by Demosthenes
[150] καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα, ἐπειδὴ τὸν πρὸς Ἀμφίπολιν πόλεμον πρότερον πολεμεῖν εἵλετο Τιμόθεος τοῦ πρὸς Χερρόνησον, καὶ οὐδὲν εἶχε ποιεῖν ὑμᾶς ἐκεῖ κακόν, μισθοῖ πάλιν αὑτὸν Ὀλυνθίοις τοῖς ὑμετέροις ἐχθροῖς καὶ τοῖς ἔχουσιν Ἀμφίπολιν κατ᾽ ἐκεῖνον τὸν χρόνον. καὶ πλέων ἐκεῖσε, ἐκ Καρδίας ἀναχθείς, ἵνα τἀναντία τῇ πόλει πολεμῇ, ὑπὸ τῶν ἡμετέρων τριήρων ἑάλω. διὰ τὸν παρόντα δὲ καιρὸν καὶ τὸ δεῖν ξένων ἐπὶ τὸν πόλεμον τὸν ἐπ᾽ Ἀμφίπολιν, ἀντὶ τοῦ δίκην δοῦναι ὅτι οὐκ ἀπεδεδώκει τοὺς ὁμήρους καὶ διότι πρὸς Κότυν ἐχθρὸν ὄνθ᾽ ὑμῖν ηὐτομόλησεν ἔχων τὰς τριακοντόρους, πίστεις δοὺς καὶ λαβὼν ἐστράτευσε μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν.
[150] Subsequently, after the decision of Timotheus to take the operations against Amphipolis before those against the Chersonesus, finding that there was no mischief he could do you in that country, he again hired himself out, — this time to the Olynthians, who were your enemies and were then holding Amphipolis. He set sail from Cardia for Amphipolis, with the intention of fighting against Athens, but on the voyage he was captured by our fleet. But in view of the needs of the hour, and because mercenaries were wanted for the war against Amphipolis, instead of being punished for his refusal to deliver the hostages, and for deserting with the light galleys to your enemy Cotys, guarantees were exchanged, and he entered the campaign as your auxiliary.
[151] ὧν δ᾽ ἐκεῖνον δίκαιον ἦν χάριν ὑμῖν ἔχειν οὐκ ἀπολωλότα, τοῦτο παθόντ᾽ ἂν δικαίως, ἀντὶ τούτων ὡς ὀφείλουσ᾽ ἡ πόλις αὐτῷ στεφάνους καὶ πολιτείαν καὶ ἃ πάντες ἐπίστασθε δέδωκεν. καὶ ὅτι ταῦτ᾽ ἀληθῆ λέγω, τό τε ψήφισμ᾽ ἀνάγνωθί μοι τὸ περὶ τῶν ὁμήρων, καὶ τὴν Ἰφικράτους ἐπιστολὴν καὶ τὴν Τιμοθέου, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα τὴν μαρτυρίαν ταυτηνί: ὄψεσθε γὰρ οὐ λόγους οὐδ᾽ αἰτίαν, ἀλλ᾽ ἀλήθειαν οὖσαν ὧν λέγω. λέγε.”Ψήφισμα”“Ἐπιστολαί”“Μαρτυρία”
[151] He ought to have been grateful to you because his life was spared when he might justly have been put to death; but instead of that the city, as though she owed gratitude to him, has bestowed upon him crowns and franchise and favours known to you all. — To prove the truth of these allegations, please read the decree respecting the hostages, the dispatch of Iphicrates, the dispatch of Timotheus, and lastly this deposition. — You will find that what I am telling you is not mere gossip and recrimination, but the plain truth. — Read.” Decree ““ Letters ““ Deposition”
[152] ὅτι μὲν τοίνυν καὶ τὸ πρῶτον, οὗ πολεμεῖν ὑμῖν ᾤετο, ἐκεῖσ᾽ ἐμίσθωσεν αὑτὸν πολλαχόσ᾽ ἄλλοσε μισθῶσαι παρόν, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα, ὡς οὐδὲν ἐκεῖ κακὸν εἶχε ποιεῖν ὑμᾶς, ἔπλει δεῦρο πάλιν οὗ τἀναντί᾽ ἔμελλε πράξειν τῇ πόλει, καὶ τοῦ μὴ λαβεῖν Ἀμφίπολιν πάντων οὗτος αἰτιώτατός ἐστιν, ἀκηκόατ᾽ ἐκ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς καὶ τῆς μαρτυρίας. καὶ τὰ μὲν πρῶτα τοιαῦτ᾽ ἐστὶν τῶν ἔργων τῶν Χαριδήμου, μετὰ ταῦτα δ᾽ ἄλλα θεάσασθε.
