§10περὶ δὲ τῆς ἐμῆς ἱππικῆς, ἧς οὗτος ἐτόλμησε μνησθῆναι πρὸς ὑμᾶς, οὔτε τὴν τύχην δείσας οὔτε ὑμᾶς αἰσχυνθείς, οὐ πολὺς ὁ λόγος.
Concerning my horsemanship, which this man dared to mention to you, neither fearing fortune nor being ashamed before you, there is no need for a long speech.
ἐγὼ γὰρ, ὦ βουλή, πάντας οἶμαι τοὺς ἔχοντάς τι δυστύχημα τοῦτο ζητεῖν καὶ τοῦτο φιλοσοφεῖν, ὅπως ὡς ἀλυπότατα μεταχειριοῦνται τὸ συμβεβηκὸς πάθος.
For I think, council members, that all who have some misfortune seek this and philosophize upon this: how they may manage their shared suffering as painlessly as possible.
ὧν εἷς ἐγώ, καὶ περιπεπτωκὼς τοιαύτῃ συμφορᾷ ταύτην ἐμαυτῷ ῥᾳστώνην ἐξηῦρον εἰς τὰς ὁδοὺς τὰς μακροτέρας τῶν ἀναγκαίων.
I am one of these, and having fallen into such a misfortune, I found this comfort for myself for the longer of my necessary journeys.
§11ὃ δὲ μέγιστον, ὦ βουλή, τεκμήριον ὅτι διὰ τὴν συμφορὰν ἀλλʼ οὐ διὰ τὴν ὕβριν, ὡς οὗτός φησιν, ἐπὶ τοὺς ἵππους ἀναβαίνω· εἰ γὰρ ἐκεκτήμην οὐσίαν, ἐπʼ ἀστράβης ἂν ὠχούμην, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους ἵππους ἀνέβαινον· νυνὶ δʼ ἐπειδὴ τοιοῦτον οὐ δύναμαι κτήσασθαι, τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις ἵπποις ἀναγκάζομαι χρῆσθαι πολλάκις.
And the greatest proof, council members, that I mount horses because of my misfortune but not because of insolence, as he says, is this: for if I possessed property, I would ride on a cushioned saddle-mule, and would not have been mounting other people's horses; but now, since I am not able to acquire such a beast, I am forced to use other people's horses often.
§12καίτοι πῶς οὐκ ἄτοπόν ἐστιν, ὦ βουλή, τοῦτον ἄν, εἰ μὲν ἐπʼ ἀστράβης ὀχούμενον ἑώρα με, σιωπᾶν (τί γὰρ ἂν καὶ ἔλεγεν; ), ὅτι δʼ ἐπὶ τοὺς ᾐτημένους ἵππους ἀναβαίνω, πειρᾶσθαι πείθειν ὑμᾶς ὡς δυνατός εἰμι;
And yet, how is it not absurd, council members, that this man, on the one hand, if he saw me riding on a saddle-mule, would keep silent (for what indeed could he say?), but on the other hand, because I mount borrowed horses, attempts to persuade you that I am able-bodied?
καὶ ὅτι μὲν δυοῖν βακτηρίαιν χρῶμαι, τῶν ἄλλων μιᾷ χρωμένων, μὴ κατηγορεῖν ὡς καὶ τοῦτο τῶν δυναμένων ἐστιν· ὅτι δʼ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἵππους ἀναβαίνω, τεκμηρίῳ χρῆσθαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς ὡς εἰμὶ τῶν δυναμένων;
And while, on the one hand, he does not accuse me of using two crutches, though others use only one, on the ground that this too belongs to the able-bodied, yet on the other hand, because I mount horses, he uses it as a proof to you that I am one of the able-bodied?
οἷς ἐγώ διὰ τὴν αὐτὴν αἰτίαν ἀμφοτέροις χρῶμαι.
I, however, use both for the very same reason.
§13τοσοῦτον δὲ διενήνοχεν ἀναισχυντίᾳ τῶν ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων, ὥστε ὑμᾶς πειρᾶται πείθειν, τοσούτους ὄντας εἵς ὤν, ὡς οὐκ εἰμὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων ἐγώ.
And he has so far surpassed all men in shamelessness that he attempts to persuade you, being so many while he is but one, that I am not one of the disabled.
καίτοι εἰ τοῦτο πείσει τινὰς ὑμῶν, ὦ βουλή, τί με κωλύει κληροῦσθαι τῶν ἐννέα ἀρχόντων, καὶ ὑμᾶς ἐμοῦ μὲν ἀφελέσθαι τὸν ὀβολὸν ὡς ὑγιαίνοντος, τούτῳ δὲ ψηφίσασθαι πάντας ὡς ἀναπήρῳ;
And yet, if he persuades any of you of this, council members, what prevents me from drawing lots for the nine archons, and you from taking away the obol from me as being healthy, and voting it to this man as being crippled?
οὐ γὰρ δήπου τὸν αὐτὸν ὑμεῖς μὲν ὡς δυνάμενον ἀφαιρήσεσθε τὸ διδόμενον, οἱ δὲ θεσμοθέται ὡς ἀδύνατον ὄντα κληροῦσθαι κωλύσουσιν.
