by Demosthenes
[333] ἐγὼ γὰρ Αἰσχίνην οὐδενὸς αἰτιῶμαι τῶν ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ πραχθέντων （τούτων γάρ εἰσιν οἱ στρατηγοὶ ὑπεύθυνοι）, οὐδὲ τοῦ ποιήσασθαι τὴν πόλιν εἰρήνην, ἀλλ᾽ ἄχρι τούτου πάντ᾽ ἀφίημι. τί οὖν λέγω καὶ πόθεν ἄρχομαι κατηγορεῖν; τοῦ ποιουμένης τῆς πόλεως εἰρήνην Φιλοκράτει συνειπεῖν, ἀλλὰ μὴ τοῖς τὰ βέλτιστα γράφουσι, καὶ τοῦ δῶρ᾽ εἰληφέναι, τοῦ μετὰ ταῦτ᾽ ἐπὶ τῆς ὑστέρας πρεσβείας τοὺς χρόνους κατατρῖψαι καὶ μηδὲν ὧν προσετάξαθ᾽ ὑμεῖς ποιῆσαι, τοῦ φενακίσαι τὴν πόλιν καὶ παραστήσαντ᾽ ἐλπίδας, ὡς ὅσα βουλόμεθ᾽ ἡμεῖς Φίλιππος πράξει, πάντ᾽ ἀπολωλεκέναι, τοῦ μετὰ ταῦθ᾽, ἑτέρων προλεγόντων φυλάττεσθαι τὸν τοσαῦτ᾽ ἠδικηκότα, τοῦτον ἐκείνῳ συνηγορεῖν.
[333] Observe that I do not blame Aeschines for any of the misadventures of the war, for which the generals are duly called to account. Nor do I blame him because the city made the peace: so far I acquit him. What then is the basis of my speech and of my indictment? That, when the city was making the peace, he supported Philocrates, and did not support speakers whose proposals were patriotic; that he took bribes; that thereafter, on the later embassy, he deliberately squandered his opportunities; that he deceived the city, and confounded its policy, by suggesting the hope that Philip would satisfy all our desires; and that subsequently, when others warned you to beware of the perpetrator of so many iniquities, he addressed you as his advocate.
[334] ταῦτα κατηγορῶ, ταῦτα μέμνησθε, ἐπεὶ δικαίαν εἰρήνην καὶ ἴσην καὶ μηδὲν πεπρακότας ἀνθρώπους μηδὲ ψευσαμένους ὕστερον κἂν ἐπῄνουν καὶ στεφανοῦν ἐκέλευον. στρατηγὸς δ᾽ εἴ τις ἠδίκηκεν ὑμᾶς, οὐχὶ κοινωνεῖ ταῖς νῦν εὐθύναις. ποῖος γὰρ στρατηγὸς Ἅλον, τίς δὲ Φωκέας ἀπολώλεκε; τίς δὲ Δορίσκον; τίς δὲ Κερσοβλέπτην; τίς δ᾽ Ἱερὸν ὄρος; τίς δὲ Πύλας; τίς δὲ πεποίηκεν ἄχρι τῆς Ἀττικῆς ὁδὸν διὰ συμμάχων καὶ φίλων εἶναι Φιλίππῳ; τίς δὲ Κορώνειαν, τίς δ᾽ Ὀρχομενόν, τίς Εὔβοιαν ἀλλοτρίαν;
[334] These are my accusations. Do not forget them. For a just and equitable peace I would be grateful; I would have commended and advised you to decorate negotiators who had not first sold themselves and then deceived you with falsehoods. Granted that you were wronged by any commander, — he is not concerned in the present inquiry. Did any commander bring Halus to destruction? or the Phocians? or Doriscus? or Cersobleptes? or the Sacred Mount? or Thermopylae? Was it a commander who gave Philip an open road to Attica through the territory of friends and allies? Who has made Coronea and Orchomenus and Euboea alien ground for us? Who nearly did the same with Megara only yesterday? Who has made the Thebans strong?
