Lysias

“ It is easy to see that not even Pancleon thinks himself a free man, to say nothing of being a Plataean. For one who wished by being released by force to render his friends liable to action for forcible seizure, rather than to take the penalty from those trying to drag him into slavery after his release according to laws, every one would plainly know that as he knew himself to be a slave he feared after getting bail to contend for his freedom. ”

“ I should be the most wretched of all men if I were driven unjustly into exile, childless and alone, leaving my home desolate, my mother in need of everything, deprived of my country on the most disgraceful charges, although I have been engaged in many sea-fights and many battles, and have conducted myself in an orderly manner both under the Democracy and under the Oligarchy. ”

“ And yet, with such great misfortune coming upon him, he glories in his father's baseness, and said that he had great power, to bring evil upon the state. But who is so ignorant of his country as not to be able, if he wishes to be a traitor, to tell the enemy what fortified places to seize, to show what forts are ill-guarded, to teach them his country's weak points, and to declare which allies are ready to revolt? ”

“ And if he does not, I beg you, gentlemen of the jury, to vote what is just, bearing in mind that it is a much greater evil to hear that one has killed his father than to hear that he has thrown away his shield. ”

“ They are responsible for such evils and many others, and differ from the Thirty only that those during the oligarchy desired what these do, while these men under the democracy desire what those do, and both parties think it a duty to wrong whomsoever they wish, as if all other men were guilty, while they themselves were the noblest men. 32. Yet they are not so much to be wondered at as you, because you know the democracy exists, while that happens which they wish, and the men are punished, not who are wronging the people, but are not giving up their property. ”

“ I think It strange that when there is a tax to pay about which all men will know, they do not wish to do their share but plead poverty, but those offenses for which the penalty is death, and in which it was for their interest to escape detection, they say they committed out of good will to you. You all know that it is least fitting for them to make such, a defense. For their interests and other men's are entirely different. They gain most when some disaster has befallen the city and they sell the corn for a high price. ”

“ But there is danger that if the good see the bad held in equal honor they will cease from their upright mode of life, thinking it is the same thing to honor bad men and pass by the good. 26. But this is to be remembered, that if any one betrays a stronghold or ships or a camp, in which there chance to be any citizens, he receives the extreme penalty, while this man who betrayed the whole city is planning not for punishment but for reward. So one who betrayed freedom as evidently as this man did would justly be contending not for political office, but against slavery and the greatest penalties. ”

“ But it is worth while to wonder about those who take their part, whether they make their accusations as good and honorable men, showing their own virtue worth more than the baseness of these. I wish that they were as zealous to save the city as these to destroy it—or whether they will defend them as skillful in speech, and will show their deeds to be worthy. But no one of them ever endeavored to speak justly in your behalf. ”

“ And how could they obtain pardon, when you see your ships which they command dispersing through lack of funds, becoming few out of many, and these poor and needy men sailing in them and so quickly gaining the wealth of the citizens? It is for you, men of Athens, to be enraged against them; (3) for it would be strange if you yourselves, so burdened by taxes, should grant pardon to thieves and corrupt men now, but formerly, when your estates were large as well as the state revenue, you punished with death men who desired your property. ”

“ For when we have made up our minds that we are in safety, we suffer more from our leaders than from the enemy. Actually you all know that we have no hope of safety if once unsuccessful. So it is right for you to take courage and inflict the greatest penalty upon these men, and show the rest of Greece that you punish offenders, and you will make your leaders better. ”

“ They put to death without a trial those doing no wrong; but you think it right to try according to law those who have destroyed the city; from whom even if you wished to exact punishment, contrary to law, you could not exact one worthy of the crimes which they have done to the city; for by what suffering could they suffer a punishment proportionate to their deeds? 83. If you should kill these, and their children, should we exact an adequate punishment for the murder of those whose fathers and sons and brothers they put to death without a trial? ”

“ It seems to me, gentlemen of the jury, a dreadful thing for you to have passed sentence of death upon the father, and when the son commits a crime, you acquit him for this very reason, that he himself did not dare to fight on your side, and that his father took part with the enemy. ”

“ For we see great dangers threatening on all sides, and you know that power belongs to the rulers of the sea, and the king holds the treasure and the lives of such Greeks as can be bought, and he has many ships, and many, too, the tyrant of Sicily. 6. So it is best to cease our quarrels with one another, and with one purpose cling to our liberties, feeling shame for our past, and fear for the future, and imitate our ancestors who took from the barbarians their liberty while they were plotting against that of other men, and drove forth the tyrants, and established equal freedom for all. ”

