by Demosthenes
[9] But I shall get no answer. Yet you all know that, whether these speakers advise it or not, you are bound to help the Messenians, both for the sake of your sworn agreement with them and for the advantage that you derive from the preservation of their city. Just ask yourselves at what point you would begin to make your stand against Lacedaemonian injustice with more honor and generosity — with the defence of Megalopolis or with the defence of Messene?
[10] νῦν μέν γε βοηθεῖν δόξετ᾽ Ἀρκάσι, καὶ τὴν εἰρήνην σπουδάζειν εἶναι βεβαίαν, ὑπὲρ ἧς ἐκινδυνεύσατε καὶ παρετάξασθε: τότε δ᾽ εὔδηλοι πᾶσιν ἔσεσθε οὐ τοῦ δικαίου μᾶλλον εἵνεκα Μεσσήνην εἶναι βουλόμενοι ἢ τοῦ πρὸς Λακεδαιμονίους φόβου. δεῖ δὲ σκοπεῖν μὲν καὶ πράττειν ἀεὶ τὰ δίκαια, συμπαρατηρεῖν δ᾽ ὅπως ἅμα καὶ συμφέροντ᾽ ἔσται ταῦτα.
[10] In the one case, you will show yourselves ready to help the Arcadians and eager to confirm the peace for which you faced danger on the field of battle. In the other case, everyone will see clearly that you wish to preserve Messene less for the sake of justice than for fear of the Lacedaemonians. But the proper course is in all things to find out what is right and then do it, though at the same time we must take care that what we do is expedient as well.
[11] ἔστι τοίνυν τοιοῦτός τις λόγος παρὰ τῶν ἀντιλεγόντων, ὡς κομίσασθαι τὸν Ὠρωπὸν ἡμᾶς ἐγχειρεῖν δεῖ, εἰ δὲ τοὺς βοηθήσαντας ἂν ἡμῖν νῦν ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸν ἐχθροὺς κτησόμεθα, οὐχ ἕξομεν συμμάχους. ἐγὼ δὲ τὸ μὲν κομίσασθαι Ὠρωπὸν πειρᾶσθαι δεῖν φημι καὶ αὐτός: τὸ δ᾽ ἐχθροὺς ἡμῖν Λακεδαιμονίους ἔσεσθαι νῦν, ἐὰν ποιώμεθα συμμάχους Ἀρκάδων τοὺς βουλομένους ἡμῖν εἶναι φίλους, μόνοις οὐδ᾽ εἰπεῖν ἐξεῖναι νομίζω τοῖς πείσασιν ὑμᾶς, ὅτ᾽ ἐκινδύνευον Λακεδαιμόνιοι, βοηθεῖν.
[11] Now my opponents argue that the recovery of Oropus is something that we ought to attempt, but that if we make enemies of those who would have helped us to recover it, we shall have no allies. I too think that we ought to recover Oropus, but to say that the Lacedaemonians will be our enemies as soon as we make allies of those Arcadians who are willing to be our friends — I think the only men who have no right even to suggest that are the men who persuaded you to help the Lacedaemonians in their hour of danger.
[12] οὐ γὰρ ταῦτα λέγοντες ἔπεισαν ὑμᾶς, πάντων Πελοποννησίων ἐλθόντων ὡς ὑμᾶς καὶ μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν ἀξιούντων ἐπὶ τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους ἰέναι, τοὺς μὲν μὴ προσδέξασθαι （καὶ διὰ τοῦθ᾽, ὅπερ ἦν ὑπόλοιπον αὐτοῖς, ἐπὶ Θηβαίους ἦλθον）, ὑπὲρ δὲ τῆς Λακεδαιμονίων σωτηρίας καὶ χρήματ᾽ εἰσφέρειν καὶ τοῖς σώμασι κινδυνεύειν: οὐδ᾽ ἂν ὑμεῖς ἠθελήσατε δήπου σῴζειν αὐτούς, εἰ τοῦτο προὔλεγον ὑμῖν, ὅτι σωθέντες, ἐὰν μὴ ποιεῖν ὅ τι βούλονται πάλιν αὐτοὺς ἐᾶτε καὶ ἀδικεῖν, οὐδεμίαν ὑμῖν χάριν ἕξουσι τῆς σωτηρίας.
