Delphi Complete Works of Demosthenes

by Demosthenes

  [133] Is there a man among your fellow-citizens, nay, in all Greece, who will not justly upbraid you if he sees you venting your wrath upon Philip, whose offence admits of much excuse — for he was making peace after war, and buying his ways and means from willing sellers — and acquitting this man, who made infamous traffic of your interests, in defiance of laws that visit such offences with the severest retribution?

  [134] τάχα τοίνυν ἴσως καὶ τοιοῦτος ἥξει τις λόγος παρὰ τούτων, ὡς ἀρχὴ γενήσεται πρὸς Φίλιππον ἔχθρας, εἰ τῶν πρεσβευσάντων τὴν εἰρήνην καταψηφιεῖσθε. ἐγὼ δ᾽, εἰ τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν ἀληθές, οὐκ ἔχω σκοπούμενος εὑρεῖν ὅ τι μεῖζον τούτου κατηγορήσω. εἰ γὰρ ὁ τῆς εἰρήνης χρήματ᾽ ἀναλώσας ὥστε τυχεῖν, οὗτος οὕτω γέγονεν φοβερὸς καὶ μέγας ὥστε τῶν ὅρκων καὶ τῶν δικαίων ἀμελήσαντας ὑμᾶς ἤδη τί Φιλίππῳ χαριεῖσθε σκοπεῖν, τί παθόντες ἂν οἱ τούτων αἴτιοι τὴν προσήκουσαν δίκην δεδωκότες εἶεν;

  [134] Perhaps some such argument as this will be addressed to you, — that, if you condemn the diplomatists who negotiated the peace, it will be the beginning of enmity with Philip. If that is true, I do not think I could bring any more damaging charge against the defendant. If the potentate who spent his money to get the peace has indeed become so powerful and formidable that you are to ignore justice and the oath you have sworn, and consider only how to oblige Philip, what penalty can be too severe for the authors of his aggrandizement?

  [135] οὐ μὴν ἀλλ᾽ ὅτι καὶ φιλίας ἀρχὴ συμφερούσης ὑμῖν μᾶλλον ἐκ τῶν εἰκότων γενήσεται, καὶ τοῦτ᾽ οἴομαι δείξειν. εὖ γὰρ εἰδέναι χρὴ τοῦθ᾽ ὅτι οὐ καταφρονεῖ Φίλιππος, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τῆς πόλεως τῆς ὑμετέρας, οὐδ᾽ ἀχρηστοτέρους ὑμᾶς νομίσας Θηβαίων ἐκείνους εἵλετ᾽ ἀνθ᾽ ὑμῶν ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὸ τούτων ἐδιδάχθη καὶ ταῦτ᾽ ἤκουσεν, ἃ καὶ πρότερόν ποτ᾽ εἶπον ἐγὼ πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐν τῷ δήμῳ καὶ τούτων οὐδεὶς ἀντεῖπεν,

  [135] However, I think I can satisfy you that their punishment will more probably sow the seed of a profitable friendship. Let me tell you, men of Athens, that Philip does not undervalue your city; it was not because he thought you less serviceable that he preferred the Thebans to you. But he was schooled by these men and was informed by them — I once told you this in Assembly, and none of them contradicted me —

  [136] ὡς ὁ μὲν δῆμός ἐστιν ἀσταθμητότατον πρᾶγμα τῶν πάντων καὶ ἀσυνθετώτατον, ὥσπερ ἐν θαλάττῃ κῦμ᾽ ἀκατάστατον, ὡς ἂν τύχῃ κινούμενον. ὁ μὲν ἦλθεν, ὁ δ᾽ ἀπῆλθεν: μέλει δ᾽ οὐδενὶ τῶν κοινῶν, οὐδὲ μέμνηται. δεῖ δέ τινας φίλους ὑπάρχειν τοὺς ἕκαστα πράξοντας ἐν ὑμῖν αὐτῷ καὶ διοικήσοντας, οἷον αὐτὸς δή: κἄνπερ αὐτῷ τοῦτο κατασκευασθῇ, πᾶν ὅ τι ἂν βούληται παρ᾽ ὑμῖν ῥᾳδίως διαπράξεται.

