Scaife ATLAS

CTS Library / Against Leptines

Against Leptines (161-165)

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0014.tlg020.perseus-eng2:161-165
Refs {'start': {'reference': '161', 'human_reference': 'Section 161'}, 'end': {'reference': '165', 'human_reference': 'Section 165'}}
Ancestors []
Children []
prev
plain textXML
next

Because, you will say, we are now past such expectation.[*] I pray that we may be, Athenians. But as we are mere mortals, neither our language nor our laws should offend religious sentiment; we may both expect blessings and pray for them, but we must reflect that all things are conditioned by mortality. For the Lacedaemonians never dreamed that they would be brought to their present straits, and perhaps even the Syracusans, once a democracy, who exacted tribute from the Carthaginians and ruled all their neighbors and beat at us at sea, little thought they would fall under the tyranny of a single clerk,[*] if report be true.

Nor again could the present Dionysius[*] ever have exacted that Dion would come against him in a cargo-boat with a handful of soldiers and expel the master of so many warships and mercenaries and cities. But, methinks, the future is hidden from all men, and great events hang on small chances. Therefore we must be modest in the day of prosperity, and must show that we are not blind to the future.

There are still many arguments that one might develop at length, showing that this law is in every respect unsound and opposed to your interests; but to sum up and bring my speech to a conclusion, I will ask you to do this. Calculate and compare in your own minds what will happen to you if you repeal this law, and what if you do not; and then be careful to remember all the consequences of either step, so that you may make the better choice.

Now if, on our advice, you reject it, deserving men will receive their due reward from you, and any undeserving man (assuming that there are such) will not only lose his reward, but will pay whatever penalty you approve, in accordance with our alternative law, while all men will acknowledge the honor, justice and veracity of our city. If, on the other hand, you allow it to pass, as I pray you may not, the good will suffer for the sake of the bad, the undeserving will bring calamity on the rest, but come off scot-free themselves, and the reputation of Athens will be the very reverse of what I have described; all men will regard her as faithless, envious and mean.

It is unworthy of you, Athenians, to prefer such a foul reproach to advantages so honorable and so appropriate to you. For each of you will share individually in the credit of your joint decision. For it is known to all standing round us,[*] as to everyone else, that in this court Leptines is contending with us, but within the conscience of each member of the jury humanity is arrayed against envy, justice against malice, and all that is good against all that is most base.

