by Demosthenes
[80] ὁ δὲ τουτουὶ πατὴρ Μακαρτάτου καὶ ὁ πάππος οὐ κεκοινωνήκασιν τούτου, ἀλλ᾽ αὑτοῖς ἰδίᾳ ἐποιήσαντο μνῆμα ἄπωθεν τοῦ Βουσελιδῶν μνήματος. δοκοῦσιν ὑμῖν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, προσήκειν τι τῷ οἴκῳ τῷ Ἁγνίου, πλὴν τοῦ ἔχειν ἁρπάσαντες τὰ μὴ προσήκοντα; εἰ δ᾽ ἐξερημωθήσεται ἢ ἀνώνυμος ἔσται ὁ οἶκος ὁ Ἁγνίου καὶ ὁ Εὐβουλίδου τοῦ ἀνεψιοῦ τοῦ Ἁγνίου, οὐδὲ κατὰ τοὐλάχιστον πώποτ᾽ αὐτοῖς ἐμέλησεν.
[80] But the father of the defendant Macartatus and the grandfather have no share in it, but they made for themselves a tomb apart, at a distance from that of the Buselidae. Do they appear to you, men of the jury, to belong in any sense to the house of Hagnias, except that they have seized and hold what does not belong to them? Whether the house of Hagnias and of Eubulides, the cousin of Hagnias, is to become extinct and have no name, has never in the least degree been an object of concern to them.
[81] ἐγὼ δ᾽, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, βοηθῶ μὲν ὡς οἷός τ᾽ εἰμὶ μάλιστα τοῖς τετελευτηκόσιν ἐκείνοις: οὐ πάνυ δ᾽ ἐστὶ ῥᾴδιον ταῖς τούτων παρασκευαῖς ἀνταγωνίζεσθαι. παραδίδωμι οὖν ὑμῖν τὸν παῖδα τουτονί, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ἐπιμεληθῆναι, ὅπως ὑμῖν δοκεῖ δικαιότατον εἶναι. οὗτος εἰσπεποίηται εἰς τὸν οἶκον τὸν Εὐβουλίδου, καὶ εἰσῆκται εἰς τοὺς φράτερας, οὐκ εἰς τοὺς ἐμούς, ἀλλ᾽ εἰς τοὺς Εὐβουλίδου καὶ Ἁγνίου καὶ Μακαρτάτου τουτουί.
[81] I for my part, men of the jury, am defending to the full extent of my power the interest of those dead relatives, but it is not an easy task to contend against the intrigues of these men. I therefore deliver over to you this boy to be the object of your care in whatever way you may deem most just. He has been adopted into the house of Eubulides, and has been introduced to the clansmen, not mine, but those of Eubulides and Hagnias and the defendant, Macartatus.
[82] καὶ ὅτε εἰσήγετο, οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι φράτερες κρύβδην ἔφερον τὴν ψῆφον, οὑτοσὶ δὲ Μακάρτατος φανερᾷ τῇ ψήφῳ ἐψηφίσατο ὀρθῶς εἰσάγεσθαι Εὐβουλίδῃ υἱὸν τὸν παῖδα τουτονί, οὐκ ἐθελήσας ἅψασθαι τοῦ ἱερείου οὐδὲ ἀπαγαγεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ βωμοῦ ὑπεύθυνον αὑτὸν ποιήσας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν μερίδα τῶν κρεῶν ᾤχετο λαβὼν παρὰ τοῦ παιδὸς τουτουί, ὥσπερ καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι φράτερες.
[82] And when he was being introduced, the rest of the clansmen cast their votes secretly, but the defendant Macartatus by an open vote declared that this boy was being rightly introduced as a son to Eubulides; for he did not wish to lay his hand upon the victim or to remove it from the altar, and thus make himself responsible; nay, he even received his portion of the flesh from the hand of this boy, and took it away with him, as did the rest of the clansmen.
