by Demosthenes
[35] Since, then, she was treated with wanton outrage by Phrynion, and was not loved as she expected to be, and since her wishes were not granted by him, she packed up his household goods and all the clothing and jewelry with which he had adorned her person, and, taking with her two maid-servants, Thratta and Coccalinêe, ran off to Megara. This was the period when Asteius was archon at Athens, at the time you were waging your second war against the Lacedaemonians.
[36] διατρίψασα δ᾽ ἐν τοῖς Μεγάροις δύ᾽ ἔτη, τόν τ᾽ ἐπ᾽ Ἀστείου ἄρχοντος καὶ Ἀλκισθένους ἐνιαυτόν, ὡς αὐτῇ ἡ ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος ἐργασία οὐχ ἱκανὴν εὐπορίαν παρεῖχεν ὥστε διοικεῖν τὴν οἰκίαν, （πολυτελὴς δ᾽ ἦν, οἱ Μεγαρεῖς δ᾽ ἀνελεύθεροι καὶ μικρολόγοι, ξένων δὲ οὐ πάνυ ἐπιδημία ἦν αὐτόθι διὰ τὸ πόλεμον εἶναι καὶ τοὺς μὲν Μεγαρέας λακωνίζειν, τῆς δὲ θαλάττης ὑμᾶς ἄρχειν: εἰς δὲ τὴν Κόρινθον οὐκ ἐξῆν αὐτῇ ἐπανελθεῖν διὰ τὸ ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἀπηλλάχθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ Εὐκράτους καὶ τοῦ Τιμανορίδου, ὥστ᾽ ἐν Κορίνθῳ μὴ ἐργάζεσθαι）,
[36] She remained at Megara two years, that of the archonship of Asteius and that of Alcisthenes; but the trade of prostitution did not bring in enough money to maintain her establishment — she was lavish in her tastes, and the Megarians were niggardly and illiberal, and there were but few foreigners there on account of the war and because the Megarians favored the Lacedaemonian side, while you were in control of the sea; it was, however, not open to her to return to Corinth, because she had got her freedom from Eucrates and Timanoridas on the condition that she would not ply her trade in Corinth; —
[37] ὡς οὖν γίγνεται ἡ εἰρήνη ἡ ἐπὶ Φρασικλείδου ἄρχοντος καὶ ἡ μάχη ἡ ἐν Λεύκτροις Θηβαίων καὶ Λακεδαιμονίων, τότε ἐπιδημήσαντα Στέφανον τουτονὶ εἰς τὰ Μέγαρα καὶ καταγόμενον ὡς αὐτὴν ἑταίραν οὖσαν καὶ πλησιάσαντα αὐτῇ, διηγησαμένη πάντα τὰ πεπραγμένα καὶ τὴν ὕβριν τοῦ Φρυνίωνος, καὶ ἐπιδοῦσα ἃ ἐξῆλθεν ἔχουσα παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ, ἐπιθυμοῦσα μὲν τῆς ἐνθάδε οἰκήσεως, φοβουμένη δὲ τὸν Φρυνίωνα διὰ τὸ ἠδικηκέναι μὲν αὐτή, ἐκεῖνον δὲ ὀργίλως ἔχειν αὐτῇ, σοβαρὸν δὲ καὶ ὀλίγωρον εἰδυῖα αὐτοῦ τὸν τρόπον ὄντα, προΐσταται Στέφανον τουτονὶ αὑτῆς.
[37] so, when peace was made in the archonship of Phrasicleides, and the battle was fought at Leuctra between the Thebans and the Lacedaemonians, this man Stephanus, having at the time come to Megara and having put up at Neaera’s house, as at the house of a courtesan, and having had intercourse with her, she told him all that had taken place and her brutal treatment by Phrynion. She gave him besides all that she had brought away from Phrynion’s house, and as she was eager to live at Athens, but was afraid of Phrynion because she had wronged him and he was bitter against her, and she knew he was a man of violent and reckless temper, she took Stephanus here for her patron.
