by Demosthenes
[228] By his ingenious apologue he has admitted that we are both here as acknowledged advocates — I of our country, he of Philip; for if such had not been the view you take of us, he would not have been at pains to convert you.
[229] καὶ μὴν ὅτι γ᾽ οὐ δίκαια λέγει μεταθέσθαι ταύτην τὴν δόξαν ἀξιῶν, ἐγὼ διδάξω ῥᾳδίως, οὐ τιθεὶς ψήφους （οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ὁ τῶν πραγμάτων οὗτος λογισμός）, ἀλλ᾽ ἀναμιμνῄσκων ἕκαστ᾽ ἐν βραχέσι, λογισταῖς ἅμα καὶ μάρτυσι τοῖς ἀκούουσιν ὑμῖν χρώμενος. ἡ γὰρ ἐμὴ πολιτεία, ἧς οὗτος κατηγορεῖ, ἀντὶ μὲν τοῦ Θηβαίους μετὰ Φιλίππου συνεμβαλεῖν εἰς τὴν χώραν, ὃ πάντες ᾤοντο, μεθ᾽ ἡμῶν παραταξαμένους ἐκεῖνον κωλύειν ἐποίησεν:
[229] I shall prove without difficulty that he has no right to ask you to reverse that opinion — not by using counters, for political measures are not to be added up in that fashion, but by reminding you briefly of the several transactions, and appealing to you who hear me as both the witnesses and the auditors of my account. We owe it to that policy of mine which he denounces that, instead of the Thebans joining Philip in an invasion of our country, as everyone expected, they fought by our side and stopped him;
[230] ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ ἐν τῇ Ἀττικῇ τὸν πόλεμον εἶναι, ἑπτακόσια στάδι᾽ ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως ἐπὶ τοῖς Βοιωτῶν ὁρίοις γενέσθαι: ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ τοὺς λῃστὰς ἡμᾶς φέρειν καὶ ἄγειν ἐκ τῆς Εὐβοίας, ἐν εἰρήνῃ τὴν Ἀττικὴν ἐκ θαλάττης εἶναι πάντα τὸν πόλεμον: ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον ἔχειν Φίλιππον λαβόντα Βυζάντιον, συμπολεμεῖν τοὺς Βυζαντίους μεθ᾽ ἡμῶν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον.
[230] that, instead of the seat of war being in Attica, it was seven hundred furlongs away on the far side of Boeotia; that, instead of privateers from Euboea harrying us, Attica was at peace on the sea-frontier throughout the war; and that, instead of Philip taking Byzantium and holding the Hellespont, the Byzantines fought on our side against him.
[231] ἆρά σοι ψήφοις ὅμοιος ὁ τῶν ἔργων λογισμὸς φαίνεται; ἢ δεῖν ἀντανελεῖν ταῦτα, ἀλλ᾽ οὐχ ὅπως τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον μνημονευθήσεται σκέψασθαι; καὶ οὐκέτι προστίθημι ὅτι τῆς μὲν ὠμότητος, ἣν ἐν οἷς καθάπαξ τινῶν κατέστη κύριος Φίλιππος ἔστιν ἰδεῖν, ἑτέροις πειραθῆναι συνέβη, τῆς δὲ φιλανθρωπίας, ἣν τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐκεῖνος περιβαλλόμενος ἐπλάττετο, ὑμεῖς καλῶς ποιοῦντες τοὺς καρποὺς κεκόμισθε. ἀλλ᾽ ἐῶ ταῦτα.
[231] Do you see any resemblance between this computation of results and your casting up of counters? Are we to cancel the gains to balance the losses, instead of providing that they shall never be forgotten? I need not add that other nations have had experience of that cruelty which is always observable whenever Philip has got people under his heel, whereas you have been lucky enough to enjoy the fruits of that factitious humanity in which he clothed himself with an eye to the future. But I pass that by.
