by Demosthenes
[26] Enough of that. Yet Phaenippus, men of the jury, opened the rooms that had been sealed and carried off much that was within, as the witnesses have testified to you, leaving behind just what he pleased; and one month after the law prescribes gave me the declaration regarding his property. Nevertheless, enough of that.
Read from the words, “Upon this property I owe the following debts.”“ Declaration”
[27] ἐπίσχες. αὕτη ἐστίν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ἡ Ἀριστονόη τοῦ Φιλοστράτου θυγάτηρ, μήτηρ δὲ τουτουί. ταύτῃ χρέως φησὶν ὀφείλεσθαι Φαίνιππος τὴν προῖκα, ἧς οἱ νόμοι κύριον τοῦτον ποιοῦσιν, ψευδόμενος καὶ οὐ δικαίως χρώμενος τῇ ἀποφάσει. διὰ τί γὰρ ἐγώ, Φαίνιππε, μενούσης μοι τῆς μητρὸς ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ καὶ ζώσης καὶ προῖκα ἐπενεγκαμένης, οὐκ ἀπογράφω τὴν προῖκα χρέως αὐτῇ, οὐδὲ παρακρούομαι τοὺς δικαστάς, ἀλλ᾽ ἐῶ μετέχειν τῶν ἐμαυτοῦ τὴν μητέρα, ἄν τε τὴν Φαινίππου ἄν τε τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ ἔχω οὐσίαν; ὅτι οἱ νόμοι ταῦτα κελεύουσιν, ὦ βέλτιστε: σὺ δὲ πάντα ποιεῖς παρὰ τοὺς νόμους. λέγ᾽ ἕτερον.”Ἀπόφασις”
[27] Stop reading. This Aristonoê, men of the jury, is the daughter of Philostratus and mother of Phaenippus. He declares that a debt is owing to her for her marriage portion, but of this the laws make him the owner. His statement is therefore false, and he does not make a just declaration. For why is it that I, Phaenippus, while my mother — who brought with her a marriage portion — is living and dwelling in my house, do not declare the marriage portion as a debt due to her, and thus try to lead the jurymen astray, but permit her to share in all that I have, alike whether it shall prove to be the estate of Phaenippus or my own? Because the laws so command, my good Sir. But all that you do is contrary to the laws. Read on.” Declaration”
[28] ἀκούετε, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί: Παμφίλῳ φησὶν καὶ Φειδόλεῳ Ῥαμνουσίοις κοινῇ τάλαντον ἐνοφείλειν καὶ Αἰαντίδῃ Φλυεῖ τετρακισχιλίας καὶ Ἀριστομένει Ἀναγυρασίῳ τέτταρας καὶ δέκα μνᾶς. διὰ τί οὖν, Φαίνιππε, ὅτε μὲν ἐγὼ μάρτυρας ἔχων ἠρώτων σε, εἴ τι ὀφείλεις ἐπὶ τῇ ἐσχατιᾷ, καὶ ἐκέλευον δεῖξαι ὅρον εἴ που ἔπεστι, καὶ διεμαρτυρόμην ὅπως μή μοι ὕστερον κατεσκευασμένοι δανεισταὶ φανήσονται, τότε μὲν οὐδὲν ἀπέφηνας τῶν χρεῶν, ἐπειδὴ δὲ δευτέρῳ μηνὶ τὴν ἀπόφασιν ἔδωκάς μοι, τοῦ νόμου κελεύοντος τριῶν ἡμερῶν, νῦν ἥκουσι δανεισταὶ καὶ ὀφειλήματα πλέον ἢ τριῶν ταλάντων;
[28] You hear, men of the jury. He declares that he owes upon the land to Pamphilus and Pheidoleus of Rhamnus jointly a talent, and to Aeantides of Phlyus four thousand drachmae, and to Aristomenes of Anagyrus fourteen minae. Why, then, Phaenippus, when I asked you in the presence of witnesses whether you owed anything on your farm, and bade you show me the pillar of mortgage, if one were set up anywhere upon it, and and adjured you not to have any fictitious creditors to be brought to light later on to my prejudice — why, pray, did you not reveal any of these debts then? And why, when you have been a month late in giving me your declaration, though the law bids that it be given within three days, have creditors and debts for more than three talents now come on the scene?