[152] You have heard the evidence of the dispatch and the deposition, proving that at the outset Charidemus sold his services to a country where he expected to fight against you, though he had the choice of many other markets; that later, finding that in that country he could do you no harm, he sailed back to a place where he had a chance of operating against Athens; and that he was the chief cause of your failure to take Amphipolis. Such were the early exploits of Charidemus. You must now look at his later conduct.
[153] χρόνου γὰρ διελθόντος καὶ τοῦ πολέμου πρὸς Κότυν ὄντος ἤδη, πέμπει πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐπιστολήν （μᾶλλον δ᾽ οὐχὶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἀλλὰ πρὸς Κηφισόδοτον: οὕτω σφόδρ᾽ ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ γε οὐδ᾽ ἂν ἐξαπατηθῆναι τὴν πόλιν ἡγεῖτο, συνειδὼς ἃ πεποίηκεν） ἐν ᾗ Χερρόνησον ὑπέσχετο τῇ πόλει κομιεῖσθαι, πάντα τούτοις τἀναντί᾽ ἐγνωκὼς ποιεῖν. δεῖ δ᾽ ὑμᾶς τὸ πρᾶγμ᾽ οἷον ἦν τὸ περὶ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἀκοῦσαι （καὶ γάρ ἐστι βραχύ） καὶ θεωρῆσαι τὸν τρόπον τἀνθρώπου, ὡς ὑμῖν ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς κέχρηται.
[153] After a certain lapse of time, when the war with Cotys had already broken out, he sent a letter to you; or rather, not to you but to Cephisodotus, for, being conscious of his transgressions, he was very much of the opinion that the beguilement of Athens was a task beyond his own powers. In this letter he undertook to recover the Chersonesus for Athens; but his real intention was exactly the opposite. You must be informed of the nature of this epistolary transaction, — it is not a long story — and so get an insight into the fashion of this man’s dealings with you from first to last.
[154] ἐκεῖνος ὡς ἀπόμισθος γίγνεται παρὰ τοῦ Τιμοθέου τότε, ἀπ᾽ Ἀμφιπόλεως ἀναχωρῶν, διαβὰς εἰς τὴν Ἀσίαν, διὰ τὴν σύλληψιν τὴν Ἀρταβάζῳ συμβᾶσαν τόθ᾽ ὑπ᾽ Αὐτοφραδάτου μισθοῖ τὸ στράτευμα καὶ αὑτὸν τοῖς Ἀρταβάζου κηδεσταῖς, λαβὼν δὲ πίστεις καὶ δούς, ὀλιγωρήσας τῶν ὅρκων καὶ παραβὰς αὐτούς, ἀφυλάκτων ὄντων ὡς ἂν πρὸς φίλον τῶν ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ, καταλαμβάνει Σκῆψιν καὶ Κεβρῆνα καὶ Ἴλιον αὐτῶν.
[154] Being at that time discharged from the service of Timotheus, he withdrew from Amphipolis, crossed the straits to Asia, and there, because of the recent arrest of Artabazus by Autophradates, he hired out his forces and himself to the sons-in-law of Artabazus. He had taken and given pledges, but he ignored and broke his oaths, and, finding the inhabitants of the country, who thought they were dealing with a friend, off their guard, he seized their towns, Scepsis, Cebren, and Ilium.