[335] τίς Μέγαρα πρώην ὀλίγου; τίς Θηβαίους ἰσχυρούς; τούτων γὰρ οὐδὲν τοσούτων καὶ τηλικούτων ὄντων διὰ τοὺς στρατηγοὺς ἀπώλετο, οὐδ᾽ ἐν τῇ εἰρήνῃ συγχωρηθὲν πεισθέντων ὑμῶν ἔχει Φίλιππος, ἀλλὰ διὰ τούτους ἀπόλωλε καὶ τὴν τούτων δωροδοκίαν. ἂν τοίνυν ταῦτα μὲν φεύγῃ, πλανᾷ δὲ καὶ πάντα μᾶλλον λέγῃ, ἐκείνως αὐτὸν δέχεσθε. ‘οὐ στρατηγῷ δικάζομεν, οὐ περὶ τούτων κρίνει. μὴ λέγ᾽ εἴ τις αἴτιός ἐστι καὶ ἄλλος τοῦ Φωκέων ὀλέθρου, ἀλλ᾽ ὡς οὐ σὺ αἴτιος δεῖξον. τί οὖν, εἴ τι Δημοσθένης ἠδίκει, νῦν λέγεις, ἀλλ᾽ οὐχ ὅτε τὰς εὐθύνας ἐδίδου κατηγόρεις; δι᾽ αὐτὸ γὰρ εἶ τοῦτ᾽ ἀπολωλέναι δίκαιος.
[335] These are enormous losses, but for none of them is any general to blame. Philip does not hold any of these advantages as a concession made with your consent in the terms of peace. We owe them all to these men and to their venality. If, then, Aeschines shirks the issue, if he tries to lead you astray by talking of anything rather than the charges I bring, I will tell you how to receive his irrelevance. “We are not sitting in judgement on any military commander. You are not being tried on the charges you refute. Do not tell us that this man or that man is to blame for the destruction of the Phocians; prove to us that you are not to blame. If Demosthenes committed any crime, why bring it up now? Why did you not lay your complaint at the statutory investigation of his conduct? For that silence alone you deserve your doom.
[336] μὴ λέγ᾽ ὡς καλὸν εἰρήνη, μηδ᾽ ὡς συμφέρον: οὐδεὶς γὰρ αἰτιᾶταί σε τοῦ ποιήσασθαι τὴν πόλιν εἰρήνην: ἀλλ᾽ ὡς οὐκ αἰσχρὰ καὶ ἐπονείδιστος, καὶ πόλλ᾽ ὕστερον ἐξηπατήμεθα, καὶ πάντ᾽ ἀπώλετο, ταῦτα λέγε. τούτων γὰρ ἁπάντων ἡμῖν αἴτιος σὺ δέδειξαι. καὶ τί δὴ μέχρι νυνὶ τὸν τὰ τοιαῦτα πεποιηκότ᾽ ἐπαινεῖς;’ ἂν οὕτω φυλάττητ᾽ αὐτόν, οὐχ ἕξει τί λέγῃ, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἄλλως ἐνταῦθ᾽ ἐπαρεῖ τὴν φωνὴν καὶ πεφωνασκηκὼς ἔσται.
[336] You need not tell us that peace is a lovely and profitable thing; for nobody blames you because the city concluded peace. Deny, if you can, that the peace we have is a disgraceful and ignominious peace; deny that after its conclusion we were deceived, and that by that deception all was lost. The blame for all these calamities has been brought home to you. Why do you still speak the praises of the man who inflicted them?” Keep guard over his tricks in that fashion, and he will have nothing to say. He will only aggravate the thunders of his voice, and exhaust himself with his own vociferation.