[12] For when all the Peloponnesians came to you and called on you to lead them against the Lacedaemonians, it was not by such arguments that these men persuaded you not to receive them — （and that was why they took the only remaining course of applying to the Thebans） — but to contribute funds and risk your lives for the safety of the Lacedaemonians. Yet you would surely never have consented to save them, if they had announced to you that when saved they would owe you no thanks for your help, unless you allowed them as before to commit whatever act of injustice they chose.
[13] καὶ μὴν εἰ σφόδρ᾽ ἐναντίον ἐστὶ τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίων ἐπιχειρήμασιν τὸ τοὺς Ἀρκάδας ἡμᾶς συμμάχους ποιήσασθαι, προσήκει δήπου πλείω χάριν αὐτοὺς ἔχειν ὧν ἐσώθησαν ὑφ᾽ ἡμῶν εἰς τοὺς ἐσχάτους ἐλθόντες κινδύνους ἢ ὧν ἀδικεῖν κωλύονται νῦν ὀργίζεσθαι. ὥστε πῶς οὐ βοηθήσουσιν ἡμῖν ἐπ᾽ Ὠρωπόν, ἢ κάκιστοι πάντων ἀνθρώπων δόξουσιν εἶναι; μὰ τοὺς θεοὺς ἔγωγ᾽ οὐχ ὁρῶ.
[13] Moreover, even if our alliance with the Arcadians is a serious impediment to the designs of the Lacedaemonians, yet surely they ought to be more grateful for the safety that we won for them, when they were in the gravest peril, than angry because of the wrongs that they are now prevented from committing. How, then, can they refuse to help us at Oropus without proving themselves the basest of mankind? By heavens! I see no escape for them.
[14] θαυμάζω τοίνυν καὶ τῶν λεγόντων τοῦτον τὸν λόγον, ὡς εἰ συμμάχους ποιησόμεθ᾽ Ἀρκάδας καὶ ταῦτα πράξομεν, μεταβάλλεσθαι δόξει καὶ οὐδὲν ἔχειν πιστὸν ἡ πόλις. ἐμοὶ μὲν γὰρ δοκεῖ τοὐναντίον, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι. διὰ τί; ὅτι τῶν πάντων οὐδέν᾽ ἂν ἀντειπεῖν οἴομαι ὡς οὐ καὶ Λακεδαιμονίους καὶ πρότερον Θηβαίους καὶ τὸ τελευταῖον Εὐβοέας ἔσωσεν ἡ πόλις, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα συμμάχους ἐποιήσατο, ἕν τι καὶ ταὔτ᾽ ἀεὶ βουλομένη πράττειν.
[14] Then there is another argument that astonishes me; that if we make an alliance with the Arcadians and act upon it, our city will seem to be changing its policy and breaking faith. For to me, men of Athens, the exact opposite seems to be the case. How so? Because I do not think any one man would deny that Athens has saved the Lacedaemonians, and the Thebans before them, and the Euboeans recently, and has afterwards made alliance with them, having always one and the same object in view.
[15] ἔστι δὲ τοῦτο τί; τοὺς ἀδικουμένους σῴζειν. εἰ τοίνυν ταῦθ᾽ οὕτως ἔχει, οὐκέτ᾽ ἂν ἡμεῖς εἴημεν οἱ μεταβαλλόμενοι, ἀλλ᾽ οἱ μὴ ‘θέλοντες τοῖς δικαίοις ἐμμένειν, καὶ φανήσεται τὰ πράγματ᾽ ἀεὶ διὰ τοὺς πλεονεκτεῖν βουλομένους μεταβαλλόμενα, οὐχ ἡ πόλις ἡμῶν.
