by Demosthenes
[36] καὶ ἐνταῦθα αὐτῷ ἀπαντᾶτε, ὅτι πάντες ἄνθρωποι, ὅταν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ποιῶνται συγγραφάς, τούτου ἕνεκα σημηνάμενοι τίθενται παρ᾽ οἷς ἂν πιστεύσωσιν, ἵνα, ἐάν τι ἀντιλέγωσιν, ᾖ αὐτοῖς ἐπανελθοῦσιν ἐπὶ τὰ γράμματα, ἐντεῦθεν τὸν ἔλεγχον ποιήσασθαι περὶ τοῦ ἀμφισβητουμένου. ὅταν δ᾽ ἀφανίσας τις τἀκριβὲς λόγῳ ἐξαπατᾶν πειρᾶται, πῶς ἂν δικαίως πιστεύοιτε;
[36] Meet him on this ground: that all men, when they make agreements with one another, seal the articles and deposit them with persons whom they can trust, for this very purpose, that, if a dispute arises between them, they may refer to the document and so settle the point at issue. But when a man, after doing away with the source of accurate knowledge, undertakes to deceive you with words, how can you with justice put any confidence in him?
[37] ἀλλὰ νὴ Δία （τὸ ῥᾷστον τοῖς ἀδικεῖν καὶ συκοφαντεῖν προῃρημένοις） μαρτυρήσει τις αὐτῷ κατ᾽ ἐμοῦ. ἐὰν οὖν ἐπισκήψωμαι αὐτῷ, πόθεν τὴν ἀπόδειξιν ποιήσεται τοῦ ἀληθῆ μαρτυρεῖν; ἐκ τῶν συνθηκῶν; τοῦτο τοίνυν μὴ ἀναβαλλέσθω, ἀλλ᾽ ἤδη φερέτω ὁ ἔχων τὰς συνθήκας. εἰ δ᾽ ἀπολωλέναι φησίν, πόθεν λάβω ἐγὼ τὸν ἔλεγχον καταψευδομαρτυρηθείς; εἰ μὲν γὰρ παρ᾽ ἐμοὶ ἐτέθη τὸ γραμματεῖον, ἐνῆν αἰτιάσασθαι Ἀπατουρίῳ, ὡς ἐγὼ διὰ τὴν ἐγγύην ἠφάνικα τὰς συνθήκας:
[37] But perhaps some witness （for this is the easiest course for those who have chosen to do wrong and to bring baseless charges） will testify for him against me. If then, I take action against the witness, how will he prove that his testimony is true? By the articles of agreement? Well, then, let there be no delay about this; let the one who has them bring forward the articles at once. But if he says they have been lost, how, then, shall I find means of refuting the false testimony brought against me? If the document had been deposited with me, it would have been open to Apaturius to charge that I had made away with it because of my guaranty;
[38] εἰ δὲ παρὰ τῷ Ἀριστοκλεῖ, διὰ τί, εἴπερ ἄνευ τῆς τούτου γνώμης ἀπολώλασιν αἱ συνθῆκαι, τῷ μὲν λαβόντι αὐτὰς καὶ οὐ παρέχοντι οὐ δικάζεται, ἐμοὶ δ᾽ ἐγκαλεῖ, μάρτυρα παρεχόμενος κατ᾽ ἐμοῦ τὸν ἠφανικότα τὰς συνθήκας, ᾧ προσῆκεν αὐτὸν ὀργίζεσθαι, εἴπερ μὴ κοινῇ μετὰ τούτου ἐκακοτέχνει;
εἴρηταί μοι τὰ δίκαια, ὅσα ἐδυνάμην. ὑμεῖς οὖν κατὰ τοὺς νόμους γιγνώσκετε τὰ δίκαια.
[38] but, if it was deposited with Aristocles, why is it, if the agreement has been lost without the plaintiff’s knowledge, that instead of bringing suit against the man who received the agreement but does not produce it, he makes charges against me, bringing forward as a witness against me the man who made away with the agreement, against whom he ought to feel resentment, if it were not that they are leagued together in their evil scheming?