[83] νομίζετε δὴ τὸν παῖδα τοῦτον, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ἱκετηρίαν ὑμῖν προκεῖσθαι ὑπὲρ τῶν τετελευτηκότων Ἁγνίου καὶ Εὐβουλίδου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἁγνίου, καὶ ἱκετεύειν αὐτοὺς ὑμᾶς τοὺς δικαστάς, ὅπως μὴ ἐξερημωθήσεται αὐτῶν ὁ οἶκος ὑπὸ τῶν μιαρῶν τούτων θηρίων, οἵ εἰσιν ἐκ τοῦ Στρατίου οἴκου, ἐν δὲ τῷ Ἁγνίου οὐδεπώποτ᾽ ἐγένοντο: μηδ᾽ ἐπιτρέψητε τούτοις ἔχειν τὰ μὴ προσήκοντα, ἀλλ᾽ ἀποδοῦναι ἀναγκάσατε εἰς τὸν Ἁγνίου οἶκον τοῖς προσήκουσιν τοῖς Ἁγνίου.
[83] Consider, men of the jury, that this boy is set before you as though he were the suppliant’s wand, on behalf of the deceased Hagnias and Eubulides and the other descendants of Hagnias, and that they supplicate you jurymen not to allow their house to be brought to extinction by these loathsome monsters, who are of the house of Stratius, and never belonged to that of Hagnias. Do not suffer them to keep what is not their own, but compel them to give it back into the house of Hagnias for those who are his relatives.
[84] ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν ἐκείνοις τε βοηθῶ τοῖς τετελευτηκόσιν καὶ τοῖς νόμοις τοῖς περὶ τούτων κειμένοις, δέομαι δὲ καὶ ὑμῶν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, καὶ ἱκετεύω καὶ ἀντιβολῶ, μὴ περιίδητε μήτε τὸν παῖδα τουτονὶ ὑβρισθέντα ὑπὸ τούτων, μήτε τοὺς προγόνους τοὺς τούτου ἔτι μᾶλλον καταφρονουμένους ἢ νῦν καταπεφρόνηνται, ἐὰν διαπράξωνται οὗτοι ἃ βούλονται: ἀλλὰ τοῖς τε νόμοις βοηθεῖτε καὶ τῶν τετελευτηκότων ἐπιμελεῖσθε, ὅπως μὴ ἐξερημωθῇ αὐτῶν ὁ οἶκος. καὶ ταῦτα ποιοῦντες τά τε δίκαια ψηφιεῖσθε καὶ τὰ εὔορκα καὶ τὰ ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς συμφέροντα.
[84] I verily am defending the interests of those relatives who are dead, and the laws established to protect them, and I beg of you also, men of the jury, I beseech you, I implore you, do not shut your eyes to the outrage done to this boy by the defendants, nor suffer his ancestors to be treated with even greater indignity than before, as will be the case, if these men accomplish what they desire. No; rally to the defence of the laws, and take thought for the dead, that their house be not brought to extinction. By doing this you will render a verdict which is just and consonant with your oaths, and in the interest of your own selves.
πρὸς Λεωκάρη περὶ τοῦ Ἀρχιάδου Κλήρου — AGAINST LEOCHARES
[1] αἴτιος μέν ἐστι Λεωχάρης οὑτοσί, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, τοῦ καὶ αὐτὸς κρίνεσθαι καὶ ἐμὲ νεώτερον ὄντα λέγειν ἐν ὑμῖν, ἀξιῶν κληρονομεῖν ὧν οὐ προσῆκεν αὐτῷ, καὶ ὑπὲρ τούτων ψευδῆ διαμαρτυρίαν πρὸς τῷ ἄρχοντι ποιησάμενος.
[1] It is the fault of Leochares, the defendant, men of the jury, that he is himself being brought to trial, and that I, despite my youth, am addressing you, for he claims the right to inherit what does not belong to him, and has made a false affidavit of objections before the archon in support of his claim.
