Against Olympiodorus

​I wish to present testimonies to you also concerning all the other things I have spoken of, and first of all, that from the beginning this man and I, having decided by ourselves, divided equally between us the visible property which Comon left. Please take this testimony first, and then read all the others. TESTIMONY ​Take also, please, the challenge which I served on him concerning the money which he received from the tortured man. CHALLENGE And read also the other testimony, that when our opponents had been adjudged the estate, they took all that we held, except the money which Olympiodorus held from the tortured man. TESTIMONY ​In what manner, gentlemen of the jury, Olympiodorus and I from the beginning divided Comon’s visible property, you have heard both by word of mouth and it has been testified to you; and also that this man received the money from the slave, and that those who were adjudged the estate took all that we held, until this man won again in the court.

​But as to what excuses he makes for not paying me back and for being unwilling to do any of the just things, pay attention to these now, gentlemen of the jury, so that the speakers whom this man has prepared against me may not deceive you presently. This man never says the same things, but always whatever happens to come into his head, and going about he brings forward strange pretexts and suspicions and false accusations, and is an unjust man regarding the whole matter.

​And very many people have heard him saying, to some, that he did not receive the money from the man at all; but when this is refuted, he says again that he has the money from the same man, and that he will not share with me either the money or any of the other things which Comon left.

​And whenever any of his intimate friends or mine asks him why he will not pay it back, when he has sworn to share equally and the agreement is still now deposited, he says that I have violated the agreement, and that he has been treated outrageously by me, and he says that I have continually spoken and acted in opposition to him. These are the pretexts he makes.

​Now, gentlemen of the jury, the things this man says are fabricated suspicions, unjust pretexts, and villainies to deprive me of what he ought to pay back to me. But what I shall say to you, to prove that he is lying, will be no matter of suspicion, but I shall clearly demonstrate his impudence, speaking of true facts known to all, and producing witnesses for everything.

​In the first place, gentlemen of the jury, I say that it was for this reason that he was unwilling to refer the matter to his own relatives and friends and mine, who knew all these transactions accurately and had followed them from the beginning; for he knew accurately that he would be refuted by them on the spot if he lied in any way; but now he thinks, perhaps, that by lying he will escape your notice.

​Again I say that it is not consistent that I should act in opposition to you, Olympiodorus, and yet spend money in common with you for whatever was always necessary, nor that I should voluntarily abandon the claim when you were abroad, after your claim had been struck out because you were judged to be absent on account of the lawsuit and not on public service. For it was open to me to have half the estate adjudged to myself; for no man opposed me, but the opponents themselves agreed to it.

​But if I had done this, I should at once have been guilty of perjury; for I swore and agreed with you to do everything in common, whatever should seem best to you and me as we consulted. Therefore, the pretexts and accusations on account of which you say you will do none of the just things toward me are utterly foolish.