by Demosthenes
[278] Well, if the present defendants have omitted any single one of the misdeeds for which those persons were sentenced to death, execute me on the spot. Look at the decree: “Whereas the said ambassadors have disobeyed their instructions.” That is the first charge alleged. And did not these men disobey their instructions? Did not the decree say, “for the Athenians and the Allies of the Athenians,” and did not they declare the Phocians to be excluded? Did it not instruct them to swear in the magistrates in the several cities, and did they not swear in only such persons as Philip sent to them? Did not the decree say that they were not to meet Philip alone in any place whatsoever, and did they not continually have private dealings with Philip?
[279] ‘καὶ ἠλέγχθησάν τινες αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ βουλῇ οὐ τἀληθῆ ἀπαγγέλλοντες.’ οὗτοι δέ γε κἀν τῷ δήμῳ. καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ; τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ λαμπρόν: ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων: οἷς γὰρ ἀπήγγειλαν οὗτοι, πάντα δήπου γέγονεν τἀναντία. ‘οὐδ᾽ ἐπιστέλλοντες’ φησὶ ‘τἀληθῆ.’ οὐκοῦν οὐδ᾽ οὗτοι. ‘καὶ καταψευδόμενοι τῶν συμμάχων καὶ δῶρα λαμβάνοντες.’ ἀντὶ μὲν τοίνυν τοῦ καταψευδόμενοι παντελῶς ἀπολωλεκότες: πολλῷ δὲ δήπου τοῦτο δεινότερον τοῦ καταψεύσασθαι. ἀλλὰ μὴν ὑπέρ γε τοῦ δῶρ᾽ εἰληφέναι, εἰ μὲν ἠρνοῦντο, ἐλέγχειν λοιπὸν ἂν ἦν, ἐπειδὴ δ᾽ ὡμολόγουν, ἀπάγειν δήπου προσῆκεν.
[279] “Whereas,” says the old decree, “certain of them are convicted of making untruthful reports to the Council.” Why, these men are convicted of making untruthful reports even to the Assembly. On what evidence? — you remember that brilliant quibble. On the evidence of facts: the report was exactly contradicted by the event. It goes on: “and of sending untruthful dispatches.” So did they. “And of bearing false witness against allies, and of taking bribes.” For “bearing false witness” read “utterly destroying” — a vastly greater injury. But as to their having taken bribes, we should still, if they denied it, have to make the charge good; but since they admit it, surely there should have been a summary arrest and punishment.
[280] τί οὖν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι; τούτων οὕτως ἐχόντων, ὑμεῖς ἐξ ἐκείνων τῶν ἀνδρῶν ὄντες, οἱ δὲ καὶ τινὲς αὐτῶν ἔτι ζῶντες, ὑπομενεῖτε τὸν μὲν εὐεργέτην τοῦ δήμου καὶ τὸν ἐκ Πειραιῶς, Ἐπικράτην, ἐκπεσεῖν καὶ κολασθῆναι; καὶ πάλιν πρώην Θρασύβουλον ἐκεῖνον τὸν Θρασυβούλου τοῦ δημοτικοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἀπὸ Φυλῆς καταγαγόντος τὸν δῆμον, τάλαντα δέκ᾽ ὠφληκέναι, καὶ τὸν ἀφ᾽ Ἁρμοδίου καὶ τῶν τὰ μέγιστ᾽ ἀγάθ᾽ ὑμᾶς εἰργασμένων, οὓς νόμῳ διὰ τὰς εὐεργεσίας ἃς ὑπῆρξαν εἰς ὑμᾶς ἐν ἅπασι τοῖς ἱεροῖς ἐπὶ ταῖς θυσίαις σπονδῶν καὶ κρατήρων κοινωνοὺς πεποίησθε, καὶ ᾁδετε καὶ τιμᾶτ᾽ ἐξ ἴσου τοῖς ἥρωσι καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς,