[155] ἐγκρατὴς δὲ τούτων γενόμενος τῶν χωρίων πρᾶγμ᾽ ἔπαθεν τοιοῦτον οἷον οὐχ ὅτι στρατηγὸς ἂν ἠγνόησέ τις εἶναι φάσκων, ἀλλ᾽ οὐδ᾽ ὁ τυχὼν ἄνθρωπος. οὐδ᾽ ὁτιοῦν γὰρ ἔχων χωρίον ἐπὶ θαλάττῃ, οὐδ᾽ ὅθεν ἂν σιτοπομπίας ηὐπόρησε τοῖς στρατιώταις, οὐδ᾽ αὖ σῖτον ἔχων ἐν τοῖς χωρίοις, ὑπέμειν᾽ ἐν τοῖς τείχεσιν καὶ οὐ διαρπάσας ᾤχετο, ἐπειδή γ᾽ ἀδικεῖν ἔγνω. ὡς δὲ συλλέξας δύναμιν παρῆν ὁ Ἀρτάβαζος, ἀφειμένος παρὰ τοῦ Αὐτοφραδάτου, τῷ μὲν ὑπῆρχ᾽ ἐπισιτισμὸς ἐκ τῆς ἄνωθεν Φρυγίας καὶ Λυδίας καὶ Παφλαγονίας οἰκείας οὔσης, τῷ δ᾽ οὐδ᾽ ὁτιοῦν ἄλλο πλὴν πολιορκία περιειστήκει.
[155] Having taken possession of these strongholds, he had a misadventure into which even an ordinary person, not to say a man calling himself a c
ommander, could never have blundered. Although he held no position on the sea-coast, and had no means of supplying his troops with provisions, and although he had no food in the towns, he remained within the walls, instead of looting the towns and making off in pursuance of his intention to do mischief. But Artabazus, having been released by Autophradates, collected an army, and appeared on the scene; and he could draw supplies from the friendly countries of upper Phrygia, Lydia, and Paphlagonia, while for Charidemus nothing remained but to stand a siege.
[156] αἰσθόμενος δ᾽ οὗ ἦν κακοῦ καὶ λογισμὸν λαβὼν ὅτι ληφθήσεται, κἂν μηδενὶ τῶν ἄλλων, τῷ γε λιμῷ, εἶδεν, εἴτε δή τινος εἰπόντος εἴτ᾽ αὐτὸς συνείς, ὅτι σωτηρία μόνη γένοιτ᾽ ἂν αὐτῷ ἥπερ ἅπαντας ἀνθρώπους σῴζει. ἔστι δ᾽ αὕτη τίς; ἡ ὑμετέρα, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, εἴτε χρὴ φιλανθρωπίαν λέγειν εἴθ᾽ ὅ τι δήποτε. γνοὺς δὲ τοῦτο πέμπει τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ὑμῖν, ἧς ἄξιόν ἐστιν ἀκοῦσαι, βουλόμενος διὰ τῆς ὑποσχέσεως τοῦ κομιεῖσθαι Χερρόνησον ὑμῖν, καὶ διὰ τοῦ τὸν Κηφισόδοτον δοκεῖν ἐχθρὸν ὄντα τοῦ Κότυος καὶ τοῦ Ἰφικράτους ταῦτα βούλεσθαι, τριήρων εὐπορήσας παρ᾽ ὑμῶν ἀσφαλῶς ἐκ τῆς Ἀσίας ἀποδρᾶναι.
[156] When he realized what trouble he was in, and came to the conclusion that he would be reduced by famine, if by no other means, he made the discovery, whether by suggestion or by his own wits, that his only chance of salvation lay where there is salvation for everybody. And where is that? In your good-nature, if that is the right term, men of Athens, — or call it what you will. Having reached that conclusion, he dispatched the letter to you, — and it is worth your while to hear it read. His desire was, by means of a promise to recover the Chersonesus for you, and on the pretence that such was also the wish of Cephisodotus, as an enemy of Cotys and Iphicrates, to get a supply of galleys from you, and so scuttle safely out of Asia.