[232] καὶ μὴν οὐδὲ τοῦτ᾽ εἰπεῖν ὀκνήσω, ὅτι ὁ τὸν ῥήτορα βουλόμενος δικαίως ἐξετάζειν καὶ μὴ συκοφαντεῖν οὐκ ἂν οἷα σὺ νῦν ἔλεγες, τοιαῦτα κατηγόρει, παραδείγματα πλάττων καὶ ῥήματα καὶ σχήματα μιμούμενος （πάνυ γὰρ παρὰ τοῦτο, οὐχ ὁρᾷς; γέγονεν τὰ τῶν Ἑλλήνων, εἰ τουτὶ τὸ ῥῆμα, ἀλλὰ μὴ τουτὶ διελέχθην ἐγώ, ἢ δευρὶ τὴν χεῖρα,
[232] I will not shrink from observing that any man who wished to bring an orator to the proof honestly, and not merely to slander him, would never have laid such charges as you have alleged, inventing analogies, and mimicking my diction and gestures. The fate of Greece, forsooth, depended on whether I used this word or that, or moved my hand this way or that way!
[233] ἀλλὰ μὴ δευρὶ παρήνεγκα）, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπ᾽ αὐτῶν τῶν ἔργων ἂν ἐσκόπει τίνας εἶχεν ἀφορμὰς ἡ πόλις καὶ τίνας δυνάμεις, ὅτ᾽ εἰς τὰ πράγματ᾽ εἰσῄειν, καὶ τίνας συνήγαγον αὐτῇ μετὰ ταῦτ᾽ ἐπιστὰς ἐγώ, καὶ πῶς εἶχε τὰ τῶν ἐναντίων. εἶτ᾽ εἰ μὲν ἐλάττους ἐποίησα τὰς δυνάμεις, παρ᾽ ἐμοὶ τἀδίκημ᾽ ἂν ἐδείκνυεν ὄν, εἰ δὲ πολλῷ μείζους, οὐκ ἂν ἐσυκοφάντει. ἐπειδὴ δὲ σὺ τοῦτο πέφευγας, ἐγὼ ποιήσω: καὶ σκοπεῖτ᾽ εἰ δικαίως χρήσομαι τῷ λόγῳ.
[233] No; he would have considered, in the light of actual facts, the means and resources possessed by the city when I entered on administration, and those accumulated by me when at the head of affairs; and also the condition of our adversaries. If I had impaired our resources, he would have proved that the fault lay at my door: if I had greatly increased them, he would have spared his slanders. As you avoided this test, I will apply it; and the jury will see whether I state the case fairly.
[234] δύναμιν μὲν τοίνυν εἶχεν ἡ πόλις τοὺς νησιώτας, οὐχ ἅπαντας, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἀσθενεστάτους: οὔτε γὰρ Χίος οὔτε Ῥόδος οὔτε Κέρκυρα μεθ᾽ ἡμῶν ἦν: χρημάτων δὲ σύνταξιν εἰς πέντε καὶ τετταράκοντα τάλαντα, καὶ ταῦτ᾽ ἦν προεξειλεγμένα: ὁπλίτην δ᾽ ἢ ἱππέα πλὴν τῶν οἰκείων οὐδένα. ὃ δὲ πάντων καὶ φοβερώτατον καὶ μάλισθ᾽ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν, οὗτοι παρεσκευάκεσαν τοὺς περιχώρους πάντας ἔχθρας ἢ φιλίας ἐγγυτέρω, Μεγαρέας, Θηβαίους, Εὐβοέας.
[234] For resources, the city possessed the islanders — but not all, only the weakest, for neither Chios, nor Rhodes, nor Corcyra was on our side; a subsidy of forty-five talents, all collected in advance; and not a single private or trooper apart from our own army. But what was most alarming to us, and advantageous to the enemy, Aeschines and his party had made all our neighbors, Megarians, Thebans, and Euboeans, more disposed to enmity than to friendship.