Tokens

Because 1 w 7
you 1 w 11
will 1 w 15
say 1 w 18
we 1 w 21
are 1 w 24
now 1 w 27
past 1 w 31
such 1 w 35
expectation 1 w 46
The 1 w 50
day 1 w 53
of 1 w 55
tyrants 1 w 62
is 1 w 64
past 2 w 68
and 1 w 72
the 1 w 75
services 1 w 83
of 2 w 85
tyrannicides 1 w 97
are 2 w 100
no 2 w 102
longer 1 w 108
needed 1 w 114
I 1 w 116
pray 1 w 120
that 1 w 124
we 2 w 126
may 1 w 129
be 1 w 131
Athenians 1 w 141
But 1 w 145
as 3 w 147
we 3 w 149
are 3 w 152
mere 1 w 156
mortals 1 w 163
neither 1 w 171
our 1 w 174
language 1 w 182
nor 1 w 185
our 2 w 188
laws 1 w 192
should 1 w 198
offend 1 w 204
religious 1 w 213
sentiment 1 w 222
we 4 w 225
may 2 w 228
both 1 w 232
expect 2 w 238
blessings 1 w 247
and 2 w 250
pray 2 w 254
for 1 w 257
them 1 w 261
but 1 w 265
we 5 w 267
must 1 w 271
reflect 1 w 278
that 2 w 282
all 1 w 285
things 1 w 291
are 4 w 294
conditioned 1 w 305
by 1 w 307
mortality 1 w 316
For 1 w 320
the 5 w 323
Lacedaemonians 1 w 337
never 1 w 342
dreamed 1 w 349
that 3 w 353
they 1 w 357
would 1 w 362
be 2 w 364
brought 1 w 371
to 1 w 373
their 1 w 378
present 1 w 385
straits 1 w 392
and 3 w 396
perhaps 1 w 403
even 1 w 407
the 8 w 410
Syracusans 1 w 420
once 1 w 425
a 39 w 426
democracy 1 w 435
who 1 w 439
exacted 1 w 446
tribute 1 w 453
from 1 w 457
the 9 w 460
Carthaginians 1 w 473
and 4 w 476
ruled 1 w 481
all 2 w 484
their 2 w 489
neighbors 1 w 498
and 5 w 501
beat 1 w 505
at 6 w 507
us 5 w 509
at 7 w 511
sea 1 w 514
little 1 w 521
thought 1 w 528
they 2 w 532
would 2 w 537
fall 1 w 541
under 1 w 546
the 12 w 549
tyranny 1 w 556
of 4 w 558
a 54 w 559
single 1 w 565
clerk 1 w 570
Dionysius 1 w 580
I 2 w 581
of 5 w 584
Syracuse 1 w 592
started 1 w 599
life 1 w 603
as 4 w 605
a 58 w 606
clerk 2 w 611
in 5 w 613
the 13 w 616
public 1 w 622
service 2 w 629
if 2 w 632
report 1 w 638
be 4 w 640
true 1 w 644
Nor 1 w 648
again 1 w 653
could 1 w 658
the 14 w 661
present 2 w 668
Dionysius 2 w 677
Dionysius 3 w 686
II 1 w 688
expelled 1 w 698
by 2 w 700
Dion 4 w 704
in 7 w 706
357 1 w 709
ever 2 w 714
have 1 w 718
exacted 2 w 725
that 4 w 729
Dion 5 w 733
would 3 w 738
come 1 w 742
against 1 w 749
him 1 w 752
in 9 w 754
a 66 w 755
cargo-boat 1 w 765
with 1 w 769
a 69 w 770
handful 1 w 777
of 6 w 779
soldiers 1 w 787
and 7 w 790
expel 2 w 795
the 15 w 798
master 1 w 804
of 7 w 806
so 2 w 808
many 1 w 812
warships 1 w 820
and 8 w 823
mercenaries 1 w 834
and 9 w 837
cities 1 w 843
But 2 w 847
methinks 1 w 856
the 16 w 860
future 1 w 866
is 2 w 868
hidden 1 w 874
from 2 w 878
all 4 w 881
men 2 w 884
and 10 w 888
great 1 w 893
events 1 w 899
hang 1 w 903
on 12 w 905
small 1 w 910
chances 1 w 917
Therefore 1 w 927
we 6 w 929
must 2 w 933
be 5 w 935
modest 1 w 941
in 11 w 943
the 17 w 946
day 2 w 949
of 8 w 951
prosperity 1 w 961
and 11 w 965
must 3 w 969
show 1 w 973
that 5 w 977
we 7 w 979
are 5 w 982
not 1 w 985
blind 1 w 990
to 2 w 992
the 18 w 995
future 2 w 1001
There 2 w 1007
are 6 w 1010
still 1 w 1015
many 2 w 1019
arguments 1 w 1028
that 6 w 1032
one 2 w 1035
might 1 w 1040
develop 1 w 1047
at 13 w 1049
length 1 w 1055
showing 1 w 1063
that 7 w 1067
this 1 w 1071
law 2 w 1074
is 4 w 1076
in 14 w 1078
every 1 w 1083
respect 1 w 1090
unsound 1 w 1097
and 12 w 1100
opposed 1 w 1107
to 3 w 1109
your 1 w 1113
interests 1 w 1122
but 3 w 1126
to 4 w 1128
sum 1 w 1131
up 1 w 1133
and 13 w 1136
bring 1 w 1141
my 1 w 1143
speech 1 w 1149
to 5 w 1151
a 97 w 1152
conclusion 1 w 1162
I 5 w 1164
will 2 w 1168
ask 1 w 1171
you 3 w 1174
to 6 w 1176
do 1 w 1178
this 2 w 1182
Calculate 1 w 1192
and 14 w 1195
compare 1 w 1202
in 17 w 1204
your 2 w 1208
own 1 w 1211
minds 1 w 1216
what 1 w 1220
will 3 w 1224
