§1ὅτε ἐνομίζομεν, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, τὰς γεγενημένας συμφορὰς ἱκανὰ μνημεῖα τῇ πόλει καταλελεῖφθαι, ὥστε μηδʼ ἂν τοὺς ἐπιγιγνομένους ἑτέρας πολιτείας ἐπιθυμεῖν, τότε δὴ οὗτοι τοὺς κακῶς πεπονθότας καὶ ἀμφοτέρων πεπειραμένους ἐξαπατῆσαι ζητοῦσι τοῖς αὐτοῖς ψηφίσμασιν, οἷσπερ καὶ πρότερον δὶς ἤδη.
At the very time, men of Athens, when we thought that the past disasters had been left to the city as sufficient memorials, so that not even future generations would desire a different constitution, these men seek to deceive those who have suffered cruelly and have experience of both systems, using the same decrees as they did twice already before.
§2καὶ τούτων μὲν οὐ θαυμάζω, ὑμῶν δὲ τῶν ἀκροωμένων, ὅτι πάντων ἐστὲ ἐπιλησμονέστατοι ἢ πάσχειν ἑτοιμότατοι κακῶς ὑπὸ τοιούτων ἀνδρῶν, οἳ τῇ μὲν τύχῃ τῶν Πειραιοῖ πραγμάτων μετέσχον, τῇ δὲ γνώμῃ τῶν ἐξ ἄστεως.
And indeed, I do not wonder at them, but at you who are listening, because you are of all men the most forgetful or the most ready to suffer ill treatment at the hands of such men, who shared by fortune in the affairs of Peiraeus, but in sentiment with those of the city.
καίτοι τί ἔδει φεύγοντας κατελθεῖν, εἰ χειροτονοῦντες ὑμᾶς αὐτοὺς καταδουλώσεσθε;
And yet, what need was there for you to return from exile, if by your own votes you are going to enslave yourselves?
§3ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, οὔτε οὐσίᾳ οὔτε γένει ἀπελαυνόμενος, ἀλλʼ ἀμφότερα τῶν ἀντιλεγόντων πρότερος ὤν, ἡγοῦμαι ταύτην μόνην σωτηρίαν εἶναι τῇ πόλει, ἅπασιν Ἀθηναίοις τῆς πολιτείας μετεῖναι, ἐπεὶ καὶ ὅτε τὰ τείχη καὶ τὰς ναῦς καὶ χρήματα καὶ συμμάχους ἐκτησάμεθα, οὐχ ὅπως τινὰ Ἀθηναῖον ἀπώσομεν διενοούμεθα, ἀλλὰ καὶ Εὐβοεῦσιν ἐπιγαμίαν ἐποιούμεθα· νῦν δὲ καὶ τοὺς ὑπάρχοντας πολίτας ἀπελῶμεν;
I, therefore, men of Athens, though excluded neither by wealth nor by birth, but being superior in both to my opponents, believe that this is the only safety for the city: for all Athenians to share in the constitution. For even when we acquired our walls, our ships, our money, and our allies, we did not think of shutting out any Athenian, but even granted rights of intermarriage to the Euboeans; and shall we now drive out even our existing citizens?
§4οὔκ, ἐὰν ἔμοιγε πείθησθε, οὐδὲ μετὰ τῶν τειχῶν καὶ ταῦτα ἡμῶν αὐτῶν περιαιρησόμεθα, ὁπλίτας πολλοὺς καὶ ἱππέας καὶ τοξότας, ὧν ὑμεῖς ἀντεχόμενοι βεβαίως δημοκρατήσεσθε, τῶν δὲ ἐχθρῶν πλέον ἐπικρατήσετε, ὠφελιμώτεροι δὲ τοῖς συμμάχοις ἔσεσθε·
No, if you will be persuaded by me; nor shall we, along with our walls, strip ourselves of these very resources: many hoplites, cavalry, and archers, by holding onto which you will securely maintain your democracy, prevail more over your enemies, and be more useful to your allies.
