by Demosthenes
[23] These thirty minae, then, he has received from the factory, and the interest on them for eight years; and if one sets this down at the rate of a drachma only, it will make thirty minae more. These sums he has himself embezzled, and, if they be added to the marriage-portion, the total is about four talents, principal and interest combined. Now I shall go on to show you what sums he has embezzled in conjunction with his co-trustees, and what sums he asserts were never left by my father at all.
[24] πρῶτον μὲν οὖν περὶ τῶν κλινοποιῶν, οὓς κατέλιπεν μὲν ὁ πατήρ, ἀφανίζουσι δ᾽ οὗτοι, τετταράκοντα μὲν μνῶν ὑποκειμένους, εἴκοσι δ᾽ ὄντας τὸν ἀριθμόν, ἐπιδείξω ὑμῖν ὡς λίαν ἀναιδῶς καὶ φανερῶς μ᾽ ἀποστεροῦσι. τούτους γὰρ καταλειφθῆναι μὲν οἴκοι παρ᾽ ἡμῖν πάντες ὁμολογοῦσιν, καὶ τὰς δώδεκα μνᾶς ἑκάστου τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ τῷ πατρὶ γίγνεσθαί φασιν: αὐτοὶ δὲ λῆμμα μὲν παρ᾽ αὐτῶν ἐν δέκ᾽ ἔτεσιν οὐδὲν ἐμοὶ γεγενημένον ἀποφαίνουσιν ἀλλ᾽ οὐδὲ μικρόν, ἀναλώματος δὲ κεφάλαιον εἰς αὐτοὺς οὗτος ὀλίγου δεῖν λογίζεται χιλίας: εἰς τοῦτ᾽ ἀναιδείας ἐλήλυθεν.
[24] First, regarding the twenty sofa-makers, given to my father as security for a debt of forty minae, whom my father certainly left behind him at his death, but of whom these men show not a trace — let me prove to you with what utter shamelessness and how openly they are seeking to cheat me of these. That these slaves were left by my father in the house they all admit, and that they brought him in an income of twelve minae every year. Yet these men report no receipts as having come in to my credit from them in ten years, and Aphobus reckons up a total expenditure on them of nearly a thousand drachmae. To such a pitch of effrontery has he come!
[25] αὐτοὺς δὲ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, εἰς οὓς ταῦτ᾽ ἀνηλωκέναι φησίν, οὐδαμοῦ μοι παραδεδώκασιν, ἀλλὰ πάντων κενότατον λόγον λέγουσιν, ὡς ὁ ὑποθεὶς τῷ πατρὶ τἀνδράποδα πονηρότατος ἀνθρώπων ἐστὶν καὶ ἐράνους τε λέλοιπε πλείστους καὶ ὑπέρχρεως γέγονε, καὶ τούτων οὐκ ὀλίγους κεκλήκασι κατ᾽ ἐκείνου μάρτυρας. τὰ δ᾽ ἀνδράποδ᾽ ὅστις ἐστὶν ὁ λαβών, ἢ πῶς ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας ἐξῆλθεν, ἢ τίς ἀφείλετο, ἢ πρὸς τίνα δίκην ἥττηνται περὶ αὐτῶν, οὐκ ἔχουσιν εἰπεῖν.
[25] And these slaves themselves, upon whom he alleges that he has expended the money, they have never handed over to me. On the contrary, they tell the idlest tale imaginable, to the effect that the man who pledged the slaves to my father is the vilest sort of a fellow, who has left many friendly loans unpaid, and who is overwhelmed with debt; and to prove this against him they have called a large number of witnesses. But as for the slaves — who got them; how they went out of the house; who took them away; or in what suit they lost them by judgement, they are unable to say.
