Well, then, this man of wealth, whoever he is, will contribute largely to these expenses; no doubt of it. And all will agree that our means of providing for these services ought to be the most ample, for by the expenditure in choral exhibitions pleasure is given to the spectators only for a brief portion of a day; but by unstinted supplies for the service of war safety accrues to the commonwealth forever. So that as much as you relinquish here, you gain there; and you give by way of honour what, even if not given, may be had by those whose estate is equal to the trierarchy. That no man is exempt from the navy-charges I believe you are all aware; however, he shall read you the law itself. Take the navy law and read just that part: THE LAW "And none shall be exempt from the trierarchal service except the nine archons." You see, men of Athens, how clearly the law has expressed, that none but the nine archons shall be exempt from the trierarchal service. Well, then: they whose property is below the amount qualifying for the trierarchy pay a war contribution in the property tax; they who come up to the trierarchy will be serviceable to us for both purposes, the trierarchy and the property tax. What ease, then, Leptines, does your law give to the people, if it creates one choir-master 10 for one or two tribes, who, after once performing this service instead of some other party, will be free? I can not see. It fills the whole city, however, with shame and mistrust. When, therefore, the damage that it will do is far greater than the benefit which it brings, ought it not to be repealed in this court? I should say so. Again, men of the jury: as there is an express clause in his statute that no one, whether citizen, denizen, 11 or alien, shall be exempt; but it does not say exempt from what, whether from the office of choir-master or what other charge, but simply that no one shall be exempt but the descendants of Harmodius and Aristogiton; and as under the term no one it comprehends all other persons in the world, and the term "alien" it does not confine to those dwelling at Athens; it deprives even Leucon, ruler of the Bosporus,12 and his children of the gift that you bestowed upon them. For Leucon, as you know, is by birth an alien, though by your adoption a citizen: in neither respect, however, can he have immunity according to this law. Now, while our other benefactors have each made themselves useful to us for a particular period, Leucon, you will find, never ceases to confer benefits upon us, and such benefits as our country stands most in need of. You are of course aware that we consume more foreign corn than any people in the world. But the corn which comes in from the Euxine equals the whole quantity that comes from other markets; and no wonder-not only because that district has an abundance of corn, but because Leucon, who reigns there, has granted exemption from duty to those who export to Athens, and issues an order that merchants bound for our port shall load their vessels first. Having the exemption for himself and his children, he has given it to all of you. Observe what an important thing it is: he takes a thirtieth from all who export corn from his dominions. Now, the measures 13 of corn that come from his country are about four hundred thousand, as one may see from the entry kept by the corn inspectors. Therefore, for the three hundred thousand measures he gives us ten thousand, and for the hundred thousand about three thousand. And so far is he from depriving our commonwealth of this boon that when he made a new harbour at Theodosia, which the mariners say is not at all inferior to Bosporus, he gave us the exemption there also. Many other instances which I could mention, of benefits conferred upon you by this prince and his ancestors, I pass by; but the year before last, when there was a scarcity among all men, he sent you not only a plentiful supply of corn, but at such a price that there was a surplus of fifteen talents in the hands of Callisthenes. What, then, O Athenians, do you expect of this man, who has been such a friend to you, if he should hear that you have by law deprived him of his exemption, and disabled yourselves from granting it if you should change your minds hereafter? Are you ignorant that this same law, should it be confirmed, will deprive of exemption both him and all Athenians who carry corn from his kingdom? Surely no one imagines that he will submit to have your gifts to him revoked while his to you remain. Thus, in addition to many injuries which are likely to result to you from the law, it deprives you of some advantages immediately. And are you still considering whether you should abolish it, or have you not decided long ago? Take and read them the decrees concerning Leucon. That Leucon has obtained his exemption from you on good and reasonable grounds, you have heard from the decrees, men of the jury. Pillars on which all this is copied have been set up by you and him, one in Bosporus, one in Piræus, another at Hieron.14 Only consider to what extreme disgrace you are brought by this statute, which makes the people appear less trustworthy than a single man. Be assured that these pillars stand for contracts to bind your mutual promises. Leucon, as it will appear, abides by them, and is always desirous to do you service; you have invalidated them while they are yet standing, which is far more shameful than pulling them down; for now they will stand as evidence for persons who choose to malign the commonwealth in verification of their