by Demosthenes
[44] It is remarkable what a striking thing it is in the eyes of people who are active in commercial life and in banking, when the same man is accounted industrious and is honest. Well; this quality was not imparted to Pasio by his masters; he was himself honest by nature; nor did your father impart it to Phormio. It was yourself, rather than Phormio, whom he would have made honest, if he had had the power. If you do not know that for money-making the best capital of all is trustworthiness, you do not know anything at all. But, apart from all this, Phormio has in many ways shown himself useful to your father and to you, and in general to your affairs. But your insatiate greed and your character, I take it, no one could adequately express.
[45] καὶ δῆτα θαυμάζω πῶς οὐ λογίζει πρὸς σεαυτόν, ὅτι ἔστιν Ἀρχεστράτῳ τῷ ποτὲ τὸν σὸν πατέρα κτησαμένῳ υἱὸς ἐνθάδε, Ἀντίμαχος, πράττων οὐ κατ᾽ ἀξίαν, ὃς οὐ δικάζεταί σοι, οὐδὲ δεινά φησι πάσχειν, εἰ σὺ μὲν χλανίδα φορεῖς, καὶ τὴν μὲν λέλυσαι, τὴν δ᾽ ἐκδέδωκας ἑταίραν, καὶ ταῦτα γυναῖκ᾽ ἔχων ποιεῖς, καὶ τρεῖς παῖδας ἀκολούθους περιάγει, καὶ ζῇς ἀσελγῶς ὥστε καὶ τοὺς ἀπαντῶντας αἰσθάνεσθαι, αὐτὸς δ᾽ ἐκεῖνος πολλῶν ἐνδεής ἐστιν.
[45] I am surprised that you do not of yourself make this reflection, that Archestratus, to whom your father formerly belonged, has a son here, Antimachus, who fares not at all as he deserves, and who does not go to law with you and say that he is outrageously treated, because you wear a soft mantle, and have redeemed one mistress, and have given another in marriage （all this, while you have a wife of your own）, and take three attendant slaves about with you, and live so licentiously that even those who meet you on the street perceive it, while he himself is in great destitution.
[46] οὐδὲ τὸν Φορμίων᾽ ἐκεῖνος οὐχ ὁρᾷ. καίτοι εἰ κατὰ τοῦτ᾽ οἴει σοι προσήκειν τῶν τούτου, ὅτι τοῦ πατρός ποτ᾽ ἐγένετο τοῦ σοῦ, ἐκείνῳ προσήκει μᾶλλον ἢ σοί: ὁ γὰρ αὖ σὸς πατὴρ ἐκείνων ἐγένετο, ὥστε καὶ σὺ καὶ οὗτος ἐκείνου γίγνεσθ᾽ ἐκ τούτου τοῦ λόγου. σὺ δ᾽ εἰς τοῦθ᾽ ἥκεις ἀγνωμοσύνης ὥσθ᾽ ἃ προσήκει σοι τοὺς λέγοντας ἐχθροὺς νομίζειν, ταῦτ᾽ αὐτὸς ποιεῖς ἀνάγκην εἶναι λέγειν,
[46] Nor does he fail to see Phormio’s condition. And yet if on this ground you think you have a claim on Phormio’s property, because he once belonged to your father, Antimachus has a stronger claim than you have. For your father in his turn belonged to those men, so that both you and Phormio by this argument belong to Antimachus. But you are so lost to all proper feeling, that you yourself compel people to say things which you ought to hate anyone for saying.