[280] What follows, men of Athens? Such being the facts, will you, the descendants of these men, some of whom are still living, be content that Epicrates, the champion of democracy, the hero of the march from Peiraeus, should have been degraded and punished; that more recently Thrasybulus, a son of Thrasybulus the great democrat, who restored free government from Phyle, should have paid a fine of ten talents that even a descendant of Harmodius and of the greatest of all your benefactors, the men to whom, in requital of their glorious deeds, you have allotted by statute a share of your libations and drink-offerings in every temple and at every public service, whom, in hymns and in worship, you treat as the equals of gods and demigods, —
[281] τούτους μὲν πάντας τὴν ἐκ τῶν νόμων δίκην ὑπεσχηκέναι, καὶ μήτε συγγνώμην μήτ᾽ ἔλεον μήτε παιδία κλάονθ᾽ ὁμώνυμα τῶν εὐεργετῶν μήτ᾽ ἄλλο μηδὲν αὐτοὺς ὠφεληκέναι: τὸν δ᾽ Ἀτρομήτου τοῦ γραμματιστοῦ καὶ Γλαυκοθέας τῆς τοὺς θιάσους συναγούσης, ἐφ᾽ οἷς ἑτέρα τέθνηκεν ἱέρεια, τοῦτον ὑμεῖς λαβόντες, τὸν τῶν τοιούτων, τὸν οὐδὲ καθ᾽ ἓν χρήσιμον τῇ πόλει, οὐκ αὐτόν, οὐ πατέρα, οὐκ ἄλλον οὐδένα τῶν τούτου, ἀφήσετε;
[281] will you be content that all these men should have been subjected to the inexorable penalty of law; that they should find no succor in mercy or compassion, in weeping children bearing honored names, or in any other plea? And then, when you have in your power a son of Atrometus the dominie, and of Glaucothea, the fuglewoman of those bacchanalian routs for which another priestess suffered death, will you release the son of such parents, a man who has never been of the slightest use to the commonwealth, neither he, nor his father, nor any member of his precious family?
[282] ποῖος γὰρ ἵππος, ποία τριήρης, ποία στρατεία, τίς χορός, τίς λῃτουργία, τίς εἰσφορά, τίς εὔνοια, ποῖος κίνδυνος, τί τούτων ἐν παντὶ τῷ χρόνῳ γέγονεν παρὰ τούτων τῇ πόλει; καίτοι κἂν εἰ ταῦτα πάνθ᾽ ὑπῆρχεν, ἐκεῖνα δὲ μὴ προσῆν, δικαίως καὶ προῖκα πεπρεσβευκέναι, ἀπολωλέναι δήπου προσῆκεν αὐτῷ. εἰ δὲ μήτε ταῦτα μήτ᾽ ἐκεῖνα, οὐ τιμωρήσεσθε;
[282] Has the state ever had to thank any one of them in the whole course of his life for so much as a horse, or a war-galley, or a military expedition, or a chorus, or any public service, assessed contribution, or free gift, or for any deed of valor or any benefit whatsoever? Yet even if he could claim credit for all those services, but could not add that he has been an honest and disinterested ambassador, he ought assuredly to suffer death. If he has neither the one claim nor the other, will you not punish him?
[283] οὐκ ἀναμνησθήσεσθ᾽ ὧν κατηγορῶν ἔλεγεν Τιμάρχου, ὡς οὐδέν ἐστ᾽ ὄφελος πόλεως ἥτις μὴ νεῦρ᾽ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας ἔχει, οὐδὲ πολιτείας ἐν ᾗ συγγνώμη καὶ παραγγελία τῶν νόμων μεῖζον ἰσχύουσιν: οὐδ᾽ ἐλεεῖν ὑμᾶς οὔτε τὴν μητέρα δεῖν τὴν Τιμάρχου, γραῦν γυναῖκα, οὔτε τὰ παιδί᾽ οὔτ᾽ ἄλλον οὐδένα, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκεῖν᾽ ὁρᾶν, ὅτι, εἰ προήσεσθε τὰ τῶν νόμων καὶ τῆς πολιτείας, οὐχ εὑρήσετε τοὺς ὑμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἐλεήσοντας.