[235] τὰ μὲν τῆς πόλεως οὕτως ὑπῆρχεν ἔχοντα, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἂν ἔχοι παρὰ ταῦτ᾽ εἰπεῖν ἄλλ᾽ οὐδέν: τὰ δὲ τοῦ Φιλίππου, πρὸς ὃν ἦν ἡμῖν ὁ ἀγών, σκέψασθε πῶς. πρῶτον μὲν ἦρχε τῶν ἀκολουθούντων αὐτὸς αὐτοκράτωρ, ὃ τῶν εἰς τὸν πόλεμον μέγιστόν ἐστιν ἁπάντων: εἶθ᾽ οὗτοι τὰ ὅπλ᾽ εἶχον ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν ἀεί: ἔπειτα χρημάτων ηὐπόρει καὶ ἔπραττεν ἃ δόξειεν αὐτῷ, οὐ προλέγων ἐν τοῖς ψηφίσμασιν, οὐδ᾽ ἐν τῷ φανερῷ βουλευόμενος, οὐδ᾽ ὑπὸ τῶν συκοφαντούντων κρινόμενος, οὐδὲ γραφὰς φεύγων παρανόμων, οὐδ᾽ ὑπεύθυνος ὢν οὐδενί, ἀλλ᾽ ἁπλῶς αὐτὸς δεσπότης, ἡγεμών, κύριος πάντων.
[235] Such were the means of the city: and I defy anyone to n
ame anything else. Now consider those of our antagonist Philip. In the first place, he was the despotic commander of his adherents: and in war that is the most important of all advantages. Secondly, they had their weapons constantly in their hands. Then he was well provided with money: he did whatever he chose, without giving notice by publishing decrees, or deliberating in public, without fear of prosecution by informers or indictment for illegal measures. He was responsible to nobody: he was the absolute autocrat, commander, and master of everybody and everything.
[236] ἐγὼ δ᾽ ὁ πρὸς τοῦτον ἀντιτεταγμένος （καὶ γὰρ τοῦτ᾽ ἐξετάσαι δίκαιον） τίνος κύριος ἦν; οὐδενός: αὐτὸ γὰρ τὸ δημηγορεῖν πρῶτον, οὗ μόνου μετεῖχον ἐγώ, ἐξ ἴσου προὐτίθεθ᾽ ὑμεῖς τοῖς παρ᾽ ἐκείνου μισθαρνοῦσι καὶ ἐμοί, καὶ ὅσ᾽ οὗτοι περιγένοιντ᾽ ἐμοῦ （πολλὰ δ᾽ ἐγίγνετο ταῦτα, δι᾽ ἣν ἕκαστον τύχοι πρόφασιν）, ταῦθ᾽ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἀπῇτε βεβουλευμένοι.
[236] And I, his chosen adversary — it is a fair inquiry — of what was I master? Of nothing at all! Public speaking was my only privilege: and that you permitted to Philip’s hired servants on the same terms as to me. Whenever they had the advantage of me — and for one reason or another that often happened — you laid your plans for the enemy’s benefit, and went your ways.
[237] ἀλλ᾽ ὅμως ἐκ τοιούτων ἐλαττωμάτων ἐγὼ συμμάχους μὲν ὑμῖν ἐποίησα Εὐβοέας, Ἀχαιούς, Κορινθίους, Θηβαίους, Μεγαρέας, Λευκαδίους, Κερκυραίους, ἀφ᾽ ὧν μύριοι μὲν καὶ πεντακισχίλιοι ξένοι, δισχίλιοι δ᾽ ἱππεῖς ἄνευ τῶν πολιτικῶν δυνάμεων συνήχθησαν: χρημάτων δ᾽ ὅσων ἐδυνήθην ἐγὼ πλείστων συντέλειαν ἐποίησα.
[237] In spite of all these drawbacks, I made alliance for you with Euboeans, Achaeans, Corinthians, Thebans, Megarians, Leucadians, and Corcyraeans: and from those states there was assembled a foreign division of fifteen thousand infantry and two thousand cavalry, not counting their citizen-soldiery. I also obtained from them in money the largest subsidy I could.