[47] καὶ ὑβρίζεις μὲν σαυτὸν καὶ τοὺς γονέας τεθνεῶτας, προπηλακίζεις δὲ τὴν πόλιν, καὶ ἃ τῆς τουτωνὶ φιλανθρωπίας ἀπολαύσας ηὕρεθ᾽ ὁ σὸς πατὴρ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα Φορμίων οὑτοσί, ταῦτ᾽ ἀντὶ τοῦ κοσμεῖν καὶ περιστέλλειν, ἵνα καὶ τοῖς δοῦσιν ὡς εὐσχημονέστατ᾽ ἐφαίνετο καὶ τοῖς λαβοῦσιν ὑμῖν, ἄγεις εἰς μέσον, δεικνύεις, ἐλέγχεις, μόνον οὐκ ὀνειδίζεις οἷον ὄντα σ᾽ ἐποιήσαντ᾽ Ἀθηναῖον.
[47] You disgrace yourself and your dead parents, and you cast reproach upon the state, and instead of adorning and cherishing this good fortune which your father, and afterward Phormio have come to enjoy through the kindness of these men, so that it might have appeared as the highest of honors for those who gave it and for you who obtained it, you drag it into public view, you point the finger of scorn at it, you criticize it; you all but taunt the Athenians for admitting to citizenship a person like yourself.
[48] εἶτ᾽ εἰς τοῦθ᾽ ἥκεις μανίας （τί γὰρ ἂν ἄλλο τις εἴποι;） ὥστ᾽ οὐκ αἰσθάνει ὅτι καὶ νῦν ἡμεῖς μὲν ἀξιοῦντες, ἐπειδήπερ ἀπηλλάγη Φορμίων, μηδὲν ὑπόλογον εἶναι εἴ ποτε τοῦ σοῦ πατρὸς ἐγένετο, ὑπὲρ σοῦ λέγομεν, σὺ δὲ μηδέποτ᾽ ἐξ ἴσου σοι γενέσθαι τοῦτον ἀξιῶν κατὰ σαυτοῦ λέγεις: ἃ γὰρ ἂν σὺ δίκαια σαυτῷ κατὰ τούτου τάξῃς, ταὐτὰ ταῦθ᾽ ἥξει κατὰ σοῦ παρὰ τῶν τὸν σὸν πατέρ᾽ ἐξ ἀρχῆς κτησαμένων. ἀλλὰ μὴν ὅτι κἀκεῖνος ἦν τινῶν, εἶτ᾽ ἀπηλλάγη τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ὅνπερ οὗτος ἀφ᾽ ὑμῶν, λαβέ μοι ταυτασὶ τὰς μαρτυρίας, ὡς ἐγένετο Πασίων Ἀρχεστράτου.”Μαρτυρίαι”
[48] Indeed you have come to such a pitch of insanity — what other name can one find for it? — as not to see that at this moment we, who claim that, since Phormio has received his freedom, it should not be remembered against him that he once belonged to your father, are speaking in your interest; while you, in insisting that he should never be on a footing of equality with yourself, are speaking against yourself; for the same rule, which you lay down as just for yourself against Phormio, will be advanced against you by those who at the first were the masters of your father.
To prove that Pasio also was somebody’s slave, and that he afterwards won his freedom in the same manner in which Phormio won his from you, take, please, these depositions, which show that Pasio belonged to Archestratus.” Depositions”
[49] εἶτα τὸν σῴσαντα μὲν ἐξ ἀρχῆς τὰ πράγματα καὶ πολλὰ χρήσιμον αὑτὸν παρασχόντα τῷ πατρὶ τῷ τούτου, τοσαῦτα δ᾽ αὐτὸν τοῦτον ἀγάθ᾽ εἰργασμένον, ὅσ᾽ ὑμεῖς ἀκηκόατε, τοῦτον οἴεται δεῖν ἑλὼν τηλικαύτην δίκην ἀδίκως ἐκβαλεῖν. οὐ γὰρ ἄλλο γ᾽ ἔχοις οὐδὲν ἂν ποιῆσαι. εἰς μὲν γὰρ τὰ ὄντ᾽ εἰ βλέπεις ἀκριβῶς, ταῦθ᾽ εὑρήσεις ὧν ἔστιν, ἐάν, ὃ μὴ γένοιτο, ἐξαπατηθῶσιν οὗτοι.