ἐπίστασθε γὰρ ἐν ταῖς ἐφʼ ἡμῶν ὀλιγαρχίαις γεγενημέναις οὐ τοὺς γῆν κεκτημένους ἔχοντας τὴν πόλιν, ἀλλὰ πολλοὺς μὲν αὐτῶν ἀποθανόντας, πολλοὺς δʼ ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἐκπεσόντας, §5οὓς ὁ δῆμος καταγαγὼν ὑμῖν μὲν τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀπέδωκεν, αὐτὸς δὲ ταύτης οὐκ ἐτόλμησε μετασχεῖν.
For you know that under the oligarchies established in our time, it was not the landowners who held the city, but many of them were put to death, and many were cast out of the city, whom the democracy brought back and restored to you your own property, but did not dare to share in it itself.
ὥστʼ, ἐὰν ἔμοιγε πείθησθε, οὐ τοὺς εὐεργέτας, καθὸ δύνασθε, τῆς πατρίδος ἀποστερήσετε, οὐδὲ τοὺς λόγους πιστοτέρους τῶν ἔργων οὐδὲ τὰ μέλλοντα τῶν γεγενημένων νομιεῖτε, ἄλλως τε καὶ μεμνημένοι τῶν περὶ τῆς ὀλιγαρχίας μαχομένων, οἳ τῷ μὲν λόγῳ τῷ δήμῳ πολεμοῦσι, τῷ δὲ ἔργῳ τῶν ὑμετέρων ἐπιθυμοῦσιν· ἅπερ κτήσονται, ὅταν ὑμᾶς ἐρήμους συμμάχων λάβωσιν.
So, if you are persuaded by me, you will not, to the best of your power, deprive your benefactors of their country, nor will you deem words more trustworthy than deeds, nor future prospects more certain than past events—especially when you remember those who fight for the oligarchy, who in word make war on the democracy, but in deed desire your property; which they will acquire when they catch you destitute of allies.
§6εἶτα τοιούτων ἡμῖν ὑπαρχόντων ἐρωτῶσι τίς ἔσται σωτηρία τῇ πόλει, εἰ μὴ ποιήσομεν ἃ Λακεδαιμόνιοι κελεύουσιν;
Then, with such advantages on our side, they ask what safety there will be for the city if we do not do what the Lacedaemonians command.
ἐγὼ δὲ τούτους εἰπεῖν ἀξιῶ, τίς τῷ πλήθει περιγενήσεται, εἰ ποιήσομεν ἃ ἐκεῖνοι προστάττουσιν;
But I demand that these men tell us what will be left to the majority if we do what they prescribe.
εἰ δὲ μή, πολὺ κάλλιον μαχομένοις ἀποθνῄσκειν ἢ φανερῶς ἡμῶν αὐτῶν θάνατον καταψηφίσασθαι.
Otherwise, it is far more honorable to die fighting than to openly vote for our own death.
§7ἡγοῦμαι γάρ, ἐὰν μὲν πείσω, ἀμφοτέροις κοινὸν εἶναι τὸν κίνδυνον ὁρῶ δὲ καὶ Ἀργείους καὶ Μαντινέας τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχοντας γνώμην τὴν αὑτῶν οἰκοῦντας, τοὺς μὲν ὁμόρους ὄντας Λακεδαιμονίοις, τοὺς δʼ ἐγγὺς οἰκοῦντας, καὶ τοὺς μὲν οὐδὲν ἡμῶν πλείους, τοὺς δὲ οὐδὲ τρισχιλίους ὄντας.
For I believe that if I persuade you, the danger will be common to both parties; and I see that both the Argives and the Mantineans, holding the same opinion, inhabit their own land, the former being neighbors to the Lacedaemonians, the latter living near them, the former being no more numerous than we, and the latter not even numbering three thousand.