[26] καίτοι εἴ τι ἔλεγον ὑγιές, οὐκ ἂν κατὰ τῆς ἐκείνου πονηρίας παρείχοντο μάρτυρας, ἧς οὐδέν μοι προσήκει φροντίζειν, ἀλλὰ τούτων ἂν ἀντελαμβάνοντο καὶ τοὺς λαβόντας ἀπεδείκνυσαν καὶ οὐδὲν ἂν αὐτῶν παρέλειπον. νῦν δ᾽ ὠμότατ᾽ ἀνθρώπων, ὁμολογοῦντες καταλειφθῆναι καὶ λαβόντες ὡς αὑτοὺς καὶ καρπωσάμενοι δέκ᾽ ἔτη τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ἄρδην ὅλον τὸ ἐργαστήριον ἀφανίζουσι. καὶ ταῦθ᾽ ὡς ἀληθῆ λέγω, λαβέ μοι τὰς μαρτυρίας καὶ ἀναγίγνωσκε.”Μαρτυρίαι”
[26] Yet, if there were any truth in what they allege they would not be bringing forward witnesses to prove this man’s vile character （with which I have no concern）, but would be holding on to the slaves, or would show who took them, and would have left not one of them out of sight. But as it is, though they admit that the slaves were left by my father, and though they took possession of them and enjoyed the profits from them for ten years, they have in the most ruthless manner possible done away with the whole factory.
To prove that I am speaking the truth in this, take, please, and read the depositions.” Depositions”
[27] ὅτι τοίνυν οὐκ ἄπορος ἦν ὁ Μοιριάδης, οὐδ᾽ ἦν τῇ πατρὶ τοῦτο τὸ συμβόλαιον εἰς τἀνδράποδ᾽ ἠλιθίως συμβεβλημένον, μεγίστῳ τεκμηρίῳ γνώσεσθε: λαβὼν γὰρ ὡς ἑαυτὸν Ἄφοβος τοῦτο τὸ ἐργαστήριον, ὡς αὐτοὶ τῶν μαρτύρων ἠκούσατε, καὶ δέον αὐτόν, εἰ καί τις ἄλλος ἐβούλετ᾽ εἰς ταῦτα συμβαλεῖν, τοῦτον διακωλύειν ἐπίτροπόν γ᾽ ὄντα, αὐτὸς ἐπὶ τούτοις τοῖς ἀνδραπόδοις τῷ Μοιριάδῃ πεντακοσίας δραχμὰς ἐδάνεισεν, ἃς ὀρθῶς καὶ δικαίως παρ᾽ ἐκείνου κεκομίσθαι ὡμολόγηκεν.
[27] That, moreover, Moeriades was not without resources and that my father did not act foolishly in making the contract with him about the slaves, I will show you by the clearest proof. For after Aphobus took into his own hands the factory as you have yourselves heard from the witnesses, when it was his duty as my guardian to prevent anyone else from advancing money on the same security, he himself loaned to Moeriades on the security of these same slaves the sum of five hundred drachmae, which he admits he has duly recovered from him in full.
[28] καίτοι πῶς οὐ δεινόν, εἰ ἡμῖν μὲν πρὸς τῷ λῆμμ᾽ ἀπ᾽ αὐτῶν μηδὲν γεγονέναι καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ ὑποτεθέντ᾽ ἀπόλωλεν, οἳ πρότερον συνεβάλομεν, τῷ δ᾽ εἰς τὰ ἡμέτερα δανείσαντι καὶ τοσούτῳ χρόνῳ πράξαντι καὶ οἱ τόκοι καὶ τἀρχαῖ᾽ ἐκ τῶν ἡμετέρων ἀποδέδοται καὶ οὐδεμί᾽ ἀπορία γέγονεν; ἀλλὰ μὴν ὡς ἀληθῆ λέγω, λαβὲ τὴν μαρτυρίαν καὶ ἀνάγνωθι.”Μαρτυρία”
[28] And yet is it not outrageous that we who made the prior loan should, besides having received no profit from the slaves, have lost our security, while this fellow, who loaned money on security belonging to us, and whose loan was so long subsequent to ours, should from funds that were ours have recovered both principal and interest, and have suffered no loss whatever? To prove that what I say is true, take the deposition and read it.” Deposition”
[29] σκέψασθε τοίνυν ὅσον ἀργύριον οὗτοι παρὰ τοὺς κλινοποιοὺς κλέπτουσι, τετταράκοντα μὲν μνᾶς αὐτὸ τὸ ἀρχαῖον, δέκα δ᾽ ἐτῶν τὸ ἔργον αὐτῶν δύο τάλαντα: δώδεκα γὰρ μνᾶς ἑκάστου τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ τὴν πρόσοδον αὐτῶν ἐλάμβανον. ἆρα μικρόν τι καὶ ἐξ ἀφανοῦς ποθεν καὶ παραλογίσασθαι. ῥᾴδιον, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ φανερῶς οὑτωσὶ μικροῦ δεῖν τρία τάλαντα ταῦτ᾽ ἀνηρπάκασιν; ὧν κοινῇ διαπεφορημένων τὸ τρίτον δήπου μέρος παρὰ τούτου μοι προσήκει κεκομίσθαι.
