§17Καὶ μὴν οὐδ᾿ ἀσφαλείας οὕνεκά τις ἂν ταῦτα πράξαι.
And indeed, not even for the sake of safety would anyone do these things.
πᾶσι γὰρ ὅ γε προδότης πολέμιος, τῷ νόμῳ, τῇ δίκῃ, τοῖς θεοῖς, τῷ πλήθει τῶν ἀνθρώπων.
For the traitor is an enemy to all: to the law, to justice, to the gods, and to the multitude of men.
τὸν μέν γε νόμον παραβαίνει, τὴν δὲ δίκην καταλύει, τὸ δὲ θεῖον ἀτιμάζει, τὸ δὲ πλῆθος διαφθείρει.
For he transgresses the law, destroys justice, dishonors the divine, and corrupts the multitude.
τῷ δὲ τοιούτῳ βίῳ περὶ κινδύνων τῶν μεγίστων οὐδ᾿ ἔχει ἀσφάλειαν.
And for such a life, surrounded by the greatest dangers, he has no safety.
§18Ἀλλὰ δὴ φίλους ὠφελεῖν βουλόμενος ἢ πολεμίους βλάπτειν;
But was it because I wished to benefit friends or to harm enemies?
καὶ γὰρ τούτων ἕνεκά τις ἂν ἀδικήσειεν.
For indeed, for the sake of these things, someone might commit injustice.
ἐμοὶ δὲ πᾶν τοὐναντίον ἐγίγνετο· τοὺς μὲν φίλους κακῶς ἐποίουν, τοὺς δ᾿ ἐχθροὺς ὠφέλουν.
But in my case, the complete opposite would have happened: I would have been harming my friends and benefiting my enemies.
ἀγαθῶν μὲν οὖν κτῆσιν οὐδεμίαν εἶχεν ἡ πρᾶξις· κακῶς δὲ παθεῖν οὐδὲ εἷς ἐπιθυμῶν πανουργεῖ.
Therefore, the action possessed no acquisition of good things; and no one commits villainy desiring to suffer harm.
§19Τὸ δὲ λοιπόν ἐστιν, ἤ τινα φόβον ἢ πόνον ἢ κίνδυνον φεύγοντα πρᾶξαι ταῦτα· τούτων δ᾿ οὐδεὶς ἂν εἰπεῖν ἔχοι τί μοι προσῆκεν.
The remaining possibility is that I did these things fleeing some fear or toil or danger; but of these, no one could say which was applicable to me.
δισσῶν γὰρ τούτων ἕνεκα πάντες πάντα πράττουσιν, ἢ κέρδος τι μετιόντες ἢ ζημίαν φεύγοντες· ὅσα δὲ τούτων ἔξω πανουργεῖται. . . . . ὅσα δὲ κακῶς ἐμαυτὸν ἐποίουν ταῦτα πράττων, οὐκ ἄδηλον·
For all people do all things for the sake of these two: either pursuing some gain or fleeing damage; and whatever villainy is committed outside of these... but how much I would harm myself by doing these things is not unclear.
προδιδοὺς γὰρ τὴν Ἑλλάδα προὐδίδουν ἐμαυτόν, τοκέας, φίλους, ἀξίωμα προγόνων, ἱερὰ πατρῷα, τάφους, πατρίδα τὴν μεγίστην τῆς Ἑλλάδος.
For by betraying Greece, I would be betraying myself, my parents, my friends, the dignity of my ancestors, the ancestral temples, the tombs, and my fatherland, the greatest of Greece.
ἃ δὲ πᾶσι περὶ παντός ἐστι, ταῦτ᾿ ἂν τοῖς ἀδικηθεῖσιν ἐνεχείρισα.
And these things, which are valued above all by all, I would have delivered into the hands of those who had been wronged.
§20Σκέψασθε δὲ καὶ τόδε. πῶς οὐκ ἂν ἀβίωτος ἦν ὁ βίος μοι πράξαντι ταῦτα;
Consider this too: how would life not have been unlivable for me having done these things?
ποῖ γὰρ τραπέσθαι με χρῆν;
For where should I have turned?
πότερον εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα;
Was it to Greece?
δίκην δώσοντα τοῖς ἠδικημένοις;
To pay the penalty to those who had been wronged?
τίς δ᾿ ἂν ἀπείχετό μου τῶν κακῶς πεπονθότων;
And who of those who had suffered harm would have kept his hands off me?
ἀλλὰ μένειν ἐν τοῖς βαρβάροις;
But to remain among the barbarians?
παραμελήσαντα πάντων τῶν μεγίστων, ἐστερημένον τῆς καλλίστης τιμῆς, ἐν αἰσχίστῃ δυσκλείᾳ διάγοντα, τοὺς ἐν τῷ παροιχομένῳ βίῳ πόνους ἐπ᾿ ἀρετῇ πεπονημένους ἀπορρίψαντα;
Neglecting all the greatest things, deprived of the finest honor, living in the most shameful disgrace, casting away the toils in my past life that were toiled for virtue?
