by Demosthenes
[130] ἀλλὰ μὴν γέγραπταί γ᾽ ἀτελεῖς αὐτοὺς εἶναι. τίνος; ἢ τοῦ μετοικίου; τοῦτο γὰρ λοιπόν. οὐ δήπου, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐγκυκλίων λῃτουργιῶν, ὡς ἥ τε στήλη δηλοῖ καὶ σὺ προσδιώρισας ἐν τῷ νόμῳ καὶ μαρτυρεῖ πᾶς ὁ πρὸ τοῦ χρόνος γεγονώς, ἐν ᾧ τοσούτῳ τὸ πλῆθος ὄντι οὔτε φυλὴ πώποτ᾽ ἐνεγκεῖν ἐτόλμησεν οὐδεμί᾽ οὐδένα τῶν ἀπ᾽ ἐκείνων χορηγόν, οὔτ᾽ ἐνεχθεὶς αὐτοῖς ἄλλος οὐδεὶς ἀντιδοῦναι. οἷς οὐκ ἀκουστέον ἂν ἐναντία τολμᾷ λέγειν.
[130] And yet the inscription says that they shall be immune. From what? From the tax on resident aliens, since nothing else is left? Of course not. It is from the regularly recurring services, as the inscription shows, as your law further specifies, and as all history witnesses. During all that length of time no tribe has ever ventured to nominate one of these descendants as chorus-master, and no one nominated has ever ventured to challenge them to an exchange of property. If Leptines dares to deny it, you must pay no heed to him.
[131] ἔτι τοίνυν ἴσως ἐπισύροντες ἐροῦσιν ὡς Μεγαρεῖς καὶ Μεσσήνιοί τινες εἶναι φάσκοντες, ἔπειτ᾽ ἀτελεῖς εἰσιν, ἁθρόοι παμπληθεῖς ἄνθρωποι, καί τινες ἄλλοι δοῦλοι καὶ μαστιγίαι, Λυκίδας καὶ Διονύσιος, καὶ τοιούτους τινὰς ἐξειλεγμένοι. ὑπὲρ δὴ τούτων ὡδὶ ποιήσαθ᾽ ὅταν ταῦτα λέγωσι: κελεύετ᾽, εἴπερ ἀληθῆ λέγουσι πρὸς ὑμᾶς, τὰ ψηφίσματ᾽ ἐν οἷς ἀτελεῖς εἰσιν οὗτοι δεῖξαι. οὐ γάρ ἐστ᾽ οὐδεὶς ἀτελὴς παρ᾽ ὑμῖν ὅτῳ μὴ ψήφισμ᾽ ἢ νόμος δέδωκε τὴν ἀτέλειαν.
[131] Again, perhaps they will say in their haphazard style that some citizens, by claiming to be Megarians and Messenians, at once gain immunity, whole crowds at a time, to say nothing of slaves and jailbirds like Lycidas and Dionysius; such are the examples they select. When they hold such language, deal with them thus. Tell them, if they are speaking the truth, to produce the decrees which contain these men’s immunity; for no one in your city enjoys immunity unless granted by some decree or law.
[132] πρόξενοι μέντοι πολλοὶ διὰ τῶν πολιτευομένων γεγόνασι παρ᾽ ὑμῖν τοιοῦτοι, ὧν εἷς ἐστιν ὁ Λυκίδας. ἀλλ᾽ ἕτερον πρόξενόν ἐστ᾽ εἶναι καὶ ἀτέλειαν εὑρῆσθαι. μὴ δὴ παραγόντων ὑμᾶς, μηδ᾽, ὅτι δοῦλος ὢν ὁ Λυκίδας καὶ Διονύσιος καί τις ἴσως ἄλλος διὰ τοὺς μισθοῦ τὰ τοιαῦτα γράφοντας ἑτοίμως πρόξενοι γεγόνασι, διὰ τοῦθ᾽ ἑτέρους ἀξίους καὶ ἐλευθέρους καὶ πολλῶν ἀγαθῶν αἰτίους, ἃς ἔλαβον δικαίως παρ᾽ ὑμῶν δωρειὰς ἀφελέσθαι ζητούντων.
