Περὶ τῶν μυστηρίων

Lines

1 – 3 4 – 6 7 – 8 9 – 10 11 – 11 12 – 13 14 – 15 16 – 16 17 – 17 18 – 19 20 – 21 22 – 24 25 – 26 27 – 27 28 – 29 30 – 31 32 – 33 34 – 35 36 – 36 37 – 38 39 – 41 41 – 43 44 – 45 46 – 47 48 – 50 51 – 53 54 – 57 58 – 60 61 – 64 64 – 67 68 – 70 71 – 73 73 – 73 74 – 76 76 – 77 78 – 78 79 – 80 81 – 82 83 – 86 86 – 88 89 – 90 91 – 93 94 – 96 96 – 97 98 – 100 101 – 102 103 – 105 106 – 107 108 – 110 111 – 113 113 – 116 117 – 119 120 – 122 123 – 125 126 – 128 129 – 131 132 – 132 133 – 135 136 – 138 139 – 141 142 – 145 146 – 148 149 – 150

Yunanca Yunanca

20 What, pray, was I about in informing against my father, as we are asked to believe that I did, when at the same time I was begging him to remain in Athens—begging him, that is, to let me be guilty of the consequences to himself? Again, we are to suppose that my father himself consented to face a trial which was bound to have one or other of two terrible results for him; if my information against him was deemed true, his blood would be upon my hands: if he himself was acquitted, mine would be upon his; because the law ran that whereas an informer’s claim to immunity should be allowed if his information were true, he should be put to death, if it were not. Yet if there is one thing of which you are all certain, it is the fact that my father and I both escaped with our lives. That could not have happened, if I had informed against my father: either he or I would have had to die.

21 Then again, assume that he actually desired to stay. Do you imagine that his friends would have let him do so? Would they have gone bail for him? Would they not have urged him to change his mind? Would they not have begged him to find some place of refuge abroad, where he would be out of harm’s way himself and would avoid causing my death also?