§26διὰ τί δʼ ἄν τις ἀποψηφίσαιτο τούτου;
And why should anyone acquit this man?
πότερον ὡς ἀνδρὸς ἀγαθοῦ πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους καὶ πολλαῖς μάχαις καὶ ναυμαχίαις παραγεγενημένου;
Is it because he was a brave man against the enemy and was present in many land and sea battles?
ἀλλὰ ὅτε ὑμεῖς ἐκινδυνεύετε ἐκπλέοντες, οὗτος αὐτοῦ μένων τοὺς Σόλωνος νόμους ἐλυμαίνετο.
But when you were risking yourselves by sailing out, he remained here and ruined the laws of Solon.
ἀλλʼ ὅτι χρήματα δεδαπάνηκε καὶ πολλὰς εἰσφορὰς εἰσενήνοχεν;
Or is it because he has spent his money and paid many war-taxes?
ἀλλʼ οὐχ ὅπως ὑμῖν τῶν αὑτοῦ τι ἐπέδωκεν, ἀλλὰ τῶν ὑμετέρων πολλὰ ὑφῄρηται.
Far from giving you any of his own property, he has stolen much of yours.
ἀλλὰ διὰ τοὺς προγόνους;
Or is it on account of his ancestors?
§27ἤδη γάρ τινες καὶ διὰ τοῦτο συγγνώμης ἔτυχον παρʼ ὑμῶν.
For some have already obtained pardon from you on this account.
ἀλλὰ τούτῳ γε προσήκει διὰ μὲν αὑτὸν τεθνάναι, διὰ δὲ τοὺς προγόνους πεπρᾶσθαι.
But while it is proper for this man to be put to death because of himself, it is proper for him to be sold as a slave because of his ancestors.
ἀλλʼ ὡς, ἐὰν νῦν αὐτοῦ φείσησθε, αὖθις ἀποδώσει τὰς χάριτας;
Or is it because, if you spare him now, he will show his gratitude in the future?
ὃς οὐδʼ ὧν πρότερον μετέλαβε παρʼ ὑμῶν ἀγαθῶν μέμνηται.
He who does not even remember any of the benefits he previously received from you.
καίτοι ἀντὶ μὲν δούλου πολίτης γεγένηται, ἀντὶ δὲ πτωχοῦ πλούσιος, ἀντὶ δὲ ὑπογραμματέως νομοθέτης.
And yet, instead of a slave he has become a citizen, instead of a pauper, rich, and instead of an under-clerk, a lawgiver.
§28ἃ καὶ ὑμῶν ἔχοι ἄν τις κατηγορῆσαι, ὅτι οἱ μὲν πρόγονοι νομοθέτας ᾑροῦντο Σόλωνα καὶ Θεμιστοκλέα καὶ Περικλέα, ἡγούμενοι τοιούτους ἔσεσθαι τοὺς νόμους οἷοίπερ ἂν ὦσιν οἱ τιθέντες, ὑμεῖς δὲ Τεισαμενὸν τὸν Μηχανίωνος καὶ Νικόμαχον καὶ ἑτέρους ἀνθρώπους ὑπογραμματέας· καὶ τὰς μὲν ἀρχὰς ὑπὸ τῶν τοιούτων ἡγεῖσθε διαφθείρεσθαι, αὐτοῖς δὲ τούτοις πιστεύετε.
This is something for which someone might even accuse you: namely, that your ancestors chose Solon, Themistocles, and Pericles as lawgivers, believing that the laws would be of the same character as those who established them; whereas you chose Teisamenus, the son of Mechanion, and Nicomachus, and other men who were under-clerks; and while you believe that public offices are corrupted by such people, you nevertheless trust these very men.
§29ὃ δὲ πάντων δεινότατον· ὑπογραμματεῦσαι μὲν οὐκ ἔξεστι δὶς τὸν αὐτὸν τῇ ἀρχῇ τῇ αὐτῇ, περὶ δὲ τῶν μεγίστων τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἐᾶτε πολὺν χρόνον κυρίους εἶναι.
And what is most shocking of all: while it is not permitted for the same man to serve as under-clerk twice in the same office, you allow the same men to have control over the most important matters for a long time.
καὶ τὸ τελευταῖον Νικόμαχον εἵλεσθε ἀναγράφειν τὰ πάτρια, ᾧ κατὰ πατέρα τῆς πόλεως οὐ προσήκει·
And finally, you chose Nicomachus to transcribe the ancestral rites, a man who, on his father's side, has no claim on the city.
§30καὶ ὃν ἔδει ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου κρίνεσθαι, οὗτος τὸν δῆμον συγκαταλύσας φαίνεται.
And the man who ought to have been judged by the people is shown to have assisted in destroying the democracy.
νῦν τοίνυν ὑμῖν μεταμελησάτω τῶν πεπραγμένων, καὶ μὴ ὑπὸ τούτων ἀεὶ κακῶς πάσχοντες ἀνέχεσθε, μηδὲ ἰδίᾳ μὲν ὀνειδίζετε τοῖς ἀδικοῦσιν, ἐπειδὰν δʼ ἐξῇ δίκην παρʼ αὐτῶν λαμβάνειν, ἀποψηφίζεσθε.
