by Demosthenes
Read a passage from another.” Letter”
[162] ὁρᾶθ᾽ ὅτι πανταχόθεν τὸ πρᾶγμα μαρτυρεῖται, ὅτι διαβὰς οὐκ ἐπὶ τὸν Κότυν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐφ᾽ ἡμᾶς μετ᾽ ἐκείνου ἐπορεύετο. ἔτι τοίνυν ταύτην μόνην ἀνάγνωθί μοι τὴν ἐπιστολήν, τὰς δ᾽ ἄλλας ἔα: δῆλον γάρ που ὑμῖν γέγον᾽ ὡς πεφενάκικεν ὑμᾶς. λέγε.”Ἐπιστολή”
ἐπίσχες. ἐνθυμεῖσθ᾽ ὅτι γράψας μὲν ὡς ἀποδώσει Χερρόνησον, τὰ λοίπ᾽ ἀφελέσθαι μισθώσας αὑτὸν τοῖς ὑμετέροις ἐχθροῖς ἐπεχείρει, γράψας δ᾽ ὡς Ἀλεξάνδρου πρεσβευσαμένου πρὸς αὐτὸν οὐ προσεδέξατο, τοῖς λῃσταῖς φαίνεται τοῖς παρ᾽ ἐκείνου ταὐτὰ πράττων. εὔνους γ᾽, οὐ γάρ; ἁπλῶς ὑμῖν, καὶ οὐδὲν ἂν ἐπιστείλας ψεῦδος οὐδ᾽ ἐξαπατήσας.
[162] You see how testimony comes in from every quarter that, when he crossed the straits, he was not marching to attack Cotys but to join Cotys in attacking us. Now here is just one letter more that you must read; but never mind the rest. For it has, I suppose, become quite clear now that he has cheated you. Read.” Letter”
Stop. Now reflect how, after writing that he would recover the Chersonesus, he took the pay of your enemies, and tried to rob you of your remaining possessions there; and how, after writing that Alexander had sent envoys to him but that he had refused to see them, he was found behaving exactly like Alexander’s filibusters. So much for your single-minded well-wisher; the man who is incapable of writing lies or practising deceit!
[163] οὐ τοίνυν ἐκ τούτων πω δῆλόν ἐσθ᾽, οὕτω σαφῶς δῆλον ὄν, ὡς οὐδὲν πιστόν ἐσθ᾽ ὧν ἐκεῖνός φησιν προσποιεῖται τῇ πόλει προσέχειν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα συμβάντων ἔσται φανερώτερον. τὸν μὲν γὰρ Κότυν, εὖ ποιῶν, ὄντα γ᾽ ἐχθρὸν ὑμῖν καὶ πονηρὸν ἀποκτίννυσιν ὁ Πύθων, ὁ δὲ Κερσοβλέπτης ὁ νυνὶ βασιλεύων μειρακύλλιον ἦν καὶ πάντες οἱ τοῦ Κότυος παῖδες, τῶν δὲ πραγμάτων κύριος διὰ τὴν παρουσίαν καὶ τὸ δύναμιν ἔχειν ὁ Χαρίδημος ἐγεγόνει, ἧκε δὲ Κηφισόδοτος στρατηγῶν, πρὸς ὃν αὐτὸς ἔπεμψε τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἐκείνην, καὶ αἱ τριήρεις, αἵ, ὅτ᾽ ἦν ἄδηλα τὰ τῆς σωτηρίας αὐτῷ, καὶ μὴ συγχωροῦντος Ἀρταβάζου σῴζειν ἔμελλον αὐτόν.
[163] Although, then, it is abundantly clear that there is not a sincere word in all his professions of attachment to Athens, yet, if it is not already clear from these facts, it will be more evident in the light of later events. Cotys, I am glad to say, — for he was your enemy, and a bad man, — was killed by Pytho; Cersobleptes, the present king, was a mere boy, and so were all the sons of Cotys; and Charidemus had got control of affairs, because he was on the spot and had a force at his back. Cephisodotus, the man to whom he sent the famous letter, had arrived in command of an army, and so had the galleys, which were to have rescued him, even without the consent of Artabazus, when his deliverance was in doubt.
