by Demosthenes
[204] That is how he insults you, seizing the chance to void the rancor and venom that he secretes in his heart against the masses, as he moves about among you. Now is the chance for you, men of Athens, now when he comes with his humbug and chicanery, with his lamentations, tears and prayers, to throw this answer in his teeth. “Yes, and that is the sort of man you are, Meidias. You are a bully; you cannot keep your hands to yourself. Then can you wonder if your evil deeds bring you to an evil end? Do you think that we shall submit to you and you shall go on beating us? That we shall acquit you and you shall never desist?”
[205] καὶ βοηθοῦσιν οἱ λέγοντες ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ, οὐχ οὕτω τούτῳ χαρίσασθαι μὰ τοὺς θεοὺς βουλόμενοι, ὡς ἐπηρεάζειν ἐμοὶ διὰ τὴν ἰδίαν ἔχθραν, ἣν οὗτος αὑτῷ πρὸς ἐμέ, ἄν τ᾽ ἐγὼ φῶ ἄν τε μὴ φῶ, φησὶν εἶναι καὶ βιάζεται, οὐκ ὀρθῶς: ἀλλὰ κινδυνεύει τὸ λίαν εὐτυχεῖν ἐνίοτ᾽ ἐπαχθεῖς ποιεῖν: ὅπου γὰρ ἐγὼ μὲν οὐδὲ πεπονθὼς κακῶς ἐχθρὸν εἶναί μοι τοῦτον ὁμολογῶ, οὗτος δ᾽ οὐδ᾽ ἀφιέντ᾽ ἀφίησιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις ἀγῶσιν ἀπαντᾷ καὶ νῦν ἀναβήσεται μηδὲ τῆς κοινῆς τῶν νόμων ἐπικουρίας ἀξιῶν ἐμοὶ μετεῖναι, πῶς οὐχ οὗτος ἐπαχθής ἐστιν ἤδη καὶ μείζων ἢ καθ᾽ ὅσον ἡμῶν ἑκάστῳ συμφέρει;
[205] As for the speakers who will support him, their object, I swear, is not so much to oblige him as to insult me, owing to the personal quarrel which that man there says that I have with himself. He insists that it is so, whether I admit it or not; but he is wrong. Too much success is apt sometimes to make people overbearing. For when I, after all that I have suffered, do not admit that he is my enemy, while he will not accept my disclaimer, but even confronts me in another’s quarrel, and is prepared now to mount the platform and demand that I shall even forfeit my claim to that protection which the laws afford to all, is it not clear that he has grown overbearing and is too powerful to suit the interests of each one of us?
[206] ἔτι τοίνυν παρῆν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, καὶ καθῆτ᾽ Εὔβουλος ἐν τῷ θεάτρῳ, ὅθ᾽ ὁ δῆμος κατεχειροτόνησε Μειδίου, καὶ καλούμενος ὀνομαστὶ καὶ ἀντιβολοῦντος τούτου καὶ λιπαροῦντος, ὡς ὑμεῖς ἴστε, οὐκ ἀνέστη. καὶ μὴν εἰ μὲν μηδὲν ἠδικηκότος ἡγεῖτο τὴν προβολὴν γεγενῆσθαι, τότ᾽ ἔδει τόν γε φίλον δήπου συνειπεῖν καὶ βοηθῆσαι: εἰ δὲ καταγνοὺς ἀδικεῖν τότε, διὰ ταῦτ᾽ οὐχ ὑπήκουσεν, νῦν δ᾽, ὅτι προσκέκρουκεν ἐμοί, διὰ ταῦτα τοῦτον ἐξαιτήσεται, ὑμῖν οὐχὶ καλῶς ἔχει χαρίσασθαι:
[206] Furthermore, Athenians, Eubulus was in his seat in the theater when the people gave their vote against Meidias, and yet, as you know, he never stood up when called upon by name, though Meidias begged and implored him to do so. Yet if he thought that the plaint had been brought against an innocent man, that was the moment to help him by his testimony, if he was really his friend;but if he withheld his support then, because he had pronounced him guilty, but is now going to ask for his acquittal, because he has fallen foul of me, it is not well that you should humor him.