καὶ ταῦτα δι᾿ ἐμαυτόν, ὅπερ αἴσχιστον ἀνδρί, δυστυχεῖν δι᾿ αὑτόν.
And that through myself—which is the most shameful thing for a man, to be unhappy through oneself.
§21οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ παρὰ τοῖς βαρβάροις πιστῶς ἂν διεκείμην·
Furthermore, I would not have been trusted even among the barbarians.
πῶς γάρ, οἵτινες ἀπιστότατον ἔργον συνηπίσταντό μοι πεποιηκότι, τοὺς φίλους τοῖς ἐχθροῖς παραδεδωκότι;
For how could I be, when they would be conscious of my having done the most untrustworthy deed, having delivered my friends to my enemies?
βίος δ᾿ οὐ βιωτὸς πίστεως ἐστερημένῳ.
And life is unlivable for one who has been deprived of trust.
χρήματα μὲν γὰρ ἀποβαλὼν ἢ τυραννίδος ἐκπεσὼν ἢ τὴν πατρίδα φυγὼν ἀναλάβοι τις ἄν· ὁ δὲ πίστιν ἀποβαλὼν οὐκ ἂν ἔτι κτήσαιτο.
For one who has lost wealth, fallen from tyranny, or fled his country might recover them; but one who has lost trust would no longer acquire it.
ὅτι μὲν οὖν οὔτ᾿ ἂν ἐδυνάμην οὔτ᾿ ἂν ἐβουλόμην προδοῦναι τὴν Ἑλλάδα, διὰ τῶν προειρημένων δέδεικται.
Therefore, that I would neither have been able nor have wished to betray Greece has been shown through what has been said before.
§22Βούλομαι δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα πρὸς τὸν κατήγορον διαλεχθῆναι.
After this, I wish to speak to the accuser.
τίνι ποτὲ πιστεύσας τοιοῦτος ὢν τοιούτου κατηγορεῖς;
Trusting in what on earth do you, being such a person, accuse such a person?
ἄξιον γὰρ καταμαθεῖν, οἷος ὢν οἷα λέγεις, ὡς ἀνάξιος ἀναξίῳ.
For it is worth understanding what kind of person you are, saying what kind of things, as an unworthy person to an unworthy person.
πότερα γάρ μου κατηγορεῖς εἰδὼς ἀκριβῶς ἢ δοξάζων;
For do you accuse me knowing accurately or guessing?
εἰ μὲν γὰρ εἰδώς, οἶσθ᾿ ἰδὼν ἢ μετέχων ἤ του μετέχοντος πυθόμενος.
For if knowing, you know having seen, or having taken part, or having learned from someone who took part.
εἰ μὲν οὖν ἰδών, φράσον τούτοις τὸν τρόπον, τὸν τόπον, τὸν χρόνον, πότε, ποῦ, πῶς εἶδες· εἰ δὲ μετέχων, ἔνοχος εἶ ταῖς αὐταῖς αἰτίαις· εἰ δέ του μετέχοντος ἀκούσας, ὅστις ἐστίν, αὐτὸς ἐλθέτω, φανήτω, μαρτυρησάτω.
If, on the one hand, having seen, tell these men the manner, the place, the time—when, where, how you saw; but if having taken part, you are liable to the same charges; and if having heard from someone who took part, whoever he is, let him come himself, let him appear, let him bear witness.
πιστότερον γὰρ οὕτως ἔσται τὸ κατηγόρημα μαρτυρηθέν· ἐπεὶ νῦν γ᾿ οὐδέτερος ἡμῶν παρέχεται μάρτυρα.
For thus the accusation will be more trustworthy, being witnessed; since now, at least, neither of us provides a witness.
§23φήσεις ἴσως ἴσον εἶναι τὸ σέ τε τῶν γενομένων, ὡς σὺ φής, μὴ παρέχεσθαι μάρτυρας, τῶν τε μὴ γενομένων ἐμέ.
Perhaps you will say that it is equal for you not to provide witnesses of what has happened, as you say, and for me of what has not happened.
τὸ δ᾿ οὐκ ἴσον ἐστί· τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἀγένητα πῶς οὐκ ἀδύνατα μαρτυρηθῆναι;
But it is not equal; for how is it not impossible for what has not happened to be witnessed?
περὶ δὲ τῶν γενομένων οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἀδύνατον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ῥᾴδιον, οὐδὲ μόνον ῥᾴδιον, ἀλλὰ. . . . .
But concerning what has happened, it is not only not impossible but even easy, and not only easy but...
σοὶ μὲν οὖν ἦν οἷόν τε μόνῳ μὴ μόνον μάρτυρας ἀλλὰ καὶ ψευδομάρτυρας εὑρεῖν, ἐμοὶ δ᾿ οὐδέτερον εὑρεῖν τούτων δυνατόν.
Therefore, while it was possible for you alone to find not only witnesses but even false witnesses, for me it is possible to find neither of these.
Ὅτι μὲν οὖν οὐκ οἶσθ᾿ ἃ κατηγορεῖς, φανερόν·
That you do not know what you accuse, therefore, is clear.