Page:History of Greece Vol VIII.djvu/273

 KRITIAS ANl> THERAMENES. 251 trick. We cite him before you as a conspiratoi and a traitor, gainst you as well as against us. Look to your own safety, and not to his. For depend upon it, that if you let him off, you will hold out powerful encouragement to your worst enemies ; while if you condemn him, you will crush their best hopes, both within and without the city." Theramenes was probably not wholly unprepared for sonm such attack as this. At any rate, he rose up to reply to it at once : " First of all, senators, I shall touch upon the charge against me which Kritias mentioned last, the charge of having accused and brought to execution the generals. It was not I who began the accusation against them, but they who began it against me. They said, that they had ordered me upon the duty, and that I had neglected it ; my defence was, that the duty could not be executed, in consequence of the storm ; the people believed and exonerated me, but the generals were rightfully condemned on their own accusation, because they said that the duty might have been per- formed, while yet it had remained unperformed. I do not wonder, indeed, that Kritias has told these falsehoods against me ; for at the time when this affair happened, he was an exile in Thessaly, employed in raising up a democracy, and arming the penestee against their masters. Heaven grant that nothing of what he per- petrated there may occur at Athens ! I agree with Kritias, indeed, that, whoever wishes to cut short your government, and strength- ens those who conspire against you, desen s justly the severest punishment. But to whom does this charge i.iest apply ? To him, or to me ? Look at the behavior of each of us, and then judge for yourselves. At first, we were all agreed, so far as the condemna- tion of the known and obnoxious demagogues. But when Kritias and his friends began to seize men of station and dignity, then it iiiat I began to oppose them. I knew that the seizure of men like Leon, Nikias, and Antiphon, would make the best men in the city your enemies. I opposed the execution of the metics, well aware that all that body would be alienated. I opposed the dis- arming of the citizens, and the hiring of foreign guards. And when I saw that enemies at home and exiles abroad were multi- plying against you, I dissuaded you from banishing Thrasybulus and Anytus, whereby you only furnished the exiles with compe-