[29] Consider now of how large a sum they are defrauding me in the matter of these sofa-makers: the principal alone, forty minae,
and interest upon it for ten years, two talents; for they obtained from the slaves a profit of twelve minae each year. Is this a trifling sum drawn from some obscure source, which might easily have been miscalculated, or have they not manifestly robbed me of nearly three talents? Of this sum which they have jointly scattered to the winds, it is surely right that I should recover a third from the defendant.
[30] καὶ μήν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, καὶ τὰ περὶ τοῦ ἐλέφαντος καὶ σιδήρου τοῦ καταλειφθέντος παραπλήσιά πως τούτοις πεποιήκασιν: οὐδὲ γὰρ ταῦτ᾽ ἀποφαίνουσιν. καίτοι κεκτημένον μὲν τοσούτους κλινοποιούς, κεκτημένον δὲ μαχαιροποιοὺς οὐχ οἷόν τε μὴ οὐχὶ καὶ σίδηρον καὶ ἐλέφαντα καταλιπεῖν, ἀλλ᾽ ἀνάγκη ταῦτά γ᾽ ὑπάρχειν: τί γὰρ ἂν ἠργάζοντο τούτων μὴ ὑπαρξάντων;
[30] Furthermore, men of the jury, they have dealt in much the same way with the ivory and iron which were left me. They do not produce them. Yet it is impossible that one who possessed so many sofa-makers and so many sword-makers should not also have left iron and ivory. These things must have been available, for what could the slaves have produced without these materials?
[31] τὸν τοίνυν πλέον ἢ πεντήκοντ᾽ ἀνδράποδα κεκτημένον καὶ δυοῖν τέχναιν ἐπιμελούμενον, ὧν θάτερον ἐργαστήριον εἰς τὰς κλίνας ῥᾳδίως δύο μνᾶς τοῦ μηνὸς ἀνήλισκεν ἐλέφαντος, τὸ δὲ μαχαιροποιεῖον οὐκ ἔλαττον ἢ τοσοῦτον ἕτερον σὺν σιδήρῳ, τοῦτον οὔ φασιν καταλιπεῖν οὐδὲν τούτων: εἰς τοῦτ᾽ ἀναιδείας ἐληλύθασιν.
[31] Well then, though my father possessed more than fifty slaves and conducted two factories, one of which easily consumed two minae worth of ivory per month for the sofas, while the sword-factory consumed as much more, and iron besides, these men declare that he left no ivory and no iron; to such a pitch of shamelessness have they come!
[32] ὅτι μὲν οὖν οὐ πιστὰ λέγουσιν, καὶ ἐκ τούτων αὐτῶν ῥᾴδιόν ἐστι μαθεῖν: ὅτι δ᾽ ἐκεῖνος κατέλιπε τοσοῦτον τὸ πλῆθος ὥστε μὴ μόνον ἱκανὸν εἶναι κατεργάζεσθαι τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ δημιουργοῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ βουλομένῳ πρὸς ὠνεῖσθαι τῶν ἄλλων, ἐκεῖθεν φανερόν, ὅτι αὐτός τ᾽ ἐπώλει ζῶν καὶ Δημοφῶν καὶ οὗτος τοῦ πατρὸς ἤδη τετελευτηκότος ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας τῆς ἐμῆς ἀπεδίδοντο τοῖς βουλομένοις.