happen 1 w 1230
to 7 w 1232
you 5 w 1235
if 3 w 1237
you 6 w 1240
repeal 1 w 1246
this 3 w 1250
law 3 w 1253
and 15 w 1257
what 2 w 1261
if 4 w 1263
you 7 w 1266
do 2 w 1268
not 2 w 1271
and 16 w 1275
then 2 w 1279
be 6 w 1281
careful 1 w 1288
to 8 w 1290
remember 1 w 1298
all 6 w 1301
the 20 w 1304
consequences 1 w 1316
of 9 w 1318
either 2 w 1324
step 1 w 1328
so 4 w 1331
that 8 w 1335
you 8 w 1338
may 3 w 1341
make 1 w 1345
the 22 w 1348
better 1 w 1354
choice 1 w 1360
Now 1 w 1364
if 5 w 1366
on 17 w 1369
our 5 w 1372
advice 1 w 1378
you 9 w 1382
reject 1 w 1388
it 10 w 1390
deserving 1 w 1400
men 4 w 1403
will 4 w 1407
receive 1 w 1414
their 3 w 1419
due 1 w 1422
reward 1 w 1428
from 3 w 1432
you 10 w 1435
and 17 w 1439
any 3 w 1442
undeserving 1 w 1453
man 3 w 1456
assuming 1 w 1465
that 9 w 1469
there 1 w 1474
are 9 w 1477
such 2 w 1481
will 5 w 1486
not 3 w 1489
only 1 w 1493
lose 1 w 1497
his 4 w 1500
reward 2 w 1506
but 4 w 1510
will 6 w 1514
pay 1 w 1517
whatever 1 w 1525
penalty 1 w 1532
you 11 w 1535
approve 1 w 1542
in 22 w 1545
accordance 1 w 1555
with 2 w 1559
our 6 w 1562
alternative 1 w 1573
law 4 w 1576
while 1 w 1582
all 7 w 1585
men 5 w 1588
will 7 w 1592
acknowledge 1 w 1603
the 25 w 1606
honor 1 w 1611
justice 1 w 1619
and 18 w 1622
veracity 1 w 1630
of 10 w 1632
our 7 w 1635
city 2 w 1639
If 1 w 1642
on 20 w 1645
the 26 w 1648
other 1 w 1653
hand 2 w 1657
you 12 w 1661
allow 1 w 1666
it 14 w 1668
to 9 w 1670
pass 1 w 1674
as 9 w 1677
I 7 w 1678
pray 3 w 1682
you 13 w 1685
may 4 w 1688
not 4 w 1691
the 28 w 1695
good 1 w 1699
will 8 w 1703
suffer 1 w 1709
for 3 w 1712
the 29 w 1715
sake 1 w 1719
of 11 w 1721
the 30 w 1724
bad 1 w 1727
the 31 w 1731
undeserving 2 w 1742
will 9 w 1746
bring 2 w 1751
calamity 1 w 1759
on 21 w 1761
the 32 w 1764
rest 2 w 1768
but 5 w 1772
come 2 w 1776
off 2 w 1779
scot-free 1 w 1788
themselves 1 w 1798
and 20 w 1802
the 34 w 1805
reputation 1 w 1815
of 13 w 1817
Athens 1 w 1823
will 10 w 1827
be 9 w 1829
the 36 w 1832
very 2 w 1836
reverse 1 w 1843
of 14 w 1845
what 4 w 1849
I 8 w 1850
have 2 w 1854
described 1 w 1863
all 9 w 1867
men 6 w 1870
will 11 w 1874
regard 1 w 1880
her 7 w 1883
as 10 w 1885
faithless 1 w 1894
envious 1 w 1902
and 21 w 1905
mean 1 w 1909
It 1 w 1912
is 8 w 1914
unworthy 1 w 1922
of 15 w 1924
you 14 w 1927
Athenians 2 w 1937
to 10 w 1940
prefer 1 w 1946
such 3 w 1950
a 158 w 1951
foul 1 w 1955
reproach 1 w 1963
to 11 w 1965
advantages 1 w 1975
so 5 w 1977
honorable 1 w 1986
and 22 w 1989
so 6 w 1991
appropriate 1 w 2002
to 12 w 2004
you 15 w 2007
For 2 w 2011
each 1 w 2015
of 16 w 2017
you 16 w 2020
will 12 w 2024
share 1 w 2029
individually 1 w 2041
in 26 w 2043
the 38 w 2046
credit 1 w 2052
of 17 w 2054
your 3 w 2058
joint 1 w 2063
decision 1 w 2071
For 3 w 2075
it 18 w 2077
is 10 w 2079
known 1 w 2084
to 13 w 2086
all 11 w 2089
standing 1 w 2097
round 1 w 2102
us 15 w 2104
i 123 w 2106
e 247 w 2108
the 39 w 2112
general 1 w 2119
public 2 w 2125
the 40 w 2129
jury 1 w 2133
were 1 w 2137
seated 1 w 2143
as 11 w 2146
to 14 w 2148
everyone 1 w 2156
else 1 w 2160
that 10 w 2165
in 29 w 2167
this 4 w 2171
court 1 w 2176
Leptines 1 w 2184
is 12 w 2186
contending 1 w 2196
with 3 w 2200
us 16 w 2202
but 6 w 2206
within 1 w 2212
the 41 w 2215
conscience 1 w 2225
of 18 w 2227
each 2 w 2231
member 2 w 2237
of 19 w 2239
the 42 w 2242
jury 2 w 2246
humanity 1 w 2254
is 13 w 2256
arrayed 1 w 2263
against 2 w 2270
envy 1 w 2274
justice 2 w 2282
against 3 w 2289
malice 1 w 2295
and 24 w 2299
all 12 w 2302
that 11 w 2306
is 14 w 2308
good 2 w 2312
against 4 w 2319
all 13 w 2322
that 12 w 2326
is 15 w 2328
most 1 w 2332
base 1 w 2336