[132] Many such men, however, have been proclaimed Friends of the State here at the instance of your politicians Lycidas, for example. But it is one thing to be a Friend of the State and another to enjoy immunity. Be not misled by them. Because slaves, like Lycidas and Dionysius and perhaps one other, were made Friends of the State by men who are readily bribed to propose such decrees, they must not try to take away the gifts that you have justly bestowed on men of a different class — mentorious, freeborn, munificent benefactors.
[133] πῶς γὰρ οὐχὶ καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο δεινότατ᾽ ἂν πεπονθὼς ὁ Χαβρίας φανείη, εἰ μὴ μόνον ἐξαρκέσει τοῖς τὰ τοιαῦτα πολιτευομένοις τὸν ἐκείνου δοῦλον Λυκίδαν πρόξενον ὑμέτερον πεποιηκέναι, ἀλλ᾽ εἰ διὰ τοῦτον πάλιν καὶ τῶν ἐκείνῳ τι δοθέντων ἀφέλοιντο, καὶ ταῦτ᾽ αἰτίαν λέγοντες ψευδῆ; οὐ γάρ ἐστιν οὔθ᾽ οὗτος οὔτ᾽ ἄλλος οὐδεὶς πρόξενος ὢν ἀτελής, ὅτῳ μὴ διαρρήδην ἀτέλειαν ἔδωκεν ὁ δῆμος. τούτοις δ᾽ οὐ δέδωκεν, οὐδ᾽ ἕξουσιν οὗτοι δεικνύναι, λόγῳ δ᾽ ἂν ἀναισχυντῶσιν, οὐχὶ καλῶς ποιήσουσιν.
[133] On this principle, what a gross insult it would be to Chabrias, if politicians of that stamp, not content with making his slave, Lycidas, a Friend of your State, should make the slave an excuse for taking back rewards conferred on the master, and that on a false plea! For neither Lycidas nor anyone else enjoys immunity as a Friend of the State, unless such immurity has been expressly conferred by the people. The men in question have not received it; I defy the defendants to prove it. If they have the effrontery to assert it, they will be acting dishonorably.
[134] ὃ τοίνυν μάλιστα πάντων οἶμαι δεῖν ὑμᾶς, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, φυλάξασθαι, τοῦτ᾽ εἰπεῖν ἔτι βούλομαι. εἰ γάρ τις πάνθ᾽ ὅσα Λεπτίνης ἐρεῖ περὶ τοῦ νόμου διδάσκων ὑμᾶς ὡς καλῶς κεῖται, συγχωρήσειεν ἀληθῆ λέγειν αὐτόν, ἕν γ᾽ αἰσχρὸν οὐδ᾽ ἂν εἴ τι γένοιτ᾽ ἀναιρεθείη, ὃ συμβήσεται διὰ τοῦ νόμου κυρίου γενομένου τῇ πόλει. τί οὖν τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν;
[134] I now come to speak of a matter about which I feel bound, Athenians, to warn you most seriously. For even if one could admit the truth of all that Leptines will say in praise of his law, it would be impossible under any circumstances to wipe out one disgrace which his law, if ratified, will bring upon our city. To what do I refer? To the reputation of having cheated our benefactors.
[135] τὸ δοκεῖν ἐξηπατηκέναι τοὺς ἀγαθόν τι ποιήσαντας. ὅτι μὲν τοίνυν τοῦθ᾽ ἕν τι τῶν αἰσχρῶν ἐστιν πάντας ἂν ἡγοῦμαι φῆσαι, ὅσῳ δ᾽ ὑμῖν αἴσχιον τῶν ἄλλων, ἀκούσατέ μου. ἔστιν ὑμῖν νόμος ἀρχαῖος, τῶν καλῶς δοκούντων ἔχειν, ἄν τις ὑποσχόμενός τι τὸν δῆμον ἐξαπατήσῃ, κρίνειν, κἂν ἁλῷ, θανάτῳ ζημιοῦν. εἶτ᾽ οὐκ αἰσχύνεσθ᾽, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, εἰ ἐφ᾽ ᾧ τοῖς ἄλλοις θάνατον ζημίαν ἐτάξατε, τοῦτ᾽ αὐτοὶ ποιοῦντες φανήσεσθε; καὶ μὴν πάντα μὲν εὐλαβεῖσθαι δεῖ ποιεῖν τὰ δοκοῦντα καὶ ὄντ᾽ αἰσχρά, μάλιστα δὲ ταῦτ᾽ ἐφ᾽ οἷς τοῖς ἄλλοις χαλεπῶς τις ἔχων ὁρᾶται: οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀμφισβήτησις καταλείπεται τὸ μὴ ταῦτα ποιεῖν ἃ πονήρ᾽ αὐτὸς ἔκρινεν εἶναι πρότερον.
