by Demosthenes
[116] ὅτι μὲν τοίνυν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, καὶ τοῖς προγόνοις ὑμῶν ἔθος ἦν τοὺς χρηστοὺς τιμᾶν, δηλοῖ τὸ ψήφισμα τουτί: εἰ δὲ μὴ τοῖς αὐτοῖς οἷσπερ ἡμεῖς νῦν, ἕτερόν τι τοῦτ᾽ ἂν εἴη. εἰ τοίνυν μήτε Λυσίμαχον μήτ᾽ ἄλλον μηδένα μηδὲν εὑρῆσθαι παρὰ τῶν προγόνων ἡμῶν συγχωρήσαιμεν, τί μᾶλλον, οἷς ἔδομεν νῦν ἡμεῖς, διὰ τοῦτο δικαίως ἂν ἀφαιρεθεῖεν;
[116] Now this decree, Athenians, proves that your ancestors, like yourselves, were accustomed to honor good men; if they used different methods from ours today, that is another matter. So even if we should admit that neither Lysimachus nor anyone else gained anything from our ancestors, does that make it any fairer in us to rob the men whom we have just rewarded?
[117] οὐ γὰρ οἱ μὴ δόντες ἃ μὴ ‘δόκει δεινόν εἰσιν οὐδὲν εἰργασμένοι, ἀλλ᾽ οἱ δόντες μέν, πάλιν δ᾽ ὕστερον μηδὲν ἐγκαλοῦντες ἀφαιρούμενοι. εἰ μὲν γάρ τις ἔχει δεῖξαι κἀκείνους ὧν ἔδοσάν τῴ τι, τοῦτ᾽ ἀφῃρημένους, συγχωρῶ καὶ ὑμᾶς ταὐτὸ τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, καίτοι τοῦτό γ᾽ αἰσχρὸν ὁμοίως: εἰ δὲ μηδ᾽ ἂν εἷς ἐν ἅπαντι τῷ χρόνῳ τοῦτ᾽ ἔχοι δεῖξαι γεγονός, τίνος εἵνεκ᾽ ἐφ᾽ ἡμῶν πρώτων καταδειχθῇ τοιοῦτον ἔργον;
[117] For there is nothing outrageous in withholding what one never dreamed of giving; but it is an outrage to give and afterwards take back one’s gift, with no fault alleged. Prove to me that our ancestors ever took back the gifts they had bestowed, and you too have my leave to do the same, though the disgrace remains none the less; but if no one can cite an instance from the whole course of our history, why is such a precedent to be set in our generation?
[118] χρὴ τοίνυν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, κἀκεῖν᾽ ἐνθυμεῖσθαι καὶ ὁρᾶν, ὅτι νῦν ὀμωμοκότες κατὰ τοὺς νόμους δικάσειν ἥκετε, οὐχὶ τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίων οὐδὲ Θηβαίων, οὐδ᾽ οἷς ποτ᾽ ἐχρήσανθ᾽ οἱ πρῶτοι τῶν προγόνων, ἀλλὰ καθ᾽ οὓς ἔλαβον τὰς ἀτελείας οὓς ἀφαιρεῖται νῦν οὗτος τῷ νόμῳ, καὶ περὶ ὧν ἂν νόμοι μὴ ὦσι, γνώμῃ τῇ δικαιοτάτῃ κρινεῖν. καλῶς. τὸ τοίνυν τῆς γνώμης πρὸς ἅπαντ᾽ ἀνενέγκατε τὸν νόμον.
[118] Again, men of Athens, you must also consider well and carefully the fact that you have come into court today, sworn to give your verdict according to the laws, not of Sparta or Thebes, nor those of our earliest ancestors, but those under which immunities were granted to the men whom Leptines is now trying to rob by his law; and where there are no statutes to guide you, you are sworn to decide according to the best of your judgement. So far, so good. Then you must apply these principles to the law as a whole.