[38] ἐπάρας δὲ αὐτὴν οὗτος ἐν τοῖς Μεγάροις τῷ λόγῳ καὶ φυσήσας, ὡς κλαύσοιτο ὁ Φρυνίων εἰ ἅψοιτο αὐτῆς, αὐτὸς δὲ γυναῖκα αὐτὴν ἕξων, τούς τε παῖδας τοὺς ὄντας αὐτῇ τότε εἰσάξων εἰς τοὺς φράτερας ὡς αὑτοῦ ὄντας καὶ πολίτας ποιήσων, ἀδικήσει δὲ οὐδεὶς ἀνθρώπων, ἀφικνεῖται αὐτὴν ἔχων δεῦρο ἐκ τῶν Μεγάρων, καὶ παιδία μετ᾽ αὐτῆς τρία, Πρόξενον καὶ Ἀρίστωνα καὶ θυγατέρα, ἣν νυνὶ Φανὼ καλοῦσιν:
[38] He on his part encouraged her there in Megara with confident words, boastfully asserting that if Phrynion should lay hands on her he would have cause to rue it, whereas he himself would keep her as his wife and would introduce the sons whom she then had to his clansmen as being his own, and would make them citizens; and he promised that no one in the world should harm her. So he brought her with him from Megara to Athens, and with her her three children, Proxenus and Ariston and a daughter whom they now call Phano.
[39] καὶ εἰσάγει αὐτὴν καὶ τὰ παιδία εἰς τὸ οἰκίδιον ὃ ἦν αὐτῷ παρὰ τὸν ψιθυριστὴν Ἑρμῆν, μεταξὺ τῆς Δωροθέου τοῦ Ἐλευσινίου οἰκίας καὶ τῆς Κλεινομάχου, ἣν νυνὶ Σπίνθαρος παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἐώνηται ἑπτὰ μνῶν. ὥστε ἡ μὲν ὑπάρχουσα Στεφάνῳ οὐσία αὕτη ἦν καὶ ἄλλο οὐδέν: δυοῖν δ᾽ ἕνεκα ἦλθεν ἔχων αὐτήν, ὡς ἐξ ἀτελείας τε ἕξων καλὴν ἑταίραν, καὶ τὰ ἐπιτήδεια ταύτην ἐργασομένην καὶ θρέψουσαν τὴν οἰκίαν: οὐ γὰρ ἦν αὐτῷ ἄλλη πρόσοδος, ὅ τι μὴ συκοφαντήσας τι λάβοι.
[39] He established her and her children in the cottage which he had near the Whispering Hermes between the house of Dorotheus the Eleusinian and that of Cleinomachus — the cottage which Spintharus has now bought from him for seven minae; so the property which Stephanus owned was just this and nothing besides. There were two reasons why he brought her here: first, because he would have a beautiful mistress without cost, and secondly, because her earnings would procure supplies and maintain the house; for he had no other income save what he might get by pettifoggery.
[40] πυθόμενος δὲ ὁ Φρυνίων ἐπιδημοῦσαν αὐτὴν καὶ οὖσαν παρὰ τούτῳ, παραλαβὼν νεανίσκους μεθ᾽ ἑαυτοῦ καὶ ἐλθὼν ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκίαν τὴν τοῦ Στεφάνου ἦγεν αὐτήν. ἀφαιρουμένου δὲ τοῦ Στεφάνου κατὰ τὸν νόμον εἰς ἐλευθερίαν, κατηγγύησεν αὐτὴν πρὸς τῷ πολεμάρχῳ. καὶ ὡς ἀληθῆ λέγω, τούτων αὐτὸν μάρτυρα ὑμῖν τὸν τότε πολέμαρχον παρέξομαι. καί μοι κάλει Αἰήτην Κειριάδην.”Μαρτυρία
Αἰήτης Κειριάδης μαρτυρεῖ πολεμαρχοῦντος αὑτοῦ κατεγγυηθῆναι Νέαιραν τὴν νυνὶ ἀγωνιζομένην ὑπὸ Φρυνίωνος τοῦ Δημοχάρους ἀδελφοῦ, καὶ ἐγγυητὰς γενέσθαι Νεαίρας Στέφανον Ἐροιάδην, Γλαυκέτην Κηφισιέα, Ἀριστοκράτην Φαληρέα.”