I have made a just plea to the best of my ability. Do you now give a just decision in accordance with the laws.
πρὸς Φορμίωνα ὑπὲρ Δανείου — AGAINST PHORMIO
[1] δίκαια ὑμῶν δεησόμεθα, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ἀκοῦσαι ἡμῶν μετ᾽ εὐνοίας ἐν τῷ μέρει λεγόντων, γνόντας ὅτι ἰδιῶται παντελῶς ἐσμέν, καὶ πολὺν χρόνον εἰς τὸ ὑμέτερον ἐμπόριον εἰσαφικνούμενοι καὶ συμβόλαια πολλοῖς συμβάλλοντες οὐδεμίαν πώποτε δίκην πρὸς ὑμᾶς εἰσήλθομεν, οὔτ᾽ ἐγκαλοῦντες οὔτ᾽ ἐγκαλούμενοι ὑφ᾽ ἑτέρων.
[1] The request that I shall make of you, men of the jury, is a fair one, that you should hear us with goodwill as we speak in our turn, knowing well that we are wholly without experience in the art of speaking; and long as we have been frequenting your mart, and many as are the merchants to whom we have made loans, we have never until now appeared in any suit before you either as plaintiffs or as defendants.
[2] οὐδ᾽ ἂν νῦν, ἀκριβῶς ἴστε, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, εἰ ὑπελαμβάνομεν ἀπολωλέναι τὰ χρήματα ἐπὶ τῆς νεὼς τῆς διαφθαρείσης, ἃ ἐδανείσαμεν Φορμίωνι, οὐκ ἄν ποτ᾽ ἐλάχομεν τὴν δίκην αὐτῷ: οὐχ οὕτως ἡμεῖς ἀναίσχυντοί ἐσμεν οὐδ᾽ ἄπειροι τοῦ ζημιοῦσθαι. πολλῶν δ᾽ ἡμᾶς κακιζόντων, καὶ μάλιστα τῶν ἐν Βοσπόρῳ ἐπιδημησάντων ἅμα Φορμίωνι, οἵπερ τοῦτον ᾔδεσαν οὐ συναπολέσαντα τὰ χρήματα ἐν τῇ νηί, δεινὸν ἡγούμεθα εἶναι τὸ μὴ βοηθῆσαι ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς ἀδικουμένοις ὑπὸ τούτου.
[2] And you may be sure, men of Athens, that we should not even now have brought this action against Phormio, if we believed that the money which we lent him had been lost on the ship that was wrecked; we are not so shameless nor so unaccustomed to losses. But as many have kept taunting us, and especially those who were in Bosporus with Phormio, who knew that he had not lost the money together with the ship, we thought it a dreadful thing not to seek redress after being wronged as we had been by this man.
[3] περὶ μὲν οὖν τῆς παραγραφῆς βραχύς ἐστιν ὁ λόγος: καὶ γὰρ οὗτοι οὐ τὸ παράπαν συμβόλαιον ἐξαρνοῦνται μὴ γενέσθαι ἐν τῷ ἐμπορίῳ τῷ ὑμετέρῳ, ἀλλ᾽ οὐκέτι εἶναί φασι πρὸς αὑτοὺς οὐδὲν συμβόλαιον: πεποιηκέναι γὰρ οὐδὲν ἔξω τῶν ἐν τῇ συγγραφῇ γεγραμμένων.
[3] With reference to the special plea my argument is a brief one. For even the defendants do not absolutely deny that a contract was made on your exchange; but they claim that there exists no longer any obligation on their part due to the contract, for they have done nothing that contravenes the terms of the agreement.
