Delphi Complete Works of Demosthenes

by Demosthenes

  [107] Is not this a monstrous thing? In the case of those who were neighbors and who had shown themselves of all the Greeks by common consent to have conferred the greatest benefits upon your state, you thus carefully and accurately defined regarding each one the terms on which they should receive the gift of citizenship; are you then thus shamefully and recklessly to let off unpunished a woman who has openly played the harlot throughout the whole of Greece, who treats the city with outrage and the gods with impiety, and who is a citizen neither by birth nor by the gift of the people?

  [108] ποῦ γὰρ αὕτη οὐκ εἴργασται τῷ σώματι, ἢ ποῖ οὐκ ἐλήλυθεν ἐπὶ τῷ καθ᾽ ἡμέραν μισθῷ; οὐκ ἐν Πελοποννήσῳ μὲν πάσῃ, ἐν Θετταλίᾳ δὲ καὶ Μαγνησίᾳ μετὰ Σίμου τοῦ Λαρισαίου καὶ Εὐρυδάμαντος τοῦ Μηδείου, ἐν Χίῳ δὲ καὶ ἐν Ἰωνίᾳ τῇ πλείστῃ μετὰ Σωτάδου τοῦ Κρητὸς ἀκολουθοῦσα, μισθωθεῖσα ὑπὸ τῆς Νικαρέτης, ὅτε ἔτι ἐκείνης ἦν; τὴν δὴ ὑφ᾽ ἑτέροις οὖσαν καὶ ἀκολουθοῦσαν τῷ διδόντι τί οἴεσθε ποιεῖν; ἆρ᾽ οὐχ ὑπηρετεῖν τοῖς χρωμένοις εἰς ἁπάσας ἡδονάς; εἶτα τὴν τοιαύτην καὶ περιφανῶς ἐγνωσμένην ὑπὸ πάντων γῆς περίοδον εἰργασμένην ψηφιεῖσθε ἀστὴν εἶναι;

  [108] Where has this woman not prostituted herself? To what place has she not gone in quest of her daily wage? Has she not been everywhere in the Peloponnesus, in Thessaly and in Magnesia in the company of Simus of Larisa and Eurydamas son of Medeius, in Chios and most of Ionia, following in the train of Sotadas the Cretan, and was she not let out for hire by Nicaretê so long as she belonged to her? What do you suppose a woman does who is subject to men who are not her kinsfolk, and who follows in the train of him who pays her? Does she not serve all the lusts of those who deal with her? Will you, then, declare by your vote that a woman of this stamp, who is known by everybody beyond all question to have plied her trade the whole world over, is an Athenian citizen?

  [109] καὶ τί καλὸν φήσετε πρὸς τοὺς ἐρωτῶντας διαπεπρᾶχθαι, ἢ ποίᾳ αἰσχύνῃ καὶ ἀσεβείᾳ οὐκ ἔνοχοι αὐτοὶ εἶναι; πρὶν μὲν γὰρ γραφῆναι ταύτην καὶ εἰς ἀγῶνα καταστῆναι καὶ πυθέσθαι πάντας ἥτις ἦν καὶ οἷα ἠσέβηκεν, τὰ μὲν ἀδικήματα ταύτης ἦν, ἡ δ᾽ ἀμέλεια τῆς πόλεως: καὶ οἱ μὲν οὐκ ᾔδεσαν ὑμῶν, οἱ δὲ πυθόμενοι τῷ μὲν λόγῳ ἠγανάκτουν, τῷ δ᾽ ἔργῳ οὐκ εἶχον ὅ τι χρήσαιντο αὐτῇ, οὐδενὸς εἰς ἀγῶνα καθιστάντος οὐδὲ διδόντος περὶ αὐτῆς τὴν ψῆφον. ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ ἴστε πάντες καὶ ἔχετε ἐφ᾽ ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς καὶ κύριοί ἐστε κολάσαι, ὑμέτερον ἤδη τὸ ἀσέβημα γίγνεται τὸ πρὸς τοὺς θεούς, ἐὰν μὴ ταύτην κολάσητε.

