§1κατηγόρηται μέν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, Ἐπικράτους ἱκανὰ καὶ τῶν συμπρεσβευτῶν·
Sufficient accusations, men of Athens, have been made against Epicrates and his fellow ambassadors.
ἐνθυμεῖσθαι δὲ χρὴ ὅτι πολλάκις ἠκούσατε τούτων λεγόντων, ὁπότε βούλοιντό τινα ἀδίκως ἀπολέσαι, ὅτι, εἰ μὴ καταψηφιεῖσθε ὧν αὐτοὶ κελεύουσιν, ἐπιλείψει ὑμᾶς ἡ μισθοφορά.
But you must bear in mind that you have often heard these men saying, whenever they wished to ruin someone unjustly, that if you do not vote for what they themselves order, your pay will fail you.
§2καὶ νῦν οὐδὲν ἧττον ἐνδεῖ· ὥστε τὸ μὲν πάθος καὶ ἡ αἰσχύνη διὰ τούτων ὑμῖν γίγνεται, ἡ δʼ ὠφέλεια τούτοις·
And even now, the deficit is no less; so that the suffering and the shame come to you through them, while the benefit goes to these men.
πεπείρανται γὰρ ὅτι, ὁπόταν οὗτοι καὶ οἱ τούτων λόγοι δοκῶσιν αἴτιοι εἶναι ψηφιεῖσθαι ὑμᾶς παρὰ τὸ δίκαιον, ῥᾳδίως παρὰ τῶν ἀδικούντων χρήματα λαμβάνουσι.
For they have learned by experience that whenever they and their speeches seem to be the cause of your voting contrary to justice, they easily receive money from the wrongdoers.
καίτοι τίνα χρὴ ἐλπίδα ἔχειν σωτηρίας, §3ὁπόταν ἐν χρήμασιν ᾖ καὶ σωθῆναι τῇ πόλει καὶ μή, ταῦτα δὲ οὗτοι, φύλακες ὑφʼ ὑμῶν καταστάντες, οἱ τῶν ἀδικούντων κολασταί, κλέπτωσί τε καὶ καταδωροδοκῶσι;
And yet, what hope of safety can there be, when the survival of the city depends on money, and these men, established by you as guardians, who are the punishers of the wrongdoers, both steal this money and take bribes?
καὶ οὐ νῦν πρῶτον ὤφθησαν ἀδικοῦντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρότερον ἤδη δώρων ἐκρίθησαν.
And it is not now for the first time that they have been seen doing wrong, but already on a previous occasion they were tried for bribery.
§4ὃ καὶ ὑμῖν ἔχω ἐπικαλέσαι ὅτι τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἀδικήματος Ὀνομάσαντος μὲν κατεψηφίσασθε, τούτου δὲ ἀπεψηφίσασθε, τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἁπάντων κατηγοροῦντος καὶ τῶν αὐτῶν καταμαρτυρούντων, οἳ οὐχ ἑτέρων ἤκουσαν, ἀλλʼ αὐτοὶ ἦσαν οἱ περὶ τῶν χρημάτων καὶ τῶν δώρων πρὸς τούτους πράττοντες.
This is indeed what I have to charge against you, that for the very same offense you condemned Onomasas, but you acquitted this man, even though the same man accused them all, and the same witnesses testified, who did not hear it from others, but were themselves the ones negotiating with these men about the money and the bribes.
§5καίτοι τοῦτο ἅπαντες ἐπίστασθε, ὅτι οὐχ ὅταν τοὺς μὴ δυναμένους λέγειν κολάζητε, τότε ἔσται παράδειγμα τοῦ μὴ ὑμᾶς ἀδικεῖν, ἀλλʼ ὁπόταν παρὰ τῶν δυναμένων δίκην λαμβάνητε, τότε πάντες παύσονται ἐπιχειροῦντες εἰς ὑμᾶς ἐξαμαρτάνειν.