[283] Remember what he told you himself when he prosecuted Timarchus, — that there is no merit in a city that is nerveless in its dealings with malefactors, or in a polity where indulgence and importunity are stronger than the laws. You must not, he said, have any pity for Timarchus’s mother, an aged woman, or his children, or anyone else: you must fix your mind on the thought that, if you desert the laws and the constitution, you will find no one to pity you.
[284] ἀλλ᾽ ὁ μὲν ταλαίπωρος ἄνθρωπος ἠτιμώσεται, ὅτι τοῦτον εἶδεν ἀδικοῦντα, τούτῳ δ᾽ ἀθῴῳ δώσετ᾽ εἶναι; διὰ τί; εἰ γὰρ παρὰ τῶν εἰς ἑαυτοὺς ἐξαμαρτόντων τηλικαύτην ἠξίωσε δίκην Αἰσχίνης λαβεῖν, παρὰ τῶ�
� εἰς τὰ τῆς πόλεως τηλικαῦθ᾽ ἡμαρτηκότων, ὧν εἷς οὗτος ὢν ἐξελέγχεται, πηλίκην ὑμᾶς προσήκει λαβεῖν τοὺς ὀμωμοκότας καὶ δικάζοντας;
[284] The unfortunate Timarchus is still disfranchised because he was a witness of Aeschines’ misdeeds, and why should you allow Aeschines to go scot-free? If he demanded such severity of retribution from men who had transgressed only against himself and his friends, what retribution are you, a legal jury bound by oath, to exact from men who have grievously transgressed against the commonwealth, and of whom he is proved to be one?
[285] νὴ Δί᾽, οἱ νέοι γὰρ ἡμῖν δι᾽ ἐκεῖνον ἔσονται τὸν ἀγῶνα βελτίους. οὐκοῦν καὶ διὰ τόνδ᾽ οἱ πολιτευόμενοι, δι᾽ ὧν τὰ μέγιστα κινδυνεύεται τῇ πόλει: προσήκει δὲ καὶ τούτων φροντίζειν. ἵνα τοίνυν εἰδῆθ᾽ ὅτι καὶ τοῦτον ἀπώλεσεν, τὸν Τίμαρχον, οὐ μὰ Δί᾽ οὐχὶ τῶν ὑμετέρων παίδων, ὅπως ἔσονται σώφρονες, προορῶν （εἰσὶ γάρ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, καὶ νῦν σώφρονες: μὴ γὰρ οὕτω γένοιτο κακῶς τῇ πόλει ὥστ᾽ Ἀφοβήτου καὶ Αἰσχίνου σωφρονιστῶν δεηθῆναι τοὺς νεωτέρους）,
[285] He will say that the trial of Timarchus will improve the morals of our young men. Then this trial will improve the integrity of our statesmen, on whom depend the gravest political hazards; and they also have a claim on your consideration. But let me show you that he did not bring Timarchus to ruin because of his anxious care — Heaven help us! for the modesty of your children. Your children, men of Athens, are already modest; and God forbid that Athens should ever be in such evil case as to require an Aphobetus or an Aeschines to teach young people modesty!