  [136] that a democracy is the most unstable and capricious thing in the world, like a restless wave of the sea ruffled by the breeze as chance will have it. One man comes, another goes; no one attends to, or even remembers, the common weal. Philip, they said, ought to have friends at Athens, who would manage his business for him as it arose, and carry it through — the person speaking, for example; if that provision were made, he would easily accomplish here whatever he desired.

  [137] εἰ μὲν οὖν ἤκουσεν, οἶμαι, τοὺς τότε ταῦτα πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰπόντας παραχρῆμα, ὡς δεῦρ᾽ ἐπανῆλθον, ἀποτετυμπανισμένους, ἐποίησεν ἂν ταὐτὸ τῷ βασιλεῖ. τί δ᾽ ἦν ὃ ἐκεῖνος ἐποίησεν; ἐξαπατηθεὶς ὑπὸ Τιμαγόρου καὶ τετταράκοντα τάλαντα, ὡς λέγεται, δεδωκὼς αὐτῷ, ἐπειδὴ παρ᾽ ὑμῖν ἐπύθετ᾽ αὐτὸν τεθνεῶτα καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦ ζῆν ὄντα κύριον αὑτῷ βεβαιῶσαι, μή τί γ᾽ ἃ ἐκείνῳ τόθ᾽ ὑπέσχετο πρᾶξαι, ἔγνω τὴν τιμὴν οὐχὶ τῷ κυρίῳ τῶν πραγμάτων δεδωκώς. καὶ γάρ τοι πρῶτον μὲν Ἀμφίπολιν πάλιν ὑμετέραν δούλην κατέπεμψεν, ἣν τότε σύμμαχον αὑτοῦ καὶ φίλην ἔγραψεν: εἶτ᾽ οὐδενὶ πώποτ᾽ ἔδωκε χρήματα τοῦ λοιποῦ.

  [137] Now if he had heard that the persons who talked like that to him had been cudgelled to death immediately after their return home, I fancy he would have done what the King of Persia did. You remember what that was: the King had been inveigled by Timagoras, and had made him a present, as the story goes, of forty talents; but when he heard that the man had been put to death at Athens, and had not been competent to warrant his own life, much less to fulfil his undertaking, he realized that he had not paid the price to the man who could deliver the goods. The first result was that he again placed in subjection to you the city of Amphipolis, which he had put on his own list of friends and allies; and the second, that he nevermore gave money to anybody.

  [138] ταὐτὸ τοίνυν τοῦτ᾽ ἂν ἐποίησε Φίλιππος, εἴ τινα τούτων εἶδε δίκην δόντα, καὶ νῦν, ἂν ἴδῃ, ποιήσει. ἐπειδὰν δ᾽ ἀκούῃ λέγοντας, εὐδοκιμοῦντας ἐν ὑμῖν, ἑτέρους κρίνοντας, τί καὶ ποιήσῃ; ζητῇ πόλλ᾽ ἀναλίσκειν, ἐξὸν ἐλάττω, καὶ πάντας θεραπεύειν βούληται, δύ᾽ ἢ τρεῖς ἐξόν; μαίνοιτο μέντἄν. οὐδὲ γὰρ τὴν τῶν Θηβαίων πόλιν εἵλετο δημοσίᾳ ποιεῖν ὁ Φίλιππος εὖ, πολλοῦ γε καὶ δεῖ, ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὸ τῶν πρέσβεων ἐπείσθη.

  [138] Philip would have done the same if he had seen any of these men brought to justice; and he will do the same, if he sees that sight now. But when he sees these men holding up their heads here, making speeches, bringing other people to trial — what is he to do? Is he to make a point of spending a great deal of money, when a little will do? Is he to try to humor all of us, instead of two or three? No; that would be folly. For even his policy of public benevolence to the Thebans was by no means of his own choosing;