[157] τί δὴ συμβαίνει παραυτά, ὅθεν ἐξηλέγχθη τὸ πρᾶγμ᾽ ἐπ᾽ αὐτοφώρῳ; ὁ Μέμνων καὶ ὁ Μέντωρ, οἱ κηδεσταὶ τοῦ Ἀρταβάζου, ἄνθρωποι νέοι καὶ κεχρημένοι ἀπροσδοκήτῳ εὐτυχίᾳ τῇ τοῦ Ἀρταβάζου κηδείᾳ, βουλόμενοι τῆς χώρας ἄρχειν εὐθὺς ἐν εἰρήνῃ καὶ τιμᾶσθαι καὶ μὴ πολεμεῖν μηδὲ κινδυνεύειν, πείθουσι τὸν Ἀρτάβαζον τοῦ μὲν τιμωρεῖσθαι τὸν Χαρίδημον ἀφέσθαι, ἀποστεῖλαι δ᾽ ὑπόσπονδον, διδάσκοντες ὡς ὑμεῖς, κἂν ἐκεῖνος μὴ ‘θέλῃ, διαβιβᾶτε καὶ οὐ δυνήσεται κωλύειν.
[157] Do you remember the immediate sequel, by which the trick was exposed in the very act? Memnon and Mentor, the sons-in-law of Artabazus, were young men, enjoying unexpected good fortune by their relationship to Artabazus. What they wanted was to govern the country peaceably without delay, and to win distinction without warfare and peril. Accordingly, they persuaded Artabazus to forgo his vengeance upon Charidemus, and to send him off under an armistice, advising him that you would bring Charidemus across with or without his consent: he could not possibly stop you.
[158] ὡς δὲ τυγχάνει ταύτης τῆς ἀλόγου καὶ ἀπροσδοκήτου σωτηρίας ὁ Χαρίδημος, διαβὰς εἰς τὴν Χερρόνησον ἐφ᾽ αὑτοῦ διὰ τὰς σπονδάς, τοσούτου ἐδέησεν ἐπελθεῖν τῷ Κότυϊ, γεγραφὼς ὅτι οὐχ ὑπομενεῖ Κότυς αὐτὸν ἐπιόντα, ἢ τὴν Χερρόνησον ὅπως κομιεῖσθ᾽ ὑμεῖς συμπρᾶξαι, ὥστε πάλιν μισθώσας αὑτὸν τῷ Κότυϊ τὰ ὑπόλοιπα τῶν ὑμετέρων χωρίων Κριθώτην καὶ Ἐλαιοῦντ᾽ ἐπολιόρκει. καὶ ὅτι ταῦτα, καὶ ἡνίκ᾽ ἔτ᾽ ἦν ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ καὶ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἔπεμπε πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἐγνωκὼς ποιεῖν ἐφενάκιζεν ὑμᾶς, ἀπὸ τῆς διαβάσεως ἣν ἐποιήσατο γνώσεσθε: ἐκ γὰρ Ἀβύδου τῆς τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον ὑμῖν ἐχθρᾶς καὶ ὅθεν ἦσαν οἱ Σηστὸν καταλαβόντες, εἰς Σηστὸν διέβαινεν, ἣν εἶχε Κότυς.
[158] Having gained this unaccountable and unforeseen deliverance, Charidemus crossed the sea to the Chersonesus without your authority by reason of the armistice; but then, so far from attacking Cotys, — although he had told you in his letter that Cotys would not repel his attack, — and so far from helping you to recover the Chersonesus, he entered the service of Cotys once more, and began to beleaguer your last remaining strongholds, Crithote and Elaeus. You will find proof in his route across the straits that he had already decided on this action at the time when he was in Asia and was sending you the letter, and therefore that he was cheating you; for he crossed from Abydus, a place always hostile to you, and the base from which Sestus was captured, to Sestus, which was in the possession of Cotys.