[29] ὅτι, ὦ βέλτιστε, οὐδὲν ἄλλο κατασκευάζεις ἢ ὅσονπερ κοινῇ γέγονέ μοι πρὸς τὴν πόλιν ὄφλημα, τοσοῦτο καὶ σοὶ ἰδίᾳ νῦν εἶναι. ὅτι δ᾽, ὦ Φαίνιππε, ψεύδει καὶ ἐπιωρκηκὼς ἥκεις πρὸς τούτους, ἤδη φανερῶς ἐλέγξω. λαβέ μοι, γραμματεῦ, τὴν τοῦ Αἰαντίδου καὶ Θεοτέλους μαρτυρίαν, οἷς οὗτος ἀπογέγραφεν ὀφείλονθ᾽ αὑτὸν τετρακισχιλίας δραχμὰς ψευδόμενος καὶ πάλαι ἀποδεδωκώς, οὐχ ἑκών, ἀλλὰ δίκην ὀφλών. λέγε.”Μαρτυρία”
[29] Because, my good Sir, it is merely this that you are contriving, that you may now have private debts equal in amount to the public debt which I have incurred to the state. But that your statement is false, Phaenippus, and that you have come before these gentlemen as a perjured man, I shall straightway prove beyond all question.
Please, clerk, take the deposition of Aeantides and Theoteles to whom this fellow has declared that he owes four thousand drachmae. His declaration is false, and he long ago paid the debt, not willingly, but after a judgement had been secured against him. Read.” Deposition”
[30] ἔπειτ᾽, ἄνδρες δικασταί, τὸν οὕτω καταφανῶς ἐν ἅπασιν ἀδίκως πεποιημένον τὴν ἀπόφασιν, καὶ μήτε τῶν νόμων φροντίσαντα μηδέν, οἳ διωρίκασιν ἐν οἷς δεῖ τὴν ἀπόφασιν ποιεῖσθαι χρόνοις, μήτε τῶν ἰδίων ὁμολογιῶν, ἃς ὁμοίως ὑπολαμβάνομεν ἰσχυράς, χωρὶς δὲ τούτων ἀνεῳχότα τὰ σημεῖα τῶν οἰκημάτων καὶ ἐκπεφορηκότα τὸν σῖτον καὶ τὸν οἶνον ἔνδοθεν, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις τὴν ὕλην τὴν τετμημένην πεπρακότα μετὰ τὴν ἀντίδοσιν, πλέον ἢ τριάκοντα μνῶν οὖσαν ἀξίαν, καὶ τὸ πάντων μέγιστον, χρέα ψευδῆ κατεσκευακότα τῆς ἀντιδόσεως ἕνεκα, τοῦτον δικαίως ψηφιεῖσθε πεποιῆσθαι τὴν ἀπόφασιν; μηδαμῶς, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί.
[30] Well, then, men of the jury, when a man has made out a declaration that is so manifestly false in all points and has shown no regard for the laws which define the time within which the declaration must be made out, or to the private agreements which we hold to be equally binding; when besides this he has opened the seals of the buildings and carried off the grain and wine from within, and furthermore has after the offer to exchange sold the cut timber to the value of more than thirty minae; and when （worst of all） he has concocted false debts for the purpose of the exchange — will you decide by your votes that this man has made a just declaration? Surely not, men of the jury.