[4] οἱ μὲν οὖν νόμοι, καθ᾽ οὓς ὑμεῖς δικασταὶ κάθησθε, οὐχ οὕτως λέγουσιν, ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὲρ μὲν τῶν μὴ γενομένων ὅλως συμβολαίων Ἀθήνησι μηδ᾽ εἰς τὸ Ἀθηναίων ἐμπόριον παραγράφεσθαι δεδώκασιν, ἐὰν δέ τις γενέσθαι μὲν ὁμολογῇ, ἀμφισβητῇ δὲ ὡς πάντα πεποίηκεν τὰ συγκείμενα, ἀπολογεῖσθαι κελεύουσιν εὐθυδικίαν εἰσιόντα, οὐ κατηγορεῖν τοῦ διώκοντος. οὐ μὴν ἀλλ᾽ ἔγωγε ἐλπίζω καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ πράγματος δείξειν εἰσαγώγιμον τὴν δίκην οὖσαν.
[4] The laws, however, in accordance with which you sit as jurors, do not use this language. They do indeed allow the production of a special plea when there has been no contract at all at Athens or for the Athenian market; but if a man admits that a contract was made, yet contends that he has done everything that the contract requires, they bid him to make a defence on the merits of the case, and not to make the plaintiff a defendant. Not but that I hope to prove from the facts of the case itself that this suit of mine is admissible.<
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[5] σκέψασθε δέ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, ὅ τι ὁμολογεῖται παρ᾽ αὐτῶν τούτων καὶ τί ἀντιλέγεται: οὕτω γὰρ ἂν ἄριστα ἐξετάσαιτε. οὐκοῦν δανείσασθαι μὲν τὰ χρήματα ὁμολογοῦσι καὶ συνθήκας ποιήσασθαι τοῦ δανείσματος, φασὶν δ᾽ ἀποδεδωκέναι τὸ χρυσίον Λάμπιδι τῷ Δίωνος οἰκέτῃ ἐν Βοσπόρῳ. ἡμεῖς τοίνυν οὐ μόνον τοῦτο δείξομεν, ὡς οὐκ ἀπέδωκεν, ἀλλ᾽ ὡς οὐδ᾽ ἐνῆν αὐτῷ ἀποδοῦναι. ἀναγκαῖον δ᾽ ἐστὶν βραχέα τῶν ἐξ ἀρχῆς διηγήσασθαι ὑμῖν.
[5] And I beg you, men of Athens, to consider what is admitted by these men, and what is disputed; for in this way you will best sift the question. They admit that they borrowed the money, and that they had contracts made to secure the loan; but they claim that they have paid the money to Lampis, the servant of Dio, in Bosporus. We, on our part, shall prove, not only that Phormio did not pay it, but that it was actually impossible for him to pay it. But I must recount to you a few of the things that happened at the outset.
[6] ἐγὼ γάρ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, ἐδάνεισα Φορμίωνι τουτῳὶ εἴκοσι μνᾶς ἀμφοτερόπλουν εἰς τὸν Πόντον ἐπὶ ἑτέρᾳ ὑποθήκῃ, καὶ συγγραφὴν ἐθέμην παρὰ Κίττῳ τῷ τραπεζίτῃ. κελευούσης δὲ τῆς συγγραφῆς ἐνθέσθαι εἰς τὴν ναῦν τετρακισχιλίων φορτία ἄξια, πρᾶγμα ποιεῖ πάντων δεινότατον: εὐθὺς γὰρ ἐν τῷ Πειραιεῖ ἐπιδανείζεται λάθρᾳ ἡμῶν παρὰ μὲν Θεοδώρου τοῦ Φοίνικος τετρακισχιλίας πεντακοσίας δραχμάς, παρὰ δὲ τοῦ ναυκλήρου Λάμπιδος χιλίας δραχμάς.
[6] I, men of Athens, lent to this man, Phormio, twenty minae for the double voyage to Pontus and back, on the security of goods of twice that value, and deposited a contract with Cittus the banker. But, although the contract required him to put on board the ship goods to the value of four thousand drachmae, he did the most outrageous thing possible. For while still in the Peiraeus he, without our knowledge, secured an additional loan of four thousand five hundred drachmae from Theodorus the Phoenician, and one of one thousand drachmae from Lampis the shipowner.