[119] ἆρ᾽ οὖν δίκαιον, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τοὺς εὐεργέτας τιμᾶν; δίκαιον. τί δέ; ὅσ᾽ ἂν δῷ τις ἅπαξ, δίκαιον ἔχειν ἐᾶν; δίκαιον. ταῦτα τοίνυν αὐτοί τε ποιεῖτε, ἵν᾽ εὐορκῆτε, καὶ τοὺς προγόνους ὀργίζεσθ᾽ ἂν μή τις φῇ ποιεῖν, καὶ τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα λέγοντας παραδείγματα, ὡς ἄρ᾽ ἐκεῖνοι μεγάλ᾽ εὖ παθόντες οὐδέν᾽ ἐτίμησαν, καὶ πονηροὺς καὶ ἀπαιδεύτους ἡγεῖσθ᾽ εἶναι, πονηροὺς μὲν διότι καταψεύδονται τῶν προγόνων ὑμῶν ὡς ἀχαρίστων, ἀμαθεῖς δὲ διότι ἐκεῖν᾽ ἀγνοοῦσιν, ὅτι εἰ τὰ μάλιστα ταῦθ᾽ οὕτως εἶχεν, ἀρνεῖσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ λέγειν αὐτοῖς προσῆκεν.
[119] Is it right, Athenians, to honor your benefactors? It is. Well then, is it right to allow a man to keep what has once been given him? It is. Then, to observe your oaths, act on that principle yourselves; resent the imputation that your ancestors acted otherwise; and as for those who cite such instances, alleging that your ancestors rewarded no man for great benefits received, look upon them as both knaves and dullards — knaves, because they falsely charge your ancestors with ingratitude; fools, because they do not see that were the charge proved to the hilt, it would better become them to deny than to repeat it.
[120] οἴομαι τοίνυν καὶ τοῦτον τὸν λόγον Λεπτίνην ἐρεῖν, ὡς τὰς εἰκόνας καὶ τὴν σίτησιν οὐκ ἀφαιρεῖται τῶν εἰληφότων ὁ νόμος, οὐδὲ τῆς πόλεως τὸ τιμᾶν τοὺς ὄντας ἀξίους, ἀλλ᾽ ἔσται χαλκοῦς ἱστάναι καὶ σίτησιν διδόναι καὶ ἄλλ᾽ ὅ τι ἂν βούλησθε, πλὴν τούτου. ἐγὼ δ᾽ ὑπὲρ ὧν μὲν τῇ πόλει καταλείπειν φήσει, τοσοῦτο λέγω: ὅταν ὧν ἐδώκατέ τῳ πρότερόν τι, τοῦτ᾽ ἀφέλησθε, καὶ τὰς ὑπολοίπους ἀπίστους ποιήσετε πάσας δωρειάς. τί γὰρ ἔσται πιστότερον τὸ τῆς εἰκόνος ἢ τῆς σιτήσεως ἢ τὸ τῆς ἀτελείας, ἣν πρότερόν τισι δόντες ἀφῃρημένοι φανεῖσθε;
[120] Now I expect that another argument of Leptines will be that his law does not deprive the recipients of their inscriptions and their free maintenance, nor the State of the right to confer honor on those who deserve it, but that it will still be in your power to set up statues and grant maintenance and anything else you wish, except this one privilege. But with respect to the powers that he will pretend to leave to the State, I have just this to say. As soon as you take away one of the privileges you have already granted, you will shake the credit of all the rest. For how can the grant of a statue or of free maintenance be more indefeasible than that of an immunity, which you will seem to have first given and then taken away?