[32] From these facts alone it is easy to see that no credence is to be given to their statements; but that my father actually did leave such an amount of these materials as not only to suffice for his own workmen to use in their trade, but also for sale to anyone else who wished to buy, is made clear by the fact that he himself during his lifetime used to sell these materials, and that after his death Demophon and the defendant continued to sell them from out my house to those wishing to buy.
[33] καίτοι πόσον τινὰ χρὴ τὸν καταλειφθέντα νομίζειν εἶναι, ὅταν φαίνηται τηλικούτοις τ᾽ ἐργαστηρίοις ἐξαρκῶν καὶ χωρὶς ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπιτρόπων πιπρασκόμενος; ἆρ᾽ ὀλίγον, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ πολλῷ πλείω τῶν ἐγκεκλημένων; λαβὲ τοίνυν τὰς μαρτυρίας ταυτασὶ καὶ ἀνάγνωθ᾽ αὐτοῖς.”Μαρτυρίαι”
τούτου τοίνυν τοῦ ἐλέφαντός ἐστι πλέον ἢ τάλαντον, ὃν οὔτ᾽ αὐτὸν οὔτε τὸ ἔργον μοι ἀποφαίνουσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτον ἄρδην ἀφανίζουσιν ὅλον.
[33] And yet how large must one suppose the quantity left by my father to have been, when it is shown to have sufficed for such extensive factories, and to have been sold by the guardians besides? Was it a small amount, or not rather much more than I have charged?
Take now these depositions and read them to the jury.” Depositions”
Of this ivory, you see, there is more than a talent’s worth of which they make no report — neither of the raw material nor of the finished product. No; this also they have utterly and absolutely made away with.
[34] ἔτι τοίνυν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, παρὰ τὸν λόγον ὃν ἀποφέρουσιν, ἐξ ὧν αὐτοὶ λαβεῖν ὁμολογοῦσιν, ἐπιδείξω ὑμῖν τρεῖς μὲν ὄντας αὐτοὺς πλέον ἢ ὀκτὼ τάλαντ᾽ ἐκ τῶν ἐμῶν ἔχοντας, ἰδίᾳ δ᾽ ἐκ τούτων Ἄφοβον τρία τάλαντα καὶ χιλίας εἰληφότα, τά τ᾽ ἀνηλωμένα χωρὶς τούτων πλείω τιθεὶς καὶ ὅσ᾽ ἐκ τούτων ἀπέδοσαν ἀφαιρῶν, ἵν᾽ εἰδῆθ᾽ ὅτι οὐ μικρᾶς ἀναιδείας τὰ ἐγχειρήματ᾽ αὐτῶν ἐστίν.
[34] Furthermore, men of the jury, I shall prove to you from the account which they render, and from the receipts admitted by themselves, that these three men have in their possession more than eight talents of my money, and that of this amount Aphobus has separately taken three talents and one thousand drachmae. I shall set down separately at a higher figure than they do themselves the moneys they have expended, and shall deduct all the sums they have paid me, that you may see the utter shamelessness of their attempts.
[35] λαβεῖν γὰρ ἐκ τῶν ἐμῶν ὁμολογοῦσιν οὗτος μὲν ὀκτὼ καὶ ἑκατὸν μνᾶς, χωρὶς ὧν ἔχοντ᾽ αὐτὸν ἐγὼ ἐπιδείξω νῦν, Θηριππίδης δὲ δύο τάλαντα, Δημοφῶν δ᾽ ἑπτὰ καὶ ὀγδοήκοντα μνᾶς. τοῦτο δ᾽ ἐστὶ πέντε τάλαντα καὶ πεντεκαίδεκα μναῖ. τούτου τοίνυν ὃ μὲν οὐχ ἅθρουν ἐλήφθη, σχεδόν εἰσιν ἑβδομήκοντα μναῖ καὶ ἑπτά, ἡ πρόσοδος ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνδραπόδων, ὃ δ᾽ εὐθὺς ἔλαβον οὗτοι, μικροῦ δέοντα τέτταρα τάλαντα: οἷς τὸ ἔργον ἂν προσθῆτ᾽ ἐπὶ δραχμῇ μόνον τῶν δέκ᾽ ἐτῶν, ὀκτὼ τάλανθ᾽ εὑρήσετε σὺν τοῖς ἀρχαίοις καὶ χιλίας γιγνομένας.