[15] And what is that? To save the victims of injustice. If, then, this is so, it is not we who are inconsistent, but those who refuse to abide by the principles of justice; and it will be manifest that the circumstances are always changing, through the policy of ambitious men, but our city changes not.
[16] δοκοῦσι δέ μοι Λακεδαιμόνιοι μάλα δεινῶν ἔργον ἀνθρώπων ποιεῖν. νῦν γάρ φασιν ἐκεῖνοι δεῖν Ἠλείους μὲν τῆς Τριφυλίας τινὰ κομίσασθαι, Φλειασίους δὲ τὸ Τρικάρανον, ἄλλους δέ τινας τῶν Ἀρκάδων τὴν αὑτῶν, καὶ τὸν Ὠρωπὸν ἡμᾶς, οὐχ ἵν᾽ ἑκάστους ἡμῶν ἴδωσιν ἔχοντας τὰ αὑτῶν, οὐδ᾽ ὀλίγου δεῖ:
[16] The policy of the Lacedaemonians seems to me to be very sharp practice. For they now say that Elis ought to receive parts of Triphylia, and Phlius the district of Tricaranum, and certain Arcadian tribes the land belonging to them, and that we ought to have Oropus, not because they
want to see each of us enjoying our own, far from it — （that would be a tardy exhibition of philanthropy） —
[17] ὀψὲ γὰρ ἂν φιλάνθρωποι γεγονότες εἶεν: ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα πᾶσι δοκῶσι συμπράττειν ὅπως ἕκαστοι κομίσωνται ταῦθ᾽ ἅ φασιν αὑτῶν εἶναι, ἐπειδὰν δ᾽ ἴωσ᾽ ἐπὶ Μεσσήνην αὐτοί, συστρατεύωνται πάντες αὐτοῖς οὗτοι καὶ βοηθῶσι προθύμως, ἢ δοκῶσ᾽ ἀδικεῖν, περὶ ὧν ἔφασαν ἕκαστοι σφῶν αὐτῶν εἶναι συμψήφους λαβόντες ἐκείνους, μὴ τὴν ὁμοίαν αὐτοῖς χάριν ἀποδιδόντες.
[17] but they want it to be generally supposed that they are co-operating with each state to recover the territory that it claims, so that when they march against Messene on their own account, all the others will join heartily in the expedition, or else will put themselves in the wrong by making no adequate return for the support they have enjoyed in regaining what each state claimed as its own.
[18] ἐγὼ δὲ νομίζω τὴν πόλιν, πρῶτον μὲν καὶ χωρὶς τοῦ καθυφεῖναι Λακεδαιμονίοις τινὰς Ἀρκάδων, Ὠρωπὸν ἂν κομίσασθαι, καὶ μετ᾽ ἐκείνων, ἂν τὰ δίκαια ποιεῖν ἐθέλωσι, καὶ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν οὐκ οἰομένων δεῖν Θηβαίους ἐᾶν ἔχειν τἀλλότρια. εἰ δ᾽ ἄρα τοῦτ᾽ εὔδηλον ἡμῖν γένοιτο, ὅτι μὴ Λακεδαιμονίους ἐῶντες τὴν Πελοπόννησον καταστρέψασθαι οὐχ οἷοί τ᾽ ἐσόμεθ᾽ Ὠρωπὸν λαβεῖν, αἱρετώτερον, εἰ οἷόν τ᾽ εἰπεῖν, ἡγοῦμαι τὸν Ὠρωπὸν ἐᾶν ἢ Λακεδαιμονίοις Μεσσήνην προέσθαι καὶ Πελοπόννησον. οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἡγοῦμαι περὶ τούτου μόνον ἡμῖν εἶναι τὸν λόγον πρὸς ἐκείνους, ἀλλ᾽ — ἐάσω τό γ᾽ ἐπελθὸν εἰπεῖν μοι: περὶ πολλῶν δ᾽ ἂν οἶμαι κίνδυνον ἡμῖν γενέσθαι.