[135] Now I think you would all agree that this is a distinct disgrace; how much worse in you than in others, hear me explain. You have an ancient law, one held in great respect, that if anyone deceives the people by false promises, he shall be brought to trial, and if convicted shall be punished with death. And are you not then ashamed, Athenians, to find yourselves doing the very thing for which you punish other men with death? Nay, but in everything it is right to take heed against doing whatever seems or is dishonorable, but especially in cases where a man is seen to be indignant with others. For there is no room left even for hesitation in avoiding acts which a man’s own judgement has already condemned.
[136] ἔτι τοίνυν ὑμᾶς κἀκεῖν᾽ �
�ὐλαβεῖσθαι δεῖ, ὅπως μηδὲν ὧν ἰδίᾳ φυλάξαισθ᾽ ἄν, τοῦτο δημοσίᾳ ποιοῦντες φανήσεσθε. ὑμῶν τοίνυν οὐδ᾽ ἂν εἷς οὐδὲν ὧν ἰδίᾳ τινὶ δοίη, τοῦτ᾽ ἀφέλοιτο πάλιν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐδ᾽ ἐπιχειρήσειεν ἄν. μὴ τοίνυν μηδὲ δημοσίᾳ τοῦτο ποιήσητε, ἀλλὰ κελεύετε τούτους τοὺς ἐροῦντας ὑπὲρ τοῦ νόμου,
[136] Then there is another precaution that you must take — to do nothing as a community which you would shun as individuals. Not a man among you would take away from another his own personal gifts, nor even dream of doing so. Then do not so in your public capacity, but tell the official defenders of this law that
[137] εἴ τινα τῶν εὑρημένων τὴν δωρειὰν ἀνάξιον εἶναί φασιν ἢ μὴ πεποιηκότ᾽ ἐφ᾽ οἷς εὕρετ᾽ ἔχειν, ἢ ἄλλ᾽ ὁτιοῦν ἐγκαλοῦσίν τινι, γράφεσθαι κατὰ τὸν νόμον ὃν παρεισφέρομεν νῦν ἡμεῖς, ἢ θέντων ἡμῶν, ὥσπερ ἐγγυώμεθα καὶ φαμὲν θήσειν, ἢ θέντας αὐτούς, ὅταν πρῶτον γένωνται νομοθέται. ἔστι δ᾽ ἑκάστῳ τις αὐτῶν, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἐχθρός, τῷ μὲν Διόφαντος, τῷ δ᾽ Εὔβουλος, τῷ δ᾽ ἴσως ἄλλος τις.
[137] if they say that any of the recipients of these rewards is undeserving, or holds them under false pretences, or is open to any other charge, they should indict him under the amended law which we are now proposing, either when we have carried it through, as we guarantee and assert that we will, or when they have themselves carried it, that is, as soon as the legislative commission has been appointed. But each defender of this law, it seems, has a personal enemy, whether Diophantus or Eubulus or someone else.
[138] εἰ δὲ τοῦτο φεύξονται καὶ μὴ ‘θελήσουσι ποιεῖν, σκοπεῖτ᾽, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, εἰ καλῶς ὑμῖν ἔχει, ἃ τούτων ἕκαστος ὀκνεῖ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἀφαιρούμενος ὀφθῆναι, ταῦθ᾽ ὑμᾶς τοὺς εὐεργέτας ἀφῃρημένους φαίνεσθαι, καὶ τοὺς εὖ τι πεποιηκότας ὑμᾶς, οἷς οὐδεὶς ἂν ἐγκαλέσαι, νόμῳ τὰ δοθέντ᾽ ἀπολωλεκέναι δι᾽ ὑμῶν ἁθρόους, παρόν, εἴ τις ἄρ᾽ ἐστὶν ἀνάξιος, εἷς ἢ δύ᾽ ἢ πλείους, γραφῇ διὰ τούτων ταὐτὸ τοῦτο παθεῖν κατ᾽ ἄνδρα κριθέντας. ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ οὐχ ὑπολαμβάνω ταῦτα καλῶς ἔχειν οὐδέ γ᾽ ἀξίως ὑμῶν.