[7] δέον δ᾽ αὐτὸν καταγοράσαι φορτία Ἀθήνηθεν μνῶν ἑκατὸν δέκα πέντε, εἰ ἔμελλεν τοῖς δανεισταῖς πᾶσι ποιήσειν τὰ ἐν ταῖς συγγραφαῖς γεγραμμένα, οὐ κατηγόρασεν ἀλλ᾽ ἢ πεντακισχιλίων καὶ πεντακοσίων δραχμῶν, σὺν τῷ ἐπισιτισμῷ: ὀφείλει δὲ ἑβδομήκοντα μνᾶς καὶ πέντε. ἀρχὴ μὲν οὖν αὕτη ἐγένετο τοῦ ἀδικήματος, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι: οὔτε γὰρ τὴν ὑποθήκην παρέσχεν οὔτε τὰ χρήματ᾽ ἐνέθετ᾽ εἰς τὴν ναῦν, κελευούσης τῆς συγγραφῆς ἐπάναγκες ἐντίθεσθαι. καί μοι λαβὲ τὴν συγγραφήν.”Συγγραφή”
λαβὲ δὴ καὶ τὴν τῶν πεντηκοστολόγων ἀπογραφὴν καὶ τὰς μαρτυρίας.”Ἀπογραφή”“Μαρτυρίαι”
[7] And, whereas he was bound to purchase at Athens a cargo worth one hundred and fifteen minae, if he was to perform for all his creditors what was written in their agreements, he purchased only a cargo worth five thousand five hundred drachmae, including the provisions; while his debts were seventy-five minae. This was the beginning of his fraud, men of Athens; he neither furnished security, nor put the goods on board the ship, although the agreement absolutely bade him do so.
Take the agreement, please.” Agreement”
Now take also the entry made by the customs-officers and the depositions.” Entry of the Customs ““ Depositions”
[8] ἐλθὼν τοίνυν εἰς τὸν Βόσπορον, ἔχων ἐπιστολὰς παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ, ἃς ἔδωκ᾽ αὐτῷ ἀπενεγκεῖν τῷ παιδὶ τῷ ἐμῷ παραχειμάζοντι ἐκεῖ καὶ κοινωνῷ τινί, γράψας ἐν τῇ ἐπιστολῇ τό τε ἀργύριον ὃ ἐδεδανείκειν καὶ τὴν ὑποθήκην, καὶ προστάξας, ἐπειδὰν τάχιστα ἐξαιρεθῇ τὰ χρήματα, ἐξετάζειν καὶ παρακολουθεῖν, τὰς μὲν ἐπιστολὰς οὐκ ἀποδίδωσιν οὗτος ἃς ἔλαβεν παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ, ἵνα μηδὲν εἰδείησαν ὧν ἔπραττεν οὗτος, καταλαβὼν δ᾽ ἐν τῷ Βοσπόρῳ μοχθηρὰ τὰ πράγματα διὰ τὸν συμβάντα πόλεμον τῷ Παιρισάδῃ πρὸς τὸν Σκύθην καὶ τῶν φορτίων ὧν ἦγεν πολλὴν ἀπρασίαν, ἐν πάσῃ ἀπορίᾳ ἦν: καὶ γὰρ οἱ δανεισταὶ εἴχοντο αὐτοῦ οἱ τὰ ἑτερόπλοα δανείσαντες.
[8] When he came, then, to Bosporus, having letters from me, which I had given him to deliver to my slave, who was spending the winter there, and to a partner of mine, — in which letter I had stated the sum which I had lent and the security, and bade them, as soon as the goods should be unshipped, to inspect them and keep an eye on them, — the fellow did not deliver to them the letters which he had received from me, in order that they might know nothing of what he was doing; and, finding that business in Bosporus was bad owing to the war which had broken out between Paerisades and the Scythian, and that there was no market for the goods which he had brought, he was in great perplexity; for his creditors, who had lent him money for the outward voyage, were pressing him for payment.