[40] Phrynion, however, learned that the woman was in Athens, and was living with Stephanus, and taking some young men with him he came to the house of Stephanus and attempted to carry her off. When Stephanus took her away from him, as the law allowed, declaring her to be a free woman, Phrynion required her to post bonds with the polemarch.
To prove that this statement is true, I will bring before you as a witness to these facts the man himself who was polemarch at the time.
Please call Aeetes of Ceiriadae.”Deposition
Aeetes of Ceiriadae deposes that while he was polemarch, Neaera, the present defendant, was required by Phrynion, the brother of Demochares, to post bonds, and that the sureties of Neaera were Stephanus of Eroeadae, Glaucetes of Cephisia, and Aristocrates of Phalerum.”
[41] διεγγυηθεῖσα δ᾽ ὑπὸ Στεφάνου καὶ οὖσα παρὰ τούτῳ τὴν μὲν αὐτὴν ἐργασίαν οὐδὲν ἧτ
τον ἢ πρότερον ἠργάζετο, τοὺς δὲ μισθοὺς μείζους ἐπράττετο τοὺς βουλομένους αὐτῇ πλησιάζειν, ὡς ἐπὶ προσχήματος ἤδη τινὸς οὖσα καὶ ἀνδρὶ συνοικοῦσα. συνεσυκοφάντει δὲ καὶ οὗτος, εἴ τινα ξένον ἀγνῶτα πλούσιον λάβοι ἐραστὴν αὐτῆς, ὡς μοιχὸν ἐπ᾽ αὐτῇ ἔνδον ἀποκλείων καὶ ἀργύριον πραττόμενος πολύ, εἰκότως:
[41] Now that Stephanus had become surety for her, and seeing that she was living at his house, she continued to carry on the same trade no less than before, but she charged higher fees from those who sought her favors as being now a respectable woman living with her husband. Stephanus, on his part, joined with her in extorting blackmail. If he found as a lover of Neaera any young alien rich and without experience, he would lock him up as caught in adultery with her, and would extort a large sum of money from him.
[42] οὐσία μὲν γὰρ οὐχ ὑπῆρχεν Στεφάνῳ οὐδὲ Νεαίρᾳ, ὥστε τὰ καθ᾽ ἡμέραν ἀναλώματα δύνασθαι ὑποφέρειν, ἡ δὲ διοίκησις συχνή, ὁπότ᾽ ἔδει τοῦτόν τε καὶ αὑτὴν τρέφειν καὶ παιδάρια τρία, ἃ ἦλθεν ἔχουσα ὡς αὐτόν, καὶ θεραπαίνας δύο καὶ οἰκέτην διάκονον, ἄλλως τε καὶ μεμαθηκυῖα μὴ κακῶς ἔχειν τὰ ἐπιτήδεια ἑτέρων ἀναλισκόντων αὐτῇ τὸ πρότερον.
[42] And this course was natural enough; for neither Stephanus nor Neaera had any property to supply funds for their daily expenditures, and the expenses of their establishment were large; for they had to support both him and her and three children whom she had brought with her, and two female servants and a male house-servant; and besides Neaera had become accustomed to live comfortably, since heretofore others had provided the cost of her maintenance.