[121] ἔτι δ᾽ εἰ μηδὲν ἔμελλε τοῦτ᾽ ἔσεσθαι δυσχερές, οὐδ᾽ ἐκεῖνο καλῶς ἔχειν ἡγοῦμαι, εἰς τοιαύτην ἄγειν ἀνάγκην τὴν πόλιν δι᾽ ἧς ἅπαντας ἐξ ἴσου τῶν αὐτῶν ἀξιώσει τοῖς τὰ μέγιστ᾽ εὐεργετοῦσιν, ἢ μὴ τοῦτο ποιοῦσα χάριν τισὶν οὐκ ἀποδώσει. μεγάλων μὲν οὖν εὐεργεσιῶν οὔθ᾽ ὑμῖν συμφέρει συμβαίνειν πολλάκις καιρόν, οὔτ᾽ ἴσως ῥᾴδιον αἰτίῳ γενέσθαι:
[121] Further, even if this difficulty were not likely to arise, I cannot think that it is well to bring the State into this dilemma, that it must either put all citizens on an equality with its greatest benefactors, or to avoid this must treat some with ingratitude. Now as for great benefactions, it is not well that you should have many opportunities of receiving them, nor is it perhaps easy for an individual to confer them;
[122] μετρίων δὲ καὶ ὧν ἂν ἐν εἰρήνῃ τις καὶ πολιτείᾳ δύναιτ᾽ ἐφικέσθαι, εὐνοίας, δικαιοσύνης, ἐπιμελείας, τῶν τοιούτων, καὶ συμφέρειν ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ καὶ χρῆναι διδόναι τὰς τιμάς. δεῖ τοίνυν μεμερίσθαι καὶ τὰ τῶν δωρειῶν, ἵν᾽ ἧς ἂν ἄξιος ὢν ἕκαστος φαίνηται, ταύτην παρὰ τοῦ δήμου λαμβάνῃ τὴν δωρειάν.
[122]
but the humbler duties to which one can rise in time of peace and in the civil sphere — loyalty, justice, zeal and the like — it is, in my opinion, both well and necessary that they should be rewarded. Grants ought, therefore, to be so apportioned that each man may receive from the people the exact reward that he deserves.
[123] ἀλλὰ μὴν ὑπὲρ ὧν γε τοῖς εὑρημένοις τὰς τιμὰς καταλείπειν φήσει, οἱ μὲν ἁπλᾶ πάνυ καὶ δίκαι᾽ ἂν εἴποιεν, πάνθ᾽ ὅσα τῶν αὐτῶν ἕνεκ᾽ αὐτοῖς ἔδοτ᾽ εὐεργεσιῶν ἀξιοῦντες ἔχειν, οἱ δὲ φενακίζειν τὸν ὡς καταλείπεται λέγοντά τι αὐτοῖς. ὁ γὰρ ἄξια τῆς ἀτελείας εὖ πεποιηκέναι δόξας καὶ ταύτην παρ᾽ ὑμῶν λαβὼν τὴν τιμὴν μόνην, ἢ ξένος ἢ καί τις πολίτης, ἐπειδὰν ἀφαιρεθῇ ταύτην, τίν᾽ ἔχει λοιπὴν δωρειάν, Λεπτίνη; οὐδεμίαν δήπου. μὴ τοίνυν διὰ μὲν τοῦ τῶνδε κατηγορεῖν ὡς φαύλων ἐκείνους ἀφαιροῦ, δι᾽ ἃ δ᾽ αὖ καταλείπειν ἐκείνοις φήσεις, τούσδ᾽ ὃ μόνον λαβόντες ἔχουσι, τοῦτ᾽ ἀφέλῃ.
[123] And then again, with regard to what he will say about leaving their honors to those who have received them, some would have a perfectly plain and straightforward answer, when they claim their right to all their rewards, because they were granted for the same service, but the others will reply that the man who says that he leaves them anything is mocking them. For if a man has been thought to deserve immunity and has received that from you as his sole reward, be he foreigner or citizen, what reward has he left, Leptines, if that is taken from him? None whatever! Then you have no right to rob some because you arraign the worthlessness of the others, or to rob one class of their sole reward because you say that you are going to leave the other class something.
