§26ἐνίων μὲν γὰρ ἔπεισαν ὑμᾶς ἀκρίτων θάνατον καταψηφίσασθαι, πολλῶν δὲ ἀδίκως δημεῦσαι τὰς οὐσίας, τοὺς δʼ ἐξελάσαι καὶ ἀτιμῶσαι τῶν πολιτῶν· τοιοῦτοι γὰρ ἦσαν ὥστε τοὺς μὲν ἡμαρτηκότας ἀργύριον λαμβάνοντες ἀφιέναι, τοὺς δὲ μηδὲν ἠδικηκότας εἰς ὑμᾶς εἰσιόντες ἀπολλύναι.
For some they persuaded you to condemn to death without trial, of many to confiscate property unjustly, and others of the citizens to banish and disfranchise; for they were such that they released the guilty by accepting money, while they destroyed those who had done no wrong by entering before you.
καὶ οὐ πρότερον ἐπαύσαντο, ἕως τὴν μὲν πόλιν εἰς στάσεις καὶ τὰς μεγίστας συμφορὰς κατέστησαν, αὐτοὶ δʼ ἐκ πενήτων πλούσιοι ἐγένοντο. §27ὑμεῖς δὲ οὕτως διετέθητε ὥστε τοὺς μὲν φεύγοντας κατεδέξασθε, τοὺς δʼ ἀτίμους ἐπιτίμους ἐποιήσατε, τοῖς δʼ ἄλλοις περὶ ὁμονοίας ὅρκους ὤμνυτε· τελευτῶντες δὲ ἥδιον ἂν τοὺς ἐν τῇ δημοκρατίᾳ συκοφαντοῦντας ἐτιμωρήσασθε ἢ τοὺς ἄρξαντας ἐν τῇ ὀλιγαρχίᾳ.
And they did not stop until they threw the city into factions and the greatest misfortunes, while they themselves became rich from being poor.\n But you were so disposed that you recalled the exiles, restored rights to the disfranchised, and swore oaths of harmony to the rest; and in the end you would have more gladly punished the sycophants under the democracy than those who ruled under the oligarchy.
καὶ εἰκότως, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί· πᾶσι γὰρ ἤδη φανερόν ἐστιν ὅτι διὰ τοὺς μὲν ἀδίκως πολιτευομένους ἐν τῇ ὀλιγαρχίᾳ δημοκρατία γίγνεται, διὰ δὲ τοὺς ἐν τῇ δημοκρατίᾳ συκοφαντοῦντας ὀλιγαρχία δὶς κατέστη.
And reasonably so, gentlemen of the jury; for it is already clear to all that because of those who govern unjustly in an oligarchy, democracy comes about, whereas because of those who act as sycophants in a democracy, oligarchy was twice established.
ὥστε οὐκ ἄξιον τούτοις πολλάκις χρῆσθαι συμβούλοις, οἷς οὐδὲ ἅπαξ ἐλυσιτέλησε πιθομένοις. §28σκέψασθαι δὲ χρὴ ὅτι καὶ τῶν ἐκ Πειραιῶς οἱ μεγίστην δόξαν ἔχοντες καὶ μάλιστα κεκινδυνευκότες καὶ πλεῖστα ὑμᾶς ἀγαθὰ εἰργασμένοι πολλάκις ἤδη τῷ ὑμετέρῳ πλήθει διεκελεύσαντο τοῖς ὅρκοις καὶ ταῖς συνθήκαις ἐμμένειν, ἡγούμενοι ταύτην δημοκρατίας εἶναι φυλακήν· τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ἐξ ἄστεως ὑπὲρ τῶν παρεληλυθότων ἄδειαν ποιήσειν, τοῖς δʼ ἐκ Πειραιῶς οὕτως πλεῖστον ἂν χρόνον τὴν πολιτείαν παραμεῖναι. §29οἷς ὑμεῖς πολὺ ἂν δικαιότερον πιστεύοιτε ἢ τούτοις, οἳ φεύγοντες μὲν διʼ ἑτέρους ἐσώθησαν, κατελθόντες δὲ συκοφαντεῖν ἐπιχειροῦσιν.
So it is not right to use these men often as advisers, whom obeying did not profit you even once.\n You must also consider that even those from Piraeus who have the greatest reputation, who have run the greatest risks, and who have done you the greatest services, have already many times urged your multitude to abide by the oaths and agreements, believing this to be the defense of democracy; for they believed that this would produce security for those from the city for past events, and for those from Piraeus, in this way the constitution would remain for the longest time.\n Whom you would far more justly trust than those who, while in exile, were saved through others, but having returned, attempt to act as sycophants.
ἡγοῦμαι δέ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, τοὺς μὲν τὴν αὐτὴν γνώμην ἔχοντας ἐμοὶ τῶν ἐν ἄστει μεινάντων φανεροὺς γεγενῆσθαι καὶ ἐν ὀλιγαρχίᾳ καὶ ἐν δημοκρατίᾳ, §30ὁποῖοί τινές εἰσι πολῖται·
And I believe, gentlemen of the jury, that those who hold the same opinion as I do among those who remained in the city have shown clearly, both under oligarchy and under democracy,\n what kind of citizens they are.