[138] If they hang back and refuse to take this step, then consider, men of Athens, whether it is to your credit that you should be known to have taken away from your benefactors what not one of these men ventures to take from his personal enemy, and that you should pass a law to rob collectively of their rewards men who have served you well and whom no one dreams of indicting, when the handful of unworthy recipients, if there are any, could be dealt with just as effectively, if these men would impeach them and bring them to trial one by one. For it passes my comprehension how the present arrangement can consort with your honor and your dignity.
[139] Σκοπῶ δὲ καὶ τοῦτο. Καὶ μὴν οὐδ᾽ ἐκείνου γ᾽ ἀποστατέον τοῦ λόγου, ὅτι τῆς μὲν ἀξίας, ὅτ᾽ ἐδώκαμεν, ἦν δίκαιον τὴν ἐξέτασιν λαμβάνειν, ὅτε τούτων οὐδεὶς ἀντεῖπεν, μετὰ ταῦτα δ᾽ ἐᾶν, εἴ τι μὴ πεπόνθαθ᾽ ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν ὕστερον κακόν. εἰ δ᾽ οὗτοι τοῦτο φήσουσι （δεῖξαι μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ἔχουσιν）, δεῖ κεκολασμένους αὐτοὺς παρ᾽ αὐτὰ τἀδικήματα φαίνεσθαι. εἰ δὲ μηδενὸς ὄντος τοιούτου τὸν νόμον ποιήσετε κύριον, δόξετε φθονήσαντες, οὐχὶ πονηροὺς λαβόντες ἀφῃρῆσθαι.
[139] Again, we must not deviate from this principle, that it was fair to investigate their merits at the time of conferring the reward, when none of these men opposed the vote, but after that to let the reward stand, unless you have received any subsequent wrong at their hands. If they allege that （for they cannot prove it）, it must be shown that the men were punished at the time of the alleged wrongs. But if you ratify this law, though no such wrong was committed, it will seem that you have taken away their reward because you were envious, not because you found them rascals.
[140] ἔστι δὲ πάντα μὲν ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν ὀνείδη φευκτέον, τοῦτο δὲ πάντων μάλιστ᾽, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι. διὰ τί; ὅτι παντάπασι φύσεως κακίας σημεῖόν ἐστιν ὁ φθόνος, καὶ οὐκ ἔχει πρόφασιν δι᾽ ἣν ἂν τύχοι συγγνώμης ὁ τοῦτο πεπονθώς. εἶτα καὶ οὐδ᾽ ἔστιν ὄνειδος ὅτου πορρώτερόν ἐσθ᾽ ἡμῶν ἡ πόλις ἢ τοῦ φθονερὰ δοκεῖν εἶναι, ἁπάντων ἀπέχουσα τῶν αἰσχρῶν.
[140] Every reproach, I might almost say, should be avoided, but this above all, men of Athens. Why? Because in every way envy is the mark of a vicious nature, and the man who is subject to it has no claim whatever to consideration. Moreover there is no reproach more alien to our city than the appearance of envy, averse as she is from all that is disgraceful.