[124] ὡς δ᾽ ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν, οὐκ, εἰ τῶν πάντων ἀδικήσομέν τιν᾽ ἢ μείζον᾽ ἢ ἐλάττονα, δεινόν ἐστιν, ἀλλ᾽ εἰ τὰς τιμάς, αἷς ἂν ἀντ᾽ εὖ ποιήσωμέν τινας, ἀπίστους καταστήσομεν: οὐδ᾽ ὁ πλεῖστος ἔμοιγε λόγος περὶ τῆς ἀτελείας ἐστίν, ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὲρ τοῦ πονηρὸν ἔθος τὸν νόμον εἰσάγειν καὶ τοιοῦτον δι᾽ οὗ πάντ᾽ ἄπισθ᾽ ὅσ᾽ ὁ δῆμος δίδωσιν ἔσται.
[124] To put it plainly, the danger is not that of doing a greater or less injustice to one member of the whole body, but that of rendering precarious the honors with which we reward men’s services, nor is immunity the main topic of my speech, but the evil precedent which this law will establish, so that there will be no security for the nation’s gifts.
[125] ὃν τοίνυν κακουργότατον οἴονται λόγον εὑρηκέναι πρὸς τὸ τὰς ἀτελείας ὑμᾶς ἀφελέσθαι πεῖσαι, βέλτιόν ἐστι προειπεῖν, ἵνα μὴ λάθητ᾽ ἐξαπατηθέντες. ἐροῦσ᾽ ὅτι ταῦθ᾽ ἱερῶν ἐστιν ἅπαντα τἀναλώματα αἱ χορηγίαι καὶ αἱ γυμνασιαρχίαι: δεινὸν οὖν, εἰ τῶν ἱερῶν ἀτελής τις ἀφεθήσεται. ἐγὼ δὲ τὸ μέν τινας, οἷς ὁ δῆμος ἔδωκεν, ἀτελεῖς εἶναι τούτων δίκαιον ἡγοῦμαι, ὃ δὲ νῦν οὗτοι ποιήσουσιν, ἐὰν ἄρα ταῦτα λέγωσι, τοῦτ᾽ εἶναι δεινὸν νομίζω.
[125] Again, the most unscrupulous argument that they have framed, as they think, to persuade you to withdraw the immunities, is one which I had better explain for fear you should be their innocent dupes. They are going to claim that all such payments are religious dues, and that of course it is monstrous that anyone should be exempt from the dues of religion. For my part, I see no unfairness in such exemption, if the people have bestowed it; the really monstrous thing is the course which they propose, if that is to be their argument.
[126] εἰ γὰρ ἃ κατὰ μηδέν᾽ ἄλλον ἔχουσι τρόπον δεῖξαι δίκαιον ὑμᾶς ἀφελέσθαι, ταῦτ᾽ ἐπὶ τῷ τῶν θεῶν ὀνόματι ποιεῖν ζητήσουσιν, πῶς οὐκ ἀσεβέστατον ἔργον καὶ δεινότατον πράξουσιν; χρὴ γάρ, ὡς γοῦν ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, ὅσα τις πράττει τοὺς θεοὺς ἐπιφημίζων, τοιαῦτα φαίνεσθαι οἷα μηδ᾽ ἂν ἐπ᾽ ἀνθρώπου πραχθέντα πονηρὰ φανείη. ὅτι δ᾽ οὐκ ἔστι ταὐτὸν ἱερῶν ἀτέλειαν ἔχειν καὶ λῃτουργιῶν, ἀλλ᾽ οὗτοι τὸ τῶν λῃτουργιῶν ὄνομ᾽ ἐπὶ τὸ τῶν ἱερῶν μεταφέροντες ἐξαπατᾶν ζητοῦσι, Λεπτίνην ὑμῖν αὐτὸν ἐγὼ παρασχήσομαι μάρτυρα.