[337] καίτοι καὶ περὶ τῆς φωνῆς ἴσως εἰπεῖν ἀνάγκη: πάνυ γὰρ μέγα καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ φρονεῖν αὐτὸν ἀκούω, ὡς καθυποκρινούμενον ὑμᾶς. ἐμοὶ δὲ δοκεῖτ᾽ ἀτοπώτατον ἁπάντων ἂν ποιῆσαι, εἰ, ὅτε μὲν τὰ Θυέστου καὶ τῶν ἐπὶ Τροίᾳ κάκ᾽ ἠγωνίζετο, ἐξεβάλλετ᾽ αὐτὸν καὶ ἐξεσυρίττετ᾽ ἐκ τῶν θεάτρων καὶ μόνον οὐ κατελεύεθ᾽ οὕτως ὥστε τελευτῶντα τοῦ τριταγωνιστεῖν ἀποστῆναι, ἐπειδὴ δ᾽ οὐκ ἐπὶ τῆς σκηνῆς, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν τοῖς κοινοῖς καὶ μεγίστοις τῆς πόλεως πράγμασι μυρί᾽ εἴργασται κακά, τηνικαῦθ᾽ ὡς καλὸν φθεγγομένῳ προσέχοιτε.
[337] On that famous voice of his, however, I really must offer some observations. For I am informed that he sets great store thereby, and that he hopes to overawe you by an exhibition of histrionic talent. When he tried to represent the woes of the House of Thyestes, or of the men who fought at Troy, you drove him from the stage with hisses and cat-calls, and came near to pelting him with stones, insomuch that in the end he gave up his profession of actor of small parts; and I think you would be behaving very strangely if now, when he has wrought measurable mischief, not on the stage, but in his dealings with the most momentous affairs of state, you should be favorably impressed by his beautiful voice.
[
338] μηδαμῶς: μηδὲν ὑμεῖς ἀβέλτερον πάθητε, ἀλλὰ λογίζεσθ᾽ ὅτι δεῖ κήρυκα μὲν ἂν δοκιμάζητε, εὔφωνον σκοπεῖν, πρεσβευτὴν δὲ καὶ τῶν κοινῶν ἀξιοῦντά τι πράττειν δίκαιον καὶ φρόνημ᾽ ἔχονθ᾽ ὑπὲρ μὲν ὑμῶν μέγα, πρὸς δ᾽ ὑμᾶς ἴσον, ὥσπερ ἐγὼ Φίλιππον μὲν οὐκ ἐθαύμασα, τοὺς δ᾽ αἰχμαλώτους ἐθαύμασα, ἔσωσα, οὐδὲν ὑπεστειλάμην. οὗτος δ᾽ ἐκείνου μὲν προὐκαλινδεῖτο, τοὺς παιᾶνας ᾖδεν, ὑμῶν δ᾽ ὑπερορᾷ.
[338] No, gentlemen; you must not yield to unworthy emotion. If you are holding an examination for the office of herald, you do well to look for a man with a fine loud voice; but if you are choosing an ambassador or a candidate for public office, you seek an honest man, a man who exhibits a proud spirit as your representative, and a spirit of equality as your fellow-citizen. I, for example, showed no respect for Philip; I kept my respect for the captives, I rescued them, I spared no effort. Aeschines, on the other hand, grovelled at Philip’s feet, sang his Hymn of Victory, and disregards you altogether.
[339] ἔτι τοίνυν ὅταν μὲν ἴδητε δεινότητ᾽ ἢ εὐφωνίαν ἤ τι τῶν ἄλλων τῶν τοιούτων ἀγαθῶν ἐπὶ χρηστοῦ καὶ φιλοτίμου γεγενημένον ἀνθρώπου, συγχαίρειν καὶ συνασκεῖν πάντας δεῖ: κοινὸν γὰρ ὑμῖν πᾶσι τοῖς ἄλλοις τοῦτ᾽ ἀγαθὸν γίγνεται: ὅταν δ᾽ ἐπὶ δωροδόκου καὶ πονηροῦ καὶ παντὸς ἥττονος λήμματος, ἀποκλείειν καὶ πικρῶς καὶ ἐναντίως ἀκούειν, ὡς πονηρία δυνάμεως δόξαν εὑρομένη παρ᾽ ὑμῶν ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν ἐστίν.
[339] Again, when you observe eloquence, or vocal power, or any such merit, in a right-minded and patriotic speaker, by all means congratulate him and help him to exercise his gift, for you all share in its advantages. But when you find such powers in the possession of a corrupt and evil-minded man, the slave of filthy lucre, discourage him, and listen to him with aversion and animosity; for if knavery enjoys in your eyes the reputation of ability, it becomes a peril to the commonwealth.
