Lycurgus, Against Leocrates, ed. J. O. Burtt, 100

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[100] διὸ καὶ δικαίως ἄν τις Εὐριπίδην ἐπαινέσειεν, ὅτι τά τʼ ἄλλʼ ὢν¹ ἀγαθὸς ποιητὴς καὶ τοῦτον τὸν μῦθον προείλετο ποιῆσαι, ἡγούμενος κάλλιστον ἂν γενέσθαι τοῖς πολίταις παράδειγμα τὰς ἐκείνων πράξεις, πρὸς ἃς ἀποβλέποντας καὶ θεωροῦντας συνεθίζεσθαι ταῖς ψυχαῖς τὸ τὴν πατρίδα φιλεῖν. ἄξιον δʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, καὶ τῶν ἰαμβείων ἀκοῦσαι, ἃ πεποίηκε λέγουσαν τὴν μητέρα τῆς παιδός. ὄψεσθε γὰρ ἐν αὐτοῖς μεγαλοψυχίαν καὶ γενναιότητα ἀξίαν καὶ τῆς πόλεως καὶ τοῦ γενέσθαι Κηφισοῦ θυγατέρα.

Ῥῆσις Εὐριπίδου

τὰς χάριτας ὅστις εὐγενῶς χαρίζεται,

ἥδιον ἐν βροτοῖσιν· οἳ δὲ δρῶσι μέν,

χρόνῳ δὲ δρῶσι, δυσγενέστερον²

ἐγὼ δὲ δώσω τὴν ἐμὴν παῖδα κτανεῖν.

λογίζομαι δὲ πολλά· πρῶτα μὲν πόλιν

οὐκ ἄν τινʼ ἄλλην τῆσδε βελτίω λαβεῖν·

³ᾗ πρῶτα μὲν λεὼς οὐκ ἐπακτὸς ἄλλοθεν,

αὐτόχθονες δʼ ἔφυμεν· αἱ δʼ ἄλλαι πόλεις

πεσσῶν ὁμοίαις⁴ διαφοραῖς ἐκτισμέναι⁵

ἄλλαι παρʼ ἄλλων εἰσὶν εἰσαγώγιμοι.

ὅστις δʼ ἀπʼ ἄλλης πόλεος⁶ οἰκήσῃ⁷ πόλιν,

ἁρμὸς πονηρὸς ὥσπερ ἐν ξύλῳ παγείς,

λόγῳ πολίτης ἐστί, τοῖς δʼ ἔργοισιν οὔ.

ἔπειτα τέκνα τοῦδʼ ἕκατι⁸ τίκτομεν,

ὡς θεῶν τε βωμοὺς πατρίδα τε ῥυώμεθα.⁹

πόλεως δʼ ἁπάσης τοὔνομʼ ἕν,¹⁰ πολλοὶ¹¹ δέ νιν

ναίουσι· τούτους πῶς διαφθεῖραί με χρή,

ἐξὸν πρὸ πάντων μίαν ὑπερδοῦναι θανεῖν;

εἴπερ γὰρ ἀριθμὸν οἶδα καὶ τοὐλάσσονος

τὸ μεῖζον οὑνὸς¹² οἶκος οὐ πλεῖον σθένει

πταίσας ἁπάσης πόλεος, οὐδʼ ἴσον φέρει.

εἰ δʼ ἦν ἐν οἴκοις ἀντὶ θηλειῶν¹³ στάχυς

ἄρσην, πόλιν δὲ πολεμία κατεῖχε φλόξ,

οὐκ ἄν νιν¹⁴ ἐξέπεμπον εἰς μάχην δορός,

θάνατον προταρβοῦσʼ; ἀλλʼ. ἔμοιγʼ εἴη¹⁵ τέκνα,

ἃ¹⁶ καὶ μάχοιτο καὶ μετʼ ἀνδράσιν πρέποι,

μὴ σχήματʼ¹⁷ ἄλλως ἐν πόλει πεφυκότα.

τὰ μητέρων δὲ δάκρυʼ ὅταν πέμπῃ τέκνα,

πολλοὺς ἐθήλυνʼ εἰς μάχην ὁρμωμένους.

μισῶ γυναῖκας αἵτινες πρὸ τοῦ καλοῦ

ζῆν παῖδας εἵλοντʼ ἢ¹⁸ παρῄνεσαν κακά.