[9] ὥστε τοῦ ναυκλήρου κελεύοντος αὐτὸν κατὰ τὴν συγγραφὴν ἐντίθεσθαι τὰ ἀγοράσματα τῶν ἐμῶν χρημάτων, εἶπεν οὗτος ὁ νῦν φάσκων ἀποδεδωκέναι τὸ χρυσίον, ὅτι οὐκ ἂν δύναιτο ἐνθέσθαι εἰς τὴν ναῦν τὰ χρήματα: ἄπρατον γὰρ εἶναι τὸν ῥῶπον. καὶ ἐκεῖνον μὲν ἐκέλευεν ἀνάγεσθαι, αὐτὸς δ᾽, ἐπειδὰν διαθῆται τὰ φορτία, ἐφ᾽ ἑτέρας νεὼς ἔφη ἐκπλεύσεσθαι. καί μοι λέγε ταύτην τὴν μαρτυρίαν.”Μαρτυρία”
[9] When, therefore, the shipowner bade him put on board according to the agreement the goods bought with my money, this fellow, who now alleges that he has paid the debt in full, said that he could not ship the goods because his trash was unsalable; and he bade him put to sea, saying that he himself would sail in another ship as soon as he should dispose of the cargo.
Please take this deposition.” Deposition”
[10] μετὰ ταῦτα τοίνυν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, οὗτος μὲν ἐν τῷ Βοσπόρῳ κατελέλειπτο, ὁ δὲ Λάμπις ἀναχθεὶς ἐναυάγησεν οὐ μακρὰν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐμπορίου: γεγεμισμένης γὰρ ἤδη τῆς νεώς, ὡς ἀκούομεν, μᾶλλον τοῦ δέοντος, προσανέλαβεν ἐπὶ τὸ κατάστρωμα χιλίας βύρσας, ὅθεν καὶ ἡ διαφθορὰ τῇ νηὶ συνέβη. καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν ἀπεσώθη ἐν τῷ λέμβῳ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων παίδων τῶν Δίωνος, ἀπώλεσεν δὲ πλέον ἢ τριάκοντα σώματα ἐλεύθερα χωρὶς τῶν ἄλλων. πολλοῦ δὲ πένθους ἐν τῷ Βοσπόρῳ ὄντος ὡς ἐπύθοντο τὴν διαφθορὰν τῆς νεώς, ηὐδαιμόνιζον Φορ
μίωνα πάντες τουτονί, ὅτι οὔτε συνανήχθη οὔτε ἐνέθετο εἰς τὴν ναῦν οὐδέν. συνέβαινεν δὲ παρά τε τῶν ἄλλων καὶ παρὰ τούτου ὁ αὐτὸς λόγος. καί μοι ἀνάγνωθι ταύτας τὰς μαρτυρίας.”Μαρτυρίαι”
[10] After this, men of Athens, the defendant was left in Bosporus, while Lampis put to sea, and was shipwrecked not far from the port; for although his ship was already overloaded, as we learn, he took on an additional deck-load of one thousand hides, which proved the cause of the loss of the vessel. He himself made his escape in the boat with the rest of Dio’s servants, but he lost more than thirty lives besides the cargo. There was much mourning in Bosporus when they learned of the loss of the ship, and everybody deemed this Phormio lucky in that he had not sailed with the others, nor put any goods on board the ship. The same story was told by the others and by Phormio himself.
Read me, please, these depositions.” Depositions”
[11] αὐτὸς μὲν τοίνυν ὁ Λάμπις, ᾧ φησιν ἀποδεδωκέναι τὸ χρυσίον （τούτῳ γὰρ προσέχετε τὸν νοῦν）, προσελθόντος αὐτῷ ἐμοῦ, ἐπειδὴ τάχιστα κατέπλευσεν ἐκ τῆς ναυαγίας Ἀθήναζε, καὶ ἐρωτῶντος ὑπὲρ τούτων, ἔλεγεν ὅτι οὔτε τὰ χρήματα ἔνθοιτο εἰς τὴν ναῦν οὗτος κατὰ τὴν συγγραφήν, οὔτε τὸ χρυσίον εἰληφὼς εἴη παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἐν Βοσπόρῳ τότε. καί μοι ἀνάγνωθι τὴν μαρτυρίαν τῶν παραγενομένων.”Μαρτυρία”