§1τὰ μὲν κατηγορημένα οὕτως ἐστὶ πολλὰ καὶ δεινά, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, ὥστε οὐκ ἄν μοι δοκεῖ δύνασθαι Ἐργοκλῆς ὑπὲρ ἑνὸς ἑκάστου τῶν πεπραγμένων αὐτῷ πολλάκις ἀποθανὼν δοῦναι δίκην ἀξίαν τῷ ὑμετέρῳ πλήθει.
The charges brought against him are so many and so grave, men of Athens, that it does not seem to me that Ergocles, even if he were to die many times, could pay a penalty worthy of your democracy for each single one of his deeds.
καὶ γὰρ πόλεις προδεδωκὼς φαίνεται, καὶ προξένους καὶ πολίτας ὑμετέρους ἠδικηκώς, καὶ ἐκ πένητος ἐκ τῶν ὑμετέρων πλούσιος γεγενημένος.
For he is clearly seen to have betrayed cities, to have wronged your proxenoi and citizens, and to have become rich from your resources after being poor.
§2καίτοι πῶς αὐτοῖς χρὴ συγγνώμην ἔχειν, ὅταν ὁρᾶτε τὰς μὲν ναῦς, ὧν ἦρχον οὗτοι, διʼ ἀπορίαν χρημάτων καταλυομένας καὶ ἐκ πολλῶν ὀλίγας γιγνομένας, τούτους δὲ πένητας καὶ ἀπόρους ἐκπλεύσαντας οὕτως ταχέως πλείστην τῶν πολιτῶν οὐσίαν κεκτημένους;
And yet, how can you have any sympathy for them, when you see that the ships which they commanded are being broken up for lack of funds, becoming few instead of many, while these men, who sailed out poor and destitute, have so quickly acquired the largest estates among the citizens?
ὑμέτερον τοίνυν ἔργον ἐστίν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, §3ἐπὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις ὀργίζεσθαι·
It is therefore your duty, men of Athens, to be angry at such deeds.
καὶ γὰρ δὴ δεινὸν ἂν εἴη, εἰ νῦν μὲν οὕτως αὐτοὶ πιεζόμενοι ταῖς εἰσφοραῖς συγγνώμην τοῖς κλέπτουσι καὶ τοῖς δωροδοκοῦσιν ἔχοιτε, ἐν δὲ τῷ τέως χρόνῳ, καὶ τῶν οἴκων τῶν ὑμετέρων μεγάλων ὄντων καὶ τῶν δημοσίων προσόδων μεγάλων οὐσῶν, θανάτῳ ἐκολάζετε τοὺς τῶν ὑμετέρων ἐπιθυμοῦντας.
For indeed it would be monstrous if now, when you yourselves are so hard pressed by the property taxes, you should show mercy to those who steal and take bribes, whereas in the past, when your private estates were large and the public revenues were great, you punished with death those who coveted your property.
§4οἶμαι δʼ ἔγωγε πάντας ἂν ὑμᾶς ὁμολογῆσαι, εἰ ὑμῖν Θρασύβουλος ἐπηγγέλλετο τριήρεις ἔχων ἐκπλεύσεσθαι καὶ ταύτας παλαιὰς ἀντὶ καινῶν παραδώσειν, καὶ τοὺς μὲν κινδύνους ὑμετέρους ἔσεσθαι, τὰς δʼ ὠφελείας τῶν αὑτοῦ φίλων, καὶ ὑμᾶς μὲν διὰ τὰς εἰσφορὰς πενεστέρους ἀποδείξειν, Ἐργοκλέα δὲ καὶ τοὺς κόλακας τοὺς αὑτοῦ πλουσιωτάτους τῶν πολιτῶν ποιήσειν, οὐδένα ἂν ὑμῶν ἐπιτρέψαι τὰς ναῦς ἐκεῖνον ἔχοντα ἐκπλεῦσαι, §5ἄλλως τε ἐπειδή, ὡς τάχιστα ὑμεῖς ἐψηφίσασθε τὰ χρήματα ὑπογράψαι τὰ ἐκ τῶν πόλεων εἰλημμένα καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας τοὺς μετʼ ἐκείνου καταπλεῖν εὐθύνας δώσοντας, Ἐργοκλῆς ἔλεγεν ὡς ἤδη συκοφαντεῖτε καὶ τῶν ἀρχαίων νόμων ἐπιθυμεῖτε, καὶ Θρασυβούλῳ συνεβούλευε Βυζάντιον καταλαβεῖν καὶ τὰς ναῦς ἔχειν καὶ τὴν Σεύθου θυγατέρα γαμεῖν· §6ἵνα αὐτῶν ἐκκόψῃς
ἔφη
τὰς συκοφαντίας· ποιήσεις γὰρ αὐτοὺς οὐκ ἐπιβουλεύοντας σοὶ καθῆσθαι καὶ τοῖς σοῖς φίλοις, ἀλλὰ περὶ αὑτῶν δεδιέναι. οὕτως, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, ἐπειδὴ τάχιστα ἐνεπέπληντο καὶ τῶν ὑμετέρων ἀπέλαυσαν, ἀλλοτρίους τῆς πόλεως αὑτοὺς ἡγήσαντο.