[340] ὁρᾶτε δ᾽, ἀφ᾽ ὧν οὗτος εὐδοκιμεῖ πηλίκα τῇ πόλει περιέστηκε πράγματα. αἱ μὲν τοίνυν ἄλλαι δυνάμεις ἐπιεικῶς εἰσιν αὐτάρκεις, ἡ δὲ τοῦ λέγειν, ἂν τὰ παρ᾽ ὑμῶν τῶν ἀκουόντων ἀντιστῇ, διακόπτεται. οὕτως οὖν ἀκούετε τούτου ὡς πονηροῦ καὶ δωροδόκου καὶ οὐδ᾽ ὁτιοῦν ἐροῦντος ἀληθές.
[340] You have before your eyes the dangers with which the city is encompassed as the result of the reputation he has achieved. Now other forms of ability are almost wholly independent of conditions; but the ability of the speaker is paralyzed by the recalcitrance of his audience. Listen to him, then, as to a knave and a bribe-taker, who will have no truthful word to utter.
[341] ὅτι δ᾽ οὐ μόνον κατὰ τἄλλα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν Φίλιππον πράγματα πανταχῶς συμφέρει τοῦτον ἑαλωκέναι, θεάσασθε. εἴτε γὰρ ἥξει ποτ᾽ εἰς ἀνάγκην τῶν δικαίων τι ποιεῖν τῇ πόλει, τὸν τρόπον μεταθήσεται: νῦν μὲν γὰρ ᾕρηται τοὺς πολλοὺς ἐξαπατῶν ὀλίγους θεραπεύειν, ἂν δὲ τούτους ἀπολωλότας πύθηται, ὑμῖν τοῖς πολλοῖς καὶ πάντων κυρίοις τὰ λοιπὰ ποιεῖν βουλήσεται.
[341] Observe in conclusion that, apart from all other reasons, the conviction of this man is eminently desirable in view of your future relations with Philip. For if Philip ever finds himself under the necessity of treating Athens with common justice, he will have to remodel his methods. At present his chosen policy is to cheat the many and court the few; but, when he learns that his favorites have been brought to ruin, he will wish for the future to deal with the many, who are the real masters of our state.
[342] εἴτ᾽ ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ἧσπερ νῦν ἐξουσίας καὶ ἀσελγείας μενεῖ, τοὺς ὁτιοῦν ἂν ἐκείνῳ ποιήσαντας ἀνῃρηκότες ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἔσεσθε, ἂν τούτους ἀνέλητε: οἳ γὰρ οἰόμενοι δίκην ὑφέξειν τοιαῦτ᾽ ἔπραξαν, τούτους, ἂν τὰ παρ᾽ ὑμῶν αὐτοῖς ἐφεθῇ, τί οἴεσθε ποιήσειν; ποῖον Εὐθυκράτη, ποῖον Λασθένη, τίν᾽ οὐχ ὑπερβαλεῖσθαι προδότην;
[342] Or if he persists in the lawlessness and the insolence that he displays today, you, by putting these men out of the way, will have delivered Athens from men ready to go to all lengths in his service. For if the fear that they would be called to account did not deter them, what conduct can you expect from them if you should give them a licence to do what they please? Will they not outvie Euthycrates, Lasthenes, and all the traitors of history?
[343] τίνα δ᾽ οὐ πάντων τῶν ἄλλων χείρω πολίτην ὑπάρξειν, ὁρῶντα τοῖς μὲν ἅπαντα πεπρακόσι χρήματα, δόξαν, ἀφορμὴν τὴν Φιλίππου ξενίαν περιοῦσαν, τοῖς δὲ δικαίους τε παρέχουσιν ἑαυτοὺς καὶ προσανηλωκόσι χρήματα πράγματα, ἀπεχθείας, φθόνον περιόντα παρ᾽ ἐνίων; μηδαμῶς: οὔτε γὰρ πρὸς δόξαν οὔτε πρὸς εὐσέβειαν οὔτε πρὸς ἀσφάλειαν οὔτε πρὸς ἄλλ᾽ οὐδὲν ὑμῖν συμφέρει τοῦτον ἀφεῖναι, ἀλλὰ τιμωρησαμένους παράδειγμα ποιῆσαι πᾶσι, καὶ τοῖς πολίταις καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις Ἕλλησιν.