[207] μὴ γὰρ ἔστω μηδεὶς ἐν δημοκρατίᾳ τηλικοῦτος, ὥστε συνειπὼν τὸν μὲν ὑβρίσθαι, τὸν δὲ μὴ δοῦναι δίκην ποιῆσαι. ἀλλ᾽ εἰ κακῶς ἐμὲ βούλει ποιεῖν, Εὔβουλε, ὡς ἔγωγε μὰ τοὺς θεοὺς οὐκ οἶδ᾽ ἀνθ᾽ ὅτου, δύνασαι μὲν καὶ πολιτεύει, κατὰ τοὺς νόμους δ᾽ ἥντινα βούλει παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ δίκην λάμβανε, ὧν δ᾽ ἐγὼ παρὰ τοὺς νόμους ὑβρίσθην, μή μ᾽ ἀφαιροῦ τὴν τιμωρίαν. εἰ δ᾽ ἀπορεῖς ἐκείνως με κακῶς ποιῆσαι, εἴη ἂν καὶ τοῦτο σημεῖον τῆς ἐμῆς ἐπιεικείας, εἰ τοὺς ἄλλους ῥᾳδίως κρίνων ἐμὲ μηδὲν ἔχεις ἐφ᾽ ὅτῳ τοῦτο ποιήσεις.
[207] In a democracy there must never be a citizen so powerful that his support can ensure that the one party submits to outrages and the other escapes punishment. But if you are anxious to do me an ill turn, Eubulus,though I protest that I know not why you should — you are a man of influence and a statesman; take any legal vengeance you like on me, but do not deprive me of my compensation for illegal outrages. If you find it impossible to harm me in that way, it may be taken as a proof of my innocence that you can readily censure others, but find no ground of censure in me.
[208] πέπυσμαι τοίνυν καὶ Φιλιππίδην καὶ Μνησαρχίδην καὶ Διότιμον τὸν Εὐωνυμέα καὶ τοιούτους τινὰς πλουσίους καὶ τριηράρχους ἐξαιτήσεσθαι καὶ λιπαρήσειν παρ᾽ ὑμῶν αὐτόν, αὑτοῖς ἀξιοῦντας δοθῆναι τὴν χάριν ταύτην. περὶ ὧν οὐδὲν ἂν εἴποιμι πρὸς ὑμᾶς φλαῦρον ἐγώ （καὶ γὰρ ἂν μαινοίμην）: ἀλλ᾽ ἃ θεωρεῖν ὑμᾶς, ὅταν οὗτοι δέωνται, δεῖ καὶ λογίζεσθαι, ταῦτ᾽ ἐρῶ.
[208] Now I have learned that Philippides and Mnesarchides and Diotimus of Euonymia and some other rich trierarchs will plead with you for his acquittal, claiming it as a favour due to themselves. I would not utter a word in disparagement of these men; I should indeed be mad to do so: but I will tell you how you ought to reflect and consider, when they make their request.
[209] ἐνθυμεῖσθ᾽, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, εἰ γένοιντο （ὃ μὴ γένοιτ᾽ οὐδ᾽ ἔσται） οὗτοι κύριοι τῆς πολιτείας μετὰ Μειδίου καὶ τῶν ὁμοίων τούτῳ, καί τις ὑμῶν τῶν πολλῶν καὶ δημοτικῶν ἁμαρτὼν εἴς τινα τούτων, μὴ τοιαῦθ᾽ οἷα Μειδίας εἰς ἐμέ, ἀλλ᾽ ὁτιοῦν ἄλλο, εἰς δικαστήριον εἰσίοι πεπληρωμένον ἐκ τούτων, τίνος συγγνώμης ἢ τίνος λόγου τυχεῖν ἂν οἴεσθε; ταχύ γ᾽ ἂν χαρίσαιντο, οὐ γάρ; ἢ δεηθέντι τῳ τῶν πολλῶν πρόσσχοιεν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ ἂν εὐθέως εἴποιεν ‘τὸν δὲ βάσκανον, τὸν δ᾽ ὄλεθρον, τοῦτον δ᾽ ὑβρίζειν, ἀναπνεῖν δέ; ὃν εἴ τις ἐᾷ ζῆν, ἀγαπᾶν δεῖ;’
[209] Suppose, gentlemen of the jury, that these men — never may it so befall, as indeed it never will — made themselves masters of the State, along with Meidias and others like him; and suppose that one of you, who are men of the people and friends to popular government, having offended one of these men, — not so seriously as Meidias offended me, but in some slighter degree — came before a jury packed with men of that class; what pardon, what consideration do you think he would receive? They would be prompt with their favour, would they not? Would they heed the petition of one of the common folk? Would not their first words be, “The knave! The sorry rascal! To think that he should insult us and still draw breath! He ought to be only too happy if he is permitted to exist”?