τούτων δʼ ἄξιον θαυμάζειν, ὅ τι ἂν ἐποίησαν, εἴ τις αὐτοὺς εἴασε τῶν τριάκοντα γενέσθαι, οἳ νῦν δημοκρατίας οὔσης ταὐτὰ ἐκείνοις πράττουσι, καὶ ταχέως μὲν ἐκ πενήτων πλούσιοι γεγένηνται, πολλὰς δὲ ἀρχὰς ἄρχοντες οὐδεμιᾶς εὐθύνην διδόασιν, ἀλλʼ ἀντὶ μὲν ὁμονοίας ὑποψίαν πρὸς ἀλλήλους πεποιήκασιν, ἀντὶ δὲ εἰρήνης πόλεμον κατηγγέλκασι, διὰ τούτους δὲ ἄπιστοι τοῖς Ἕλλησι γεγενήμεθα. §31καὶ τοσούτων κακῶν καὶ ἑτέρων πολλῶν ὄντες αἴτιοι, καὶ οὐδὲν διαφέροντες τῶν τριάκοντα πλὴν ὅτι ἐκεῖνοι μὲν ὀλιγαρχίας οὔσης ἐπεθύμουν ὧνπερ οὗτοι, οὗτοι δὲ καὶ δημοκρατίας τῶν αὐτῶν ὧνπερ ἐκεῖνοι, ὅμως οἴονται χρῆναι οὕτως ῥᾳδίως ὃν ἂν βούλωνται κακῶς ποιεῖν, ὥσπερ τῶν μὲν ἄλλων ἀδικούντων, ἄριστοι δὲ ἄνδρες αὐτοὶ γεγενημένοι (καὶ τούτων μὲν οὐκ ἄξιον θαυμάζειν, §32ὑμῶν δέ, ὅτι οἴεσθε μὲν δημοκρατίαν εἶναι, γίγνεται δὲ ὅ τι ἂν οὗτοι βούλωνται, καὶ δίκην διδόασιν οὐχ οἱ τὸ ὑμέτερον πλῆθος ἀδικοῦντες, ἀλλʼ οἱ τὰ σφέτερα αὐτῶν μὴ διδόντες). καὶ δέξαιντʼ ἂν μικρὰν εἶναι τὴν πόλιν μᾶλλον ἢ διʼ ἄλλους μεγάλην καὶ ἐλευθέραν, §33ἡγούμενοι νῦν μὲν διὰ τοὺς ἐκ Πειραιῶς κινδύνους αὑτοῖς ἐξεῖναι ποιεῖν ὅ τι ἂν βούλωνται, ἐὰν δʼ ὕστερον ὑμῖν διʼ ἑτέρων σωτήρια γένηται, αὐτοὶ μὲν καταλύσεσθαι, ἐκείνους δὲ μεῖζον δυνήσεσθαι· ὥστε τὸ αὐτὸ πάντες ἐμποδών εἰσιν, ἐάν τι διʼ ἄλλων ἀγαθὸν ὑμῖν φαίνηται. §34τοῦτο μὲν οὖν οὐ χαλεπὸν τῷ βουλομένῳ κατανοῆσαι· αὐτοί τε γὰρ οὐκ ἐπιθυμοῦσι λανθάνειν, ἀλλʼ αἰσχύνονται μὴ δοκοῦντες εἶναι πονηροί, ὑμεῖς τε τὰ μὲν αὐτοὶ ὁρᾶτε τὰ δʼ ἑτέρων πολλῶν ἀκούετε.
But as for these men, it is worth wondering what they would have done if someone had allowed them to become one of the Thirty, who now, under the democracy, do the same things as those men, and have rapidly become rich from being poor, and though holding many offices, they render account for none, but instead of harmony they have created suspicion toward each other, instead of peace they have declared war, and because of them we have become untrustworthy to the Greeks.\n And being the cause of so many evils and many others, and differing in nothing from the Thirty except that those men desired under an oligarchy the very things these men do, whereas these men under a democracy desire the same things as those men, nevertheless they think they ought to mistreat anyone they wish so easily, as if all others were wrongdoers, while they themselves had become the best of men. (And indeed, as for them, it is not worth wondering,\n but at you, because you think it is a democracy, yet whatever these men wish happens, and those who pay the penalty are not those who wrong your multitude, but those who do not give up their own property.) And they would prefer the city to be small rather than great and free through others,\n believing that now, because of the dangers of those from Piraeus, it is permitted to them to do whatever they wish, but if later safety comes to you through others, they themselves will be ruined, while those others will have greater power; so that they are all alike an obstacle, if any good should appear to you through others.\n Now this is not difficult for anyone who wishes to understand; for they themselves do not desire to escape notice, but are ashamed if they do not seem to be wicked, and you yourselves see some things and hear others from many people.
ἡμεῖς δέ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, δίκαιον μὲν ἡγούμεθʼ εἶναι πρὸς πάντας ὑμᾶς τοὺς πολίτας ταῖς συνθήκαις καὶ τοῖς ὅρκοις ἐμμένειν, ὅμως δέ, §35ὅταν μὲν ἴδωμεν τοὺς τῶν κακῶν αἰτίους δίκην διδόντας, τῶν τότε περὶ ὑμᾶς γεγενημένων μεμνημένοι συγγνώμην ἔχομεν, ὅταν δὲ φανεροὶ γένησθε τοὺς μηδὲν αἰτίους ἐξ ἴσου τοῖς ἀδικοῦσι τιμωρούμενοι, τῇ αὐτῇ ψήφῳ ἡμᾶς εἰς ὑποψίαν καταστήσετε
But we, gentlemen of the jury, although we believe it is just to abide by the agreements and oaths toward all of you citizens, nevertheless,\n whenever we see the causes of evils paying the penalty, remembering what happened to you then, we show understanding; but whenever you are seen punishing those who are not at all to blame on an equal footing with the wrongdoers, by that same vote you will place us under suspicion.