  [139] ὃν δὲ τρόπον, φράσω πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐγώ. ἦλθον ὡς αὐτὸν πρέσβεις ἐκ Θηβῶν ὅτε περ καὶ παρ᾽ ὑμῶν ἡμεῖς ἦμεν ἐκεῖ. τούτοις χρήματ᾽ ἐκεῖνος ἐβούλετο δοῦναι, καὶ πάνυ γ᾽, ὡς ἔφασαν, πολλά. οὐκ ἐδέξαντ᾽ οὐδ᾽ ἔλαβον ταῦθ᾽ οἱ τῶν Θηβαίων πρέσβεις. μετὰ ταῦτ᾽ ἐν θυσίᾳ τινὶ καὶ δείπνῳ πίνων καὶ φιλανθρωπευόμενος πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὁ Φίλιππος ἄλλα τε δὴ πολλά, οἷον αἰχμάλωτα καὶ τοιαῦτα, καὶ τελευτῶν ἐκπώματ᾽ ἀργυρᾶ καὶ χρυσᾶ προὔπινεν αὐτοῖς. πάντα ταῦτ᾽ ἐκεῖνοι διεωθοῦντο καὶ οὐδαμῇ προΐενθ᾽ αὑτούς.

  [139] he was persuaded by their ambassadors, and I will tell you how. Ambassadors came to him from Thebes at the same time that we were there from you. He offered them money — a very large sum, by thei
r own account. The Theban ambassadors declined the overture, and would not take the bribe. Afterwards, at a sacrificial banquet, when Philip was drinking with them, and showing them much civility, he kept offering them presents, beginning with captives and the like, and ending with gold and silver goblets. All these gifts they rejected, and would on no account give themselves away.

  [140] τελευτῶν δὲ Φίλων, εἷς τῶν πρέσβεων, εἶπεν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, λόγον οὐχ ὑπὲρ Θηβαίων ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἄξιον εἰρῆσθαι. ἔφη γὰρ τὸν Φίλιππον ὁρῶν καὶ μεγαλοψύχως καὶ φιλανθρώπως ἔχοντα πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἥδεσθαι καὶ χαίρειν: αὐτοὶ μὲν οὖν ὑπάρχειν αὐτῷ φίλοι καὶ ξένοι καὶ ἄνευ τῶν δώρων τούτων, εἰς δὲ τὰ τῆς πόλεως πράγματ᾽, ἐν οἷς ἦν τότε, τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν αὐτὸν ἠξίουν ταύτην προσθέντ᾽ ἄξιόν τι καὶ αὑτοῦ καὶ τῶν Θηβαίων πρᾶξαι, καὶ ὅλην τε τὴν πόλιν οὕτω καὶ σφεῖς ὡμολόγουν ὑπάρξειν αὐτῷ.

  [140] At last Philo, one of the ambassadors, made a speech that deserved to have been spoken by your representatives, men of Athens, instead of by the spokesman of Thebes. He said that he was delighted and gratified to find Philip so courteously and generously inclined towards them; that they were already his friends and guests, without those gifts; would he be good enough to direct his benevolence to the public business on which he was engaged, and do something creditable both to himself and to the Thebans? If so, they could promise him the friendship of all Thebes as well as their own.

  [141] καὶ γάρ τοι σκέψασθε τί τοῖς Θηβαίοις γέγονεν ἐκ τούτων καὶ τί συμβέβηκε, καὶ θεάσασθ᾽ ἐπ᾽ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀληθείας ἡλίκον ἐστὶ τὸ μὴ πωλεῖν τὰ τῆς πόλεως. πρῶτον μὲν τοίνυν εἰρήνη γέγονεν αὐτοῖς πονοῦσι καὶ ταλαιπωρουμένοις ἤδη τῷ πολέμῳ καὶ ἡττωμένοις, εἶτα τῶν ἐχθρῶν Φωκέων ἄρδην ὄλεθρος καὶ ὅλων τῶν τειχῶν καὶ τῶν πόλεων ἀναίρεσις. ἆρα καὶ μόνα ταῦτα; οὐ μὰ Δί᾽, ἀλλ᾽ ἔτι πρὸς τούτοις Ὀρχομενός, Κορώνεια, Κορσιά, τὸ Τιλφωσαῖον, τῆς τῶν Φωκέων χώρας ὁπόσην βούλονται.