[2] ἡμῖν μὲν γὰρ ἀναγκαῖον ἦν, τοῦ νόμου τὰς ἀγχιστείας τοῖς ἐγγυτάτω γένους ἀποδιδόντος, οὖσιν οἰκείοις Ἀρχιάδου τοῦ ἐξ ἀρχῆς καταλιπόντος τὸν κλῆρον, μήτε τὸν οἶκον ἐξερημωθέντα τὸν ἐκείνου περιιδεῖν μήτε τῆς οὐσίας ἑτέρους κληρονομήσαντας, οἷς οὐδ᾽ ὁτιοῦν προσήκει: οὑτοσὶ δὲ οὔτε γόνῳ τοῦ τετελευτηκότος υἱὸς ὢν οὔτ᾽ εἰσποιηθεὶς κατὰ τοὺς νόμους, ὡς ἐγὼ δείξω, διαμεμαρτύρηκεν οὕτως τὰ ψευδῆ προπετῶς, ἀφαιρούμενος ἡμῶν τὴν κληρονομίαν.
[2] It was incumbent upon us — since the law grants the right of succession to those nearest of kin, and we are relatives of Archiades, who originally left the estate �
�� not to suffer his house to become extinct, and others, who had no right whatever to it, to inherit his property; while the defendant, who was neither a son by blood of the deceased nor a son adopted according to your laws, as I shall show, has thus recklessly made a false affidavit, and is seeking to rob me of the inheritance.
[3] δέομαι δ᾽ ὑμῶν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, βοηθῆσαι τῷ τε πατρὶ τούτῳ καὶ ἐμοί, ἐὰν λέγωμεν τὰ δίκαια, καὶ μὴ περιιδεῖν πένητας ἀνθρώπους καὶ ἀσθενεῖς καταστασιασθέντας ὑπὸ παρατάξεως ἀδίκου. ἡμεῖς μὲν γὰρ ταῖς ἀληθείαις πιστεύοντες εἰσεληλύθαμεν, καὶ ἀγαπῶντες, ἄν τις ἡμᾶς ἐᾷ τῶν νόμων τυγχάνειν: οὗτοι δὲ τῇ παρασκευῇ καὶ τοῖς ἀναλώμασιν ἰσχυριζόμενοι διατετελέκασιν, εἰκότως οἶμαι: ἐκ γὰρ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ῥᾳδίως ἀναλίσκουσιν, ὥστε καὶ τοὺς συνεροῦντας ὑπὲρ αὑτῶν καὶ τοὺς μαρτυρήσοντας τὰ ψευδῆ πολλοὺς πεπορίσθαι.
[3] I beg you, men of the jury, to come to the aid of my father and myself, if our pleading shall seem just, and not suffer men who are poor and without influence to be crushed by the lawless men marshalled against us. For we have come before you relying upon the truth, well content if we are permitted to obtain our legal rights; while our adversaries have from the first never ceased to rely upon intrigue and the spending of money, and very naturally in my opinion; for they readily make expenditures from funds which belong to others, and so have provided themselves with a host of people who will speak in their behalf and give false testimony.
[4] ὁ δὲ πατὴρ οὗτος （εἰρήσεται γάρ） ἅμα τῆς πενίας ἧς ὑμεῖς ἅπαντες ἴστε, καὶ τοῦ ἰδιώτης εἶναι φανερὰς ἔχων τὰς μαρτυρίας ἀγωνίζεται: διατελεῖ γὰρ ἐν Πειραιεῖ κηρύττων: τοῦτο δ᾽ ἐστὶν οὐ μόνον ἀπορίας ἀνθρωπίνης τεκμήριον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀσχολίας τῆς ἐπὶ τὸ πραγματεύεσθαι: ἀνάγκη γὰρ ἡμερεύειν ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ τὸν τοιοῦτον. ἃ δεῖ λογιζομένους ἐνθυμεῖσθαι ὅτι, εἰ μὴ τῷ δικαίῳ ἐπιστεύομεν, οὐκ ἄν ποτ᾽ εἰσήλθομεν εἰς ὑμᾶς.