“ So if any one of you pities those who perished in the naval battle, or feels disgrace on account of those enslaved by the enemy, or is angry at the demolishment of the walls, or hates the Spartans, or is angry at the Thirty, he should consider that this man's father was the cause of all this, and remember that Alcibiades, his great-grandfather, and his great-great-grandfather on his mother's side were ostracized twice by your ancestors, and that the older men among you condemned his father to death ”

“ These then were their plans; but our ancestors, taking no account of the dangers in war, but believing that glorious death left immortal testimony to good deeds, did not fear the multitudes of the enemy, but trusted their own valor. And being ashamed that the barbarians were in their country, they did not wait for their allies to learn of the matter and aid them, and they did not think they ought to be indebted for their rescue to others, but the other Greeks to them. ”

“ I then, jurors, think that sufficient accusation has been made, for I think it is necessary to carry the accusation up to this point until the accused shall appear to have done things worthy of death; for this is the most extreme punishment we can inflict upon them, so that I do not know what need there is to make many accusations against men who would not be able to give satisfaction for each of their offenses even by dying twice. ”

“ And most of all I wonder with what mind the Spartans watch the conflagration of Greece, they who are not unjustly the leaders of the Greeks through their inborn valor and knowledge of military affairs, who are the only ones who live unsacked, without walls, with no factions, unconquerable, with no change of customs. For these reasons there is hope that they have imperishable freedom, and as in past dangers they were the saviors of Greece that they will be seen as such for the future. 8. No future time is better than the present. ”

“ It is not hard to understand if one wishes; and these are not anxious to escape notice, but they are ashamed not to seem base, while you yourselves see and hear from others.
But we, gentlemen of the jury, think it our duty to abide by our agreements and oaths, and likewise when we see the guilty paying the penalty we pity them, remembering what was done, but when you clearly punish the innocent as the guilty, you will bring suspicion upon us all by the same vote. ”

“ If then I seem to speak to the point, and bring sufficient testimony, gentlemen of the jury, in every way favor me, as, although the accusation is so great, I believe I shall win with truth on my side; and if there is no way in which you are willing to be persuaded, there seems to be no hope for me. 54. But by the Olympian gods, gentlemen of the jury, be willing to save me with justice (on my side) , rather than ruin me unjustly; and believe they speak the truth, who even in silence during their lives conduct themselves wisely and justly. ”

“ So why should we now mourn for those (who have suffered) what we have long realized we should suffer, or why be so downcast at natural occurrences, in the knowledge that death is the common experience of the evil and the good? For he (Death) neither overlooks the base nor loves the good, but comes equally to all. 78. For if it is possible for men who escaped dangers by word to be immortal for all time, the living would bewail the dead for all time. But now nature, subject to diseases and old age and the divinity who presides over our fates are inexorable. ”

“ How should not a man be hated with reason by you if he put the same energy into being wicked that he might have used aiding you? 13. And you will not incur the hatred of any of the citizens by rejecting this man; for he evidently betrayed not one party, but both, so that it appears he is not liked either by the city party,—for he did not consent to go into danger with them—nor by those who took the Piraeus,—for he would not move with them. ”

“ So, fellow Athenians, as soon as they had their fill, and were enjoying what belonged to you, they considered themselves aliens of the state. 7. For as soon as they are rich they hate you, and they do not prepare themselves to obey, but to rule you, and fearing for what they have stolen, they are ready to seize fortified places, to set up an oligarchy, and to do everything to place you daily in the greatest danger; for thus they think that you will no longer pay attention to their offenses, but that, fearing for yourselves and the state, you will keep quiet in regard to them. ”

“ Do not prejudge the injustice of a man who spent little for himself and much every year for you, but (be ready to condemn those) who are accustomed to spend their patrimony and everything else they get for vicious pleasures. 11. It is difficult, gentlemen of the jury, to defend myself contrary to the opinion which some hold about the property of Nicophemus, both because of the present scarcity of money in the state, and because the suit concerns the treasury. ”

“ And after they had subdued many tribes and in fact enslaved the surrounding nations, they heard great reports about this country, and for the sake of glory took the most warlike of their tribes and marched against this city. And after they met these brave men, they came to have their souls like their nature, and with changed hearts seemed to be women rather from their conduct in danger than from their forms. ”

“ But those who aim for freedom and justice, and wish to strengthen the laws, and hate wrong-doers I do not call bad citizens, nor do I say that the exile of the party may not be fairly taken into account; but against those who came down, and under the democracy annoyed the people, and increased their own estates from your resources, we should be more indignant than against the Thirty. ”