  [109] What honorable deed will you say that you have done, when people ask you, or with what shame and impiety will you yourselves say that you are not chargeable? For up to the time when this woman was indicted and brought to trial, so that you all learned who she was and what acts of impiety she had committed, the crimes were her own, and the state was merely guilty of neglect; and some of you knew nothing of the matter, and others learning of it expressed their indignation in words but in fact had no means of dealing with her, seeing that nobody brought her to trial or gave an opportunity of casting a vote regarding her. But now that you all know the facts and have got her in your own hands, and have the power to punish her, the sin against the gods becomes your own, if you fail to do so.

  [110] τί δὲ καὶ φήσειεν ἂν ὑμῶν ἕκαστος εἰσιὼν πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκ᾽ ἢ θυγατέρα ἢ μητέρα, ἀποψηφισάμενος ταύτης, ἐπειδὰν ἔρηται ὑμᾶς ‘ποῦ ἦτε;’ καὶ εἴπητε ὅτι ‘ἐδικάζομεν;’ ‘τῷ;’ ἐρήσεται εὐθύς. ‘Νεαίρᾳ’ δῆλον ὅτι φήσετε （οὐ γάρ;） ‘ὅτι ξένη οὖσα ἀστῷ συνοικεῖ παρὰ τὸν νόμον, καὶ ὅτι τὴν θυγατέρα μεμοιχευμένην ἐξέδωκεν Θεογένει τῷ βασιλεύσαντι, καὶ αὕτη ἔθυσε τὰ ἱερὰ τὰ ἄρρητα ὑπὲρ τῆς πόλεως καὶ τῷ Διονύσῳ γυνὴ ἐδόθη’, καὶ τἄλλα διηγούμενοι τὴν κατηγορίαν αὐτῆς, ὡς καὶ μνημονικῶς καὶ ἐπιμελῶς περὶ ἑκάστου κατηγορήθη.

  [110] And when each one of you goes home, what will he find to say to his own wife or his daughter or his mother, if he has acquitted this woman? — when the question is asked you, “Where were you?” and you answer, “We sat as jury.” “Trying whom?” it will at once be asked, “Neaera,” you will say, of course, will you not? “because she, an alien woman, is living as wife with an Athenian contrary to law, and because she gave her daughter, who had lived as a harlot, in marriage to Theogenes, the king, and this daughter performed on the city’s behalf the rites that none may name, and was given as wife to Dionysus.” And you will narrate all the other details of the charge, showing how well and accurately and in a manner not easily forgotten the accusation covered each point.

  [111] αἱ δὲ ἀκούσασαι ἐρήσονται ‘τί οὖν ἐποιήσατε;’ ὑμεῖς δὲ φήσετε ‘ἀπεψηφίσμεθα.’ οὐκοῦν ἤδη αἱ μὲν σωφρονέσταται τῶν γυναικῶν ὀργισθήσονται ὑμῖν, διότι ὁμοίως αὐταῖς ταύτην κατηξιοῦτε μετέχειν τῶν τῆς πόλεως καὶ τῶν ἱερῶν: ὅσαι δ᾽ ἀνόητοι, φανερῶς ἐπιδείκνυτε ποιεῖν ὅ τι ἂν βούλωνται, ὡς ἄδειαν ὑμῶν καὶ τῶν νόμων δεδωκότων: δόξετε γὰρ ὀλιγώρως καὶ ῥᾳθύμως φέροντες ὁμογνώμονες καὶ αὐτοὶ εἶναι τοῖς ταύτης τρόποις.

  [111] And the women, when they have heard, will say, “Well, what did you do?” And you will say, “We acquitted her.” At this point the most virtuous of the women will be angry at you for having deemed it right that this woman should share in like manner with themselves in the public ceremonials and religious rites; and to those who are not women of discretion you point out clearly that they may do as they please, for they have nothing to fear from you or the laws. For if you treat the matter with indifference or toleration, you will yourselves seem to approve of this woman’s conduct.

