§24τὸ δὴ λοιπὸν οὐκ εἰδότα σε δοξάζειν.
The remaining possibility, then, is that you are guessing without knowing.
εἶτ᾿, ὦ πάντων ἀνθρώπων τολμηρότατε, δόξῃ πιστεύσας, ἀπιστοτάτῳ πράγματι, τὴν ἀλήθειαν οὐκ εἰδώς, τολμᾷς ἄνδρα περὶ θανάτου διώκειν;
Then, O most audacious of all men, trusting in a guess, the most untrustworthy of things, without knowing the truth, do you dare to prosecute a man on a capital charge?
ᾧ τί τοιοῦτον ἔργον εἰργασμένῳ σύνοισθα;
What such deed are you conscious of his having committed?
ἀλλὰ μὴν τό γε δοξάσαι κοινὸν ἅπασι περὶ πάντων, καὶ οὐδὲν ἐν τούτῳ σὺ τῶν ἄλλων σοφώτερος.
Indeed, guessing is common to all about all things, and in this you are not at all wiser than the others.
ἀλλ᾿ οὔτε τοῖς δοξάζουσι δεῖ πιστεύειν ἀλλὰ τοῖς εἰδόσιν, οὔτε τὴν δόξαν τῆς ἀληθείας πιστοτέραν νομίζειν ἀλλὰ τἀναντία τὴν ἀλήθειαν τῆς δόξης.
But one must trust not those who guess but those who know, and not consider a guess more trustworthy than the truth, but on the contrary, the truth more trustworthy than a guess.
§25Κατηγόρησας δέ μου διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων λόγων δύο τἀναντιώτατα, σοφίαν καὶ μανίαν, ὥπερ οὐχ οἷόν τε τὸν αὐτὸν ἄνθρωπον ἔχειν.
And you have accused me, through the words you have spoken, of two most contradictory things: wisdom and madness, which it is impossible for the same man to possess.
ὅπου μὲν γάρ με φὴς εἶναι τεχνήεντά τε καὶ δεινὸν καὶ πόριμον, σοφίαν μου κατηγορεῖς, ὅπου δὲ λέγεις ὡς προὐδίδουν τὴν Ἑλλάδα, μανίαν·
For where you say that I am artful, clever, and resourceful, you accuse me of wisdom; but where you say that I betrayed Greece, you accuse me of madness.
μανία γάρ ἐστιν ἔργοις ἐπιχειρεῖν ἀδυνάτοις, ἀσυμφόροις, αἰσχροῖς, ἀφ᾿ ὧν τις τοὺς μὲν φίλους βλάψει, τοὺς δ᾿ ἐχθροὺς ὠφελήσει, τὸν δ᾿ αὑτοῦ βίον ἐπονείδιστον καὶ σφαλερὸν καταστήσει.
For madness is to attempt deeds that are impossible, unprofitable, and shameful, through which one will harm his friends, benefit his enemies, and make his own life disgraceful and perilous.
καίτοι πῶς χρὴ ἀνδρὶ τοιούτῳ πιστεύειν, ὅστις τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον λέγων πρὸς τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἄνδρας περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν τἀναντιώτατα λέγει;
And yet how is it proper to trust such a man, who, speaking the same speech to the same men about the same things, says the most contradictory things?
§26Βουλοίμην δ᾿ ἂν παρὰ σοῦ πυθέσθαι, πότερα τοὺς σοφοὺς ἄνδρας νομίζεις ἀνοήτους ἢ φρονίμους.
But I would wish to learn from you, whether you consider wise men to be foolish or sensible.
εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἀνοήτους, καινὸς ὁ λόγος, ἀλλ᾿ οὐκ ἀληθής· εἰ δὲ φρονίμους, οὐ δήπου προσήκει τούς γε φρονοῦντας ἐξαμαρτάνειν τὰς μεγίστας ἁμαρτίας καὶ μᾶλλον αἱρεῖσθαι κακὰ πρὸ τῶν ἀγαθῶν.
For if foolish, your argument is novel, but not true; but if sensible, surely it does not belong to sensible men to commit the greatest errors and to choose bad things rather than good.
εἰ μὲν οὖν εἰμὶ σοφός, οὐχ ἥμαρτον· εἰ δ᾿ ἥμαρτον, οὐ σοφός εἰμι.
If, therefore, I am wise, I did not err; but if I erred, I am not wise.
ὥστε δι᾿ ἀμφότερ᾿ ἂν εἴης ψευδής.
Thus, on both counts, you would be a liar.
§27Ἀντικατηγορῆσαι δέ σου πολλὰ καὶ μεγάλα καὶ παλαιὰ καὶ νέα προσόντα δυνάμενος οὐ βούλομαι· βούλομαι γὰρ οὐ τοῖς σοῖς κακοῖς ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἐμοῖς ἀγαθοῖς ἀποφεύγειν τὴν αἰτίαν ταύτην.