Now, therefore, let you repent of your past actions, and do not continually submit to being ill-treated by these men, nor reproach wrongdoers in private while acquitting them when it is in your power to punish them.
§31καὶ περὶ μὲν τούτων ἱκανά μοι τὰ εἰρημένα· περὶ δὲ τῶν ἐξαιτησομένων βραχέα πρὸς ὑμᾶς εἰπεῖν βούλομαι.
On these matters, then, enough has been said; but concerning those who will beg him off, I wish to speak briefly to you.
παρεσκευασμένοι γάρ τινές εἰσι καὶ τῶν φίλων καὶ τῶν τὰ τῆς πόλεως πραττόντων δεῖσθαι ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ·
For some, both of his friends and of those who manage the city's affairs, have made preparations to entreat you on his behalf.
ὧν ἐγὼ ἡγοῦμαι ἐνίοις προσήκειν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἑαυτοῖς πεπραγμένων ἀπολογεῖσθαι πολὺ μᾶλλον ἢ τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας σώζειν προαιρεῖσθαι.
I believe that for some of them, it is far more fitting to defend their own actions than to choose to save wrongdoers.
§32δεινὸν δέ μοι δοκεῖ εἶναι, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, εἰ τούτου μὲν ἑνὸς ὄντος καὶ οὐδὲν ὑπὸ τῆς πόλεως ἠδικημένου οὐκ ἐπεχείρησαν δεῖσθαι ὡς χρὴ παύσασθαι εἰς ὑμᾶς ἐξαμαρτάνοντα, ὑμᾶς δὲ τοσούτους ὄντας καὶ ἠδικημένους ὑπὸ τούτου πείθειν ζητήσουσιν ὡς οὐ χρὴ δίκην παρʼ αὐτοῦ λαμβάνειν.
And it seems to me shocking, gentlemen of the jury, if, when this man is only one and has suffered no wrong from the city, they did not attempt to entreat him that he ought to cease sinning against you, but they will seek to persuade you, who are so many and have been wronged by him, that you ought not to exact punishment from him.
§33χρὴ τοίνυν, ὥσπερ δὴ τούτους ὁρᾶτε προθύμως σῴζοντας τοὺς φίλους, οὕτως καὶ ὑμᾶς τοὺς ἐχθροὺς τιμωρεῖσθαι, εὖ εἰδότας ὅτι τούτοις πρώτοις ἄνδρες ἀμείνους δόξετε εἶναι, ἐὰν παρὰ τῶν ἀδικούντων δίκην λαμβάνητε.
Therefore, just as you see these men eagerly saving their friends, so you too must punish your enemies, knowing well that you will seem to be better men, first of all to these very people, if you exact punishment from the wrongdoers.
ἐνθυμεῖσθε δὲ ὅτι οὐδὲ τῶν αἰτησομένων οὐδεὶς τοσαῦτα ἀγαθὰ πεποίηκε τὴν πόλιν, ὅσα οὗτος ἠδίκηκεν, ὥστε πολὺ μᾶλλον ὑμῖν προσήκει τιμωρεῖσθαι ἢ τούτοις βοηθεῖν.
And bear in mind that none even of those who will entreat you has done as many services to the city as this man has done wrongs, so that it is far more fitting for you to punish him than to help them.
§34εὖ δʼ εἰδέναι χρὴ τοὺς αὐτοὺς τούτους, ὅτι πολλὰ δεηθέντες τῶν κατηγόρων ἡμᾶς μὲν οὐδαμῶς ἔπεισαν, τὴν δὲ ὑμετέραν ψῆφον καταπειράσοντες εἰσεληλύθασιν εἰς τὸ δικαστήριον, καὶ ἐλπίζουσιν ὑμᾶς ἐξαπατήσαντες ἄδειαν εἰς τὸν λοιπὸν χρόνον λήψεσθαι τοῦ ποιεῖν ὅ τι ἂν βούλωνται.
And these very men must know well that, although they made many entreaties to the accusers, they did not persuade us at all, and they have entered the court to make trial of your vote, hoping that by deceiving you they will obtain impunity for the future to do whatever they wish.
§35ἡμεῖς μὲν τοίνυν οὐκ ἠθελήσαμεν ὑπὸ τούτων ἀξιούμενοι πεισθῆναι, τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ τοῦτο παρακαλοῦμεν ὑμᾶς μὴ πρὸ τῆς κρίσεως μισοπονηρεῖν, ἀλλʼ ἐν τῇ κρίσει τιμωρεῖσθαι τοὺς τὴν ὑμετέραν νομοθεσίαν ἀφανίζοντας· οὕτως γὰρ ἐννόμως διοικηθήσεται τὰ κατὰ τὴν πολιτείαν πάντα.
We, then, refused to be persuaded when urged by these men, and we call upon you to do this very same thing: not to hate wickedness before the trial, but to punish during the trial those who efface your legislation; for in this way all the affairs of the state will be administered in accordance with the law.