[141] τεκμήρια δ᾽ ἡλίκα τούτου θεωρήσατε. πρῶτον μὲν μόνοι τῶν πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἐπὶ τοῖς τελευτήσασι δημοσίᾳ καὶ ταῖς ταφαῖς ταῖς δημοσίαις ποιεῖτε λόγους ἐπιταφίους, ἐν οἷς κοσμεῖτε τὰ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀνδρῶν ἔργα. καίτοι τοῦτ᾽ ἔστι τοὐπιτήδευμα ζηλούντων ἀρετήν, οὐ τοῖς ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τιμωμένοις φθονούντων. εἶτα μεγίστας δίδοτ᾽ ἐκ παντὸς τοῦ χρόνου δωρειὰς τοῖς τοὺς γυμνικοὺς νικῶσιν ἀγῶνας τοὺς στεφανίτας, καὶ οὐχ, ὅτι τῇ φύσει τούτων ὀλίγοις μέτεστιν, ἐφθονήσατε τοῖς ἔχουσιν, οὐδ᾽ ἐλάττους ἐνείματε τὰς τιμὰς διὰ ταῦτα. πρὸς δὲ τούτοις τοιούτοις οὖσιν οὐδεὶς πώποτε τὴν πόλιν ἡμῶν εὖ ποιῶν δοκεῖ νικῆσαι: τοσαύτας ὑπερβολὰς τῶν δωρειῶν αἷς ἀντ᾽ εὖ ποιεῖ, παρέσχηται.
[141] See what strong evidence we have of this. In the first place, you alone of all mankind publicly pronounce over your dead funeral orations, in which you extol the deeds of the brave. Such, however, is the practice of men who admire bravery, not of men who envy the honors that bravery wins. Next, you have from time immemorial given the richest rewards to those who win crowns in the athletic games; nor, because such honors are necessarily confined to a few, have you grudged or stinted the honors of the victors on that account. Beside these notable instances, no one, I think, has ever surpassed our State in generosity; such a superabundance of rewards has she heaped on those who serve her well.
[142] ἔστι τοίνυν πάντα ταῦτ᾽, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, δικαιοσύνης, ἀρετῆς, μεγαλοψυχίας ἐπιδείγματα. μὴ τοίνυν δι᾽ ἃ πάλαι παρὰ πάντα τὸν χρόνον ἡ πόλις εὐδοξεῖ, ταῦτ᾽ ἀνέλητε νῦν: μηδ᾽ ἵνα Λεπτίνης ἰδίᾳ τισίν, οἷς ἀηδῶς ἔχει, ἐπηρεάσῃ, τῆς πόλεως ἀφέλησθε καὶ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν
ἣν διὰ παντὸς ἀεὶ τοῦ χρόνου δόξαν κέκτησθε καλήν: μηδ᾽ ὑπολαμβάνετ᾽ εἶναι τὸν ἀγῶνα τόνδ᾽ ὑπὲρ ἄλλου τινὸς ἢ τοῦ τῆς πόλεως ἀξιώματος, πότερον αὐτὸ δεῖ σῶν εἶναι καὶ ὅμοιον τῷ προτέρῳ, ἢ μεθεστάναι καὶ λελυμάνθαι.
[142] All these, men of Athens, are proofs of justice, of virtue, of magnanimity. Then do not now destroy the very qualities on which throughout its history our city’s reputation is founded; do not, in order that Leptines may vent his spite on men whom he dislikes, rob both yourselves and your city of the fair fame that has been yours in every age; do not suppose that anything else is at stake in this trial save the honor of Athens, whether it is to stand unimpaired as of old, or to pass into neglect and degradation.
[143] πολλὰ δὲ θαυμάζων Λεπτίνου κατὰ τὸν νόμον, ἓν μάλιστα τεθαύμακα πάντων, εἰ ἐκεῖν᾽ ἠγνόηκεν, ὅτι ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις μεγάλας τὰς τιμωρίας τῶν ἀδικημάτων τάττοι, οὐκ ἂν αὐτός γ᾽ ἀδικεῖν παρεσκευάσθαι δόξαι, οὕτως, ἄν τις ἀναιρῇ τὰς τιμὰς τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν, οὐδὲν αὐτὸς ποιεῖν ἀγαθὸν παρεσκευάσθαι δόξει. εἰ μὲν τοίνυν ἠγνόησε ταῦτα （γένοιτο γὰρ ἂν καὶ τοῦτο）, αὐτίκα δηλώσει: συγχωρήσεται γὰρ ὑμῖν λῦσαι περὶ ὧν αὐτὸς ἥμαρτεν. εἰ δὲ φανήσεται σπουδάζων καὶ διατεινόμενος κύριον ποιεῖν τὸν νόμον, ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ ἔχω πῶς ἐπαινέσω, ψέγειν δ᾽ οὐ βούλομαι.