And though I am able to counter-accuse you of many, great, old, and new evils that belong to you, I do not wish to; for I wish to escape this charge not by your evils but by my own good deeds.
πρὸς μὲν οὖν σὲ ταῦτα.
Concerning you, then, let this suffice.
§28Πρὸς δ᾿ ὑμᾶς ὦ ἄνδρες κριταὶ περὶ ἐμαυτοῦ βούλομαι λόγον εἰπεῖν ἐπίφθονον μὲν ἀληθῆ δέ, μὴ κατηγορημένου μὲν οὐκ ἀνεκτόν, κατηγορουμένῳ δὲ προσήκοντα.
But to you, O judges, I wish to speak about myself a speech that is enviable but true, which would be intolerable for one who is not accused, but is fitting for one who is accused.
νῦν γὰρ ἐν ὑμῖν εὐθύνας καὶ λόγον ὑπέχω τοῦ παροιχομένου βίου.
For now, among you, I am undergoing an examination and accounting of my past life.
δέομαι οὖν ὑμῶν, ἂν ὑμᾶς ὑπομνήσω τῶν ἐμοί τι πεπραγμένων καλῶν, μηδένα φθονῆσαι τοῖς λεγομένοις, ἀλλ᾿ ἀναγκαῖον ἡγήσασθαι κατηγορημένον δεινὰ καὶ ψευδῆ καί τι τῶν ἀληθῶν ἀγαθῶν εἰπεῖν ἐν εἰδόσιν ὑμῖν· ὅπερ ἥδιστόν μοι.
I beg you, therefore, if I remind you of some noble deeds performed by me, let no one envy what is said, but consider it necessary for one who is accused of terrible and false things to say also some of the true goods among you who know them; which is most pleasant to me.
§29πρῶτον μὲν οὖν καὶ δεύτερον καὶ μέγιστον, διὰ παντὸς ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς εἰς τέλος ἀναμάρτητος ὁ παροιχόμενος βίος ἐστί μοι, καθαρὸς πάσης αἰτίας· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἂν οὐδεμίαν αἰτίαν κακότητος ἀληθῆ πρὸς ὑμᾶς περὶ ἐμοῦ εἰπεῖν ἔχοι.
First, then, and second, and greatest: throughout, from beginning to end, my past life is errorless, pure from all accusation; for no one could speak any true accusation of wickedness about me to you.
καὶ γὰρ οὐδ᾿ αὐτὸς ὁ κατήγορος οὐδεμίαν ἀπόδειξιν εἴρηκεν ὧν εἴρηκεν· οὕτω λοιδορίαν οὐκ ἔχουσαν ἔλεγχον ὁ λόγος αὐτῷ δύναται.
For indeed, the accuser himself has spoken no proof of what he has said; thus his speech has the power of an insult that lacks proof.
§30φήσαιμι δ᾿ ἄν, καὶ φήσας οὐκ ἂν ψευσαίμην οὐδ᾿ ἂν ἐλεγχθείην, οὐ μόνον ἀναμάρτητος ἀλλὰ καὶ μέγας εὐεργέτης ὑμῶν καὶ τῶν Ἑλλήνων καὶ τῶν ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων, οὐ μόνον τῶν νῦν ὄντων ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν μελλόντων, εἶναι.
And I would assert, and asserting I would not lie nor be refuted, that I am not only errorless but also a great benefactor to you, to the Greeks, and to all men, not only those who exist now but also those of the future.
τίς γὰρ ἄλλος ἐποίησε τὸν ἀνθρώπινον βίον πόριμον ἐξ ἀπόρου καὶ κεκοσμημένον ἐξ ἀκόσμου, τάξεις τε πολεμικὰς εὑρών, μέγιστον εἰς πλεονεκτήματα, νόμους τε γραπτούς, φύλακας τοῦ δικαίου, γράμματά τε, μνήμης ὄργανον, μέτρα τε καὶ σταθμά, συναλλαγῶν εὐπόρους διαλλαγάς, ἀριθμόν τε, χρημάτων φύλακα, πυρσούς τε, κρατίστους καὶ ταχίστους ἀγγέλους, πεσσούς τε, σχολῆς ἄλυπον διατριβήν;
For who else made human life resourceful instead of resourceless, and ordered instead of disordered, by inventing military ranks, the greatest aid for advantages, written laws, guardians of justice, letters, the instrument of memory, measures and weights, easy settlements of transactions, number, the guardian of property, beacons, the best and fastest messengers, and board games, a painless pastime for leisure?
τίνος οὖν ἕνεκα ταῦθ᾿ ὑμᾶς ὑπέμνησα;
For what reason, then, did I remind you of these things?