§29Μάρτυρες
τὸν δὲ πρεσβύτατον ἀδελφὸν αὐτοὶ οἱ συστρατευόμενοι ἴσασιν, οἵτινες μετὰ Λέοντος ἦτε ἐν Ἑλλησπόντῳ, ὥστε νομίζειν μηδενὸς ἥττονʼ εἶναι ἀνθρώπων τὴν ψυχήν.
Witnesses But of my eldest brother, those of you who served with Leon in the Hellespont know from your own experience, so as to regard his spirit as second to none of men.
καὶ μοι ἀνάβητε δεῦρο.
Please, step up here for me.
§30Μάρτυρες
πῶς οὖν οὐ χρὴ χάριν παρʼ ὑμῶν ἀπολαμβάνειν, εἰ τοιοῦτοί ἐσμεν;
Witnesses How, then, is it not proper to receive favor from you, if we are of such a character?
ἀλλʼ ὧν μὲν ὁ πατὴρ διαβέβληται εἰς ὑμᾶς, δικαίως τούτων δεῖ ἡμᾶς ἕνεκα ἀπολέσθαι, ὧν δὲ πρόθυμοι εἰς τὴν πόλιν γεγενήμεθα, μηδεμίαν ὠφέλειαν γενέσθαι;
But on the one hand, is it right that for the sake of the slanders against our father we should perish, while on the other hand, for our zeal toward the city, we should receive no benefit?
ἀλλʼ οὐ δίκαιον.
No, indeed, it is not just.
ἀλλʼ εἰ διὰ τὴν τούτου διαβολὴν δεῖ ἡμᾶς τι πάσχειν, δίκαιοί ἐσμεν διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν προθυμίαν τοῦτόν τε σῶσαι καὶ ἡμᾶς.
But if we must suffer anything because of the slander against him, we have a right, because of our own zeal, to save both him and ourselves.
§31οὐ γὰρ δὴ ἡμεῖς χρημάτων γε ἕνεκα, ἵνα λάβοιμεν, εὖ ὑμᾶς ἐποιοῦμεν, ἀλλʼ ἵνα, εἴ ποτε κίνδυνος εἴη ἡμῖν, ἐξαιτούμενοι παρʼ ὑμῶν τὴν ἀξίαν χάριν ἀπολάβοιμεν.
For indeed, we were not doing good to you for the sake of money, so that we might receive it, but in order that, if ever danger should come to us, we might receive back the due favor by begging it from you.
χρὴ δὲ ὑμᾶς καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἕνεκα τοιούτους εἶναι, γιγνώσκοντας ὅτι, ἐάν τις πρόθυμος εἰς ὑμᾶς ᾖ, οὐ μόνον ἡμᾶς ὠφελήσετε· ἡμῶν μὲν γὰρ καὶ πρὶν δεηθῆναι πεπείρασθε, οἷοί ἐσμεν εἰς ὑμᾶς· τοὺς δὲ ἄλλους προθυμοτέρους ποιήσετε, κατʼ ἀξίαν χαριζόμενοι, ὅσʼ ἄν τις ὑμᾶς εὖ ποιῇ.
And you ought to be of such a mind also for the sake of others, recognizing that if anyone is zealous toward you, you will benefit not only us—for as to us, even before our request, you have had experience of what kind of people we are toward you—but you will make the others more zealous by showing favor according to merit for whatever good someone may do you.
§32καὶ μηδαμῶς τοῖς λέγουσι βεβαιώσητε λόγον τὸν πάντων πονηρότατον· λέγεται γὰρ τοὺς κακῶς πεπονθότας μεμνῆσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ τοὺς εὖ.
And by no means confirm the saying, the most wicked of all, of those who say: for it is said that those who have been treated badly remember it more than those who have been treated well.
τίς γὰρ ἔτι ἐθελήσει χρηστὸς εἶναι, εἰ ἡττηθήσονται τῶν κακῶς ὑμᾶς ποιούντων οἱ εὖ ποιοῦντες;
For who will still wish to be good, if those who do good to you are surpassed by those who do you evil?
ἔχει δʼ ὑμῖν, §33ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, οὕτως. περὶ ἡμῶν γάρ ἐστι ψῆφος ὑμῖν, καὶ οὐ περὶ χρημάτων.
But it stands, gentlemen of the jury, thus with us: your vote is concerning ourselves, and not concerning property.
ἕως μὲν γὰρ εἰρήνη, ἦν ἡμῖν φανερὰ οὐσία, καὶ ἦν ὁ πατὴρ ἀγαθὸς γεωργός· ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἰσέβαλον οἱ πολέμιοι, πάντων τούτων ἐστερήθημεν.
For as long as there was peace, we had visible property, and our father was a good farmer; but when the enemy invaded, we were deprived of all of this.
