§1εἰ μὴ συνῄδη, ὦ βουλή, τοῖς κατηγόροις βουλομένοις ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου κακῶς ἐμὲ ποιεῖν, πολλὴν ἂν αὐτοῖς χάριν εἶχον ταύτης τῆς κατηγορίας· ἡγοῦμαι γὰρ τοῖς ἀδίκως διαβεβλημένοις τούτους εἶναι μεγίστων ἀγαθῶν αἰτίους, οἵτινες ἂν αὐτοὺς ἀναγκάζωσιν εἰς ἔλεγχον τῶν αὐτοῖς βεβιωμένων καταστῆναι.
If I did not know, men of the Council, that the accusers wish by every means to do me harm, I should feel much gratitude to them for this accusation; for I believe that those who are unjustly slandered are the cause of the greatest goods for them, whoever forces them to enter into an examination of their past lives.
§2ἐγὼ γὰρ οὕτω σφόδρα ἐμαυτῷ πιστεύω, ὥστʼ ἐλπίζω καὶ εἴ τις πρός με τυγχάνει ἀηδῶς διακείμενος, ἐπειδὰν ἐμοῦ λέγοντος ἀκούσῃ περὶ τῶν πεπραγμένων, μεταμελήσειν αὐτῷ καὶ πολὺ βελτίω με εἰς τὸν λοιπὸν χρόνον ἡγήσεσθαι.
For I have such great confidence in myself that I hope even if anyone happens to be ill-disposed toward me, when he hears me speaking about my past deeds, he will repent and hold me in much better regard for the future.
§3ἀξιῶ δέ, ὦ βουλή, ἐὰν μὲν τοῦτο μόνον ὑμῖν ἐπιδείξω, ὡς εὔνους εἰμὶ τοῖς καθεστηκόσι πράγμασι καὶ ὡς ἠνάγκασμαι τῶν αὐτῶν κινδύνων μετέχειν ὑμῖν, μηδέν πώ μοι πλέον εἶναι· ἐὰν δὲ φαίνωμαι καὶ περὶ τὰ ἄλλα μετρίως βεβιωκὼς καὶ πολὺ παρὰ τὴν δόξαν καὶ παρὰ τοὺς λόγους τοὺς τῶν ἐχθρῶν, δέομαι ὑμῶν ἐμὲ μὲν δοκιμάζειν, τούτους δὲ ἡγεῖσθαι χείρους εἶναι.
I demand, men of the Council, that if I only show you this, that I am well-disposed to the established order and that I have been forced to share the same dangers as you, I should gain nothing more; but if I appear to have lived moderately in other respects as well, and very contrary to the reputation and to the words of my enemies, I beg you to approve me, and to consider them to be worse.
πρῶτον δὲ ἀποδείξω ὡς οὐχ ἵππευον οὐδʼ ἐπεδήμουν ἐπὶ τῶν τριάκοντα, οὐδὲ μετέσχον τῆς τότε πολιτείας.
And first I will demonstrate that I did not serve in the cavalry nor was I in the country during the reign of the Thirty, nor did I share in the government of that time.
§4ἡμᾶς γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ πρὸ τῆς ἐν Ἑλλησπόντῳ συμφορᾶς ὡς Σάτυρον τὸν ἐν τῷ Πόντῳ διαιτησομένους ἐξέπεμψε, καὶ οὔτε τῶν τειχῶν καθαιρουμένων ἐπεδημοῦμεν οὔτε μεθισταμένης τῆς πολιτείας, ἀλλʼ ἤλθομεν πρὶν τοὺς ἀπὸ Φυλῆς εἰς τὸν Πειραιᾶ κατελθεῖν πρότερον πένθʼ ἡμέραις.
For our father, before the disaster in Hellespont, sent us out to live with Satyrus in Pontus, and we were not in the country when the walls were being demolished, nor when the government was being changed, but we returned five days before those from Phyle came down to Piraeus.
