομένης τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας·
And other men, who had never served as hoplites but had served in the cavalry in the past and had done many damages to the enemy, did not dare to mount the horses, fearing you and the law; for they were so prepared, not as if the city were going to perish, but as if it were going to be saved and become great and take vengeance on those who do wrong.
Ἀλκιβιάδης δʼ ἐτόλμησεν ἀναβῆναι, βῆναι, οὔτε εὔνους ὢν τῷ πλήθει οὔτε πρότερον ἱππεύσας οὔτε νῦν ἐπιστάμενος οὔτε ὑφʼ ὑμῶν δοκιμασθείς, ὡς οὐκ ἐξεσόμενον τῇ πόλει δίκην παρὰ τῶν ἀδικούντων λαμβάνειν.
But Alcibiades dared to mount, although he was neither well-disposed to the populace, nor had he served in the cavalry before, nor did he know how now, nor had he been passed by your scrutiny, as if it would not be possible for the city to exact punishment from the wrongdoers.
§11ἐνθυμηθῆναι δὲ χρὴ ὅτι, εἰ ἐξέσται ὅ τι ἄν τις βούληται ποιεῖν, οὐδὲν ὄφελος νόμους κεῖσθαι ἢ ὑμᾶς συλλέγεσθαι ἢ στρατηγοὺς αἱρεῖσθαι.
And one must bear in mind that, if it is to be allowed for anyone to do whatever he wishes, there is no use in laws being established, or in you assembling, or in electing generals.
θαυμάζω δέ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, εἴ τις ἀξιοῖ, ἐὰν μέν τις προσιόντων τῶν πολεμίων τῆς πρώτης τάξεως τεταγμένος τῆς δευτέρας γένηται, τούτου μὲν δειλίαν καταψηφίζεσθαι, ἐὰν δέ τις ἐν τοῖς ὁπλίταις τεταγμένος ἐν τοῖς ἱππεῦσιν ἀναφανῇ, §12τούτῳ συγγνώμην ἔχειν.
And I wonder, gentlemen of the jury, if anyone thinks it right, on the one hand, that if someone stationed in the first rank retreats to the second when the enemy approaches, he should be convicted of cowardice, but on the other hand, if someone stationed among the hoplites appears among the cavalry, to show him pardon.
καὶ μὲν δή, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ἡγοῦμαι δικάζειν ὑμᾶς οὐ μόνον τῶν ἐξαμαρτανόντων ἕνεκα, ἀλλʼ ἵνα καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους τῶν ἀκοσμούντων σωφρονεστέρους ποιῆτε.
And indeed, gentlemen of the jury, I believe that you judge not only for the sake of the offenders, but also so that you may make the rest of those who behave in a disorderly manner more self-controlled.
ἐὰν μὲν τοίνυν τοὺς ἀγνῶτας κολάζητε, οὐδεὶς ἔσται τῶν ἄλλων βελτίων· οὐδεὶς γὰρ εἴσεται τὰ ὑφʼ ὑμῶν καταψηφισθέντα·
If, therefore, you punish only the obscure, no one of the others will be better; for no one will know the verdicts passed by you.
ἐὰν δὲ τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους τῶν ἐξαμαρτανόντων τιμωρῆσθε, πάντες πεύσονται, ὥστε τούτῳ παραδείγματι χρώμενοι βελτίους ἔσονται οἱ πολῖται.
But if you punish the most prominent of the offenders, everyone will find out, so that the citizens, using this man as an example, will be better.
§13ἐὰν τοίνυν τούτου καταψηφίσησθε, οὐ μόνον οἱ ἐν τῇ πόλει εἴσονται, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ σύμμαχοι αἰσθήσονται καὶ οἱ πολέμιοι πεύσονται, καὶ ἡγήσονται πολὺ πλείονος ἀξίαν εἶναι τὴν πόλιν, ἐὰν ὁρῶσιν ἐπὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων μάλισθʼ ὑμᾶς ὀργιζομένους καὶ μηδεμιᾶς συγγνώμης τοὺς ἀκοσμοῦντας ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ τυγχάνοντας.
If, then, you convict him, not only those in the city will know, but also the allies will perceive and the enemies will find out, and they will regard the city as of much greater worth, if they see that you are most angry at such offenses and that those who are disorderly in war obtain no pardon.
§14ἐνθυμεῖσθε δʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ὅτι τῶν στρατιωτῶν οἱ μὲν κάμνοντες ἐτύγχανον, οἱ δὲ ἐνδεεῖς ὄντες τῶν ἐπιτηδείων, καὶ ἡδέως ἂν οἱ μὲν ταῖς πόλεσι καταμείναντες ἐθεραπεύοντο, οἱ δὲ οἴκαδʼ ἀπελθόντες τῶν οἰκείων ἐπεμέλοντο, οἱ δὲ ψιλοὶ ἐστρατεύοντο, οἱ δʼ ἐν τοῖς §15ἱππεῦσιν ἐκινδύνευον· ἀλλʼ ὅμως οὐκ ἐτολμᾶτε ἀπολιπεῖν τὰς τάξεις οὐδὲ τἀρεστὰ ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς αἱρεῖσθαι ἀλλὰ πολὺ μᾶλλον ἐφοβεῖσθε τοὺς τῆς πόλεως νόμους ἢ τὸν πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους κίνδυνον.