[238] εἰ δὲ λέγεις ἢ τὰ πρὸς Θηβαίους δίκαι᾽, Αἰσχίνη, ἢ τὰ πρὸς Βυζαντίους ἢ τὰ πρὸς Εὐβοέας, ἢ περὶ τῶν ἴσων νυνὶ διαλέγει, πρῶτον μὲν ἀγνοεῖς ὅτι καὶ πρότερον τῶν ὑπὲρ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐκείνων ἀγωνισαμένων τριήρων, τριακοσίων οὐσῶν τῶν πασῶν, τὰς διακοσίας ἡ πόλις παρέσχετο, καὶ οὐκ ἐλαττοῦσθαι νομίζουσα οὐδὲ κρίνουσα τοὺς ταῦτα συμβουλεύσαντας οὐδ᾽ ἀγανακτοῦσ᾽ ἐπὶ τούτοις ἑωρᾶτο （αἰσχρὸν γάρ）, ἀλλὰ τοῖς θεοῖς ἔχουσα χάριν, εἰ κοινοῦ κινδύνου τοῖς Ἕλλησι περιστάντος αὐτὴ διπλάσια τῶν ἄλλων εἰς τὴν ἁπάντων σωτηρίαν παρέσχετο.
[238] When you talk about fair terms with the Thebans, Aeschines, or with the Byzantines and the Euboeans, and raise at this time of day the question of equal contributions, in the first place, you must be unaware that of that famous fleet of three hundred galleys that fought for Greece in former days, our city supplied two hundred; and that she did not show any sign of complaining that she was unfairly treated, or impeaching the statesmen whose advice she took, or airing her dissatisfaction. That would have been discreditable indeed! No, she gave thanks to the gods that, when all the Greeks alike were encompassed by a great peril, she had contributed twice as much as all the rest to the common deliverance.
[239] εἶτα κενὰς χαρίζει χάριτας τουτοισὶ συκοφαντῶν ἐμέ. τί γὰρ νῦν λέγεις οἷ᾽ ἐχρῆν πράττειν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ τότ᾽ ὢν ἐν τῇ πόλει καὶ παρὼν ταῦτ᾽ ἔγραφες, εἴπερ ἐνεδέχετο παρὰ τοὺς παρόντας καιρούς, ἐν οἷς οὐχ ὅσ᾽ ἐβουλόμεθα, ἀλλ᾽ ὅσα δοίη τὰ πράγματ᾽ ἔδει δέχεσθαι: ὁ γὰρ ἀντωνούμενος καὶ ταχὺ τοὺς παρ᾽ ἡμῶν ἀπελαυνομένους προσδεξόμενος καὶ χρήματα προσθήσων ὑπῆρχεν ἕτοιμος.
[239] Secondly, when you grumble at me, you are doing an ill turn to your fellow-citizens. Why do you tell them today what they ought to have done then? You were in Athens and at the Assembly: why did you not offer your suggestions at the time — if indeed they could possibly be offered during an imminent crisis, when we had to accept, not all that we wanted, but all that the conditions allowed? There was a man lying in wait who was bidding against us, and was ready to welcome any allies we drove away, and pay them into the bargain.
[240] ἀλλ᾽ εἰ νῦν ἐπὶ τοῖς πεπραγμένοις κατηγορίας ἔχω, τί ἂν οἴεσθε, εἰ τότ᾽ ἐμοῦ περὶ τούτων ἀκριβολογουμένου, ἀπῆλθον αἱ πόλεις καὶ προσέθεντο Φιλίππῳ, καὶ ἅμ᾽ Εὐβοίας καὶ Θηβῶν καὶ Βυζαντίου κύριος κατέστη, τί ποιεῖν ἂν ἢ τί λέγειν τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς ἀνθρώπους τουτουσί;
[240] If I am accused today for what was actually done, suppose that, while I was haggling over nice calculations, these cities had marched off and joined Philip — suppose he had become suzerain o f Euboea, Thebes, and Byzantium — what do you think these unprincipled men would have done or said then?