[49] The man, then, who at the first saved the family fortune, and rendered himself useful in many ways to this man’s father, the man who has conferred upon Apollodorus himself all the benefits of which you have heard, he it is against whom the plaintiff seeks a judgement with such heavy damages, and thinks proper to cast out in ruin contrary to all right. For that, Apollodorus, is all that you could possibly accomplish. For, if you look closely at the property, you will see to whom it belongs, in case — which heaven forbid! — these jurymen are misled by you.
[50] ὁρᾷ τὸν Ἀριστόλοκον τὸν Καπιδήμου: ποτ᾽ εἶχεν ἀργόν, εἶτά γε νῦν πολλοῖς γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ὀφείλων αὐτὸν ἐκτήσατο. καὶ τὸν Σωσίνομον καὶ τὸν Τιμόδημον καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους τραπεζίτας, οἵ, ἐπειδὴ διαλύειν ἐδέησεν οἷς ὤφειλον, ἐξέστησαν ἅπαντες τῶν ὄντων. σὺ δ᾽ οὐδὲν οἴει δεῖν σκοπεῖν οὐδ᾽ ὧν ὁ πατὴρ σοῦ πολλῷ βελτίων ὢν καὶ ἄμεινον φρονῶν πρὸς ἅπαντ᾽ ἐβουλεύσατο:
[50] Do you see Aristolochus, son of Charidemus? Once he possessed some land; now many people own it; for he acquired it while he was in debt to many. And
Sosinomus and Timodemus and the other bankers, who, when they had to settle with their creditors, had to give up all their property. But you think it unnecessary to have regard even for the precautions which your father, a far better man than you and a wiser, took to meet all contingencies.
[51] ὅς, ὦ Ζεῦ καὶ θεοί, τοσούτῳ τοῦτον ἡγεῖτο σοῦ πλείονος ἄξιον εἶναι καὶ σοὶ καὶ ἑαυτῷ καὶ τοῖς ὑμετέροις πράγμασιν ὥστ᾽ ἀνδρὸς ὄντος σοῦ τοῦτον, οὐ σὲ τῶν ἡμίσεων κατέλιπεν ἐπίτροπον καὶ τὴν γυναῖκ᾽ ἔδωκεν καὶ ζῶν αὐτὸν ἐτίμα, δικαίως, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι: οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλοι τραπεζῖται μίσθωσιν οὐ φέροντες, ἀλλ᾽ αὐτοὶ ἑαυτοῖς ἐργαζόμενοι, πάντες ἀπώλοντο, οὗτος δὲ μίσθωσιν φέρων δύο τάλαντα καὶ τετταράκοντα μνᾶς ὑμῖν ἔσῳσε τὴν τράπεζαν.
[51] He — O Zeus and the gods — esteemed Phormio to be so much more valuable than you both to yourself and to him and to your business, that, although you were a man grown, it was to Phormio, not to you, that he left the control of the leases, and gave him his wife in marriage and honored him as long as he lived. And justly too, men of Athens. For other bankers, who had no rent to pay, but carried on their business on their own account, have all come to ruin; while Phormio, who paid a rent of two talents and forty minae, saved the bank for you.
[52] ὧν ἐκεῖνος μὲν χάριν εἶχεν, σὺ δ᾽ οὐδένα ποιεῖ λόγον, ἀλλ᾽ ἐναντία τῇ διαθήκῃ καὶ ταῖς ἀπ᾽ ἐκείνης ἀραῖς, γραφείσαις ὑπὸ τοῦ σοῦ πατρός, ἐλαύνεις συκοφαντεῖς διώκεις. ὦ βέλτιστ᾽, εἰ οἷόν τε σὲ τοῦτ᾽ εἰπεῖν, οὐ παύσει, καὶ γνώσει τοῦθ᾽, ὅτι πολλῶν χρημάτων τὸ χρηστὸν εἶναι λυσιτελέστερόν ἐστιν; σοὶ γοῦν, εἴπερ ἀληθῆ λέγεις, χρήματα μὲν τοσαῦτ᾽ εἰληφότι πάντ᾽ ἀπόλωλεν, ὡς φής: εἰ δ᾽ ἦσθ᾽ ἐπιεικής, οὐκ ἄν ποτ᾽ αὔτ᾽ ἀνήλωσας.