[43] οὔτε γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς πολιτείας προσῄει Στεφάνῳ τουτῳὶ ἄξιον λόγου: οὐ γάρ πω ἦν ῥήτωρ, ἀλλ᾽ ἔτι συκοφάντης τῶν παραβοώντων παρὰ τὸ βῆμα καὶ γραφομένων μισθοῦ καὶ φαινόντων καὶ ἐπιγραφομένων ταῖς ἀλλοτρίαις γνώμαις, ἕως ὑπέπεσε Καλλιστράτῳ τῷ Ἀφιδναίῳ: ἐξ ὅτου δὲ τρόπου καὶ δι᾽ ἣν αἰτίαν, ἐγὼ ὑμῖν καὶ περὶ τούτου διέξειμι, ἐπειδὰν περὶ ταυτησὶ Νεαίρας ἐπιδείξω ὡς ἔστι ξένη καὶ ὡς μεγάλα ὑμᾶς ἠδίκηκεν καὶ ὡς ἠσέβηκεν εἰς τοὺς θεούς,
[43] This fellow Stephanus was getting nothing worth mentioning from public business, for he was not yet a public speaker, but thus far merely a pettifogger, one of those who stand beside the platform and shout, who prefer indictments and informations for hire, and who let their names be inscribed on motions made by others, up to the day when he became an underling of Callistratus of Aphidna. How this came about and for what cause I will tell you in detail regarding this matter also, when I shall have proved regarding this woman Neaera that she is an alien and is guilty of grievous wrongs against you and of impiety towards the gods;
[44] ἵν᾽ εἰδῆτε ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸς οὗτος ἄξιός ἐστιν οὐκ ἐλάττω δοῦναι δίκην ἢ καὶ Νέαιρα αὑτηί, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῷ μείζω καὶ μᾶλλον, ὅσῳ Ἀθηναῖος φάσκων εἶναι οὕτω πολὺ τῶν νόμων καταπεφρόνηκεν καὶ ὑμῶν καὶ τῶν θεῶν, ὥστ᾽ οὐδ᾽ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἡμαρτημένων αὑτῷ αἰσχυνόμενος τολμᾷ ἡσυχίαν ἄγειν, ἀλλὰ συκοφαντῶν ἄλλους τε καὶ ἐμέ, τουτονὶ πεποίηκεν αὐτὸν καὶ ταύτην εἰς τηλικοῦ- τον ἀγῶνα καταστῆσαι, ὥστ᾽ ἐξετασθῆναι μὲν ταύτην ἥτις ἐστίν, ἐξελεγχθῆναι δὲ τὴν αὐτοῦ πονηρίαν.
[44] for I would have you know that Stephanus himself deserves to pay no less heavy a penalty than Neaera here, but even one far heavier, and that he is far more guilty, seeing that, while professing to be an Athenian, he treats you and your laws and the gods with such utter contempt that he cannot bring himself to keep quiet even for shame at the wrongs he has himself committed, but by bringing baseless charges against me and against others he has caused my colleague to bring against him and against this woman a charge so grievous that it necessitates inquiry being made into her origin, and his own profligacy being brought to light.
[45] λαχόντος τοίνυν αὐτῷ τοῦ Φρυνίωνος δίκην, ὅτι αὐτοῦ ἀφείλετο Νέαιραν ταυτηνὶ εἰς ἐλευθερίαν, καὶ ὅτι, ἃ ἐξῆλθεν ἔχουσα παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ αὕτη, ὑπεδέξατο, συνῆγον αὐτοὺς οἱ ἐπιτήδειοι καὶ ἔπεισαν δίαιταν ἐπιτρέψαι αὑτοῖς. καὶ ὑπὲρ μὲν τοῦ Φρυνίωνος διαιτητὴς ἐκαθέζετο Σάτυρος Ἀλωπεκῆθεν ὁ Λακεδαιμονίου ἀδελφός, ὑπὲρ δὲ Στεφάνου τουτουὶ Σαυρίας Λαμπτρεύς: κοινὸν δὲ αὑτοῖς προσαιροῦνται Διογείτονα Ἀχαρνέα.