[4] My father here （ for the truth shall be told you） comes into court with manifest signs that he is, as you are all aware, a poor man, and that he knows nothing of pleading in court; for he has long been a public crier in Peiraeus, and this is not only a sign of the poverty which is common to man, but also of the fact that he has no time to meddle with the law; for a man so employed has to spend the whole day in the market-place. If you bear this in mind, you will be forced to conclude that, if we did not rely upon the justice of our cause, we should never have come before you at all.
[5] περὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν τοιούτων καὶ προϊόντος τοῦ λόγου σαφέστερον ἀκούσεσθε: ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς δὲ τῆς διαμαρτυρίας καὶ τοῦ ἀγῶνος ἤδη νομίζω δεῖν διδάσκειν. εἰ μὲν οὖν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ἐκ τῆς διαμαρτυρίας αὐτῆς Λεωχάρης ἔμελλεν ἀπολογούμενος δείξειν ὡς ἔστιν υἱὸς γνήσιος Ἀρχιάδου, οὐδὲν ἂν ἔδει πολλῶν λόγων, οὐδ᾽ ἄνωθεν ὑμᾶς ἐξετάζειν τὸ γένος τὸ ἡμέτερον:
[5] With reference to matters of this nature you will gain clearer information in the course of my address, but I think I must now inform you about the affidavit and the case at issue. If, men of the jury, Leochares, basing his defence upon the affidavit itself, were going to prove that he is the lawfully born son of Archiades, there would be no need of many words, nor any need that I should trace our family line back to its origin;
[6] ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὰ μὲν διαμεμαρτυρημένα ἕτερον τρόπον ἔχει, ὁ δὲ πολὺς τοῦ λόγου τουτοισὶ ἔσται ὡς εἰσεποιήθησαν, καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἀγχιστείαν γνήσιοι ὄντες δικαίως ἂν τῆς οὐσίας κληρονομοῖεν, ἀναγκαῖον, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, διὰ ταῦτα μικρῷ ἄνωθεν τὰ περὶ τοῦ γένους ὑμῖν διεξελθεῖν: ἐὰν γὰρ τοῦτο σαφῶς μάθητε, οὐ μὴ παρακρουσθῆτε ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν τῷ λόγῳ.
[6] but since the matters sworn to in the affidavit are of a different nature, and most of the arguments of our adversaries will be devoted to proving that they were adopted and should properly inherit the estate by right of descent as lawful children, it is necessary for this reason, men of the jury, to go back a little way and instruct you regarding the pedigree; for when you understand this matter clearly, there will be no danger of your being misled by their arguments.
[7] ἔστιν γὰρ ὁ μὲν ἀγὼν οὑτοσὶ κλήρου διαδικασία, ἀμφισβητεῖται δὲ παρὰ μὲν ἡμῶν κατὰ γένος ἡ ἀγχιστεία, παρὰ δὲ τούτων κατὰ ποίησιν: ὁμολογοῦμεν δ᾽ ἐναντίον ὑμῶν δεῖν τὰς ποιήσεις κυρίας εἶναι, ὅσαι ἂν κατὰ τοὺς νόμους δικαίως γένωνται. ὥστε ταύτας τὰς ὑποθέσεις μεμνημένοι, ἂν δείξωσιν ὑμῖν διδόντας τοὺς νόμους αὑτοῖς ἃ διαμεμαρτυρήκασιν, ψηφίσασθε αὐτοῖς τὸν κλῆρον.
[7] Very well then, the case before you is one to settle the title to an inheritance. Our claim to the estate is based upon descent, theirs upon adoption. We admit here in your presence that all adoptions, if rightly made in accordance with the laws, ought to be valid. Bear in mind, therefore, the bases upon which our respective claims rest, and if they prove to you that the laws grant what they have sworn in their affidavit, adjudge the estate to them.