[52] For this Pasio was grateful to him, but you make no account of it. Nay, in defiance of the will and the imprecations written in it by your father, you harass him, you prosecute him, you calumniate him. My good sir — you can be addressed by this term — will you not desist, and know this — that to be honest profits more than great wealth? In your own case, at any rate, although, if your words are true, you received all this money, it has all been lost, as you say. But, if you had been a man of character, you would not have squandered it.
[53] ἀλλ᾽ ἔγωγε μὰ τὸν Δία καὶ θεοὺς πανταχῇ σκοπῶν οὐδὲν ὁρῶ, δι᾽ ὅ τι ἂν σοὶ πεισθέντες τουδὶ καταψηφίσαιντο. τί γάρ; ὅτι πλησίον ὄντων τῶν ἀδικημάτων ἐγκαλεῖς; ἀλλ᾽ ἔτεσι καὶ χρόνοις ὕστερον αἰτιᾷ. ἀλλ᾽ ὅτι τοῦτον ἀπράγμων ἦσθα τὸν χρόνον; καὶ τίς οὐκ οἶδεν ὅσα πράγματα πράττων οὐ πέπαυσαι, οὐ μόνον δίκας ἰδίας διώκων οὐκ ἐλάττους ταυτησί, ἀλλὰ δημοσίᾳ συκοφαντῶν καὶ κρίνων τίνας οὔ; οὐχὶ Τιμομάχου κατηγόρεις; οὐχὶ Καλλίππου τοῦ νῦν ὄντος ἐν Σικελίᾳ; οὐ πάλιν Μένωνος; οὐκ Αὐτοκλέους; οὐ Τιμοθέου; οὐκ ἄλλων πολλῶν;
[53] For my own part, by Zeus and the gods, though I look at the matter from every side, I can see no reason why the jury should be induced by you to give a verdict against the defendant. Why should they? Because you make your charges so soon after the offence? But you make them years and ages later. Ah, but you avoided the trouble of lawsuits all this time? But who does not know of all the cases in which you have been engaged without ceasing, not only prosecuting private suits of no less importance than the present one, but maliciously trumping up public charges, and bringing men to trial? Did you not accuse Timomachus? Did you not accuse Callippus, who is now in Sicily? Or, again, Meno? or Autocles? or Timotheus? or hosts of others?
[54] καίτοι πῶς ἔχει λόγον σέ, Ἀπολλόδωρον ὄντα, πρότερον τῶν κοινῶν, ὧν μέρος ἠδικοῦ, δίκην ἀξιοῦν λαμβάνειν, ἢ τῶν ἰδίων ὧν νῦν ἐγκαλεῖς, ἄλλως τε καὶ τηλικούτων ὄντων, ὡς σὺ φής; τί ποτ᾽ οὖν ἐκείνων κατηγορῶν τόνδ᾽ εἴας; οὐκ ἠδικοῦ, ἀλλ᾽ οἶμαι συκοφαντεῖς νῦν. ἡγοῦμαι τοίνυν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, πάντων μάλιστ᾽ εἰς τὸ πρᾶγμ᾽ εἶναι τούτων μάρτυρας παρασχέσθαι: τὸν γὰρ συκοφαντοῦντ᾽ ἀεὶ τί χρὴ νομίζειν νῦν ποιεῖν;
[54] But is it reasonable to believe that you, who are Apollodorus, would deem it your duty to seek satisfaction for public wrongs, which touched you only in part, sooner than for the private wrongs, concerning which you now bring charges, especially when they were as grave as you now claim? Why, then, did you accuse those men, and leave Phormio alone? You were suffering no wrong, but methinks the charges which you are now bringing are baseless and malicious.