For surely you will not take away the allowance from the same person on the ground that he is able-bodied, while the thesmothetai prevent him from drawing lots on the ground that he is disabled.
§14ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὔτε ὑμεῖς τούτῳ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχετε γνώμην, οὔθʼ οὗτος εὖ ποιῶν.
But indeed, you do not hold the same opinion as this man, nor does he, fortunately.
ὁ μὲν γὰρ ὥσπερ ἐπικλήρου τῆς συμφορᾶς οὔσης ἀμφισβητήσων ἥκει καὶ πειρᾶται πείθειν ὑμᾶς ὡς οὐκ εἰμὶ τοιοῦτος οἷον ὑμεῖς ὁρᾶτε πάντες· ὑμεῖς δὲ (ὃ τῶν εὖ φρονούντων ἔργον ἐστί) μᾶλλον πιστεύετε τοῖς ὑμετέροις αὐτῶν ὀφθαλμοῖς ἢ τοῖς τούτου λόγοις.
For he has come as if to dispute over my misfortune as though it were a sole heiress, and attempts to persuade you that I am not such a person as you all see; but you (which is the work of those who are wise) trust your own eyes more than his words.
§15λέγει δʼ ὡς ὑβριστής εἰμι καὶ βίαιος καὶ λίαν ἀσελγῶς διακείμενος, ὥσπερ εἰ φοβερῶς ὀνομάσειε, μέλλων ἀληθῆ λέγειν, ἀλλʼ οὐκ, ἐὰν πάνυ πραόνως, ταῦτα ποιήσων.
And he says that I am insolent and violent and behave very dissolutely, as if he will speak the truth if he names it in a terrifying way, and not rather as if, even if he speaks very mildly, I would not be doing these things.
ἐγὼ δʼ ὑμᾶς, ὦ βουλή, σαφῶς οἶμαι δεῖν διαγιγνώσκειν οἷς τʼ ἐγχωρεῖ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὑβρισταῖς εἶναι καὶ οἷς οὐ προσήκει.
But I think, council members, that you ought to distinguish clearly between those of men for whom it is possible to be insolent and those for whom it is not fitting.
§16οὐ γὰρ τοὺς πενομένους καὶ λίαν ἀπόρως διακειμένους ὑβρίζειν εἰκός, ἀλλὰ τοὺς πολλῷ πλείω τῶν ἀναγκαίων κεκτημένους· οὐδὲ τοὺς ἀδυνάτους τοῖς σώμασιν ὄντας, ἀλλὰ τοὺς μάλιστα πιστεύοντας ταῖς αὑτῶν ῥώμαις· οὐδὲ τοὺς ἤδη προβεβηκότας τῇ ἡλικίᾳ, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἔτι νέους καὶ νέαις ταῖς διανοίαις χρωμένους.
For it is not natural for the poor and those who are in very difficult straits to be insolent, but rather for those who possess much more than the necessities; nor for those who are disabled in their bodies, but for those who trust most in their own strength; nor for those already advanced in age, but for those who are still young and have young minds.
§17οἱ μὲν γὰρ πλούσιοι τοῖς χρήμασιν ἐξωνοῦνται τοὺς κινδύνους, οἱ δὲ πένητες ὑπὸ τῆς παρούσης ἀπορίας σωφρονεῖν ἀναγκάζονται· καὶ οἱ μὲν νέοι συγγνώμης ἀξιοῦνται τυγχάνειν παρὰ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, τοῖς δὲ πρεσβυτέροις ἐξαμαρτάνουσιν ὁμοίως ἐπιτιμῶσιν ἀμφότεροι· §18καὶ τοῖς μὲν ἰσχυροῖς ἐγχωρεῖ μηδὲν αὐτοῖς πάσχουσιν, οὓς ἂν βουληθῶσιν, ὑβρίζειν, τοῖς δὲ ἀσθενέσιν οὐκ ἔστιν οὔτε ὑβριζομένοις ἀμύνεσθαι τοὺς ὑπάρξαντας οὔτε ὑβρίζειν βουλομένοις περιγίγνεσθαι τῶν ἀδικουμένων.
For the rich buy themselves out of dangers with their money, while the poor are forced to be moderate by their present lack of resources; and the young are thought worthy of obtaining forgiveness from their elders, but those who are older and err are criticized equally by both young and old; and for the strong it is possible to outrage whomsoever they wish without suffering anything themselves, but for the weak it is not possible either to ward off those who began the insolence when they are outraged, or to get the better of their victims if they wish to commit insolence.
ὥστε μοι δοκεῖ ὁ κατήγορος εἰπεῖν περὶ τῆς ἐμῆς ὕβρεως οὐ σπουδάζων, ἀλλὰ παίζων, οὐδʼ ὑμᾶς πεῖσαι βουλόμενος ὡς εἰμὶ τοιοῦτος, ἀλλʼ ἐμὲ κωμῳδεῖν βουλόμενος, ὥσπερ τι καλὸν ποιῶν.
Therefore, it seems to me that the accuser spoke about my insolence not in earnest, but in jest, and not wishing to persuade you that I am such a man, but wishing to make fun of me, as if he were doing something fine.