Κατὰ Λεωκράτους

Lines

hyp – 2 3 – 6 7 – 9 10 – 13 14 – 16 17 – 18 19 – 19 20 – 21 22 – 25 25 – 26 27 – 29 29 – 30 31 – 34 35 – 38 39 – 41 42 – 44 45 – 48 49 – 50 51 – 52 53 – 55 56 – 58 59 – 61 62 – 64 65 – 67 68 – 70 71 – 72 73 – 75 76 – 77 77 – 77 78 – 80 81 – 83 84 – 86 87 – 90 91 – 92 93 – 94 95 – 97 98 – 99 100 – 100 101 – 103 104 – 105 106 – 106 107 – 107 108 – 109 110 – 112 113 – 116 117 – 121 121 – 123 123 – 124 125 – 126 127 – 128 129 – 130 131 – 134 135 – 138 139 – 140 141 – 142 143 – 146 146 – 148 149 – 150

İngilizce Yunanca

125 For they established it by decree and oath that anyone who found a person aspiring to tyranny or attempting to betray the city or overthrow the democracy should be guiltless if he killed him.The decree of Demophantus is mentioned below (Lyc. 1.127). It was passed in 410 B.C. on the restoration of the democracy and not, so far as is known, re-enacted after the downfall of the Thirty. It is quoted in full by Andocides (Andoc. 1.96 sq.). They thought it better that imagined culprits should perish than that they themselves should have a real experience of slavery, holding that citizens must simply live in such a manner as to avoid the very suspicion of any of these crimes. Please take the decree.

126 Decree

126 These words, gentlemen, they inscribed on the pillar, erecting it in the Council Chamber as a reminder to those who daily met in council over affairs of state what their attitude to men like this should be, and hence they swore a common oath to kill them if they saw them even contemplating such conduct. Naturally enough. For where other offences are concerned, the punishment should follow on the crime; but in cases of treason or the overthrow of a democracy it should precede it. If you let slip the moment when the criminals are contemplating some treasonable act against their country, you cannot afterwards bring them to justice for their crimes, since by then they are too powerful to be punished by those whom they have wronged.