[45] So, then, Phrynion brought suit against Stephanus for having taken this woman Neaera from him and asserted her freedom, and for having received the goods which Neaera had brought with her from Phrynion’s house. Their friends, however, brought them together and induced them to submit their quarrel to arbitration. On behalf of Phrynion, Satyrus of Alopecê, the brother of Lacedaemonius, sat as arbitrator, and on behalf of Stephanus here, Saurias of Lamptrae; and they added to their number by common consent Diogeiton of Acharnae.
[46] συνελθόντες δ᾽ οὗτοι ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ, ἀκούσαντες ἀμφοτέρων καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀνθρώπου τὰ πεπραγμένα, γνώμην ἀπεφήναντο, καὶ οὗτοι ἐνέμειναν αὐτῇ, τὴν μὲν ἄνθρωπον ἐλευθέραν εἶναι καὶ αὐτὴν αὑτῆς κυρίαν, ἃ δ᾽ ἐξῆλθεν ἔχουσα Νέαιρα παρὰ Φρυνίωνος χωρὶς ἱματίων καὶ χρυσίων καὶ θεραπαινῶν, ἃ αὐτῇ τῇ ἀνθρώπῳ ἠγοράσθη, ἀποδοῦναι Φρυνίωνι πάντα: συνεῖναι δ᾽ ἑκατέρῳ ἡμέραν παρ᾽ ἡμέραν: ἐὰν δὲ καὶ ἄλλως πως ἀλλήλους πείθωσι, ταῦτα κύρια εἶναι: τὰ δ᾽ ἐπιτήδεια τῇ ἀνθρώπῳ τὸν ἔχοντα ἀεὶ παρέχειν, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ λοιποῦ χρόνου φίλους εἶναι ἀλλήλοις καὶ μὴ μνησικακεῖν.
[46] These men came together in the temple, and after hearing the facts from both parties and from the woman herself gave their decision, and these men acceded to it. The terms were: that the woman should be free and her own mistress, but that she should give back to Phrynion all that she had taken with her from his house except the clothing and the jewels and the maid-servants; for these had been bought for the use of the woman herself; and that she should live with each of the men on alternate days, and if they should mutually agree upon any other arrangement, that arrangement should be binding; that she should be maintained by the one who for the time had her in his keeping; and that for the future the men should be friends with one another and bear no malice.
[47] ἡ μὲν οὖν γνωσθεῖσα διαλλαγὴ ὑπὸ τῶν διαιτητῶν Φρυνίωνι καὶ Στεφάνῳ περὶ Νεαίρας ταυτησὶ αὕτη ἐστίν. ὅτι δ᾽ ἀληθῆ λέγω ταῦτα, τούτων ὑμῖν τὴν μαρτυρ�
�αν ἀναγνώσεται. κάλει μοι Σάτυρον Ἀλωπεκῆθεν, Σαυρίαν Λαμπτρέα, Διογείτονα Ἀχαρνέα.”Μαρτυρία
Σάτυρος Ἀλωπεκῆθεν, Σαυρίας Λαμπτρεύς, Διογείτων Ἀχαρνεὺς μαρτυροῦσι διαλλάξαι διαιτηταὶ γενόμενοι περὶ Νεαίρας τῆς νυνὶ ἀγωνιζομένης Στέφανον καὶ Φρυνίωνα: τὰς δὲ διαλλαγὰς εἶναι, καθ᾽ ἃς διήλλαξαν, οἵας παρέχεται Ἀπολλόδωρος.”“Διαλλαγαί
κατὰ τάδε διήλλαξαν Φρυνίωνα καὶ Στέφανον, χρῆσθαι ἑκάτερον Νεαίρᾳ τὰς ἴσας ἡμέρας τοῦ μηνὸς παρ᾽ ἑαυτοῖς ἔχοντας, ἂν μή τι ἄλλο αὐτοὶ αὑτοῖς συγχωρήσωσιν.”