[16,2] Ἓν τοῦτό σε ἀξιοῦμεν ἤδη κείμενοι καὶ τὸ μηδὲν ὄντες μηδεμίαν ἡμῶν ὕβριν προσθεῖναι ταῖς συμφοραῖς μηδὲ βαρεῖ ποδὶ ταῖς ἀθλίαις ἐπεμβῆναι τύχαις. Οὐκ οἶδας, ὅτι πολλοὶ μὲν τῶν ἡμετέρων παῖδας ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις ἀπολωλέκασι, πολλοὶ δὲ ἀδελφούς, πολλοὶ δὲ φίλους; οἷς ἅπασι πῶς ἄκρατον νομίζεις ἐπὶ τῶν σπλάγχνων ἀνθήσειν τὴν χολήν, ἐὰν κωλύῃ τις αὐτοὺς τοσαύταις ψυχαῖς πολεμίων τιμῆσαι τοὺς κατὰ γῆς, αἵπερ μόναι τῶν κατοιχομένων δοκοῦσιν εἶναι τιμαί; Φέρε δὴ κεἰ τοῦτο πεισθέντες ἢ βιασθέντες ἢ ὅ τι δή ποτε παθόντες εἴξουσί τε καὶ ζῆν αὐτοὺς ἐάσουσιν, ἆρ´ ἔτι σοι δοκοῦσι καὶ τὰ χρήματα αὐτοὺς ἐάσειν ἔχειν καὶ μηδεμιᾶς πειραθέντας ἀσχημοσύνης, ὥσπερ ἡρῶάς τινας ἐπ´ ἀγαθῷ τῆσδε τῆς γῆς φανέντας, ὁπότε δόξειεν αὐτοῖς, ἀπελθεῖν, ἀλλ´ οὐχ ὥσπερ θηρία περιχυθέντας διασπάσεσθαι ταῦτα λέγειν ἐπιβαλόμενον ἐμέ; οὐχ ὁρᾷς, ὅτι καὶ τοὺς κυνηγοὺς οἱ θηρευταὶ κύνες, ὅταν ἁλῷ θηρίον κατακλεισθὲν ὑπ´ αὐτῶν εἰς τὰ λίνα, περιίστανται τὴν ἐπιβάλλουσαν μοῖραν ἀπαιτοῦντες τῆς ἄγρας, καὶ ἐὰν μὴ μεταλάβωσιν εὐθὺς αἵματος ἢ σπλάγχνων, ἀρράζουσιν ἑπόμενοι καὶ σπαράττουσι τὸν κυνηγόν, καὶ οὔτε διωκόμενοι οὔτε παιόμενοι ἀπείργονται.

[16,2] (4) "This one thing we ask of you, now that we ly prostrate and are as naught, that you do not add to our calamities by any ignominious treatment nor trample with a heavy foot upon our wretched misfortunes." 2 "Do you not know that many of our people have lost their sons in the war, many their brothers, and many their friends? And what unmitigated resentment do you suppose will spring up and flourish in the hearts of all the bereaved if anyone prevents them from honouring those who are beneath the earth with the lives of an equal number of enemies — those lives which alone seem to be true honours for (p319) the departed? 3 (5) But come, even if, as the result of persuasion nor compulsion or however swayed, they shall yield this point and permit them to live, does it seem likely to you that they will go still farther and allow them to retain their effects and permit them without suffering any ignominious treatment, but, like heroes who have made their appearances for the good fortune of this country, to depart whenever they please, but will not rather, like wild beasts, surround me and tear me limb from limb for having taken it upon myself to make this proposal? 4 Do you not observe that even hunting-dogs, when a wild beast has been driven by them into the nets and caught, surround the hunters, demanding the share of the quarry that belongs to them, and unless they promptly get a share of the blood or of the inwards, follow the hunter snarling and rend him in pieces, and are not driven away even when they are chased or beaten?"