[164] τί δὴ προσῆκεν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τὸν ὡς ἀληθῶς ἁπλοῦν καὶ φίλον, παρόντος μὲν στρατηγοῦ οὐχ ὧν ἐκεῖνος ἔφησεν ἂν αὑτῷ φθονεῖν οὐδενός, ἀλλ᾽ ὃν αὐτὸς ἑαυτοῦ φίλον προείλετο τῶν παρ᾽ ὑμῖν, καὶ πρὸς ὃν τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἐπεπόμφει, τετελευτηκότος δὲ Κότυος, κύριον δ᾽ ὄντα τῶν πραγμάτων; οὐκ ἀποδοῦναι μὲν τὴν χώραν εὐθέως ὑμῖν, κοινῇ δὲ μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν καθιστάναι τὸν βασιλέα τῆς Θρᾴκης, δηλῶσαι δ᾽ ὡς εἶχεν εὐνοϊκῶς ὑμῖν, καιροῦ τοιούτου λαβόμενον;
[164] Now what, men of Athens, was the conduct proper for a really single-minded and friendly person, after the arrival of a commander, — not one of those men whom he might have called jealous of himself, but the recipient of his letter, a man whom he had chosen out of all Athens as his special friend, — with Cotys in his grave, and himself in supreme power? Was it not to restore your territory there and then? To cooperate with you in establishing the king of Thrace? To embrace the opportunity of exhibiting his friendly disposition towards you I should say, yes.
[165] ἔγωγ᾽ ἂν φαίην. ἆρ᾽ οὖν ἐποίησέ τι τούτων; πολλοῦ γε δεῖ. ἀλλὰ τὸν μὲν ἅπαντα χρόνον μῆνας ἑπτὰ διήγαγεν ἡμᾶς πολεμῶν, ἐκ προφανοῦς ἐχθρὸς ὢν καὶ οὐδὲ λόγον φιλάνθρωπον διδούς. καὶ κατ᾽ ἀρχὰς μὲν ἡμῶν δέκα ναυσὶ μόναις εἰς Πέρινθον ὁρμισαμένων, ἀκηκοότων ὅτι πλησίον ἐστὶν ἐκεῖνος, ὅπως συμμείξαιμεν αὐτῷ καὶ περὶ τούτων εἰς λόγους ἔλθοιμεν, ἀριστοποιουμένους φυλάξας τοὺς στρατιώτας ἐπεχείρησε μὲν ἡμῶν τὰ σκάφη λαβεῖν, πολλοὺς δ᾽ ἀπέκτεινε τῶν ναυτῶν, κατήραξε δ᾽ εἰς τὴν θάλατταν ἅπαντας, ἱππέας ἔχων καὶ ψιλούς τινας.
[165] Well, is that what he did? By no means. For seven whole months he persisted in making war on us, openly displaying his hostility and withholding even the language of goodwill. At the outset we took anchorage at Perinthus with only ten ships, having heard that he was in the neighborhood, and hoping to meet him and talk matters over. He waited till our men were having their breakfast, and then tried to take our ships, killed a number of our sailors, and hunted every man of them into the sea with his cavalry and light infantry.
[166] μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ πλευσάντων ἡμῶν — οὐκ ἐπὶ τῆς Θρᾴκης τόπον οὐδέν᾽ οὐδὲ χωρίον: οὐδὲ γὰρ τοῦτό γ᾽ ἂν εἴποι τις ‘νὴ Δί᾽, ἀμυνόμενος γὰρ ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ παθεῖν ἐποίει τι κακόν’: οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο: οὐ γὰρ ἤλθομεν οὐδαμοῖ τῆς Θρᾴκης, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπ᾽ Ἀλωπεκόννησον, ἣ Χερρονήσου μέν ἐστι καὶ ἦν ὑμετέρα, ἀκρωτήριον δ᾽ ἀνέχον πρὸς τὴν Ἴμβρον ἀπωτάτω τῆς Θρᾴκης, λῃστῶν δ᾽ ἦν μεστὴ καὶ καταποντιστῶν —
[166] Afterwards, when we set sail — ,no, it was not to attack any part of Thrace, or any fortress there. For this at least no man can say: “Ah, yes; he did do a little damage, — in self-defence, you know, and to protect himself.” That is not true; we never went to any place in Thrace; we went to Alopeconnesus, and that is in the Chersonesus and used to belong to you, — a headland running out towards Imbros, a long way from Thrace; a place swarming with robbers and pirates.
