Against Ergocles

The counts of the accusation are so many and so grave, men of Athens, that not even were he put to death a number of times for each one of his acts would Ergocles be able, in my opinion, to give your people due satisfaction. For it is evident that he has betrayed cities, wronged your representatives and your citizens, and advanced himself from poverty to wealth at your expense. Now tell me, how can you forgive these persons, when you see the fleet that they commanded breaking up for want of money and dwindling in numbers, while these men, who were poor and needy on sailing out, have so quickly acquired the largest fortune in the city? It is your duty, therefore, men of Athens, to show indignation at such conduct. And indeed it would be strange if now, when you are yourselves thus oppressed by the special levies, you should forgive men who embezzle and take bribes; and yet heretofore, when your estates were ample and the public revenue was ample too, those who coveted your property you punished with death. I think you will all agree that, if Thrasybulus had proposed to you that he should sail out with warships which he was to deliver up worn out instead of new; that the dangers were to be yours, while the benefits would accrue to his own friends; and that he would reduce you to worse poverty owing to the levies, but would make Ergocles and his other adulators the wealthiest men in the city,—not one of you would have given the man permission to sail out with your ships. And to make matters worse, as soon as you had decreed that an inventory be made of the sums obtained from the cities, and that his fellow-commanders should sail home to undergo their audit, Ergocles said that there you were at your slander-mongering and hankering after the ancient laws, and he advised Thrasybulus to occupy Byzantium, keep the ships, and marry Seuthes’ daughter: “by this means,” he told him, “you will cut short their slander-mongering; for you will make them sit still, contriving no harm against you and your friends, but full of fear for themselves.” So far did they go, men of Athens,—as soon as they had gorged themselves and were regaled with your possessions,—in regarding themselves as alien to the city. No sooner are they rich than they hate you; they plan thenceforth, not to be your subjects, but to be your rulers, and, apprehensive for the fruits of their depredations, they are ready to occupy strongholds, establish an oligarchy, and seek every means of exposing you, day after day, to the most awful dangers. The result will be, they expect, that you will cease paying attention to their particular offences and, in terror for yourselves and for the city, will leave them in peace. Now, as for Thrasybulus, men of Athens,—for there is no need to say more about him,—he did well to end his life as he did: for it was not right for him either to live in the prosecution of such schemes or to suffer death at your hands with his repute of having served you well in the past, but rather to settle his account with the city in that sort of way. But the others, I see, in consequence of the Assembly that was held two days ago, are no longer sparing their money, but are purchasing their lives from the speakers, from their enemies, and from the Committee, and are corrupting numerous Athenians with hard cash. It is your duty to clear yourselves of that suspicion by punishing this man today, and to make it plain to all people that there is no sum large enough to overcome you in your purpose of exacting requital from the guilty. For you must reflect, men of Athens, that it is not Ergocles alone, but the whole city as well, that is on trial. Today you are to demonstrate to your officers whether they ought to be upright or, after abstracting as much of your property as they can, to compass their salvation by the same means as these men are now applying. Well, of one thing you may be assured, men of Athens: whoever in this serious stringency of your affairs either betrays your cities or decides to steal your money or receive bribes, is the very man to surrender your walls and your ships to the enemy, and to establish oligarchy in place of democracy. It is not right, then, that you should be mastered by their devices: you should rather make an example for all men to see, and regard neither profit nor pity nor aught else as more important than the punishment of these men.