  [141] Now consider what the Thebans have gained in the end by this policy, and, in the light of actual truth, see what a fine thing it is to refuse to sell your country! The Thebans have gained, in the first place, peace, when they were in trouble, hard pressed by the war, and in danger of defeat; and secondly, the complete overthrow of their enemies, the Phocians, and the utter destruction of their strongholds and cities. Is that all? No, indeed; they have also gained Orchomenus, Coronea, Corsia, Tilphosaeum, and as much of the Phocian territory as they want.

  [142] τοῖς μὲν δὴ Θηβαίοις ταῦτ᾽ ἐκ τῆς εἰρήνης γέγονεν, ὧν οὐδ᾽ ἂν εὔξαιντο δήπου μείζονα: τοῖς δὲ πρέσβεσι τοῖς τῶν Θηβαίων τί; οὐδὲν πλὴν τὸ τούτων αἰτίοις γεγενῆσθαι τῇ πατρίδι: τοῦτο δὲ καλόν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, καὶ σεμνὸν εἰς ἀρετῆς λόγον καὶ δόξης, ἣν οὗτοι χρημάτων ἀπέδοντο. ἀντιθῶμεν δὴ τί τῇ τῶν Ἀθηναίων πόλει γέγονεν ἐκ τῆς εἰρήνης, καὶ τί τοῖς πρέσβεσι τοῖς τῶν Ἀθηναίων, καὶ θεωρεῖτ᾽ εἰ παραπλήσια τῇ πόλει καὶ τούτοις αὐτοῖς.

  [142] Such is the outcome of the peace for the Theban people; and more they could not desire. And what have the ambassadors gained? Nothing at all — except the satisfaction of having achieved these results for their country. Ah, but that is worth having, men of Athens; a glorious reward, if you set any store by that honor and good repute which Aeschines and his friends bartered for a bribe.

  Let us now set side by side the results of the peace to the commonwealth of Athens and to the ambassadors of Athens respectively, and you shall see whether there is any equivalence.

  [143] τῇ πόλει μὲν τοίνυν ἀφεστηκέναι μὲν ἁπάντων καὶ τῶν κτημάτων καὶ τῶν συμμάχων, ὀμωμοκέναι δὲ Φιλίππῳ, κἂν ἄλλος τις ἴῃ ποτ᾽ ἐπ᾽ αὐτὰ βουλόμενος σῴζειν, ὑμᾶς κωλύσειν καὶ τὸν μὲν ὑμῖν βουλόμενον παραδοῦναι ἐχθρὸν ἡγήσεσθαι καὶ πολέμιον, τὸν δ᾽ ἀπεστερηκότα σύμμαχον καὶ φίλον.

  [143] To the commonwealth the result has been the loss of all those possessions and all those allies, and a sworn promise to Philip that if any man shall at any time attempt to recover them, you will thwart him, and treat the man who would restore to you your own as an enemy and an adversary, and the man who robbed you as an ally and a friend.

  [144] ταῦτα γάρ ἐσθ᾽ ἃ συνεῖπε μὲν Αἰσχίνης οὑτοσί, ἔγραψε δ᾽ ὁ τούτου συνεργὸς Φιλοκράτης: καὶ κρατοῦντος ἐμοῦ τὴν προτέραν ἡμέραν, καὶ πεπεικότος ὑμᾶς τὸ τῶν συμμάχων δόγμα κυρῶσαι καὶ καλέσαι τοὺς πρέσβεις τοὺς τοῦ Φιλίππου, ἐκκρούσας οὗτος εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν τὴν Φιλοκράτους γνώμην ἔπεισεν ἑλέσθαι, ἐν ᾗ καὶ ταῦτα καὶ πόλλ᾽ ἄλλ᾽ ἔτι τούτων δεινότερ᾽ ἐστὶ γεγραμμένα.

  [144] Such are the terms that Aeschines supported and his accomplice Philocrates proposed. On the first day I had the upper hand and persuaded you to confirm the decision of your allies and to summon Philip’s ambassadors, but Aeschines forced an adjournment to the following day, and then persuaded you to adopt Philocrates’ resolution, which included all these proposals and others still more objectionable.

