51. Therefore he can in no way prove that he did not hand in the names.
He must make the following point clear, that he made the accusations
justly, seeing these men doing injury to the republic and not well
disposed to the people. But I do not think he will try to show this. But
in fact if they did any wrong to the people of Athens, the Thirty would
not have condemned them for fear that the people should be overcome,
taking vengeance on account of them, but I think quite the opposite of
this.
52. But perhaps he will say that he did these evils unwillingly. But I do
not think, gentlemen of the jury, that if any one with great
unwillingness did great wrongs to you, greater than which there could not
be, on this account you ought not to have revenge from him. Then remember
this, that it was possible for this Agoratus to be saved and that he sat
down at the altar of Munychia before he was brought into the Boule. For
his bondsmen prepared boats and were ready to sail away with him. 53. And
if you had heeded them, and been ready to go away with them, you would
neither willingly nor unwillingly have put to death so many Athenians.
But being persuaded by those to whom you yielded, you thought that if you
would only give in the names of the Strategi and Taxiarchs you would get
something great from them. Therefore it is not necessary for us to feel
sympathy for you since you felt none for those you put to death. 54.
Hippias of Thasos and Xenophon of Icaria, who were summoned by the Boule
on the same accusation as he, were executed, and Xenophon was tortured.
But Hippias thus .... because they did not appear worth saving to the
Thirty (for they destroyed none of the Athenians). But Agoratus was
acquitted because he appeared to have done the pleasantest things.
55. But I hear that he will put the blame on Menestratus for these
documents. But what Menestratus did was this. This same Menestratus was
informed against by Agoratus, was arrested and put in prison. And there
was Hagnodorus of Amphitrope, of the same deme as Menestratus, a
connection of Critias, one of the Thirty. This one, at the time when the
assembly was held in the theatre at Munychia, wishing Menestratus at the
same time to be saved, and as many as possible of the people to be
accused and put to death, brought him into the assembly and saved him
according to this vote.