[18] But my own impression is that, in the first place, without subjecting any of the Arcadians to Sparta, our city may recover Oropus with the help both of the Lacedaemonians, if they choose to act justly, and of all who think they ought not to let the Thebans keep other people’s property. But supposing, on the other hand, it should become clear to us that unless we let the Lacedaemonians subdue the whole of the Peloponnese, we shall not be able to take Oropus, then I think it the better policy, if I may say so, to let Oropus go, rather than sacrifice Messene and the rest of the Peloponnese to the power of Sparta. For I do not think that Oropus would be the only subject of dispute between us, but also — . However, I will pass over what I intended to say; only I fancy there are many dangers ahead of us.
[19] ἀλλὰ μὴν ἅ γέ φασιν πεπρᾶχθαι διὰ Θηβαίους τοῖς Μεγαλοπολίταις ὑπεναντία πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ἄτοπον νῦν μὲν ἐν κατηγορίας μέρει ποιεῖσθαι, βουλομένων δὲ γενέσθαι φίλων αὐτῶν, ἵνα τοὐναντίον εὖ ποιῶσιν ἡμᾶς, βασκαίνειν καὶ σκοπεῖν ἐξ ὅτου τρόπου μὴ γενήσονται, καὶ μὴ γιγνώσκειν ὅτι, ὅσῳ ἂν σπουδαιοτέρους τούτους περὶ Θηβαίους γεγενημένους ἀποδείξωσι, τοσούτῳ πλείονος ὀργῆς αὐτοὶ δικαίως ἂν τυγχάνοιεν, εἰ τοιούτων συμμάχων τὴν πόλιν, ὅτ᾽ ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς προτέρους ἦλθον ἢ Θηβαίους, ἀπεστέρησαν.
[19] But further, with regard to any acts which they say the Megalopolitans have committed for the sake of the Thebans somewhat against your interests, it is ridiculous to make these now the count of an indictment, but when they want to become friends and make you some reparation, to look askance at them and devise means of preventing this, and not to realize that the more zealous they show themselves to have been in the cause of the Thebans, the more justly would these very speakers incur your anger, if they deprived the city of such useful allies, when they came to you before applying to Thebes.
[20] ἀλλ᾽, οἶμαι, ταῦτα μέν ἐστι δεύτερον ἀνθρώπων βουλομένων ἑτέρων ποιῆσαι τούτους συμμάχους. ἐγὼ δ᾽ οἶδα, ὅσ᾽ ἂν ἐκ λογισμοῦ σκοπῶν τις εἰκάσαι, καὶ τοὺς πολλοὺς οἶμαι ὑμῶν ἐμοὶ ταὐτὰ φήσειν, ὅτι εἰ λήψονται Μεγάλην πόλιν Λακεδαιμόνιοι, κινδυνεύσει Μεσσήνη: εἰ δὲ καὶ ταύτην λήψονται, φήμ᾽ ἡμᾶς ἔσεσθαι συμμάχους Θηβαίων.
[20] But these, I take it, are the allegations of men who want once again to drive the Megalopolitans elsewhere for an alliance. Now I know, as far as reasoning and conjecture can teach me, and I think that most of you will agree with me, that if the Lacedaemonians take Megalopolis, Messene will be in danger; and if they take Messene also, I say that we shall find ourselves in alliance with Thebes.
[21] πολὺ δὴ κάλλιον καὶ ἄμεινον τὴν μὲν Θηβαίων συμμαχίαν αὐτοὺς παραλαβεῖν, τῇ δὲ Λακεδαιμονίων πλεονεξίᾳ μὴ ‘πιτρέψαι, ἢ νῦν ὀκνοῦντας μὴ τοὺς Θηβαίων σώσωμεν συμμάχους, τούτους μὲν προέσθαι, πάλιν δὲ σῴζειν αὐτοὺς τοὺς Θηβαίους, καὶ προσέτ᾽ ἐν φόβῳ καθεστάναι περὶ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν.
[21] Surely it is more honorable and satisfactory that we should win the alliance of the Thebans on our own account and resist Spartan ambition, than that we should shrink from rescuing the allies of Thebes and abandon them now, only to rescue the Thebans in the end, and to be kept moreover in perpetual alarm for ourselves.