[210] μὴ τοίνυν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τούτοις τοῖς οὕτω χρησαμένοις ἂν ὑμῖν ἄλλως πως ἔχεθ᾽ ὑμεῖς, μηδὲ τὸν πλοῦτον μηδὲ τὴν δόξαν τ�
��ν τούτων θαυμάζετε, ἀλλ᾽ ὑμᾶς αὐτούς. πολλὰ τούτοις ἀγάθ᾽ ἐστίν, ἃ τούτους οὐδεὶς κωλύει κεκτῆσθαι: μὴ τοίνυν μηδ᾽ οὗτοι τὴν ἄδειαν, ἣν ἡμῖν κοινὴν οὐσίαν οἱ νόμοι παρέχουσι, κωλυόντων κεκτῆσθαι.
[210] Do not therefore, men of Athens, treat them otherwise than as they would treat you. Keep your respect, not for their wealth or their reputation, but for yourselves. They have many advantages, which no one hinders them from enjoying; then they in their turn must not hinder us from enjoying the security which the laws provide as our common birthright.
[211] οὐδὲν δεινὸν οὐδ᾽ ἐλεινὸν Μειδίας πείσεται, ἂν ἴσα κτήσηται τοῖς πολλοῖς ὑμῶν, οὓς νῦν ὑβρίζει καὶ πτωχοὺς ἀποκαλεῖ, ἃ δὲ νῦν περιόντ᾽ αὐτὸν ὑβρίζειν ἐπαίρει, περιαιρεθῇ. οὐδ᾽ οὗτοι δήπου ταῦθ᾽ ὑμῶν εἰσι δίκαιοι δεῖσθαι, ‘μὴ κατὰ τοὺς νόμους δικάσητ᾽, ἄνδρες δικασταί: μὴ βοηθήσητε τῷ πεπονθότι δεινά: μὴ εὐορκεῖτε: ἡμῖν δότε τὴν χάριν ταύτην.’ ταῦτα γάρ, ἄν τι δέωνται περὶ τούτου, δεήσονται, κἂν μὴ ταῦτα λέγωσι τὰ ῥήματα.
[211] Meidias will suffer no distressing hardship if he shall come to possess just as much as the majority of you, whom he now insults and calls beggars, and if he is stripped of the superfluous wealth that incites him to such insolence. Surely such men have no right to ask of you, “Do not try the case by the laws, gentlemen of the jury; do not help the man who has suffered serious wrongs; do not observe your oaths; grant us your verdict as a favour.” If they plead for Meidias, that is what their plea will come to, though these may not be their actual words.
[212] ἀλλ᾽ εἴπερ εἰσὶ φίλοι καὶ δεινὸν εἰ μὴ πλουτήσει Μειδίας ἡγοῦνται, εἰσὶ μὲν εἰς τὰ μάλιστ᾽ αὐτοὶ πλούσιοι, καὶ καλῶς ποιοῦσι, χρήματα δ᾽ αὐτῷ παρ᾽ ἑαυτῶν δόντων, ἵν᾽ ὑμεῖς μὲν ἐφ᾽ οἷς εἰσήλθετ᾽ ὀμωμοκότες δικαίως ψηφίσησθε, οὗτοι δὲ παρ᾽ αὑτῶν τὰς χάριτας, μὴ μετὰ τῆς ὑμετέρας αἰσχύνης, ποιῶνται. εἰ δ᾽ οὗτοι χρήματ᾽ ἔχοντες μὴ πρόοιντ᾽ ἄν, πῶς ὑμῖν καλὸν τὸν ὅρκον προέσθαι;
[212] But if they are his friends and think it hard that he should not be rich, well, they are extremely rich themselves; that is their good fortune. Let them spare him some of their own wealth, that you may give your votes honestly, as you swore to do when you came into court, and that they may be generous to him at their own expense, and not at the expense of your honor. But if these men with all their money are not prepared to sacrifice it, how can it be honorable for you to sacrifice your oath?