[31] ποῖ γὰρ τραπέσθαι δεήσει διαμαρτόντα τῆς ὑμετέρας γνώμης, ὅταν οἱ πλούσιοι καὶ μηδὲν ὑμῖν πώποτε χρήσιμοι γεγενημένοι, πολὺν καὶ σῖτον καὶ οἶνον ποιοῦντες καὶ τοῦτον τριπλασίας τιμῆς ἢ πρότερον διατιθέμενοι, πλεονεκτῶσιν παρ᾽ ὑμῖν; ὃ μηδαμῶς νυνὶ γενέσθω, ἀλλ᾽ ὥσπερ καὶ κοινῇ πᾶσιν βεβοηθήκατε τοῖς ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις ἐργαζομένοις, οὕτω καὶ ἰδίᾳ βοηθήσατέ μοι νῦν.
[31] For where is one to turn if he fails of a verdict from you, when men of wealth who have never been of any service to you, who produce large quantities of grain and wine and dispose of this at three times its former price, have an advantage in your courts? Let not this happen now, I beg of you; but, as you have given public aid to all those engaged in mining, so now give aid to me as a private citizen.
[32] καὶ γὰρ εἰ οἰκέτης ὑμῶν, μὴ πολίτης ἦν, ὁρῶντες ἄν μου τὴν φιλεργίαν
καὶ τὴν εἰς ὑμᾶς εὔνοιαν, ἀνεπαύσατ᾽ ἄν με τῶν ἀναλωμάτων καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν δραπετεύοντα τῶν ἄλλων ἤλθετε. τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ νῦν, ἐπειδὰν ἀποτείσω τὰ τρία τάλανθ᾽ ἃ ὦφλον καὶ ἀναλάβω ἐμαυτόν, πάλιν ἀναπαύσαντες τῶν τεταλαιπωρηκότων ἕτερον ἐπ᾽ ἔμ᾽ ἥξετε: νῦν δ᾽ ἄφετε, ἱκετεύω πάντας ὑμᾶς, ἄνδρες δικασταί, καὶ τὰ δίκαι᾽ εἰρηκὼς δέομαι βοηθῆσαί μοι καὶ μή με περιελαθέντα περιιδεῖν ὑπὸ τούτων.
[32] For, if I had been your slave and not a citizen, seeing my industry and my goodwill toward you, you would have given me respite from my expenditures and would have turned to one of the rest who was running away from his duty. In the same manner, when I shall have paid the three talents for which I became liable to you, and shall have recovered my losses, you will relieve some other person among those in distress and turn to me. But for the present discharge me, men of the jury, I beg of you all; and since I have spoken only what is just, I implore you to come to my aid, and not to suffer me to be harried by these men.
πρὸς Μακάρτατον περὶ Ἁγνίου Κλήρου — AGAINST MACARTATUS
[1] ἐπειδὴ καὶ πρότερον ἀγῶνες ἐγένοντο ἡμῖν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, πρὸς τοὺς αὐτοὺς τούτους περὶ τοῦ κλήρου τοῦ Ἁγνίου, καὶ οὐδὲν παύονται παρανομοῦντες καὶ βιαζόμενοι ὥστε ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου τὰ μὴ προσήκονθ᾽ ἑαυτοῖς ἔχειν, ἀνάγκη ἴσως ἐστὶν τὰ πραχθέντα ἐξ ἀρχῆς διηγήσασθαι:
[1] Since we have had suits before now, men of the jury, against these same men regarding the estate of Hagnias, and they do not cease from their lawless and violent conduct, endeavoring by hook or crook to keep what does not belong to them, it is perhaps necessary to set forth all that has been done from the beginning; for you, men of the jury, will thus more easily follow the course of the whole argument,
[2] ὑμεῖς τε γάρ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ῥᾷον παρακολουθήσετε ἅπασι τοῖς λεγομένοις, καὶ οὗτοι ἐπιδειχθήσονται οἷοί εἰσιν ἄνθρωποι, καὶ ὅτι πάλαι ἤδη ἀρξάμενοι οὐδὲν παύονται κακοτεχνοῦντες καὶ οἰόμενοι δεῖν διαπράττεσθαι ὅ τι ἂν ἐπέλθῃ τούτοις. δεόμεθα οὖν ὑμῶν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, εὐνοϊκῶς ἀκροάσασθαι τῶν λεγομένων καὶ παρακολουθεῖν προσέχοντας τὸν νοῦν. πειράσομαι δὲ κἀγὼ διδάσκειν ὡς ἂν οἷός τε ὦ σαφέστατα περὶ τῶν πεπραγμένων.
