§19καίτοι πλείων συγγνώμη μνησικακεῖν νεωστὶ κατεληλυθόσιν, ἔτι τῆς ὀργῆς οὔσης προσφάτου, ἢ τοσούτῳ χρόνῳ ὕστερον ἐπὶ τιμωρίαν τῶν παρεληλυθότων τραπέσθαι, ὑπὸ τοιούτων πεισθέντας οἳ ἐν ἄστει μείναντες ταύτην ὑμῖν οἴονται διδόναι πίστιν τῆς αὑτῶν εὐνοίας, ἑτέρους κακοὺς ποιοῦντες, ἀλλʼ οὐ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς χρηστοὺς παρέχοντες, καὶ νυνὶ τῶν τῆς πόλεως εὐτυχιῶν ἀπολαύοντες, ἀλλʼ οὐ πρότερον τῶν ὑμετέρων κινδύνων μετέχοντες.
And yet, there is more excuse for those who have recently returned to harbor a grudge, while their anger is still fresh, than for people to turn to the punishment of past events so long a time afterward, persuaded by such men as those who, having remained in the city, think they are giving this proof of their own goodwill to you by making others out to be wicked, rather than by showing themselves to be good, and who now enjoy the successes of the city, but did not previously share in your dangers.
§20καὶ εἰ μὲν ἑωρᾶτε, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, σῳζόμενα τῇ πόλει τὰ ὑπὸ τούτων δημευόμενα, συγγνώμην ἂν εἴχομεν· νῦν δʼ ἐπίστασθε ὅτι τὰ μὲν αὐτῶν ὑπὸ τούτων ἀφανίζεται, τὰ δὲ πολλοῦ ἄξια ὄντα ὀλίγου πιπράσκεται.
And if you saw, gentlemen of the jury, that what is confiscated by these men was being preserved for the city, we would excuse it; but as it is, you know that some of it is made to disappear by them, and things of great value are sold for a small price.
ἐὰν δʼ ἐμοὶ πείθησθε, οὐκ ἐλάττω ἀπʼ αὐτῶν ὑμεῖς ὠφεληθήσεσθε ἢ ἡμεῖς οἱ κεκτημένοι, §21ἐπεὶ καὶ νυνὶ Διόμνηστος καὶ ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ ἀδελφός ἐκ μιᾶς οἰκίας τρεῖς ὄντες τριηραρχοῦμεν, καὶ ὅταν ἡ πόλις δέηται χρημάτων, ἀπὸ τούτων ὑμῖν εἰσφέρομεν.
But if you obey me, you will benefit from them no less than we who possess them, since even now Diomnestus and I and my brother, being three from one house, serve as trierarchs, and whenever the city needs money, we contribute to you from these possessions.
ὡς οὖν ἡμῶν ταύτῃ τῇ γνώμῃ χρωμένων, καὶ τῶν προγόνων τῶν ἡμετέρων τοιούτων γεγενημένων, §22φείδεσθε ἡμῶν.
Since we, then, maintain this attitude, and our ancestors were of such a character, spare us.
οὐδὲν γὰρ ἂν ἡμᾶς κωλύοι, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ἀθλιωτάτους εἶναι, ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν τριάκοντα ὀρφανοὺς καταλειφθέντας, ἐν δὲ τῇ δημοκρατίᾳ τῶν ὄντων ἐστερημένους, οἷς ἡ τύχη παρέδωκεν ὥστʼ ἔτι ἡμᾶς παῖδας ὄντας ἐπὶ τὴν Παυσανίου σκηνὴν ἐλθόντας βοηθῆσαι τῷ πλήθει.
For nothing would prevent us, gentlemen of the jury, from being most wretched, if we were left orphans under the Thirty, and deprived of our possessions under the democracy—we to whom fortune granted that while we were still children we should go to the tent of Pausanias to help the multitude.
καὶ τοιούτων ἡμῖν ὑπαρχόντων εἰς τίνας ἂν ἐβουλήθημεν δικαστὰς καταφυγεῖν;
And since we have such circumstances, to what kind of judges would we have wished to flee for refuge?
§23οὐκ εἰς τοὺς οὕτω πολιτευομένους, ὑπὲρ ἧς πολιτείας καὶ ὁ πατὴρ καὶ οἱ προσήκοντες ἡμῖν ἀπέθανον;
Would it not be to those who live under such a constitution, for which both our father and our relations died?