καὶ μὴν θανόντες γʼ ἐν μάχῃ πολλῶν μέτα

τύμβον τε κοινὸν ἔλαχον εὔκλειάν τʼ ἴσην·

τῇ μιῇ δὲ παιδὶ στέφανος εἷς μιᾷ μόνῃ

πόλεως θανούσῃ¹⁹ τῆσδʼ ὕπερ δοθήσεται.

καὶ τὴν τεκοῦσαν καὶ σὲ δύο θʼ ὁμοσπόρω²⁰

σώσει· τί²¹ τούτων οὐχὶ δέξασθαι καλόν;

τὴν οὐκ ἐμὴν πλὴν ἢ²² φύσει δώσω κόρην

θῦσαι πρὸ γαίας. εἰ γὰρ αἱρεθήσεται

πόλις, τί παίδων τῶν ἐμῶν μέτεστί μοι;

οὐκοῦν ἅπαντα τοὔν γʼ²³ ἐμοὶ σωθήσεται·

ἄρξουσιν ἄλλοι, τήνδʼ ἐγὼ σώσω πόλιν.

ἐκεῖνο δʼ οὗ τὸ²⁴ πλεῖστον ἐν κοινῷ μέρος,

οὐκ ἔσθʼ ἑκούσης τῆς ἐμῆς ψυχῆς ἄτερ,²⁵

προγόνων παλαιὰ²⁶ θέσμιʼ ὅστις²⁷ ἐκβαλεῖ²⁸·

οὐδʼ ἀντʼ ἐλάας²⁹ χρυσέας τε Γοργόνος

τρίαιναν ὀρθὴν στᾶσαν ἐν πόλεως βάθροις

Εὔμολπος οὐδὲ Θρῇξ³⁰ ἀναστέψει³¹ λεὼς

στεφάνοισι, Παλλὰς δʼ οὐδαμοῦ τιμήσεται.

χρῆσθʼ, ὦ πολῖται, τοῖς ἐμοῖς λοχεύμασιν,

σῴζεσθε,³² νικᾶτʼ· ἀντὶ γὰρ ψυχῆς μιᾶς

οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅπως οὐ τήνδʼ ἐγὼ³³ σώσω πόλιν.

ὦ πατρίς, εἴθε πάντες οἳ ναίουσί σε

οὕτω φιλοῖεν ὡς ἐγώ· καὶ ῥᾳδίως

οἰκοῖμεν ἄν σε, κοὐδὲν ἂν πάσχοις κακόν.

Euripides, Erechtheus

Against Leocrates. Lycurgus. ed. J. O. Burtt. London. 1954.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The Annenberg CPB/Project.

Current edition Perseus

Κατὰ Λεωκράτους (Greek) (Lycurgus. Minor Attic Orators, Vol. 2. Burtt, J. O., editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1954 (printing).)

Translations (1)

Against Leocrates Perseus (Lycurgus. Minor Attic Orators, Vol. 2. Burtt, J. O., translator. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1954 (printing).) — 100 focus

[100] We have therefore good reason to thank Euripides, because, apart from his other merits as a poet, he chose this subject for a play,¹ believing that in the conduct of those people the citizens would have a fine example which they could keep before them and so implant in their hearts a love of their country. You must hear the iambic lines, gentlemen of the jury, which, in the play, are spoken by the mother of the girl. You will find in them a greatness of spirit and a nobility worthy of Athens and a daughter of Cephisus.

Speech from Euripides

He wins men’s hearts who with a ready hand

Confers his favors; he who in the doing

Delays and falters is less generous.

But I consent to give my child to die

For many reasons: first there is no state

I count more worthy to accept my gift

Than Athens , peopled by no alien race.

For we are of this soil, while other towns,

Formed as by hazard in a game of draughts,

Take their inhabitants from diverse parts.

He who adopts a city, having left

Some other town, resembles a bad peg

Fixed into wood of better quality,

A citizen in name but not in fact.

And secondly: it is that we may guard

Our country and the altars of the gods

That we get children for ourselves at all.

This city, though it bears a single name,

Holds many people in it. Should I then

Destroy all these, when it is in my power

To give one girl to die on their behalf?

The mere ability to count, and tell

The greater from the less, convinces me

That this, the ruin of one person’s home,

Is of less consequence and brings less grief

Than would result if the whole city fell.