[2] and these men will be exhibited in their true character, and you will see that they began long ago and still continue to play their tricks, and to think that they may do whatever occurs to them. We therefore beg of you, men of the jury, to listen to our arguments with goodwill, and to follow with close attention. And I, on my part, will endeavor to give you the clearest information I can concerning the facts.
[3] τουτουὶ γὰρ τοῦ παιδὸς ἡ μήτηρ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, γένει οὖσα ἐγγυτάτω Ἁγνίᾳ τῷ ἐξ Οἴου, ἐπεδικάσατο τοῦ κλήρου τοῦ Ἁγνίου κατὰ τοὺς νόμους τοὺς ὑμετέρους: καὶ τῶν τότε ἀμφισβητησάντων αὐτῇ τοῦ κλήρου τουτουί, γένει μὲν ὡς ἐγγυτέρω τις εἴη αὐτῶν τῆς γυναικός, οὐδ᾽ ἐπεχείρησεν οὐδεὶς ἀντομόσαι （ὡμολογεῖτο γὰρ παρὰ πάντων τῆς γυναικὸς εἶναι ἡ κληρονομία κατὰ τὴν ἀγχιστείαν）,
[3] The mother of this boy, men of the jury, being the nearest of kin to Hagnias of Oeon, had the estate of Hagnias adjudged to her according to your laws; and of those who then made counter-claims to this estate not one ventured to swear that he was nearer of kin than the lady （for it was admitted by all that the inheritance belonged to her by virtue of nearest kinship）,
[4] διαθήκας δὲ ψευδεῖς ἧκον κατασκευάσαντες Γλαῦκός τε ὁ ἐξ Οἴου καὶ Γλαύκων ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ. καὶ Θεόπομπος ὁ τουτουὶ πατὴρ Μακαρτάτου ἐκείνοις συγκατεσκεύαζεν ἅπαντα ταῦτα καὶ ἐμαρτύρει τὰς πλείστας μαρτυρίας. αἱ δὲ διαθῆκαι, ἃς τότε παρέσχοντο, ἐξηλέγχθησαν ψευδεῖς οὖσαι: καὶ οὐ μόνον ἡττήθησαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πονηρότατοι δόξαντες εἶναι ἀπηλλάττοντο ἀπὸ τοῦ δικαστηρίου.
[4] but Glaucus of Oeon and Glaucon his brother presented themselves, having concocted a spurious will, and Theopompus, the father of Macartatus here, joined with them in getting up this whole scheme, and was their witness in most of the depositions that were put in. The will which they then produced was proved to be spurious, and they not only lost their case, but went out of court completely disgraced.
[5] καὶ ἐπιδημῶν τότε Θεόπομπος ὁ τουτουὶ πατὴρ Μακαρτάτου, καὶ τοῦ κήρυκος κηρύττοντος, εἴ τις ἀμφισβητεῖν ἢ παρακαταβάλλειν βούλεται τοῦ κλήρου τοῦ Ἁγνίου ἢ κατὰ γένος ἢ κατὰ διαθήκας, οὐκ ἐτόλμησεν παρακαταβαλεῖν, ἀλλ᾽ αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ ἐδίκασεν ὅτι οὐδαμόθεν αὐτῷ προσῆκεν οὐδὲν τοῦ κλήρου τοῦ Ἁγνίου.