[8] καὶ ἐὰν ἐκ μὲν τῶν νόμων μὴ ὑπάρχῃ, δίκαια δὲ καὶ φιλάνθρωπα φαίνωνται λέγοντες, καὶ ὣς συγχωροῦμεν. ἵνα δὲ εἰδῆτε ὅτι κατὰ γένος ἐγγύτατα ὄντες οὐ μόνον τούτῳ ἐνισχυριζόμεθα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν, πρῶτον μὲν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ τοῦ γένους ὑμᾶς διδάξομεν, ὅθεν ἐστὶν ὁ κλῆρος: νομίζω γάρ, ἂν τούτῳ τῷ μέρει τοῦ ἀγῶνος σαφῶς παρακολουθήσητε, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὑμᾶς οὐδενὸς ἀπολειφθήσεσθαι.
[8] And even if they have not the support of the laws, but it seems to you that what they say is in accordance with justice and generosity, even so we withdraw our claim. However, that you may know that, while we are by descent the nearest of kin, we do not rest our case upon this alone, but upon all the other grounds as well, I will first instruct you regarding the family itself from which the inheritance comes; for I am sure that, if you follow with clear understanding this phase of the matter at issue, you will have no difficulty in grasping any of the other facts.
[9] τὸ γὰρ ἐξ ἀρχῆς, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, γίγνονται Εὐθυμάχῳ τῷ Ὀτρυνεῖ υἱεῖς τρεῖς, Μειδυλίδης καὶ Ἄρχιππος καὶ Ἀρχιάδης, καὶ θυγάτηρ ᾗ ὄνομα ἦν Ἀρχιδίκη. τελευτήσαντος δὲ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῖς, τὴν μὲν Ἀρχιδίκην ἐκδιδόασιν Λεωστράτῳ Ἐλευσινίῳ, αὐτῶν δὲ τριῶν ὄντων ὁ μὲν Ἄρχιππος τριηραρ
χῶν ἐτελεύτησεν τὸν βίον ἐν Μηθύμνῃ, ὁ δὲ Μειδυλίδης οὐ πολλῷ χρόνῳ γαμεῖ ὕστερον Μνησιμάχην Λυσίππου τοῦ Κριωέως θυγατέρα.
[9] To go back to the beginning, men of the jury, there were born to Euthymachus, of Otrynê, three sons, Meidylides and Archippus and Archiades, and a daughter whose name was Archidicê. After the death of their father the brothers gave Archidicê in marriage to Leostratus of Eleusis ; of the three brothers Archippus lost his life at Methymna while serving as trierarch, and Meidylides not long afterward married Mnesimache, the daughter of Lysippus of Crioa.
[10] καὶ γίγνεται αὐτῷ θυγάτηρ ὄνομα Κλειτομάχη, ἣν ἐβουλήθη μὲν ἐκεῖνος ἀγάμῳ τῷ ἀδελφῷ ὄντι τῷ ἑαυτοῦ ἐκδοῦναι: ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁ Ἀρχιάδης οὐκ ἔφη προαιρεῖσθαι γαμεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν οὐσίαν ἀνέμητον διὰ ταῦτα συγχωρήσας εἶναι ᾤκει καθ᾽ αὑτὸν ἐν τῇ Σαλαμῖνι, οὕτως ἤδη ὁ Μειδυλίδης ἐκδίδωσι τὴν αὑτοῦ θυγατέρα Ἀριστοτέλει Παλληνεῖ, τῷ πάππῳ τῷ ἐμῷ. καὶ γίγνονται ἐξ αὐτοῦ υἱεῖς τρεῖς, Ἀριστόδημός τε οὑτοσὶ ὁ πατὴρ ὁ ἐμὸς καὶ Ἁβρώνιχος ὁ θεῖος καὶ Μειδυλίδης, ὃς νῦν τετελευτηκὼς τυγχάνει.