§8ἴσασι γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι ὅτι, κἂν πολλάκις εἰς τὴν τούτων ἐμβάλλωσι, πολλάκις αὐτοῖς ἀπαντήσονται ὅπλα λαβόντες, ὥστε οὐ καλὸς αὐτοῖς ὁ κίνδυνος δοκεῖ εἶναι, ἐὰν μὲν νικήσωσι, τούτους μὴ καταδουλώσασθαί γε, ἐὰν δὲ ἡττηθῶσι, σφᾶς αὐτοὺς τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ἀγαθῶν ἀποστερῆσαι.
For they know that even if they invade their territory many times, they will meet them many times in arms, so that the danger does not seem honorable to them, since if they win, they cannot enslave them, whereas if they are defeated, they deprive themselves of their existing goods.
ὅσῳ δʼ ἂν ἄμεινον πράττωσι, τοσούτῳ ἧττον ἐπιθυμοῦσι κινδυνεύειν.
The better they fare, the less they desire to run risks.
§9εἴχομεν δέ, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, καὶ ἡμεῖς ταύτην τὴν γνώμην, ὅτε τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἤρχομεν, καὶ ἐδοκοῦμεν καλῶς βουλεύεσθαι περιορῶντες μὲν τὴν χώραν τεμνομένην, οὐ νομίζοντες δὲ χρῆναι περὶ αὐτῆς διαμάχεσθαι· ἄξιον γὰρ ἦν ὀλίγων ἀμελοῦντας πολλῶν ἀγαθῶν φείσασθαι.
And we too, men of Athens, held this opinion when we ruled the Greeks, and we seemed to deliberate well in allowing our land to be ravaged, not thinking we ought to fight to the death for it; for it was worthwhile to disregard a few things to save many goods.
νῦν δέ, ἐπεὶ ἐκείνων μὲν ἁπάντων μάχῃ ἐστερήμεθα, ἡ δὲ πατρὶς ἡμῖν λέλειπται, ἴσμεν ὅτι ὁ κίνδυνος οὗτος μόνος ἔχει τὰς ἐλπίδας τῆς σωτηρίας.
But now, since we have been deprived of all those things by battle, and only our homeland is left to us, we know that this danger alone holds the hopes of our safety.
§10ἀλλὰ γὰρ χρὴ ἀναμνησθέντας ὅτι ἤδη καὶ ἑτέροις ἀδικουμένοις βοηθήσαντες ἐν τῇ ἀλλοτρίᾳ πολλὰ τρόπαια τῶν πολεμίων ἐστήσαμεν, ἄνδρας ἀγαθοὺς περὶ τῆς πατρίδος καὶ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν γίγνεσθαι, πιστεύοντας μὲν τοῖς θεοῖς, ἐλπίζοντας δὲ ἔτι τὸ δίκαιον μετὰ τῶν ἀδικουμένων ἔσεσθαι.
But indeed we must remember that, having already aided others who were wronged, we set up many trophies over our enemies in foreign lands, and we must show ourselves brave men for our country and ourselves, trusting in the gods and hoping that justice will still be on the side of the wronged.
§11δεινὸν γὰρ ἂν εἴη, ὦ Ἀθηναῖοι, εἰ, ὅτε μὲν ἐφεύγομεν, ἐμαχόμεθα Λακεδαιμονίοις, ἵνα κατέλθωμεν, κατελθόντες δὲ φευξόμεθα, ἵνα μὴ μαχώμεθα.
For it would be shocking, men of Athens, if, when we were in exile, we fought against the Lacedaemonians in order to return, but having returned, we shall go into exile in order not to fight.
οὐκ οὖν αἰσχρὸν εἰ εἰς τοῦτο κακίας ἥξομεν, ὥστε οἱ μὲν πρόγονοι καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν ἄλλων ἐλευθερίας διεκινδύνευον, ὑμεῖς δὲ οὐδὲ ὑπὲρ τῆς ὑμετέρας αὐτῶν τολμᾶτε πολεμεῖν;
Is it not then shameful if we sink to such a depth of cowardice that, while our ancestors risked their lives even for the freedom of others, you do not dare to fight even for your own?