Fellow Athenians,

I have, in these recent assemblies, drawn attention to the many careers I have held in my lifetime. I have even been mocked for it. I shall put aside my pride and say with all honesty that I depend on one thing to keep my family fed: I make my living at sea and this gives my family the money it needs to survive. Athens once made her living at sea as well. Once, Athens was a great naval power that controlled the seas and flourished on Poseidon’s realm. Tell me, o fellows, does a shoemaker abandon his trade because he stubs his thumb? He does not! Though the wound may ache, to do so would be folly, for all his resources, knowledge, and experience would be wasted. Similarly, Athens should not abandon the seas because Sparta managed one victory against us. If a crop does not yield one season, does a farmer abandon his land and become a potter? Hardly! Instead he learns why his crop failed and reworks the soil. He may find, to his amazement, that Demeter blesses him with a bountiful harvest that is the envy of his neighbors. Athens too should learn why she failed and rebuild, and I pray that Poseidon will smile on us once again.

If you care nothing for your fair city, think instead of yourself. Think of all the things that the city, and you as a citizen in that city, may gain by rebuilding the triremes. Think of the jobs that may be opened up for the poor and starving both in the rebuilding and the manning of the triremes. Think of the investment opportunities for the wealthy. What an honor it would be to be a trierarch! Those ever-generous and affluent souls graciously lift our city onto their shoulders and selflessly put their means at the polis’ disposal. Without the triremes, the grain-ships that we use for trade are at the mercy of pirates. That is food and profit that is stolen from our fair city! Also, without the triremes, Sparta is free to bully foreign traders away from Piraeus, such that those brave enough to enter our harbor must charge us higher prices for the increased risk of stopping at our port. That, added to an already high import duty, causes prices of essential materials and food to soar. Lighten the burden on your countrymen, I implore you.

Know also that with the triremes, we may once again offer our protection to our neighboring city-states and collect tribute. Tribute is a great source of income for our fair city that can be put to use in any number of public programs. Any sort of public education, any sort of allowance for impoverished citizens, and any sort of building project could be paid for by means of tribute monies. In a short time, any tax levied to build the triremes can be dissolved and its absence would be praised. We must all gather behind this project and support our city. If we are successful, the rewards are great. If we are not, we all suffer. Sparta has shifted our Pnyx to look away from the sea. I urge you all not to follow where Sparta would lead us. Come, let us not dwell on our defeat, but instead hold our heads high and, with Poseidon’s help, renew our city to her former glory.

-The Fishmonger (Emily Allen)