[343] Every other man will be a worse citizen, when he sees that men who have made traffic of the common interests emerge with wealth and reputation, and with all the advantages of Philip’s friendship, while the lot of those who approved themselves honest men and spent their money in your service is vexation and ill-will, and the enmity of those whom I need not name. Let it not be so! For the sake of your honor, of your religion, of your security, of everything you value, you must not acquit this man. Visit him with exemplary punishment, and let his fate be a warning not to our own citizens alone but to every man who lives in the Hellenic world.
περὶ τῆς Ἀτελείας πρὸς Λεπτίνην — AGAINST LEPTINES
[1] ἄνδρες δικασταί, μάλιστα μὲν εἵνεκα τοῦ νομίζειν συμφέρειν τῇ πόλει λελύσθαι τὸν νόμον, εἶτα καὶ τοῦ παιδὸς εἵνεκα τοῦ Χαβρίου ὡμολόγησα τούτοις, ὡς ἂν οἷός τ᾽ ὦ, συνερεῖν. ἔστι δ᾽ οὐκ ἄδηλον, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τοῦθ᾽, ὅτι Λεπτίνης, κἄν τις ἄλλος ὑπὲρ τοῦ νόμου λέγῃ, δίκαιον μὲν οὐδὲν ἐρεῖ περὶ αὐτοῦ, φήσει δ᾽ ἀναξίους τινὰς ἀνθρώπους εὑρομένους ἀτέλειαν ἐκδεδυκέναι τὰς λῃτουργίας, καὶ τούτῳ πλείστῳ χρήσεται τῷ λόγῳ.
[1] Gentlemen of the jury, it is chiefly because I consider that the State will benefit by the repeal of this law, but partly also out of sympathy with the young son of Chabrias, that I have consented to support the plaintiffs to the best of my ability. It is clear, men of Athens, that Leptines and anyone else who defends the law will have nothing fair t
o say in its favor, but will urge the unworthiness of certain persons who have used their exemption as a means of shirking the public services, and he will take his stand chiefly on that ground.
[2] ἐγὼ δ᾽ ὅτι μὲν τινῶν κατηγοροῦντα πάντας ἀφαιρεῖσθαι τὴν δωρειὰν τῶν ἀδίκων ἐστίν, ἐάσω: καὶ γὰρ εἴρηται τρόπον τινὰ καὶ ὑφ᾽ ὑμῶν ἴσως γιγνώσκεται: ἀλλ᾽ ἐκεῖν᾽ ἂν ἐροίμην ἡδέως αὐτόν, τίνος εἵνεκα, εἰ τὰ μάλιστα μὴ τινὲς ἀλλὰ πάντες ἦσαν ἀνάξιοι, τῶν αὐτῶν ἠξίωσεν ὑμᾶς τε καὶ τούτους. ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῷ γράψαι ‘μηδέν᾽ εἶναι ἀτελῆ,’ τοὺς ἔχοντας ἀφείλετο τὴν ἀτέλειαν, ἐν δὲ τῷ προσγράψαι ‘μηδὲ τὸ λοιπὸν ἐξεῖναι δοῦναι,’ ὑμᾶς τὸ δοῦναι ὑμῖν ἐξεῖναι. οὐ γὰρ ἐκεῖνό γ᾽ ἔνεστιν εἰπεῖν, ὡς τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον, ὅνπερ τοὺς ἔχοντας ἀφείλετο τὴν δωρειὰν ἀναξίους ἐνόμιζεν, οὕτω καὶ τὸν δῆμον ἀνάξιον ἡγεῖτο κύριον εἶναι τοῦ δοῦναι, ἐάν τῳ βούληται.