charges. But come; suppose Leucon sends to us and asks for what ground of complaint or objection you have deprived him of his immunity, what, in the name of Heaven, shall we say? what shall be stated by the person who prepares the decree for us? Peradventure, that some of the privileged parties were unworthy. Suppose, then, he should reply: "Well, some of the Athenians, I guess, are bad men, and I have not therefore deprived the good; but, considering the people good, I allow all to have the exemption." Will not his language be fairer than ours? I certainly think so. It is more usual with all men to be kind for the sake of their benefactors even to some worthless individuals, than on account of the worthless to take back their gifts from persons confessedly meritorious. I really am unable to see how people are to be prevented from tendering the exchange 15 to Leucon if they please. For he always has effects at Athens, and according to this law, if any one comes upon them, he will either be deprived, or compelled to serve a public office. However, it is not the pecuniary cost that will be his chief grievance, but the feeling that you have taken your gift away from him. But you have not only to see, men of Athens, that Leucon be not wronged, whose anxiety about his privilege would be for the sake of honour and not emolument, but that no one else be wronged, who has befriended you in the day of his prosperity, and to whom the grant of exemption which you then made him has come to be an advantage. Who answers this description? Epicerdes of Cyrene, 16 who, if any man that ever received this honour was deserving of it, was justly held to be so, not because his donations were large or striking in amount, but because they were given upon an occasion, when even among those who had received obligations from you it was difficult to find any willing to remember them. For Epicerdes, as this decree passed in his favour shows, gave a hundred minas to your countrymen who were captured in Sicily, when that terrible disaster had befallen them, and was the principal means of their not all dying of hunger. Afterward, when you had granted him immunity on this account, seeing in the war 17 just before the time of the Thirty that the people were in need of money, he gave a talent of his own accord and unasked. By Jupiter and the gods! consider, O Athenians, how could a man more signally display his good-will to you, or less deserve to be wronged, than he-when in the first place he was present at the misfortune of Athens, and yet chose the side of the unfortunate and the chance of their future gratitude in preference to the party who were at that time victorious, and among whom he was dwelling; and seeing another occasion of distress, he was bountiful again, taking no thought to save what he had for himself, but only that your wants should be supplied as far as depended upon him? From this man, who has thus actually shared his property with our state, while the immunity which he enjoys is nominal and honorary, you will take away, not immunity (for while it existed he never availed himself of it), but confidence in you; and what can be more disgraceful? He shall read you the very words of the decree passed in honour of Epicerdes. And observe, men of Athens, how many decrees 18 the law sets aside, and how many persons it wrongs, and on what occasions they rendered you service. You will find it wrongs the very last persons you ever should have wronged. Read: The decree The kindnesses, in return for which Epicerdes obtained his immunity, you have heard from the decrees, men of the jury. I would have you consider, not that he gave a hundred minas and again a talent (for even they who received it, I imagine, were not struck by the magnitude of the sum), but his zeal and his volunteering the service, and the occasions on which he rendered it. Doubtless all people deserve requital who are the first to do acts of kindness, but especially those who do them in times of need; and one of those is Epicerdes clearly. And are we not ashamed, O Athenians, that we should have forgotten all this, and from the children of such a man taken away their privilege without any cause of complaint? Though the people who were then saved by him and granted the immunity are different from you who now take it away, that does not acquit you of the shame; nay, that itself is the worst part of it. For when the witnesses and objects of his bounty thought it merited such a grant, should we, who hear it by report only, revoke the grant as unworthily bestowed, how can our conduct be otherwise than atrocious? I have the same argument also for those who put down the Four Hundred,1o and for those who helped us when the popular party were in exile.20 I consider they would all be used most shamefully if any of the decrees then passed in their favour should be rescinded. If any one of you, however, believes that the country is far from requiring any such assistance now, let him pray to the gods that it may be so, and I join in the prayer; but let him consider, first, that he is about to give his vote upon a law which if not repealed we shall have to act upon; secondly, that bad laws injure even states which imagine themselves securely established. Revolutions would never have happened for better and for worse, but that people who stood in danger were set up again by good measures and laws, by honest men, and by careful attention to all things, while those who appeared to be in full prosperity were gradually undermined by the total neglect of |