  [145] τῇ μὲν δὴ πόλει ταῦτ᾽ ἐκ τῆς εἰρήνης γέγονεν, ὧν οὐδ᾽ εὑρεῖν αἰσχίω ῥᾴδιον: τοῖς δὲ πρέσβεσιν τί τοῖς ταῦτα πράξασιν; τὰ μὲν ἄλλα σιωπῶ πάνθ᾽, ὅσ᾽ ἑοράκαθ᾽ ὑμεῖς, οἰκίας, ξύλα, πυρούς, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν τῇ τῶν ἀπολωλότων συμμάχων χώρᾳ κτήματα καὶ γεωργίαι παμπληθεῖς, Φιλοκράτει μὲν τάλαντον ἔχουσαι πρόσοδον, τούτῳ δὲ Αἰσχίνῃ τριάκοντα μνᾶς.

  [145] That is what the peace has brought to the city: you could not easily invent anything more dishonorable. What has it brought to the ambassadors who contrived that dishonor? I say nothing of the wealth that lies before your eyes — houses, timber, grain; but in the country of our ruined allies there are estates and extensive farms bringing in a rental of a talent to Philocrates and half a talent to Aeschines.

  [146] καίτοι πῶς οὐ δεινόν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, καὶ σχέτλιον τὰς τῶν ὑμετέρων συμμάχων συμφορὰς προσόδους τοῖς πρέσβεσι τοῖς ὑμετέροις γεγενῆσθαι, καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν εἰρήνην τῇ μὲν ἐκπεμψάσῃ πόλει τῶν μὲν συμμάχων ὄλεθρον, τῶν δὲ κτημάτων ἀπόστασιν, ἀντὶ δὲ δόξης αἰσχύνην γεγενῆσθαι, τῶν δὲ πρέσβεων τοῖς κατὰ τῆς πόλεως ταῦτα πράξασι προσόδους, εὐπορίας, κτήματα, πλοῦτον ἀντὶ τῶν ἐσχάτων ἀποριῶν εἰργάσθαι;
ἀλλὰ μὴν ὅτι ταῦτ᾽ ἀληθῆ λέγω, κάλει μοι τοὺς Ὀλυνθίους μάρτυρας.”Μάρτυρες”

  [146] Surely, men of Athens, it is strange and intolerable that the disasters of your allies have become the emolument of your envoys, and that one and the same peace should have brought, to the city sending ambassadors, the destruction of allies, dispossession of property, ignominy in exchange for honor, and to the ambassadors themselves who intrigued against the city, revenues, property, estates, and opulence in exchange for penury. To prove the truth of my statement, call the witnesses from Olynthus.” Witnesses”

  [147] οὐ τοίνυν θαυμάσαιμ᾽ ἂν εἰ καὶ τοιοῦτό τι τολμήσει λέγειν, ὡς οὐκ ἦν καλὴν οὐδ᾽ οἵαν ἠξίουν ἐγὼ τὴν εἰρήνην ποιήσασθαι, κακῶς τῷ πολέμῳ τῶν στρατηγῶν κεχρημένων. ἂν δὴ ταῦτα λέγῃ, πρὸς θεῶν ἐρωτήσατ᾽ αὐτὸν μεμνημένοι, πότερ᾽ ἐξ ἑτέρας ᾤχετο πρεσβεύων πόλεως ἢ ταύτης αὐτῆς. εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἐξ ἑτέρας, ἣν κεκρατηκέναι τε τῷ πολέμῳ φήσει καὶ χρηστοὺς ἔχειν στρατηγούς, εἰκότως χρήματ᾽ εἴληφεν: εἰ δ᾽ ἐκ ταύτης αὐτῆς, τίνος εἵνεκ᾽ ἐφ᾽ οἷς ἡ πέμψασα πόλις τῶν αὑτῆς ἀπέστη, ἐπὶ τούτοις οὗτος δωρειὰς προσλαβὼν φαίνεται; τῶν γὰρ αὐτῶν ἔδει τήν τε πέμψασαν πόλιν τυγχάνειν καὶ τοὺς ἐκ ταύτης πρέσβεις, εἴπερ τι τῶν δικαίων ἐγίγνετο.