[167] ἐνταῦθα δ᾽ ἐλθόντων ἡμῶν καὶ πολιορκούντων τούτους, πορευθεὶς διὰ Χερρονήσου πάσης τῆς ὑμετέρας ἡμῖν μὲν προσέβαλλεν, ἐβοήθει δὲ τοῖς λῃσταῖς καὶ καταποντισταῖς. καὶ πρότερον προσκαθήμενος τὸν ὑμέτερον στρατηγὸν ἔπεισε καὶ ἠνάγκασε μὴ τὰ βέλτισθ᾽ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν πράττειν, ἢ αὐτὸς ὑπὸ τούτου ἐπείσθη ὧν ὡμολ
ογήκει καὶ ὑπέσχητό τι πρᾶξαι, καὶ γράφει δὴ τὰς συνθήκας ταύτας τὰς πρὸς Κηφισόδοτον, ἐφ᾽ αἷς ὑμεῖς οὕτως ἠγανακτήσατε καὶ χαλεπῶς ἠνέγκατε, ὥστ᾽ ἀπεχειροτονήσατε μὲν τὸν στρατηγόν, πέντε ταλάντοις δ᾽ ἐζημιώσατε, τρεῖς δὲ μόναι ψῆφοι διήνεγκαν τὸ μὴ θανάτου τιμῆσαι.
[167] When we got there, and were besieging these gentry, he marched right across the Chersonesus, — your property, every yard of it, — attacked us, and tried to rescue the robbers and pirates. He took up his position, and persuaded or constrained your commander not to serve your interests, instead of letting himself be persuaded by him to carry out some part of his covenant and undertaking; and then he must needs draw up that convention with Cephisodotus, by which you were so deeply annoyed and exasperated that you dismissed your commander, and fined him five talents, and there was a majority of three votes only against a sentence of death.
[168] καίτοι πηλίκην τινὰ χρὴ νομίζειν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, ταύτην τὴν ἀλογίαν, ὅταν τις ἴδῃ διὰ τὰς αὐτὰς πράξεις τὸν μὲν ὡς ἀδικοῦντα κολασθέντα πικρῶς οὕτως, τὸν δ᾽ ὡς εὐεργέτην ἔτι καὶ νῦν τιμώμενον; ὅτι τοίνυν ταῦτ᾽ ἀληθῆ λέγω, τῶν μὲν τῷ στρατηγῷ συμβάντων δήπου μάρτυρες ὑμεῖς ἐστέ μοι: καὶ γὰρ ἐκρίνεθ᾽ ὑμεῖς καὶ ἀπεχειροτονεῖτε καὶ ὠργίζεσθε, καὶ πάντα ταῦτα σύνισθ᾽ ὑμεῖς: τῶν δ᾽ ἐν Περίνθῳ καὶ τῶν ἐν Ἀλωπεκοννήσῳ κάλει μοι τοὺς τριηράρχους μάρτυρας.”Μάρτυρες”
[168] Why, what a preposterous absurdity a man must account this, men of Athens, when for one and the same transaction he sees one man punished with such severity as a criminal, and another glorified as a benefactor from that day to this!