[35] They confess to have received from my estate, Aphobus one hundred and eight minae （besides what I shall now show to be in his hands）; Therippides two talents; and Demophon eighty-seven minae. This makes altogether five talents and fifteen minae. Of this sum there are nearly seventy-seven minae, the income from the slaves, which were not received all at once, and a little less than four talents of which they got possession immediately. Now, if you add to this last sum the interest for ten years, reckoned at a drachma only you will find that the whole, principal and interest, amounts to eight talents and four thousand drachmae.
[36] τὴν μὲν τοίνυν τροφὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἑβδομήκοντα μνῶν καὶ ἑπτὰ λογιστέον τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐργαστηρίου γενομένων. Θηριππίδης γὰρ ἑπτὰ μνᾶς ἐδίδου καθ᾽ ἕκαστον τὸν ἐνιαυτὸν εἰς ταῦτα, καὶ ἡμεῖς τοῦτο λαβεῖν ὁμολογοῦμεν. ὥσθ᾽ ἑβδομήκοντα μνῶν ἐν τοῖς δέκ᾽ ἔτεσιν τροφὴν τούτων ἡμῖν ἀνηλωκότων, τὸ περιὸν τὰς ἑπτακοσίας προστίθημ᾽ αὐτοῖς, καὶ τούτων πλείω εἰμὶ τεθηκώς. ὃ δ᾽ ἐμοὶ δοκιμασθέντι
παρέδοσαν καὶ ὅσον εἰς τὴν πόλιν εἰσενηνόχασιν, τοῦτ᾽ ἀπὸ τῶν ὀκτὼ ταλάντων καὶ τοῦ προσόντος ἀφαιρετέον ἐστίν.
[36] From the seventy-seven minae, the profits of the factory, the cost of maintenance of the men must be deducted, for Therippides expended for this seven minae a year, and I admit having received thus much. Thus they expended on our behalf in the ten years seventy minae for maintenance; to this I add the balance, seven hundred drachmae, and thus credit them with a larger expenditure than they do themselves. There must also be deducted from the eight talents and more the sum they handed over to me when I came of age, and the taxes which they have paid to the state.
[37] ἀπέδοσαν μὲν τοίνυν οὗτος καὶ Θηριππίδης μίαν καὶ τριάκοντα μνᾶς, εἰσφορὰς δ᾽ εἰσενηνοχέναι λογίζονται δυοῖν δεούσας εἴκοσι μνᾶς. ἐγὼ δ᾽ ὑπερβαλὼν τοῦτο ποιήσω τριάκοντα μνᾶς, ἵνα πρὸς ταῦτα μηδ᾽ ἀντειπεῖν ἔχωσιν. οὐκοῦν ἂν ἀφέλητε τὸ τάλαντον ἀπὸ τῶν ὀκτὼ ταλάντων, ἑπτὰ τὰ λειπόμεν᾽ ἐστί, καὶ ταῦτα, ἐξ ὧν αὐτοὶ λαβεῖν ὁμολογοῦσι, τούτους ἔχειν ἐστὶν ἀναγκαῖον. τοῦτο τοίνυν, εἰ καὶ τἄλλα πάντ᾽ ἀποστεροῦσιν ἀρνούμενοι μὴ ἔχειν, ἀποδοῦναι προσῆκεν, ὁμολογοῦντάς γε λαβεῖν ταῦτ᾽ ἐκ τῶν ἐμῶν.