[55] καὶ νὴ Δί᾽ ἔγωγ᾽, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, νομίζω πάνθ᾽ ὅσα τοῦ τρόπου τοῦ Φορμίωνός ἐστι σημεῖα καὶ τῆς τούτου δικαιοσύνης καὶ φιλανθρωπίας, καὶ ταῦτ᾽ εἰς τὸ πρᾶγμ᾽ εἶναι πρὸς ὑμᾶς εἰπεῖν. ὁ μὲν γὰρ περὶ πάντ᾽ ἄδικος τάχ᾽ ἄν, εἰ τύχοι, καὶ τοῦτον ἠδίκει: ὁ δὲ μηδένα μηδὲν ἠδικηκώς, πολλοὺς δ᾽ εὖ πεποιηκὼς ἑκών, ἐκ τίνος εἰκότως ἂν τρόπου τοῦτον μόνον ἠδίκει τῶν πάντων; τούτων τοίνυν τῶν μαρτυριῶν ἀκούσαντες γνώσεσθε τὸν ἑκατέρου τρόπον.”Μαρτυρίαι”
[55] I think, then, men of Athens, that nothing could be more to the purpose than to bring forward witnesses to these facts. For if one is continually making baseless charges, what can one expect him to do now? In truth, men of Athens, I think that whatever serves as an index of Phormio’s character, and of his uprightness and his generosity, I may rightly bring before you as something quite to the purpose. For one who is dishonest in all matters might perhaps have wronged the plaintiff among others; but a man who has never wronged anybody in anything, but, on the contrary, has voluntarily done good to many, how could he reasonably be thought to have wronged Apollodorus alone of all men?
When you have heard these depositions, you will know the character of either.” Depositions”
[56] ἴθι δὴ καὶ τὰς κατ᾽ Ἀπολλοδώρου τῆς πονηρίας.”Μαρτυρίαι”
ἆρ᾽ οὖν ὅμοιος οὑτοσί; σκοπεῖτε. λέγε.”Μαρτυρίαι”
ἀνάγνωθι δὴ καὶ ὅσα δημοσίᾳ χρήσιμος τῇ πόλει γέγονεν οὑτοσί.”Μαρτυρίαι”
[56] Now read those which bear upon the baseness of Apollodorus.” Depositions”
Is this fellow of like stamp? Consider. Read on.” Depositions”
Now read all the services which Phormio has rendered to the state.” Depositions”
[57] τοσαῦτα τοίνυν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, Φορμίων χρήσιμος γεγονὼς καὶ τῇ πόλει καὶ πολλοῖς ὑμῶν, καὶ οὐδέν᾽ οὔτ᾽ ἰδίᾳ οὔτε δημοσίᾳ κ
ακὸν οὐδὲν εἰργασμένος, οὐδ᾽ ἀδικῶν Ἀπολλόδωρον τουτονί, δεῖται καὶ ἱκετεύει καὶ ἀξιοῖ σωθῆναι, καὶ ἡμεῖς συνδεόμεθ᾽ οἱ ἐπιτήδειοι ταῦθ᾽ ὑμῶν. ἐκεῖνο δ᾽ ὑμᾶς ἀκοῦσαι δεῖ. τοσαῦτα γάρ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, χρήμαθ᾽ ὑμῖν ἀνεγνώσθη προσηυπορηκώς, ὅσ᾽ οὔθ᾽ οὗτος οὔτ᾽ ἄλλος οὐδεὶς κέκτηται. πίστις μέντοι Φορμίωνι παρὰ τοῖς εἰδόσι καὶ τοσούτων καὶ πολλῷ πλειόνων χρημάτων, δι᾽ ἧς καὶ αὐτὸς αὑτῷ καὶ ὑμῖν χρήσιμός ἐστιν.