To prove the truth of my narrative, you are, of course, my witnesses in regard to the fate of the commander; for it was you who tried him, cashiered him, reprimanded him;all this is within your knowledge. In respect of the incidents at Perinthus and Alopeconnesus, please call the ships’ captains as witnesses.” Witnesses”
[169] μετὰ ταῦτα τοίνυν, ἐπειδὴ Κηφισόδοτος μὲν ἀπηλλάγη τοῦ στρατηγεῖν, ὑμῖν δ᾽ οὐκ ἐδόκουν καλῶς ἔχειν οὐδὲ δικαίως αἱ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον γραφεῖσαι συνθῆκαι, τὸν μὲν Μιλτοκύθην, τὸν διὰ παντὸς εὔνουν ὑμῖν τοῦ χρόνου, λαβὼν προδοθένθ᾽ ὑπὸ τοῦ Σμικυθίωνος ὁ χρηστὸς οὗτος Χαρίδημος, οὐκ ὄντος νομίμου τοῖς Θρᾳξὶν ἀλλήλους ἀποκτιννύναι, γνοὺς ὅτι σωθήσεται πρὸς Κερσοβλέπτην ἂν ἀχθῇ, παραδίδωσι Καρδιανοῖς τοῖς ὑμετέροις ἐχθροῖς. κἀκεῖνοι λαβόντες καὶ αὐτὸν καὶ τὸν υἱόν, ἀναγαγόντες εἰς τὸ πέλαγος ἐν πλοίῳ, τὸν μὲν υἱὸν ἀπέσφαξαν, ἐκεῖνον δ᾽ ἐπιδόντα τὸν υἱὸν ἀποσφαττόμενον κατεπόντισαν.
[169] Thereafter, when Cephisodotus had been discharged from his command, and you held the view that the convention made with him was improper and unfair, Miltocythes, who had been consistently well-affected to you, was betrayed by Smicythion, and fell into the hands of our honest friend. Knowing that the man’s life would be spared if he were taken to Cersobleptes, — for killing one another is not customary among the Thracians, — Charidemus handed him over to your enemies the Cardians. They took Miltocythes and his son, put out in a ship to deep water, cut the boy’s throat, and then threw the father overboard, after he had witnessed the murder of his son.
[170] τῶν δὲ Θρᾳκῶν ἁπάντων χαλεπῶς ἐνεγκόντων ἐπὶ τούτοις, καὶ συστραφέντων τοῦ τε Βηρισάδου καὶ τοῦ Ἀμαδόκου, ἰδὼν τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον Ἀθηνόδωρος, συμμαχίαν ποιησάμενος πρὸς τούτους οἷος ἦν πολεμεῖν. ἐν φόβῳ δὲ καταστάντος τοῦ Κερσοβλέπτου γράφει ὁ Ἀθηνόδωρος συνθήκας, καθ᾽ ἃς ἀναγκάζει τὸν Κερσοβλέπτην ὀμόσαι πρός θ᾽ ὑμᾶς καὶ τοὺς βασιλέας εἶναι μὲν τὴν ἀρχὴν κοινὴν τῆς Θρᾴκης εἰς τρεῖς διῃρημένην, πάντας δ᾽ ὑμῖν ἀποδοῦναι τὴν χώραν.
[170] These atrocities moved the whole population of Thrace to resentment; Berisades and Amadocus made a coalition; and Athenodorus, recognizing a favorable opportunity, formed alliance with them, and so was in a position to make war. Then Cersobleptes took fright, and Athenodorus proposed a convention, under which he compelled Cersobleptes to make a sworn engagement with you and with the other princes that the kingdom of Thrace should be held in common, and divided among the three, and that they should all restore to you your territory.
[171] ὡς δ᾽ ἐν ἀρχαιρεσίαις ὑμεῖς Χαβρίαν ἐπὶ τὸν πόλεμον τοῦτον κατεστήσατε, καὶ τῷ μὲν Ἀθηνοδώρῳ συνέβη διαφεῖναι τὴν δύναμιν χρήματ᾽ οὐκ ἔχοντι παρ᾽ ὑμῶν οὐδ᾽ ἀφορμὴν τῷ πολέμῳ, τῷ Χαβρίᾳ δὲ μίαν ναῦν ἔχοντι μόνην ἐκπλεῖν, τί ποιεῖ πάλιν οὗτος ὁ Χαρίδημος; ἃς μὲν ὤμοσε πρὸς τὸν Ἀθηνόδωρον συνθήκας ἔξαρνος γίγνεται καὶ τὸν Κερσοβλέπτην ἀρνεῖσθαι πείθει, γράφει δ᾽ ἑτέρας πρὸς τὸν Χαβρίαν ἔτι τῶν πρὸς Κηφισόδοτον δεινοτέρας: οὐκ ἔχων δ᾽ ἐκεῖνος, οἶμαι, δύναμιν στέργειν ἠναγκάζετο τούτοις.