And bear in mind, gentlemen of the jury, that some of the soldiers happened to be sick, and others were in need of provisions, and the former would gladly have stayed behind in the cities to be cured, and the latter would have gone home to attend to their own affairs, and the light-armed were serving, and others among the cavalry were facing danger; but nevertheless you did not dare to abandon your posts or to choose what was pleasing to yourselves, but you feared the laws of the city much more than the danger against the enemy.
ὧν χρὴ μεμνημένους ὑμᾶς νυνὶ τὴν ψῆφον φέρειν, καὶ πᾶσι φανερὸν ποιεῖν ὅτι Ἀθηναίων οἱ μὴ βουλόμενοι τοῖς πολεμίοις μάχεσθαι ὑφʼ ὑμῶν κακῶς πείσονται.
Remembering these things you must now cast your vote, and make it clear to all that those of the Athenians who do not wish to fight the enemy will suffer severely at your hands.
§16ἡγοῦμαι δέ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, περὶ μὲν τοῦ νόμου καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ πράγματος οὐχ ἕξειν αὐτοὺς ὅ τι λέξουσιν· ἀναβαίνοντες δʼ ὑμᾶς ἐξαιτήσονται καὶ ἀντιβολήσουσιν, οὐκ ἀξιοῦντες τοῦ Ἀλκιβιάδου ὑέος τοσαύτην δειλίαν καταγνῶναι, ὡς ἐκεῖνον πολλῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀλλʼ οὐχὶ πολλῶν κακῶν αἴτιον γεγενημένον· ὃν εἰ τηλικοῦτον ὄντα ἀπεκτείνατε, ὅτε πρῶτον εἰς ὑμᾶς ἐλάβετε ἐξαμαρτάνοντα, οὐκ ἂν ἐγένοντο συμφοραὶ τοσαῦται τῇ πόλει.
I believe, gentlemen of the jury, that concerning the law and the matter itself they will have nothing to say; but they will go up and beg you and entreat you, thinking it not right to condemn the son of Alcibiades for such cowardice, on the ground that the father had been the cause of many benefits and not of many evils; but if you had put him to death when he was of such age, when you first caught him doing wrong against you, there would not have been so many calamities for the city.
§17δεινὸν δέ μοι δοκεῖ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, εἶναι, εἰ αὐτοῦ μὲν ἐκείνου θάνατον κατέγνωτε, τοῦ δὲ ὑοῦ ἀδικοῦντος διʼ ἐκεῖνον ἀποψηφιεῖσθε, ὃς αὐτὸς μὲν οὐκ ἐτόλμα μεθʼ ὑμῶν μάχεσθαι, ὁ δὲ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν πολεμίων ἠξίου στρατεύεσθαι.
And it seems to me to be a terrible thing, gentlemen of the jury, if, while you condemned the father himself to death, you are going to acquit the son who does wrong because of him, who himself did not dare to fight with you, while his father thought fit to serve with the enemy.
καὶ ὅτε μὲν παῖς ὢν οὔπω δῆλος ἦν ὁποῖός τις ἔσται, διὰ τὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἁμαρτήματα ὀλίγου τοῖς ἕνδεκα παρεδόθη· ἐπειδὴ δὲ πρὸς τοῖς ἐκείνῳ πεπραγμένοις ἐπίστασθε καὶ τὴν τούτου πονηρίαν, διὰ τὸν πατέρα ἐλεεῖν αὐτὸν ἀξιώσετε;
And when, being a boy, it was not yet clear what kind of person he would be, he was almost handed over to the Eleven because of his father's offenses; but now, when besides what that man did you also know this man's wickedness, will you think it right to pity him because of his father?
§18οὐκ οὖν δεινόν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, τούτους μὲν οὕτως εὐτυχεῖς εἶναι ὥστʼ, ἐπειδὰν ἐξαμαρτάνοντες ληφθῶσι, διὰ τὸ αὑτῶν γένος σῴζεσθαι, ἡμᾶς δέ, εἰ ἐδυστυχήσαμεν διὰ τοὺς οὕτως ἀτακτοῦντας, μηδένα ἂν δύνασθαι παρὰ τῶν πολεμίων ἐξαιτήσασθαι μηδὲ διὰ τὰς τῶν προγόνων ἀρετάς;
Is it not then a terrible thing, gentlemen of the jury, that these men should be so fortunate that, when they are caught doing wrong, they are saved because of their family, while we, if we were unfortunate because of those who are so disorderly, would not be able to beg anyone off from the enemy, not even because of the virtues of our ancestors?