  [112] ὥστε πολὺ μᾶλλον ἐλυσιτέλει μὴ γενέσθαι τὸν ἀγῶνα τουτονὶ ἢ γενομένου ἀποψηφίσασθαι ὑμᾶς. κομιδῇ γὰρ ἤδη παντελῶς ἐξουσία ἔσται ταῖς πόρναις συνοικεῖν οἷς ἂν βούλωνται, καὶ τοὺς παῖδας φάσκειν οὗ ἂν τύχωσιν εἶναι: καὶ οἱ μὲν νόμοι ἄκυροι ὑμῖν ἔσονται, οἱ δὲ τρόποι τῶν ἑταιρῶν κύριοι ὅ τι ἂν βούλωνται διαπράττεσθαι. ὥστε καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν πολιτίδων σκοπεῖτε, τοῦ μὴ ἀνεκδότους γενέσθαι τὰς τῶν πενήτων θυγατέρας.

  [112] It would be far better, therefore, that this trial should never have taken place than that, when it has taken place, you should vote for acquittal; for in that case prostitutes will indeed have liberty to live with whatever men they choose and to name anyone whatever as the father of their children,
and your laws will become of no effect, and women of the character of the courtesan will be able to bring to pass whatever they please. Take thought, therefore, also for the women who are citizens, that the daughters of poor men may not fail of marriage.

  [113] νῦν μὲν γάρ, κἂν ἀπορηθῇ τις, ἱκανὴν προῖκ᾽ αὐτῇ ὁ νόμος συμβάλλεται, ἂν καὶ ὁπωστιοῦν μετρίαν ἡ φύσις ὄψιν ἀποδῷ: προπηλακισθέντος δὲ τοῦ νόμου ὑφ᾽ ὑμῶν ἀποφυγούσης ταύτης, καὶ ἀκύρου γενομένου, παντελῶς ἤδη ἡ μὲν τῶν πορνῶν ἐργασία ἥξει εἰς τὰς τῶν πολιτῶν θυγατέρας, δι᾽ ἀπορίαν ὅσαι ἂν μὴ δύνωνται ἐκδοθῆναι, τὸ δὲ τῶν ἐλευθέρων γυναικῶν ἀξίωμα εἰς τὰς ἑταίρας, ἂν ἄδειαν λάβωσι τοῦ ἐξεῖναι αὐταῖς παιδοποιεῖσθαι ὡς ἂν βούλωνται καὶ τελετῶν καὶ ἱερῶν καὶ τιμῶν μετέχειν τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει.

  [113] For as things are now, even if a girl be poor, the law provides for her an adequate dowry, if nature has endowed her with even moderate comeliness; but if through the acquittal of this woman you drag the law through the mire and make it of no effect, then the trade of the harlot will absolutely make its way to the daughters of citizens, who through poverty are unable to marry, and the dignity of free-born women will descend to the courtesans, if they be given licence to bear children to whomsoever they please, and still to share in all the rites and ceremonies and honors in the state.

  [114] ὥστε εἷς ἕκαστος ὑμῶν νομιζέτω, ὁ μὲν ὑπὲρ γυναικός, ὁ δ᾽ ὑπὲρ θυγατρός, ὁ δ᾽ ὑπὲρ μητρός, ὁ δ᾽ ὑπὲρ τῆς πόλεως καὶ τῶν νόμων καὶ τῶν ἱερῶν τὴν ψῆφον φέρειν, τοῦ μὴ ἐξ ἴσου φανῆναι ἐκείνας τιμωμένας ταύτῃ τῇ πόρνῃ, μηδὲ τὰς μετὰ πολλῆς καὶ καλῆς σωφροσύνης καὶ ἐπιμελείας τραφείσας ὑπὸ τῶν προσηκόντων καὶ ἐκδοθείσας κατὰ τοὺς νόμους, ταύτας ἐν τῷ ἴσῳ φαίνεσθαι μετεχούσας τῇ μετὰ πολλῶν καὶ ἀσελγῶν τρόπων πολλάκις πολλοῖς ἑκάστης ἡμέρας συγγεγενημένῃ, ὡς ἕκαστος ἐβούλετο.