[213] πλούσιοι πολλοὶ συνεστηκότες, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τὸ δοκεῖν τινὲς εἶναι δι᾽ εὐπορίαν προσειληφότες, ὑμῶν παρίασι δεησόμενοι. τούτων μηδενί μ᾽, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, προῆσθε, ἀλλ᾽ ὥσπερ ἕκαστος τούτων ὑπὲρ τῶν ἰδίᾳ συμφερόντων καὶ ὑπὲρ τούτου σπουδάσεται, οὕτως ὑμεῖς ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν νόμων καὶ ἐμοῦ τοῦ ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς καταπεφευγότος σπουδάσατε, καὶ τηρήσατε τὴν γνώμην ταύτην ἐφ᾽ ἧς νῦν ἐστέ.
[213] An imposing muster of wealthy men, whose prosperity has raised them to apparent importance, will come into court to plead with you. Men of Athens, do not sacrifice me to any one of them; but just as each of them will be zealous for his private interests and for the defendant, so be zealous for your own selves and for the laws, as well as for me who have fled to you for refuge, and cleave to the opinion that you already hold.
[214] καὶ γὰρ εἰ μέν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τόθ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἦν ἡ προβολή, τὰ πεπραγμέν᾽ ὁ δῆμος ἀκούσας ἀπεχειροτόνησε Μειδίου, οὐκ ἂν ὁμοίως ἦν δεινόν: καὶ γὰρ μὴ γεγενῆσθαι, καὶ μὴ περὶ τὴν ἑορτὴν ἀδικήματα ταῦτ᾽ εἶναι, καὶ πόλλ᾽ ἂν εἶχέ τις αὑτὸν παραμυθήσασθαι.
[214] If, men of Athens, at the time of the plaint the people, after hearing the facts, had acquitted Meidias, it would not be so hard to bear: one might console oneself with the fancy that the assault had never been made, or that it was not a profanation of the festival, and so on.
[215] νῦν δὲ τοῦτο καὶ πάντων ἄν μοι δεινότατον συμβαίη, εἰ παρ᾽ αὐτὰ τἀδικήμαθ᾽ οὕτως ὀργίλως καὶ πικρῶς καὶ χαλεπῶς ἅπαντες ἔχοντες ἐφαίνεσθε, ὥστε Νεοπτολέμου καὶ Μνησαρχίδου καὶ Φιλιππίδου καί τινος τῶν σφόδρα τούτων πλουσίων δεομένων καὶ ἐμοῦ καὶ ὑμῶν, ἐβοᾶτε μὴ ἀφεῖναι, καὶ προσελθόντος μοι Βλεπαίου τοῦ τραπεζίτου, τηλικοῦτ᾽ ἀνεκράγετε, ὡς, τοῦτ᾽ ἐκεῖνο, χρήματά μου ληψομένου,
[215] But now this would be the hardest blow for me to bear, if, when the offences were fresh in your memory, you displayed such anger and indignation and bitterness that, when Neoptolemus and Mnesarchides and Philippides and another of these very wealthy men were interceding with you and me, you shouted to me not to let him off, and when Blepaeus the banker came up to me, you raised such an uproar, as if I was going to take a bribe — the old, old story! —
[216] ὥστε μ᾽, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, φοβηθέντα τὸν ὑμέτερον θόρυβον θοἰμάτιον προέσθαι καὶ μικροῦ γυμνὸν ἐν τῷ χιτωνίσκῳ γενέσθαι, φεύγοντ᾽ ἐκεῖνον ἕλκοντά με, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτ᾽ ἀπαντῶντες ‘ὅπως ἐπέξει τῷ μιαρῷ καὶ μὴ διαλύσει: θεάσονταί σε τί ποιήσεις Ἀθηναῖοι’ τοιαῦτα λέγοντες: ἐπειδὴ κεχειροτόνηται μὲν ὕβρις τὸ πρᾶγμ᾽ εἶναι, ἐν ἱερῷ δ᾽ οἱ ταῦτα κρίνοντες καθεζόμενοι διέγνωσαν, διέμεινα δ᾽ ἐγὼ καὶ οὐ προὔδωκ᾽ οὔθ᾽ ὑμᾶς οὔτ᾽ ἐμαυτόν, τηνικαῦτ᾽ ἀποψηφιεῖσθ᾽ ὑμεῖς.