§5καίτοι οὔτε ἡμᾶς εἰκὸς ἦν εἰς τοιοῦτον καιρὸν ἀφιγμένους ἐπιθυμεῖν μετέχειν τῶν ἀλλοτρίων κινδύνων, οὔτʼ ἐκεῖνοι φαίνονται τοιαύτην γνώμην ἔχοντες ὥστε καὶ τοῖς ἀποδημοῦσι καὶ τοῖς μηδὲν ἐξαμαρτάνουσι μεταδιδόναι τῆς πολιτείας, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἠτίμαζον καὶ τοὺς συγκαταλύσαντας τὸν δῆμον.
And yet, it was neither likely that we, arriving at such a moment, should desire to share in the dangers of others, nor do those men appear to have had such an intention as to share the government with those who were abroad or those who had committed no offense, but rather they disenfranchised even those who had helped to overthrow the democracy.
§6ἔπειτα δὲ ἐκ μὲν τοῦ σανιδίου τοὺς ἱππεύσαντας σκοπεῖν εὔηθές ἐστιν.
Next, to look for those who served in the cavalry from the tablet is foolish.
ἐν τούτῳ γὰρ πολλοὶ μὲν τῶν ὁμολογούντων ἱππεύειν οὐκ ἔνεισιν, ἔνιοι δὲ τῶν ἀποδημούντων ἐγγεγραμμένοι εἰσίν. ἐκεῖνος δʼ ἐστὶν ἔλεγχος μέγιστος·
For on this, many of those who admit to serving are not present, while some of those who were abroad are registered.
ἐπειδὴ γὰρ κατήλθετε, ἐψηφίσασθε τοὺς φυλάρχους ἀπενεγκεῖν τοὺς ἱππεύσαντας, ἵνα τὰς καταστάσεις ἀναπράξητε παρʼ αὐτῶν.
But this is the greatest proof: when you returned, you voted that the phylarchs should report those who had served in the cavalry, so that you might recover the allowances from them.
§7ἐμὲ τοίνυν οὐδεὶς ἂν ἀποδείξειεν οὔτʼ ἀπενεχθέντα ὑπὸ τῶν φυλάρχων οὔτε παραδοθέντα τοῖς συνδίκοις οὔτε κατάστασιν καταβαλόντα.
Therefore, no one could prove that I was either reported by the phylarchs, or handed over to the syndics, or paid back the allowance.
καίτοι πᾶσι ῥᾴδιον τοῦτο γνῶναι, ὅτι ἀναγκαῖον ἦν τοῖς φυλάρχοις, εἰ μὴ ἀποδείξειαν τοὺς ἔχοντας τὰς καταστάσεις, αὐτοῖς ζημιοῦσθαι.
And indeed, it is easy for everyone to know this, that it was necessary for the phylarchs, if they did not report those who held the allowances, to be fined themselves.
ὥστε πολὺ ἂν δικαιότερον ἐκείνοις τοῖς γράμμασιν ἢ τούτοις πιστεύοιτε· ἐκ μὲν γὰρ τούτων ῥᾴδιον ἦν ἐξαλειφθῆναι τῷ βουλομένῳ, ἐν ἐκείνοις δὲ τοὺς ἱππεύσαντας ἀναγκαῖον ἦν ὑπὸ τῶν φυλάρχων ἀπενεχθῆναι.
So you would trust those documents much more justly than these; for from these it was easy for anyone who wished to be erased, but in those it was necessary for those who served to be reported by the phylarchs.
§8ἔτι δέ, ὦ βουλή, εἴπερ ἵππευσα, οὐκ ἂν ἦ ἔξαρνος ὡς δεινόν τι πεποιηκώς, ἀλλʼ ἠξίουν, ἀποδείξας ὡς οὐδεὶς ὑπʼ ἐμοῦ τῶν πολιτῶν κακῶς πέπονθε, δοκιμάζεσθαι.
Furthermore, men of the Council, if I had served in the cavalry, I would not deny it as if I had done something terrible, but, having demonstrated that no citizen has suffered harm by me, I would demand to be approved.