[22] οὐ γὰρ ἔγωγ᾽ ἀδεὲς τοῦθ᾽ ὑπολαμβάνω τῇ πόλει, τὸ λαβεῖν Μεγάλην πόλιν Λακεδαιμονίους καὶ πάλιν γενέσθαι μεγάλους. ὁρῶ γὰρ αὐτοὺς καὶ νῦν οὐχ ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ παθεῖν τι κακὸν πολεμεῖν αἱρουμένους, ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὲρ τοῦ κομίσασθαι τὴν πρότερον οὖσαν αὑτοῖς δύναμιν: ὧν δ᾽, ὅτ᾽ ἐκείνην εἶχον, ὠρέγοντο, ταῦθ᾽ ὑμεῖς μᾶλλον ἴσως εἰδότες ἢ ‘γὼ φοβοῖσθ᾽ ἂν εἰκότως.
[22] For I cannot regard it as a pledge of our security, that the Lacedaemonians should seize Megalopolis and grow great once more, seeing as I do that even now they have not taken up arms to avenge an injury, but to recover the power that once was theirs; and what their ambition was in the day of their power, you know perhaps better than I, and will distrust them accordingly.
[23] ἡδέως δ᾽ ἂν πυθοίμην τῶν λεγόντων καὶ τοὺς Θηβαίους μισεῖν φασκόντων καὶ τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους, πότερ᾽ ἑκάτεροι μισοῦσιν, οὓς δὴ μισοῦσιν, ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν καὶ τοῦ συμφέροντος ὑμῖν, ἢ ὑπὲρ Λακεδαιμονίων μὲν Θηβαίους, ὑπὲρ δὲ Θηβαίων Λακεδαιμονίους ἑκάτεροι. εἰ μὲν γὰρ ὑπὲρ ἐκείνων, οὐδετέροις ὡς μαινομένοις πείθεσθαι προσήκει: εἰ δ᾽ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν φήσουσι, τί πέρα τοῦ καιροῦ τοὺς ἑτέρους ἐπαίρουσιν;
[23] I should like to ask those speakers who profess hatred of the Thebans and of the Lacedaemonians, whether they hate them in either case for your sake and in your interests, or wheth
er they hate the Thebans for the sake of the Lacedaemonians and the Lacedaemonians for the sake of the Thebans respectively. If the latter, you must not take the advice of either party, because they are both mad; but if they allege your interests, why do they unduly forward the interests of those other states?
[24] ἔστι γάρ, ἔστι Θηβαίους ταπεινοὺς ποιεῖν ἄνευ τοῦ Λακεδαιμονίους ἰσχυροὺς καθιστάναι, καὶ πολύ γε ῥᾷον: ὡς δ᾽, ἐγὼ πειράσομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς εἰπεῖν. ἴσμεν ἅπαντες τοῦθ᾽ ὅτι τὰ μὲν δίκαια πάντες, ἐὰν καὶ μὴ βούλωνται, μέχρι τού γ᾽ αἰσχύνονται μὴ πράττειν, τοῖς δ᾽ ἀδίκοις ἐναντιοῦνται φανερῶς, ἄλλως τε κἄν τινες βλάπτωνται: καὶ τοῦτο λυμαινόμενον πάνθ᾽ εὑρήσομεν, καὶ ταύτην ἀρχὴν οὖσαν πάντων τῶν κακῶν, τὸ μὴ ‘θέλειν τὰ δίκαια πράττειν ἁπλῶς.
[24] For it is surely possible to humble the Thebans without strengthening the Lacedaemonians; nay, it is much easier. How it can be done, I will try to explain.
Everyone knows this much, that all men, even against their wishes, are, up to a certain point, ashamed not to do what is just, but make a display of opposition to injustice, especially in cases where there are definite victims; and we shall find that what ruins everything — the root in fact of all evil — is unwillingness to act justly under all circumstances.