[216] that I was startled by your clamor, Athenians, and let my cloak drop so that I was half-naked in my tunic, trying to get away from his grasp, and when you met me afterwards, “Mind you prosecute the blackguard,” you cried; “don’t let him go; the Athenians will watch to see what you are going to do”; and yet when the act has been condemned by vote as an outrage, and those who gave that verdict were sitting in a sacred building, and when I have stuck to my task and not betrayed either you or myself, if after all this you are going to acquit him.
[217] μηδαμῶς: πάντα γὰρ τὰ αἴσχιστ᾽ ἔνεστιν ἐν τῷ πράγματι. εἰμὶ δ᾽ οὐ τούτων ὑμῖν ἄξιος （πῶς γάρ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι;） κρίνων ἄνθρωπον καὶ δοκοῦντα καὶ ὄντα βίαιον καὶ ὑβριστήν, ἡμαρτηκότ᾽ ἀσελγῶς ἐν πανηγύρει, μάρτυρας τῆς ὕβρεως τῆς ἑαυτοῦ πεποιημένον οὐ μόνον ὑμᾶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἐπιδημήσαντας ἅπαντας τῶν Ἑλλήνων. ἤκουσεν ὁ δῆμο
ς τὰ πεπραγμένα τούτῳ. τί οὖν; ὑμῖν καταχειροτονήσας παρέδωκεν.
[217] Never! [Such a result entails all that is most disgraceful. I do not deserve this at your hands, Athenians. How should I, when I am bringing to justice a fellow who is as violent a bully as he is reputed to be, who has offended against decency at a public festival, and who has made not only you, but all the Greeks who were visiting the city, witnesses of his brutality? The people heard what he had done. What was the result? They voted him guilty and passed him on to your court.
[218] οὐ τοίνυν οἷόν τ᾽ ἀφανῆ τὴν γνῶσιν ὑμῶν γενέσθαι, οὐδὲ λαθεῖν, οὐδ᾽ ἀνεξέταστον εἶναι τί ποθ᾽ ὡς ὑμᾶς τοῦ πράγματος ἐλθόντος ἔγνωτε: ἀλλ᾽ ἐὰν μὲν κολάσητε, δόξετε σώφρονες εἶναι καὶ καλοὶ κἀγαθοὶ καὶ μισοπόνηροι, ἂν δ᾽ ἀφῆτε, ἄλλου τινὸς ἡττῆσθαι. οὐ γὰρ ἐκ πολιτικῆς αἰτίας, οὐδ᾽ ὥσπερ Ἀριστοφῶν ἀποδοὺς τοὺς στεφάνους ἔλυσε τὴν προβολήν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐξ ὕβρεως, ἐκ τοῦ μηδὲν ἂν ὧν πεποίηκ᾽ ἀναλῦσαι δύνασθαι κρίνεται. πότερ᾽ οὖν τούτου γενομένου κρεῖττον αὖθις ἢ νυνὶ κολάσαι; ἐγὼ μὲν οἶμαι νῦν: κοινὴ γὰρ ἡ κρίσις, καὶ τἀδικήματα πάντ᾽ ἐφ᾽ οἷς νῦν κρίνεται κοινά.