[171] At the election of magistrates you appointed Chabrias to command in that campaign; but unluckily Athenodorus disbanded his army, because he had no money from you, and no resources for carrying on war; and Chabrias started on his expedition with only one ship. And how does this man Charidemus turn his coat? He repudiates his sworn covenant with Athenodorus, persuades Cersobleptes to disclaim it, and proposes new terms to Chabrias, — terms more monstrous than those made with Cephisodotus. Chabrias was obliged to acquiesce, I suppose because he had no force at his back.
[172] ἀκούσαντες δ᾽ ὑμεῖς ταῦτα, ἐν τῷ δήμῳ λόγων ῥηθέντων πολλῶν καὶ τῶν συνθηκῶν ἀναγνωσθεισῶν, οὔτε τὴν Χαβρίου δόξαν αἰσχυνθέντες οὔτε τῶν συναγορευόντων οὐδένα, ἀπεχειροτονήσατε καὶ ταύτας πάλιν τὰς συνθήκας, καὶ ψηφίζεσθε ψήφισμα Γλαύκωνος εἰπόντος ἑλέσθαι πρέσβεις δέκ᾽ ἄνδρας ἐξ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν, τούτους δέ, ἂν μὲν ἐμμένῃ ταῖς πρὸς Ἀθηνόδωρον συνθήκαις, ὁρκίσαι πάλιν αὐτόν, εἰ δὲ μή, παρὰ μὲν τοῖν δυοῖν βασιλέοιν ἀπολαβεῖν τοὺς ὅρκους, πρὸς δ᾽ ἐκεῖνον ὅπως πολεμήσετε βουλεύεσθαι.
[172] When the news reached you, a great many speeches were made in the Assembly; the conventions were read and compared; and, without any respect for Chabrias’s good name or for any of his supporters, you in your turn cancelled the new convention, and resolved, on the motion of Glauco, to elect ten citizens as ambassadors. If Cersobleptes would abide by his covenant with Athenodorus, they were t
o make him renew his oath;if not, they were to accept the oaths of the two kings, and concert measures for making war on him.
[173] ἐκπεπλευκότων δὲ τῶν πρέσβεων συμβαίνει τοῖς χρόνοις εἰς τοῦθ᾽ ὑπηγμένα τὰ πράγματ᾽ ἤδη, διατριβόντων τούτων καὶ οὐδὲν ἁπλοῦν οὐδὲ δίκαιον ὑμῖν ἐθελόντων πρᾶξαι, ὥστ᾽ ἐβοηθοῦμεν εἰς Εὔβοιαν, καὶ Χάρης ἧκεν ἔχων τοὺς ξένους, καὶ στρατηγὸς ὑφ᾽ ὑμῶν αὐτοκράτωρ εἰς Χερρόνησον ἐξέπλει. οὕτω γράφει πάλιν συνθήκας πρὸς τὸν Χάρητα, παραγενομένου Ἀθηνοδώρου καὶ τῶν βασιλέων, ταύτας αἵπερ εἰσὶν ἄρισται καὶ δικαιόταται. καὶ ἔργῳ ἑαυτὸν ἐξήλεγξεν ὅτι καιροφυλακεῖ τὴν πόλιν ἡμῶν, καὶ οὐδὲν ἁπλοῦν ἔγνωκε ποιεῖν οὐδ᾽ ἴσον.
[173] The ambassadors took their departure; but by mere lapse of time the business came to such a pass, with these men dawdling and refusing to take any plain, honest action in your service, that we sent a relief expedition to Euboea, and Chares, on returning with his mercenaries, was sent out by you to the Chersonesus as plenipotentiary. So Charidemus once more drafts a new convention with Chares, supported by Athenodorus and the two kings: here it is, — the best and most equitable of the lot. He has convicted himself by his conduct of lying in wait for opportunities against Athens; there is no uprightness, no equity, in his policy.