I believe you would all agree that if Thrasybulus had promised you that he would sail out with triremes and hand them back old instead of new, and that the dangers would be yours while the profits would go to his friends, and that he would make you poorer through the property taxes while making Ergocles and his flatterers the richest of the citizens, not one of you would have allowed him to sail out with the ships, especially since, as soon as you voted to register the money taken from the cities and that the officials with him should sail back to render their accounts, Ergocles said that you were already playing the sycophant and longing for the ancient laws, and advised Thrasybulus to seize Byzantium, keep the ships, and marry Seuthes' daughter; 'in order,' he said, 'that you may cut off their sycophancies; for you will make them remain quiet, not plotting against you and your friends, but fearing for themselves.' In this way, men of Athens, as soon as they had filled themselves and enjoyed your property, they regarded themselves as aliens to the city.
§7ἅμα γὰρ πλουτοῦσι καὶ ὑμᾶς μισοῦσι, καὶ οὐκέτι ὡς ἀρξόμενοι παρασκευάζονται ἀλλʼ ὡς ὑμῶν ἄρξοντες, καὶ δεδιότες ὑπὲρ ὧν ἀφῄρηνται ἕτοιμοί εἰσι καὶ χωρία καταλαμβάνειν καὶ ὀλιγαρχίαν καθιστάναι καὶ πάντα πράττειν ὅπως ὑμεῖς ἐν τοῖς δεινοτάτοις κινδύνοις καθʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἔσεσθε·
For they are rich and at the same time hate you, and they no longer prepare themselves as men to be ruled, but as men to rule you; and fearing for what they have plundered, they are ready to seize strongholds, to establish oligarchy, and to do everything so that you will be in the greatest dangers every day.
οὕτως γὰρ ἡγοῦνται οὐκέτι τοῖς σφετέροις αὐτῶν ἁμαρτήμασι τὸν νοῦν ὑμᾶς προσέξειν, ἀλλʼ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν καὶ τῆς πόλεως ὀρρωδοῦντας ἡσυχίαν πρὸς τούτους ἕξειν.
For they think that you will no longer pay attention to their own misdeeds, but that, dreading for yourselves and the city, you will remain quiet toward them.
§8Θρασύβουλος μὲν οὖν ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, (οὐδὲν γὰρ δεῖ περὶ αὐτοῦ πλείω λέγειν) καλῶς ἐποίησεν οὕτως τελευτήσας τὸν βίον·
Now as for Thrasybulus, men of Athens (for there is no need to say more about him), it was well for him to end his life in this way.
οὐ γὰρ ἔδει αὐτὸν οὔτε ζῆν τοιούτοις ἔργοις ἐπιβουλεύοντα, οὔθʼ ὑφʼ ὑμῶν ἀποθανεῖν ἤδη τι δοκοῦντα ὑμᾶς ἀγαθὸν πεποιηκέναι, ἀλλὰ τοιούτῳ τρόπῳ τῆς πόλεως ἀπαλλαγῆναι.
For he ought neither to have lived while plotting such deeds, nor to have died at your hands when he was still thought to have done you some good, but to have departed from the city in such a manner.
§9ὁρῶ δʼ αὐτοὺς διὰ τὴν πρῴην ἐκκλησίαν οὐκέτι φειδομένους τῶν χρημάτων, ἀλλʼ ὠνουμένους τὰς αὑτῶν ψυχὰς καὶ παρὰ τῶν λεγόντων καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν καὶ παρὰ τῶν πρυτάνεων, καὶ πολλοὺς Ἀθηναίων ἀργυρίῳ διαφθείροντας.
But I see that because of the recent assembly they are no longer sparing their money, but are buying their own lives from the speakers, from their enemies, and from the prytaneis, and are corrupting many of the Athenians with money.
ὑπὲρ ὧν ὑμῖν ἄξιόν ἀπολογήσασθαι παρὰ τούτου νῦν δίκην λαβοῦσι, καὶ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ἐπιδεῖξαι ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι τοσαῦτα χρήματα, ὧν ὑμεῖς ἡττήσεσθε ὥστε μὴ τιμωρεῖσθαι τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας.
On whose account it is worthy for you to defend yourselves by now exacting punishment from this man, and to demonstrate to all mankind that there is no sum of money so great as to overcome you so that you fail to punish the wrongdoers.