ὁρῶ δὲ καὶ ὑμᾶς ταύτῃ τῇ γνώμῃ χρωμένους, καὶ πολλοὺς μὲν τῶν τότε ἱππευσάντων βουλεύοντας, πολλοὺς δʼ αὐτῶν στρατηγοὺς καὶ ἱππάρχους κεχειροτονημένους.
And I see that you also hold this view, and that many of those who then served are now on the Council, and many of them have been elected generals and cavalry commanders.
ὥστε μηδὲν διʼ ἄλλο με ἡγεῖσθε ταύτην ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἀπολογίαν, ἢ ὅτι περιφανῶς ἐτόλμησάν μου καταψεύσασθαι.
Therefore, do not believe that I am making this defense for any other reason than that they have dared to lie openly about me.
ἀνάβηθι δέ μοι καὶ μαρτύρησον.
Step up and testify for me.
§9Μάρτυρες
περὶ μὲν τοίνυν αὐτῆς τῆς αἰτίας οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅ τι δεῖ πλείω λέγειν· δοκεῖ δέ μοι, ὦ βουλή, ἐν μὲν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀγῶσι περὶ αὐτῶν μόνων τῶν κατηγορημένων προσήκειν ἀπολογεῖσθαι, ἐν δὲ ταῖς δοκιμασίαις δίκαιον εἶναι παντὸς τοῦ βίου λόγον διδόναι.
Witnesses Now, concerning the accusation itself, I do not know what more I need to say; but it seems to me, men of the Council, that while in other trials it is proper to defend oneself only concerning the charges themselves, in examinations it is just to give an account of one's whole life.
δέομαι οὖν ὑμῶν μετʼ εὐνοίας ἀκροάσασθαί μου.
I therefore beg you to listen to me with goodwill.
ποιήσομαι δὲ τὴν ἀπολογίαν ὡς ἂν δύνωμαι διὰ βραχυτάτων.
I will make my defense as briefly as I can.
§10ἐγὼ γὰρ πρῶτον μὲν, οὐσίας μοι οὐ πολλῆς καταλειφθείσης διὰ τὰς συμφορὰς καὶ τὰς τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τὰς τῆς πόλεως, δύο μὲν ἀδελφὰς ἐξέδωκα ἐπιδοὺς τριάκοντα μνᾶς ἑκατέρᾳ, πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν δʼ οὕτως ἐνειμάμην ὥστʼ ἐκεῖνον πλέον ὁμολογεῖν ἔχειν ἐμοῦ τῶν πατρῴων, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους ἅπαντας οὕτως βεβίωκα ὥστε μηδεπώποτέ μοι μηδὲ πρὸς ἕνα μηδὲν ἔγκλημα γενέσθαι.
For first, although not much property was left to me because of the disasters both of my father and of the city, I gave two sisters in marriage, giving thirty minae to each as a dowry, and I shared with my brother in such a way that he agreed he had more of our patrimony than I did, and toward all others I have lived in such a way that no complaint has ever arisen against me from a single person.
§11καὶ τὰ μὲν ἴδια οὕτως διῴκηκα· περὶ δὲ τῶν κοινῶν μοι μέγιστον ἡγοῦμαι τεκμήριον εἶναι τῆς ἐμῆς ἐπιεικείας, ὅτι τῶν νεωτέρων ὅσοι περὶ κύβους ἢ πότους ἢ τὰς τοιαύτας ἀκολασίας τυγχάνουσι τὰς διατριβὰς ποιούμενοι, πάντας αὐτοὺς ὄψεσθέ μοι διαφόρους ὄντας, καὶ πλεῖστα τούτους περὶ ἐμοῦ λογοποιοῦντας καὶ ψευδομένους.
And my private affairs I have managed in this way; but concerning public matters, I think the greatest proof of my moderation is that you will see all those of the younger men who happen to spend their time on dicing or drinking or such excesses are at variance with me, and these are the ones who make up the most rumors and tell lies about me.
καίτοι δῆλον ὅτι, εἰ τῶν αὐτῶν ἐπεθυμοῦμεν, οὐκ ἂν τοιαύτην γνώμην εἶχον περὶ ἐμοῦ.
And yet it is clear that if we desired the same things, they would not have held such an opinion about me.