[286] ἀλλ᾽ ὅτι βουλεύων ἔγραψεν, ἄν τις ὡς Φίλιππον ὅπλ᾽ ἄγων ἁλῷ ἢ σκεύη τριηρικά, θάνατον εἶναι τὴν ζημίαν: σημεῖον δέ: πόσον γὰρ ἐδημηγόρει χρόνον Τίμαρχος; πολύν. οὐκοῦν τοῦτον ἦν Αἰσχίνης ἅπαντ᾽ ἐν τῇ πόλει, καὶ οὐδεπώποτ᾽ ἠγανάκτησεν οὐδὲ δεινὸν ἡγήσατ᾽ εἶναι τὸ πρᾶγμα, εἰ ὁ τοιοῦτος λέγει, ἕως εἰς Μακεδονίαν ἐλθὼν ἑαυτὸν ἐμίσθωσεν: λέγε δή μοι τὸ ψήφισμα λαβὼν αὐτὸ τὸ τοῦ Τιμάρχου.”Ψήφισμα”
[286] He did it because Timarchus had moved in the Council a decree making the conveyance of arms or ships’ tackle to Philip a capital offence. As evidence of that, let me ask how long Timarchus had been a public speaker? A very long time; and during all that time Aeschines was in Athens; yet he never took offence, he never began to think it a shame that a man of such character should make speeches, until he had visited Macedonia and sold himself. Please take and read the actual decree of Timarchus.” Decree”
[287] ὁ μὲν τοίνυν ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν γράψας μὴ ἄγειν ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ πρὸς Φίλιππον ὅπλα, εἰ δὲ μή, θανάτῳ ζημιοῦσθαι, ἀπόλωλε καὶ ὕβρισται: ὁ δὲ καὶ τὰ τῶν ὑμετέρων συμμάχων ὅπλ᾽ ἐκείνῳ παραδοὺς οὑτοσὶ κατηγόρει, καὶ περὶ πορνείας ἔλεγεν, ὦ γῆ καὶ θεοί, δυοῖν μὲν κηδεσταῖν παρεστηκότοιν, οὓς ἰδόντες ἂν ὑμεῖς ἀνακράγοιτε, Νικίου τε τοῦ βδελυροῦ, ὃς ἑαυτὸν ἐμίσθωσεν εἰς Αἴγυπτον Χαβρίᾳ, καὶ τοῦ καταράτου Κυρηβίωνος, ὃς ἐν ταῖς πομπαῖς ἄνευ τοῦ προσώπου κωμάζει. καὶ τί ταῦτα; ἀλλὰ τὸν ἀδελφὸν ὁρῶν Ἀφόβητον. ἀλλὰ δῆτ᾽ ἄνω ποταμῶν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ πάντες οἱ περὶ πορνείας ἐρρύησαν λόγοι.
[287] The man who for your sake proposed the prohibition, under penalty of death, of carrying arms to Philip is vilified and disgraced; the man who surrendered to Philip the armaments of our allies is his accuser. Immorality — save the mark! — was the theme of his speech, while at his side stood his two brothers-in-law, the very sight of whom is enough to set you in an uproar, — the disgusting Nicias, who went to Egypt as the hireling of Chabrias, and the abominable Cyrebio, the unmasked harlequin of the pageants. But that was nothing: under his eyes sat his brother Aphobetus. In truth, on that day all that declaiming against immorality was like water flowing upstream.
[288] καὶ μὴν εἰς ὅσην ἀτιμίαν τὴν πόλιν ἡμῶν ἡ τούτου πονηρία καὶ ψευδολογία καταστήσασ᾽ ἔχει, πάντα τἄλλ᾽ ἀφείς, ὃ πάντες ὑμεῖς ἴστ᾽ ἐρῶ. πρότερον μὲν γάρ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τί παρ᾽ ὑμῖν ἐψήφισται, τοῦτ᾽ ἐπετήρουν οἱ ἄλλοι πάντες Ἕλληνες: νῦν δ᾽ ἤδη περιερχόμεθ᾽ ἡμεῖς τί δέδοκται τοῖς ἄλλοις σκοποῦντες, καὶ ὠτακουστοῦντες τί τὰ τῶν Ἀρκάδων, τί τὰ τῶν Ἀμφικτυόνων, ποῖ πάρεισι Φίλιππος, ζῇ ἢ τέθνηκεν.
[288] And now, to illustrate the discredit into which our city has been dragged by this man’s trickery and mendacity, omitting much that I might mention, I will point to a symptom that you have all observed. In former times, men of Athens, all Greece used to watch anxiously for your decisions. Today we prowl the streets wondering what the other communities have resolved, all agog to hear what is the news from Arcadia, what is the news from the Amphictyons, what will be Philip’s next movement, whether he is alive or dead.