ὥστε αὐτῶν τούτων ἕνεκα πρόθυμοι ἦμεν εἰς ὑμᾶς, εἰδότες ὅτι χρήματα μὲν ἡμῖν οὐκ εἴη ὁπόθεν ἐκτίσομεν, αὐτοὶ δὲ πρόθυμοι ὄντες εἰς ὑμᾶς ἀξιοῦμεν εὑρίσκεσθαι χάριν.
So that for these very reasons we were zealous toward you, knowing that we had no money from which we might pay, but we, being ourselves zealous toward you, claim to find favor.
§34καίτοι ὁρῶμέν γʼ ὑμᾶς, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ἐάν τις παῖδας αὑτοῦ ἀναβιβασάμενος κλαίῃ καὶ ὀλοφύρηται, τούς τε παῖδας διʼ αὐτὸν εἰ ἀτιμωθήσονται ἐλεοῦντας, καὶ ἀφιέντας τὰς τῶν πατέρων ἁμαρτίας διὰ τοὺς παῖδας, οὓς οὔπω ἴστε εἴτε ἀγαθοὶ εἴτε κακοὶ ἡβήσαντες γενήσονται· ἡμᾶς δʼ ἴστε ὅτι πρόθυμοι γεγενήμεθα εἰς ὑμᾶς, καὶ τὸν πατέρα οὐδὲν ἡμαρτηκότα.
And yet we see you, gentlemen of the jury, if anyone brings up his children and weeps and laments, pitying the children if they are to be disenfranchised on his account, and forgiving the errors of the fathers because of the children, whom you do not yet know whether they will turn out good or bad when they grow up; but as for us, you know that we have been zealous toward you, and that our father committed no error.
ὥστε πολλῷ δικαιότεροί ἐστε, ὧν πεπείρασθε, τούτοις χαρίσασθαι, ἢ οὓς οὐκ ἴστε ὁποῖοί τινες ἔσονται.
So that you are far more justified in showing favor to those of whom you have had trial, than to those of whom you do not know what kind of people they will be.
§35πεπόνθαμεν δὲ τοὐναντίον τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις.
But we have suffered the opposite of other men.
οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλοι τοὺς παῖδας παραστησάμενοι ἐξαιτοῦνται ὑμᾶς, ἡμεῖς δὲ τὸν πατέρα τουτονὶ καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐξαιτούμεθα, μὴ ἡμᾶς ἀντὶ μὲν ἐπιτίμων ἀτίμους ποιήσητε, ἀντὶ δὲ πολιτῶν ἀπόλιδας· ἀλλὰ ἐλεήσατε καὶ τὸν πατέρα γέροντα ὄντα καὶ ἡμᾶς.
For other men bring their children forward and beg you, but we beg for this father here and for ourselves, that you may not make us disenfranchised instead of possessing franchise, and exiles instead of citizens; but pity both our father, who is an old man, and ourselves.
εἰ δὲ ἡμᾶς ἀδίκως ἀπολεῖτε, πῶς ἢ οὗτος ἡμῖν ἡδέως συνέσται ἢ ἡμεῖς ἀλλήλοις ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ, ὄντες ὑμῶν τε ἀνάξιοι καὶ τῆς πόλεως;
But if you destroy us unjustly, how will either he live happily with us or we with each other in the same place, being unworthy both of you and of the city?
ἀλλʼ ὑμῶν δεόμεθα τρεῖς ὄντες ἐᾶσαι ἡμᾶς ἔτι προθυμοτέρους γενέσθαι.
But we entreat you, being three, to permit us to become still more zealous.
§36δεόμεθα οὖν ὑμῶν πρὸς τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ἀγαθῶν ἑκάστῳ, ὅτῳ μὲν εἰσὶν ὑεῖς, τούτων ἕνεκα ἐλεῆσαι, ὅστις δʼ ἡμῖν ἡλικιώτης τυγχάνει ἢ τῷ πατρί, ἐλεήσαντας ἀποψηφίσασθαι· καὶ μὴ ἡμᾶς βουλομένους εὖ ποιεῖν τὴν πόλιν ὑμεῖς κωλύσητε.
We entreat you, therefore, by the good things belonging to each of you, that whoever has sons should pity us for their sake, and whoever happens to be of the same age as we or as our father, pitying us, should vote for acquittal; and do not prevent us when we wish to do good to the city.
δεινὰ δʼ ἂν πάθοιμεν, εἰ ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων μὲν ἐσώθημεν, οὓς εἰκὸς ἦν διακωλύειν μὴ σῴζεσθαι, παρʼ ὑμῶν δὲ μηδὲ εὑρησόμεθα τὸ σωθῆναι.
Indeed, we should suffer terribly if we were saved by our enemies, who might naturally have prevented our being saved, but shall not even find salvation from you.