  [114] I would, then, have each one of you consider that he is casting his vote, one in the interest of his wife, one of his daughter, one of his mother, and one in the interest of the state and the laws and of religion, in order that these women may not be shown to be held in like esteem with the harlot, and that women who have been brought up by their relatives with great care and in the grace of modesty and have been given in marriage according to the laws may not be seen to be sharing on an equal footing with a creature who in many and obscene ways has bestowed her favors many times a day on all comers, as each one happened to desire.

  [115] ἡγεῖσθε δὲ μήτ᾽ ἐμὲ τὸν λέγοντα εἶναι Ἀπολλόδωρον μήτε τοὺς ἀπολογησομένους καὶ συνεροῦντας πολίτας, ἀλλὰ τοὺς νόμους καὶ Νέαιραν ταυτηνὶ περὶ τῶν πεπραγμένων αὐτῇ πρὸς ἀλλήλους δικάζεσθαι. καὶ ὅταν μὲν ἐπὶ τῆς κατηγορίας γένησθε, τῶν νόμων αὐτῶν ἀκούετε, δι᾽ ὧν οἰκεῖται ἡ πόλις καὶ καθ᾽ οὓς ὀμωμόκατε δικάσειν, τί κελεύουσι καὶ τί παραβεβήκασιν: ὅταν δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀπολογίας ἦτε, μνημονεύοντες τὴν τῶν νόμων κατηγορίαν καὶ τὸν ἔλεγχον τὸν τῶν εἰρημένων, τήν τε ὄψιν αὐτῆς ἰδόντες, ἐνθυμεῖσθε τοῦτο μόνον, εἰ Νέαιρα οὖσα ταῦτα διαπέπρακται.

  [115] Forget that I, the speaker, am Apollodorus, and that those who will support and plead for the defendant are citizens of Athens; but consider that the laws and Neaera here are contending in a suit regarding the life which she has led. And when you take up the accusation, listen to the laws themselves, which are the foundation of your civic life, and in accordance with which you have sworn to cast your votes, in order that you may hear what they ordain and in what way the defendants have transgressed them; and when you are concerned with the defense, bear in mind the charges which the laws prefer and the proofs offered by the testimony given; and with a glance at the woman’s appearance, consider this and this only — whether she, being Neaera, has done these things.

  [116] ἄξιον δὲ κἀκεῖνο ἐνθυμηθῆναι, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, ὅτι Ἀρχίαν τὸν ἱεροφάντην γενόμενον, ἐξελεγχθέντα ἐν τῷ δικαστηρίῳ ἀσεβεῖν θύοντα παρὰ τὰ πάτρια τὰς θυσίας, ἐκολάσατε ὑμεῖς, καὶ ἄλλα τε κατηγορήθη αὐτοῦ καὶ ὅτι Σινώπῃ τῇ ἑταίρᾳ Ἁλῴοις ἐπὶ τῆς ἐσχάρας τῆς ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ Ἐλευσῖνι προσαγούσῃ ἱερεῖον θύσειεν, οὐ νομίμου ὄντος ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἱερεῖα θύειν, οὐδ᾽ ἐκείνου οὔσης τῆς θυσίας ἀλλὰ τῆς ἱερείας.

  [116] It is worth your while, men of Athens, to consider this also — that you punished Archias, who had been hierophant, when he was convicted in court of impiety and of offering sacrifice contrary to the rites handed down by our fathers. Among the charges brought against him was, that at the feast of the harvest he sacrificed on the altar in the court at Eleusis a victim brought by the courtesan Sinop, although it was not lawful to offer victims on that day, and the sacrifice was not his to perform, but the priestess’.