And yet you all know this, that it is not when you punish those who are unable to speak that there will be an example to prevent people from wronging you, but when you exact punishment from those who are powerful, then everyone will cease attempting to offend against you.
§6νῦν δʼ ἀσφαλῶς αὐτοῖς ἔχει τὰ ὑμέτερα κλέπτειν.
But as it is, stealing your property is safe for them.
ἐὰν μὲν γὰρ λάθωσιν, ἀδεῶς αὐτοῖς ἕξουσι χρῆσθαι· ἐὰν δὲ ὀφθῶσιν, ἢ μέρει τῶν ἀδικημάτων τὸν κίνδυνον ἐξεπρίαντο, ἢ εἰς ἀγῶνα καταστάντες τῇ αὑτῶν δυνάμει ἐσώθησαν.
For if they escape detection, they will be able to enjoy it without fear; and if they are caught, either they buy their way out of danger with a portion of their spoils, or, standing trial, they are saved by their own influence.
νῦν τοίνυν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, παράδειγμα ποιήσατε τοῖς ἄλλοις δικαίοις εἶναι, παρὰ τούτων δίκην λαβόντες.
Now therefore, gentlemen of the jury, make an example for the others to be just, by exacting punishment from these men.
§7ἥκουσι δὲ πάντες οἱ τὰ τῆς πόλεως πράττοντες οὐχ ἡμῶν ἀκροασόμενοι, ἀλλʼ ὑμᾶς εἰσόμενοι ἥντινα γνώμην περὶ τῶν ἀδικούντων ἕξετε.
All those who manage the affairs of the city have come, not to listen to us, but to know what opinion you will hold regarding wrongdoers.
ὥστʼ εἰ μὲν ἀποψηφιεῖσθε τούτων, οὐδὲν δεινὸν δόξει αὐτοῖς εἶναι ὑμᾶς ἐξαπατήσαντας ἐκ τῶν ὑμετέρων ὠφελεῖσθαι· ἐὰν δὲ καταψηφισάμενοι θανάτου τιμήσητε, τῇ αὐτῇ ψήφῳ τούς τε ἄλλους κοσμιωτέρους ποιήσετε ἢ νῦν εἰσι, καὶ παρὰ τούτων δίκην εἰληφότες ἔσεσθε.
So if you acquit these men, they will think it is nothing terrible to benefit from your property by deceiving you; but if you condemn them and sentence them to death, by the same vote you will make the others more orderly than they are now, and you will have exacted punishment from these men.
§8ἡγοῦμαι δʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, οὐδʼ εἰ μὴ προθέντες αὐτοῖς κρίσιν, ἢ ἀπολογουμένων μὴ ἐθελήσαντες ἀκοῦσαι, καταψηφισάμενοι τῶν ἐσχάτων τιμήσαιτε, οὐκ ἂν ἀκρίτους αὐτοὺς ἀπολωλέναι, ἀλλὰ τὴν προσήκουσαν δίκην δεδωκέναι.
And I believe, men of Athens, that even if you, without having granted them a trial or wishing to hear their defense, had condemned them and sentenced them to the extreme penalty, they would not have perished without trial, but would have paid the fitting penalty.
οὐ γὰρ οὗτοι ἄκριτοί εἰσι, περὶ ὧν ἂν ὑμεῖς εἰδότες τὰ πραχθέντα ψηφίσησθε, ἀλλʼ οἵτινες ἂν ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν διαβληθέντες περὶ ὧν ὑμεῖς μὴ ἴστε, ἀκροάσεως μὴ τύχωσι.
For those are not untried concerning whom you vote knowing what has been done, but rather those who, slandered by their enemies about things you do not know, fail to obtain a hearing.
τούτων δὲ τὰ μὲν πράγματα κατηγορεῖ, ἡμεῖς δὲ καταμαρτυροῦμεν· καὶ οὐ τοῦτο δέδοικα,
Against these men, the facts themselves accuse, and we bear witness; and it is not this that I fear,