νῦν τοίνυν ταύτην ἀνθʼ ἁπάντων ἀπαιτοῦμεν ὑμᾶς τὴν χάριν, μὴ περιιδεῖν ἡμᾶς ἀπόρως διατεθέντας μηδʼ ἐνδεεῖς τῶν ἐπιτηδείων γενομένους, μηδὲ τὴν τῶν προγόνων εὐδαιμονίαν καταλῦσαι, ἀλλὰ πολὺ μᾶλλον παράδειγμα ποιῆσαι τοῖς βουλομένοις τὴν πόλιν εὖ ποιεῖν, οἴων ὑμῶν ἐν τοῖς κινδύνοις τεύξονται.
Now therefore we ask you for this favor in return for everything: not to allow us to be reduced to helplessness or to become destitute of necessities, nor to destroy the prosperity of our ancestors, but much rather to make an example for those who wish to do good to the city, of what kind of men they will find you to be in times of danger.
§24οὐκ ἔχω, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, οὕστινας δεησομένους ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀναβιβάσομαι· τῶν γὰρ προσηκόντων οἱ μὲν ἄνδρας ἀγαθοὺς αὑτοὺς παρασχόντες καὶ μεγάλην τὴν πόλιν ποιοῦντες ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ τεθνᾶσιν, οἱ δʼ ὑπὲρ τῆς δημοκρατίας καὶ τῆς ὑμετέρας ἐλευθερίας ὑπὸ τῶν τριάκοντα κώνειον πιόντες,
I do not have, gentlemen of the jury, any persons whom I can bring up to petition on our behalf; for of our relations, some have died in the war showing themselves brave men and making the city great, and others, for the democracy and your freedom, drank hemlock under the Thirty, so that both the virtues of our relations and the misfortunes of the city have been the cause of our desolation.
§25ὥστε τῆς ἐρημίας ἡμετέρας αἴτιαι γεγόνασιν αἵ τε τῶν προσηκόντων ἀρεταὶ καὶ αἱ τῆς πόλεως συμφοραί. ὧν ἄξιον ὑμᾶς ἐνθυμηθέντας προθύμως ἡμῖν βοηθῆσαι, ἡγησαμένους τούτους ἂν ἐν δημοκρατία δικαίως εὖ πάσχειν ὑφʼ ὑμῶν, οἵπερ ἐν ὀλιγαρχίᾳ τῶν συμφορῶν μετέσχον τὸ μέρος.
Remembering which things, it is right for you to assist us zealously, considering that those who shared in the misfortunes under the oligarchy would justly receive good treatment from you under the democracy.
§26ἀξιῶ δὲ καὶ τούτους τοὺς συνδίκους εὔνους ἡμῖν εἶναι, ἐκείνου τοῦ χρόνου μνησθέντας, ὅτʼ ἐκ τῆς πατρίδος ἐκπεπτωκότες καὶ τὰς οὐσίας ἀπολωλεκότες ἄνδρας ἀρίστους ἐνομίζετʼ εἶναι τοὺς ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἀποθνῄσκοντας, καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς ηὔχεσθε δυνηθῆναι χάριν τοῖς ἐξ ἐκείνων ἀποδοῦναι.
And I ask these advocates also to be well-disposed to us, remembering that time when, having been expelled from your country and having lost your possessions, you considered those who died for you to be the best of men, and you prayed to the gods that you might be able to return a favor to their offspring.
§27ἡμεῖς τοίνυν, ὑεῖς ὄντες καὶ συγγενεῖς τῶν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐλευθερίας προκεκινδυνευκότων, ἀπαιτοῦμεν ὑμᾶς νυνὶ ταύτην τὴν χάριν, καὶ ἀξιοῦμεν μὴ ἀδίκως ἡμᾶς ἀπολέσαι, ἀλλὰ πολὺ μᾶλλον βοηθεῖν τοῖς τῶν αὐτῶν μετασχοῦσι συμφορῶν.
We, therefore, being the sons and relations of those who previously risked their lives for your freedom, now ask you for this favor, and we ask you not to destroy us unjustly, but much rather to help those who shared in the same misfortunes.
ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν καὶ δέομαι καὶ ἀντιβολῶ καὶ ἱκετεύω, καὶ τούτων παρʼ ὑμῶν τυγχάνειν ἀξιῶ· οὐ γὰρ περὶ μικρῶν κινδυνεύομεν, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῶν ὄντων ἁπάντων.
I therefore entreat and implore and supplicate, and I ask to obtain these things from you; for we are not in danger concerning small things, but concerning all our possessions.