[5] And Theopompus, the father of Macartatus here, although he was in town when the herald asked by proclamation whether anyone wished to lay claim to the estate of Hagnias by virtue of kinship or under a will, or to deposit security for the costs of such claim, yet did not venture to make a deposit, but by his own act gave judgement against himself that he had no conceivable claim on the estate of Hagnias.
[6] ἐχούσης δὲ τῆς μητρὸς τοῦ παιδὸς τουτουὶ τὸν κλῆρον, ἐπειδὴ ἐνίκησεν ἐν τῷ δικαστηρίῳ ἅπαντας τοὺς ἀμφισβητήσαντας ἑαυτῇ, οὕτως εἰσὶν μιαροὶ οὗτοι, καὶ οὐκ οἴονται δεῖν οὔτε τοῖς νόμοις τοῖς ὑμετέροις πείθεσθαι οὔτε τοῖς γνωσθεῖσιν ἐν τῷ δικαστηρίῳ, ἀλλὰ πάντα τρόπον ἐπιχειροῦντες ἀφελέσθαι πάλιν τὴν γυναῖκα τὸν κλῆρον ὃν ὑμεῖς αὐτῇ ἐψηφίσασθε,
[6] But, although the mother of this boy here became possessed of the inheritance, since she had prevailed in the suit over all those who disputed her claim, these men are abominable, as you see, and imagine that they need obey neither your laws nor the decisions of your courts, but they are trying by fair means or foul once more to take away from the lady the inheritance which you awarded to her.
[7] συνομόσαντες καὶ συνθήκας γράψαντες πρὸς ἀλλήλους καὶ καταθέμενοι παρὰ Μηδείῳ Ἁγνουσίῳ, Θεόπομπος ὁ τουτουὶ πατὴρ Μακαρτάτου καὶ Γλαύκων καὶ Γλαῦκος ὁ ἡττηθεὶς τὸ πρότερον, καὶ ἕτερόν τινα τῶν ἐπιτηδείων τέταρτον προσλαβόντες （Εὐπόλεμος ἦν αὐτῷ ὄνομα）, οὗτοι ἅπαντες κοινῇ ἐπιβουλεύσαντες προσεκαλέσαντο τὴν γυναῖκα πρὸς τὸν ἄρχοντα εἰς διαδικα�
�ίαν τοῦ κλήρου τοῦ Ἁγνίου, φάσκοντες τὸν νόμον κελεύειν παρὰ τοῦ ἐπιδεδικασμένου καὶ ἔχοντος τὸν κλῆρον προσκαλεῖσθαι, ἐάν τις βούληται ἀμφισβητεῖν.
[7] A conspiracy was formed, and a written agreement entered into, and deposited with Medeius of Hagnus, by Theopompus, the father of Macartatus here, and by Glaucon and the Glaucus who was worsted in the former suit; and they added to themselves as a fourth another of their friends （Eupolemus was his name）. All these men, having in common formed their plot, cited the lady before the archon for the adjudication of claims to the estate of Hagnias, declaring that the law prescribed that if anyone wished to enter a claim, citation should be made of the one to whom the estate had been adjudged and who had it in his possession.
[8] καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἦγεν ὁ ἄρχων εἰς τὸ δικαστήριον καὶ ἔδει ἀγωνίζεσθαι, τά τε ἄλλα ἦν αὐτοῖς ἅπαντα κατεσκευασμένα εἰς τὸν ἀγῶνα, καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ, πρὸς ὃ ἔδει ἀγωνίζεσθαι, τετραπλάσιον ἡμῶν ἔλαβον. ἐξ ἀνάγκης γὰρ ἦν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, τῷ ἄρχοντι ἀμφορέα ἑκάστῳ ἐγχέαι τῶν ἀμφισβητούντων, καὶ τρεῖς χοᾶς τῷ ὑστέρῳ λόγῳ.