Andocides On the Mysteries 3 [andoc. 1.3]

[2] First, I ask you to bear in mind that it is not because I have been
forced to face my trial that I am here today -- I have not been on bail,
nor have I been kept in confinement. I am here, first and foremost because
I rely upon justice and secondly because I rely upon you; I believe that
you will decide my case impartially and, far sooner than allow my enemies
to defy justice by taking my life, will uphold justice by protecting me, as
your laws and your oaths as jurors require you to do.

[3] With defendants who face a trial of their own free will, gentlemen, it
stands to reason that you should feel as convinced of their innocence as
they do themselves. When a defendant admits himself guilty by refusing to
await trial, you naturally endorse the verdict which he has passed upon
himself; so it follows that if a man is prepared to face his trial because
his conscience is clear, you should let his verdict upon himself determine
your own in the same way, instead of presuming him guilty.
[4] Mine is a case in point. My enemies have been saying, or so I keep
hearing, that I would take to my heels instead of standing my ground. "What
motive could Andocides possibly have for braving so hazardous a trial?"
they argue. "He can count upon a livelihood sufficient for all his needs,
if he does no more than withdraw from Attica; while if he returns to Cyprus
whence he has come, an abundance of good land has been offered him and is
his for the asking. Will a man in his position want to risk his life? What
object could he have in doing so? Cannot he see the state of things in
Athens?"