[126] For if by appealing to the name of the gods they try to justify a robbery which they cannot justify otherwise, will not that be most impious and monstrous conduct? In my opinion, whenever a man appeals solemnly to the gods, his conduct ought to be clearly such as would not appear base even if supported only by human authority. Now that there is a difference between exemption from religious duties and exemption from public services, and that the defendants are trying to deceive you by transferring the name of public services to religious acts, I shall adduce Leptines himself as my witness. For the first clause of the law says
[127] γράφων γὰρ ἀρχὴν τοῦ νόμου ‘Λεπτίνης εἶπεν’ φησίν, ‘ὅπως ἂν οἱ πλουσιώτατοι λῃτουργῶσιν, ἀτελῆ μηδέν᾽ εἶναι πλὴν τῶν ἀφ᾽ Ἁρμοδίου καὶ Ἀριστογείτονος.’ καίτοι εἰ ἦν ἱερῶν ἀτέλειαν ἔχειν ταὐτὸ καὶ λῃτουργιῶν, τί τοῦτο μαθὼν προσέγραψεν; οὐδὲ γὰρ τούτοις ἀτέλεια τῶν γ᾽ ἱερῶν ἐστιν δεδομένη. ἵνα δ᾽ εἰδῆθ᾽ ὅτι ταῦτα τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον, λαβέ μοι πρῶτον μὲν τῆς στήλης τἀντίγραφα, εἶτα τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ νόμου τοῦ Λεπτίνου. λέγε.”Ἀντίγραφα Στήλης”
[127] “Leptines proposed that, to the end that the wealthiest citizens may perform the public services, none shall be immune save and except the descendants of Harmodius and Aristogiton.” But if immunity from religious duties were the same as immunity from public services, what was the object of that clause? For immunity from religious duties has never been granted even to the persons here named. To prove that this is so, please take and read the copy of the inscription and then the beginning of the law of Leptines.” Copy of Stela Inscription”
[128] ἀκούετε τῶν ἀντιγράφων τῆς στήλης, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, ἀτελεῖς αὐτοὺς εἶναι κελευόντων πλὴν ἱερῶν. λέγε δὴ τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ νόμου τοῦ Λεπτίνου.”Νόμος”
καλῶς: κατάθες. γράψας ‘ὅπως ἂν οἱ πλουσιώτατοι λῃτουργῶσι,’ ‘μηδέν᾽ εἶναι’ προσέγραψεν ‘ἀτελῆ πλὴν τῶν ἀφ᾽ Ἁρμοδίου καὶ Ἀριστογείτονος.’ τίνος ἕνεκα, εἴ γε τὸ τῶν ἱερῶν τέλος ἐστὶ λῃτουργεῖν; αὐτὸς γὰρ οὑτωσὶ τἀναντία τῇ στήλῃ γεγραφώς, ἂν τοῦτο λέγῃ, φανήσεται.
[128] You hear the copy of the inscription, men of Athens, ordering them to be immune, save from religious duties. Now read the beginning of the law of Leptines.” Law”
Good; stop there. After the words “t
o the end that the wealthiest citizens may perform the public services,” he added “no one shall be immune save and except, the descendants of Harmodius and Aristogiton.” Why so, if to pay for a religious rite is to perform a public service? For if that is his meaning, his own drafting will be found to contradict the inscription.
[129] ἡδέως δ᾽ ἂν ἔγωγ᾽ ἐροίμην Λεπτίνην: τίνος αὐτοῖς τὴν ἀτέλειαν ἢ σὺ νῦν καταλείπειν φήσεις ἢ ἐκείνους τότε δοῦναι, τὰς λῃτουργίας ὅταν εἶναι φῇς ἱερῶν; τῶν μὲν γὰρ εἰς τὸν πόλεμον πασῶν εἰσφορῶν καὶ τριηραρχιῶν ἐκ τῶν παλαιῶν νόμων οὐκ εἴσ᾽ ἀτελεῖς: τῶν δὲ λῃτουργιῶν, εἴπερ εἴσ᾽ ἱερῶν, οὐδ᾽ ἔχουσιν.
[129] Now I should like to put a question to Leptines. When you say that the public services come under the head of religious dues, in what, according to you, did the immunity consist, which our ancestors then granted and you now leave untouched? For by the old laws they are not immune from all the special war-taxes or from the equipment of war-galleys; and they enjoy no immunity from the state services, since they are included in the religious duties.