  [117] οὔκουν δεινὸν τὸν μὲν καὶ ἐκ γένους ὄντα τοῦ Εὐμολπιδῶν καὶ προγόνων καλῶν κἀγαθῶν καὶ πολίτην τῆς πόλεως, ὅτι ἐδόκει τι παραβῆναι τῶν νομίμων, δοῦναι δίκην （καὶ οὔθ᾽ ἡ τῶν συγγενῶν οὔθ᾽ ἡ τῶν φίλων ἐξαίτησις ὠφέλησεν αὐτόν, οὔθ᾽ αἱ λῃτουργίαι ἃς ἐλῃτούργησε τῇ πόλει αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ πρόγονοι αὐτοῦ, οὔτε τὸ ἱεροφάντην εἶναι, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκολάσατε δόξαντα ἀδικεῖν）: Νέαιραν δὲ ταυτηνὶ εἴς τε τὸν αὐτὸν θεὸν τοῦτον ἠσεβηκυῖαν καὶ τοὺς νόμους, καὶ αὐτὴν καὶ τὴν θυγατέρα αὐτῆς, οὐ τιμωρήσεσθε;

  [117] It is, then, a monstrous thing that a man who was of the race of the Eumolpidae, born of honorable ancestors and a citizen of Athens, should be punished for having transgressed one of your established customs; and the pleadings of his relatives and friends did not save him, nor the public services which he and his ancestors had rendered to the city; no, nor yet his office of hierophant; but you punished him, because he was judged to be guilty; — and this Neaera, who has committed acts of sacrilege against this same god, and has transgressed the laws, shall you not punish her — her and her daughter?

  [118] θαυμάζω δ᾽ ἔγωγε τί ποτε καὶ ἐροῦσι πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐν τῇ ἀπολογίᾳ. πότερον ὡς ἀστή ἐστιν Νέαιρα αὑτηὶ καὶ κατὰ τοὺς νόμους συνοικεῖ αὐτῷ; ἀλλὰ μεμαρτύρηται ἑταίρα οὖσα καὶ δούλη Νικαρέτης γεγενημένη. ἀλλ᾽ οὐ γυναῖκα εἶναι αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ παλλακὴν ἔχειν ἔνδον; ἀλλ᾽ οἱ παῖδες ταύτης ὄντες καὶ εἰσηγμένοι εἰς τοὺς φράτερας
ὑπὸ Στεφάνου καὶ ἡ θυγάτηρ ἀνδρὶ Ἀθηναίῳ ἐκδοθεῖσα περιφανῶς αὐτὴν ἀποφαίνουσι γυναῖκα ἔχοντα.

  [118] I for my part wonder what in the world they will say to you in their defense. Will it be that this woman Neaera is of Athenian birth, and that she lives as his wife with Stephanus in accordance with the laws? But testimony has been offered, showing that she is a courtesan, and has been the slave of Nicaretê. Or will they claim that she is not his wife, but that he keeps her in his house as a concubine? Yet the woman’s sons, by having been introduced to the clansmen by Stephanus, and her daughter, by having been given in marriage to an Athenian husband, prove beyond question that he keeps her as his wife.

  [119] ὡς μὲν τοίνυν οὐκ ἀληθῆ ἐστιν τὰ κατηγορημένα καὶ μεμαρτυρημένα, οὔτ᾽ αὐτὸν Στέφανον οὔτ᾽ ἄλλον ὑπὲρ τούτου οἶμαι ἐπιδείξειν, ὡς ἔστιν ἀστὴ Νέαιρα αὑτηί: ἀκούω δὲ αὐτὸν τοιοῦτόν τι μέλλειν ἀπολογεῖσθαι, ὡς οὐ γυναῖκα ἔχει αὐτὴν ἀλλ᾽ ἑταίραν, καὶ οἱ παῖδες οὐκ εἰσὶν ταύτης ἀλλ᾽ ἐξ ἑτέρας γυναικὸς αὐτῷ ἀστῆς, ἣν φήσει πρότερον γῆμαι συγγενῆ αὑτοῦ.