[241] οὐχ ὡς ἐξεδόθησαν; οὐχ ὡς ἀπηλάθησαν βουλόμενοι μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν εἶναι; εἶτα ‘τοῦ μὲν Ἑλλησπόντου διὰ Βυζαντίων ἐγκρατὴς καθέστηκε, καὶ τῆς σιτοπομπίας τῆς τῶν Ἑλλήνων κύριος, πόλεμος δ᾽ ὅμορος καὶ βαρὺς εἰς τὴν Ἀττικὴν διὰ Θηβαίων κεκόμισται, ἄπλους δ᾽ ἡ θάλαττα ὑπὸ τῶν ἐκ τῆς Εὐβοίας ὁρμωμένων λῃστῶν γέγονεν:’ οὐκ ἂν ταῦτ᾽ ἔλεγον καὶ πολλά γε πρὸς τούτοις ἕτερα;
[241] Would they not have told you that we had made Philip a present of our allies? That they had been driven away when they wanted to join us? That through the Byzantines he had gained the mastery of the Hellespont, and control of the corn-supply of all Greece? That by means of the Thebans Attica had become the scene of a distressing war with her own neighbors? That the sea had become useless for ships because of privateers with Euboea for their base? Would they not have made all those complaints, and plenty more?
[242] πονηρόν, ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, πονηρὸν ὁ συκοφάντης ἀεὶ καὶ πανταχόθεν βάσκανον καὶ φιλαίτιον: τοῦτο δὲ καὶ φύσει κίναδος τἀνθρώπιόν ἐστιν, οὐδὲν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὑγιὲς πεποιηκὸς οὐδ᾽ ἐλεύθερον, αὐτοτραγικὸς πίθηκος, ἀρουραῖος Οἰνόμαος, παράσημος ῥήτωρ. τί γὰρ ἡ σὴ δεινότης εἰς ὄνησιν ἥκει τῇ πατρίδι;
[242] Oh, men of Athens, what a vile monster is the calumniator, gathering malice from everywhere, always backbiting! But this fellow is by very nature a spiteful animal, absolutely incapable of honesty or generosity; this monkey of melodrama, this bumpkin tragedy-king, this pinchbeck orator! What use has all your cleverness ever been to your country?
[243] νῦν ἡμῖν λέγεις περὶ τῶν παρεληλυθότων; ὥσπ
ερ ἂν εἴ τις ἰατρὸς ἀσθενοῦσι μὲν τοῖς κάμνουσιν εἰσιὼν μὴ λέγοι μηδὲ δεικνύοι δι᾽ ὧν ἀποφεύξονται τὴν νόσον, ἐπειδὴ δὲ τελευτήσειέ τις αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ νομιζόμεν᾽ αὐτῷ φέροιτο, ἀκολουθῶν ἐπὶ τὸ μνῆμα διεξίοι ‘εἰ τὸ καὶ τὸ ἐποίησεν ἅνθρωπος οὑτοσί, οὐκ ἂν ἀπέθανεν.’ ἐμβρόντητε, εἶτα νῦν λέγεις;
[243] What! talk about bygones today? It is as though a physician visiting his patients should never open his mouth, or tell them how to get rid of their complaint, so long as they are ill; but, as soon as one of them dies, and the obsequies are celebrated, should follow the corpse to the grave, and deliver his prescription at last from the tombstone: “If our departed friend had done this or that, he would never have died!” You lunatic! what is the use of talking now?
[244] οὐ τοίνυν οὐδὲ τὴν ἧτταν, εἰ ταύτῃ γαυριᾷς ἐφ᾽ ᾗ στένειν σ᾽, ὦ κατάρατε, προσῆκεν, ἐν οὐδενὶ τῶν παρ᾽ ἐμοὶ γεγονυῖαν εὑρήσετε τῇ πόλει. οὑτωσὶ δὲ λογίζεσθε. οὐδαμοῦ πώποθ᾽, ὅποι πρεσβευτὴς ἐπέμφθην ὑφ᾽ ὑμῶν ἐγώ, ἡττηθεὶς ἀπῆλθον τῶν παρὰ Φιλίππου πρέσβεων, οὐκ ἐκ Θετταλίας οὐδ᾽ ἐξ Ἀμβρακίας, οὐκ ἐξ Ἰλλυριῶν οὐδὲ παρὰ τῶν Θρᾳκῶν βασιλέων, οὐκ ἐκ Βυζαντίου, οὐκ ἄλλοθεν οὐδαμόθεν, οὐ τὰ τελευταῖ᾽ ἐκ Θηβῶν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν οἷς κρατηθεῖεν οἱ πρέσβεις αὐτοῦ τῷ λόγῳ, ταῦτα τοῖς ὅπλοις ἐπιὼν κατεστρέφετο.