[159] καίτοι μὴ νομίζετε μήτ᾽ ἂν τοὺς Ἀβυδηνοὺς αὐτὸν ὑποδέχεσθαι μήτ᾽ ἂν τοὺς ἐν τῇ Σηστῷ, τῆς ἐπιστολῆς ὑμῖν ἐκείνης πεπεμμένης, εἰ μὴ συνῄδεσαν αὐτῷ φενακίζοντι τότε καὶ συνεξηπάτων αὐτοί, βουλόμενοι τοῦ μὲν διαβῆναι τὸ στράτευμ᾽ ὑμᾶς παρέχειν τὴν ἀσφάλειαν, διαβάντος δέ, ὅπερ συνέβη δόντος Ἀρταβάζου τὴν ἄδειαν, αὑτοῖς ὑπάρξαι τὴν χρείαν. ὅτι τοίνυν οὕτω ταῦτ᾽ ἔχει, λέγε τὰς ἐπιστολάς, ἥν τ᾽ ἔπεμψεν ἐκεῖνος καὶ τὰς παρὰ τῶν ἀρχόντων τῶν ἐκ Χερρονήσου: γνώσεσθε γὰρ ἐκ τούτων ὅτι ταῦθ᾽ οὕτως ἔχει. λέγε.”Ἐπιστολή”
[159] Yet you must not imagine that either the Abydenes or the people at Sestus would have admitted him, after that letter had been sent to you, if they had not been aware that he was cheating you, or if they had not been actually parties to the deception. They wanted you to provide a safe passage for the troops, and then, after the passage, to get the use of them for their own purposes; as in fact they did, when Artabazus had granted a safe-conduct. — To prove that such are the facts read the letters, — I mean the letter sent by Charidemus, and those that came from the authorities in the Chersonesus. — You will learn from them that the facts are so. — Read.” Letter”
[160] ἐνθυμεῖσθ᾽ ὅθεν οἷ διέβη, ἐξ Ἀβύδου εἰς Σηστόν. ἆρ᾽ οὖν οἴεσθ᾽ ἂν ὑποδέξασθαι τοὺς Ἀβυδηνοὺς ἢ τοὺς Σηστίους, εἰ μὴ συνεξηπάτων ὅτε τὴν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἔπεμπεν ἐπιστολήν;
λέγ᾽ αὐτοῖς τὴν ἐπιστολὴν αὐτήν. καὶ θεωρεῖτ᾽, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τὰς ὑπερβολὰς ὧν αὐτὸς περὶ αὑτοῦ πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἔγραψεν ἐπαίνων, καὶ τὰ μὲν ὡς πεποίηκε λέγων, τὰ δ᾽ ὑπισχνούμενος ποιήσειν. λέγε.”Ἐπιστολή”
[160] Observe from and to what points he crossed the straits; it was from Abydus to Sestus. Do you suppose that the Abydenes and the Sestians would have admitted him, if they had not been privy to his fraud, when he sent you that letter? — Now read to the jury the letter itself. — Observe, men of Athens, with what extravagance of sel
f-commendation he wrote to you, telling you he had done this, and undertaking to do that. — Read.” Letter”
[161] καλά γ᾽, οὐ γάρ; ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τὰ γεγραμμένα καὶ χάριτος πολλῆς ἄξια, εἴ γ᾽ ἦν ἀληθῆ. νῦν δέ, ὅτε μὲν τῶν σπονδῶν οὐκ ᾤετο τεύξεσθαι, ταῦτ᾽ ἔγραφ᾽ ἐξαπατῶν: ἐπειδὴ δ᾽ ἔτυχεν, λέγ᾽ οἷ᾽ ἐποίησεν.”Ἐπιστολή”
οὐκοῦν τοῦ κομιεῖσθαι τἀπολωλότα χωρί᾽ ὑποσχομένου Χαριδήμου διαβάντος φησὶν ὁ ἄρχων Κριθώτης περὶ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων γεγενῆσθαι μείζους τῶν πρότερον τοὺς κινδύνους. λέγ᾽ ἐξ ἑτέρας ἐπιστολῆς ἐπιδείξας.”Ἐπιστολή”
λέγ᾽ ἐξ ἑτέρας.”Ἐπιστολή”
[161] A beautiful letter, is it not, gentlemen? One for which you could not have been too grateful, — if only it had been true! But in fact he wrote it to deceive, when he had no expectation of an armistice; but when he had got his armistice, — read what he did then.” Letter”
So, after the gentleman who undertook to recover our lost fortresses had passed the straits, the governor of Crithote informs us that our remaining possessions are in greater danger than ever. — Show me another letter, and then read a bit of it.” Letter”