[289] οὐ τοιαῦτα ποιοῦμεν; ἐγὼ δ᾽ οὐ δέδοικ᾽ εἰ Φίλιππος ζῇ, ἀλλ᾽ εἰ τῆς πόλεως τέθνηκε τὸ τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας μισεῖν καὶ τιμωρεῖσθαι. οὐδὲ φοβεῖ με Φίλιππος, ἂν τὰ παρ᾽ ὑμῶν ὑγιαίνῃ, ἀλλ᾽ εἰ παρ᾽ ὑμῖν ἄδεια γενήσεται τοῖς παρ᾽ ἐκείνου μισθαρνεῖν βουλομένοις, καὶ συνεροῦσί τινες τούτοις τῶν ὑφ᾽ ὑμῶν πεπιστευμένων, καὶ πάντα τὸν ἔμπροσθεν χρόνον ἀρνούμενοι μὴ πράττειν ὑπὲρ Φιλίππου νῦν ἀναβήσονται, ταῦτα φοβεῖ με.
[289] You know that such is our behavior. What alarms me is the thought, not that Philip is alive, but that in Athens the spirit that loathes and punishes evil-doers is dead. Philip does not terrify me, if only your condition is healthy; but if there is to be impunity in this court for men who hunger after Philip’s pay, and if men who have won your confidence, men who have hitherto scorned the imputation of intriguing for Philip, are to appear as their advocates, that does terrify me. —
[290] τί γὰρ δή ποτ᾽, Εὔβουλε, Ἡγησίλεῳ μὲν κρινομένῳ, ὃς ἀνεψιός ἐστί σοι, καὶ Θρασυβούλῳ πρώην, τῷ Νικηράτου θείῳ, ἐπὶ μὲν τῆς πρώτης ψήφου οὐδ᾽ ὑπακοῦσαι καλούμενος ἤθελες, εἰς δὲ τὸ τίμημ᾽ ἀναβὰς ὑπὲρ μὲν ἐκείνων οὐδ᾽ ὁτιοῦν ἔλεγες, ἐδέου δὲ τῶν δικαστῶν συγγνώμην ἔχειν σοί; εἶθ᾽ ὑπὲρ μὲν συγγενῶν καὶ ἀναγκαίων ἀνθρώπων οὐκ ἀναβαίνεις,
[290] What does this mean, Eubulus? At the trial of your cousin Hegesilaus, and recently at that of Thrasybulus, an uncle of Niceratus, before the first vote of the jury you would not even answer w
hen you were called; on the question of damages you did get up to speak, but you had not a word to say in their favor, and merely asked the jury to excuse you. So you do not mount the tribune for your own kinsmen and for men who have a claim on your services, and will you mount it for Aeschines,
[291] ὑπὲρ Αἰσχίνου δ᾽ ἀναβήσει, ὅς, ἡνίκ᾽ ἔκρινεν Ἀριστοφῶν Φιλόνικονκαὶ δι᾽ ἐκείνου τῶν σοὶ πεπραγμένων κατηγόρει, συγκατηγόρει μετ᾽ ἐκείνου σοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐχθρῶν τῶν σῶν εἷς ἐξητάζετο; ἐπειδὴ δὲ σὺ μὲν τουτουσὶ δεδιξάμενος καὶ φήσας καταβαίνειν εἰς Πειραιᾶ δεῖν ἤδη καὶ χρήματ᾽ εἰσφέρειν καὶ τὰ θεωρικὰ στρατιωτικὰ ποιεῖν, ἢ χειροτονεῖν ἃ συνεῖπε μὲν οὗτος, ἔγραψε δ᾽ ὁ βδελυρὸς Φιλοκράτης, ἐξ ὧν αἰσχρὰν ἀντ᾽ ἴσης συνέβη γενέσθαι τὴν εἰρήνην,