If I had sons at home instead of girls,

When hostile flames beset the city’s walls,

Should I not send them forth into the fight,

Though fearing for them? May my children then

Fight also, vie with men, and not become

Mere shapes of vanity within the state.

And yet, when mothers send their sons to war

With tears, they often daunt them as they leave.

I hate the women who above all else

Prefer their sons to live and put this thought

Before their honor, urging cowardice.

But if they fall in battle they obtain

A common grave and glory which they share

With many others; whereas she, my child,

By dying for this city will attain

A garland destined solely for herself.

And she will save her mother and you too

And both her sisters. Is it right to scorn

Honors like these? Except in nature’s way

This girl whom I shall give for sacrifice

To save her native land is not my own.

And if the city falls, what further chance

Shall I have left me to enjoy my child?

So far as rests with me, all shall be saved.

Let others rule in Athens ; I will be

Her savior, and without my wish no man

Shall harm what most concerns our common good,

The ancient laws our fathers handed down.

Eumolpus and his slavish Thracian train

Shall set no trident in our midst or deck

It round with garlands, where the olive tree

And Gorgon’s golden head have been revered;

Nor shall Athena meet with utter scorn.

Come, citizens, and use my travail’s fruit

To save yourselves and conquer, knowing well

That I could never hesitate to save

This city for the sake of one poor life.

My country, were the love of all your sons

As great as mine! You could not suffer ill,

And we possessing you would live secure.

Euripides

Notes on the current edition

Against Leocrates

1. ὢν ἦν Bekker.

2. δρῶσι δυσγενέστερον Heinrich: δυσγενέστερον λέγω Meineke.

3. VV. 7-10 cit. Plut. Mor. 604 d-e

4. ὁμοίαις ὁμοίως Plut., Ald.

5. διαφοραῖς ἐκτίσμεναι διαφορηθεῖσαι βολαῖς Plut.

6. πόλεος et in v. 21 Grotius: πόλεως codd.

7. οἰκήσῃ Meineke: οἰκίζει codd.

8. ἕκατι Matthiae: ἕνεκα codd.: ἕκητι Ald.

9. ῥυώμεθα Ald.: ῥυόμεθα ΝΑ.

10. ἕν Grotius: ἐν codd.

11. πολλοὶ Musgrave: πολλοῖς codd.

12. οὑνὸς Emperius: ἑνὸς codd.: οὑμὸς Bekker.

13. θηλειῶν Grotius: θηλέων codd.

14. ἄν νιν Matthiae: ἂν μὴν ΝΑ: ἄν μιν Ald.

15. εἴη Ald.: ἐστι codd.

16. ἃ add. Ald.

17. σχήματʼ Scaliger: σχήματα δʼ codd.

18. εἵλοντ’ ἢ Matthiae: εἵλοντο καὶ codd.

19. εἷς μιᾷ μόνῃ θανούσῃ Tyrwhitt: ἣ (ἡ Ν) μία μόνη θανοῦσα codd.

20. ὁμοσπόρω Bekker: ὁμοσπόρων codd.

21. σώσει· τί Melanchthon: ὡς εἴ τι codd.

22. ἢ add. Wagner.

23. ἅπαντα τοὔν γʼ Heinrich (iam ἅπαντα τοὐν Reiske): ἅπαντας γοῦν τʼ codd.

24. ἐκεῖνο δ’ οὗ τὸ Ald.: ἐκεῖνο δ’ οὐ ΝΑ.

25. ἄτερ ἄνερ Valckenaer: ἀνήρ Bothe.

26. παλαιὰ Ald.: πάλαι ΝΑ.

27. θέσμι’ ὅστις Reiske: θέσμιά τις ΝΑ.

28. ἐκβαλεῖ Ald.: ἐκβάλλει codd.

29. ἀντ’ ἐλάας Dobree: ἂν τελείας codd.

30. Θρῇξ Dindorf: Θρᾲξ codd.

31. ἀναστέψει Musgrave: ἀναστρέψει codd.

32. Post σῴζεσθε habent καὶ codd., om. Ald.

33. οὐ τήνδ’ ἐγὼ Ald.: ὑμῖν τήνδ’ ἐγὼ οὐ codd.

Lycurgus Against Leocrates 100

ed. J. O. Burtt

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Speech from Euripides

Notes on the current edition

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