§1περὶ πολλοῦ ποιούμενος, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, μήτε πρὸς Ἄφοβόν μοι συμβῆναι τὴν γενομένην διαφορὰν μήτε τὴν νῦν οὖσαν πρὸς Ὀνήτορα τουτονί, κηδεστὴν ὄντʼ αὐτοῦ, πολλὰ καὶ δίκαια προκαλεσάμενος ἀμφοτέρους, οὐδενὸς ἐδυνήθην τυχεῖν τῶν μετρίων, ἀλλʼ ηὕρηκα πολὺ τοῦτον ἐκείνου δυσκολώτερον καὶ μᾶλλον ἄξιον ὄντα δοῦναι δίκην.
Men of the jury, since I deemed it of great importance that neither the dispute that arose with Aphobus nor the current one with this Onetor here, his brother-in-law, should happen to me, and after making many fair proposals to both, I was unable to obtain any reasonable terms, but have found this man to be much more troublesome than the other, and more deserving of punishment.
§2τὸν μὲν γὰρ οἰόμενος δεῖν ἐν τοῖς φίλοις διαδικάσασθαι τὰ πρὸς ἐμὲ καὶ μὴ λαβεῖν ὑμῶν πεῖραν οὐχ οἷός τʼ ἐγενόμην πεῖσαι· τοῦτον δʼ αὐτὸν αὑτῷ κελεύων γενέσθαι δικαστήν, ἵνα μὴ παρʼ ὑμῖν κινδυνεύσῃ, τοσοῦτον κατεφρονήθην, ὥστʼ οὐχὶ μόνον λόγου τυχεῖν οὐκ ἠξιώθην, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ τῆς γῆς, ἣν Ἄφοβος ἐκέκτηθʼ ὅτʼ ὠφλίσκανέ μοι τὴν δίκην, ὑβριστικῶς ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ πάνυ ἐξεβλήθην.
For while I thought it necessary to settle my differences with the former among friends and not to make trial of you, I was unable to persuade him; as for this man, though I urged him to become his own arbitrator so that he might not run any risk before you, I was so utterly despised that I was not only deemed unworthy of getting a hearing, but was also insolently and completely expelled by him from the land which Aphobus possessed when he lost the lawsuit to me.
§3ἐπειδὴ οὖν συναποστερεῖ τέ με τῶν ὄντων τῷ ἑαυτοῦ κηδεστῇ, πιστεύων τʼ εἰς ὑμᾶς εἰσελήλυθεν ταῖς αὑτοῦ παρασκευαῖς, ὑπόλοιπόν ἐστιν ἐν ὑμῖν πειρᾶσθαι παρʼ αὐτοῦ τῶν δικαίων τυγχάνειν.
Since, therefore, he joins his own brother-in-law in depriving me of my property, and has entered your court relying on his preparations, it remains for me to try to obtain justice from him before you.
οἶδα μὲν οὖν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ὅτι μοι πρὸς παρασκευὰς λόγων καὶ μάρτυρας οὐ τἀληθῆ μαρτυρήσοντας ὁ ἀγών ἐστιν· ὅμως μέντοι τοσοῦτον οἶμαι διοίσειν τῷ δικαιότερα τούτου λέγειν, §4ὥστʼ εἰ καί τις ὑμῶν πρότερον τοῦτον ἡγεῖτʼ εἶναι μὴ πονηρόν, ἔκ γε τῶν πρὸς ἐμὲ πεπραγμένων γνώσεσθαι, ὅτι καὶ τὸν ἄλλον χρόνον ἐλάνθανεν αὐτὸν κάκιστος ὢν καὶ ἀδικώτατος ἁπάντων.
Now I know, men of the jury, that my contest is against prepared speeches and witnesses who will not testify to the truth; nevertheless, I think I shall prevail to such an extent by speaking what is more just than he does, that even if any of you previously considered him not to be a bad man, you will realize from his actions toward me that throughout the past he had secretly been the most wicked and unjust of all men.
ἀποδείξω γὰρ αὐτὸν οὐ μόνον τὴν προῖκʼ οὐ δεδωκότα, ἧς φησι νῦν ἀποτετιμῆσθαι τὸ χωρίον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς τοῖς ἐμοῖς ἐπιβουλεύσαντα, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις τὴν μὲν γυναῖκʼ οὐκ ἀπολελοιπυῖαν, ὑπὲρ ἧς ἐξήγαγέ μʼ ἐκ ταύτης τῆς γῆς, §5προϊστάμενον δʼ ἐπʼ ἀποστερήσει τῶν ἐμῶν Ἀφόβου καὶ τούτους ὑπομένοντα τοὺς ἀγῶνας, οὕτω μεγάλοις τεκμηρίοις καὶ φανεροῖς ἐλέγχοις ὥσθʼ ὑμᾶς ἅπαντας εἴσεσθαι σαφῶς ὅτι δικαίως καὶ προσηκόντως οὗτος φεύγει ταύτην ὑπʼ ἐμοῦ τὴν δίκην.
For I shall prove that he not only did not pay the dowry, on account of which he now claims to have taken the land as security, but also that he plotted against my property from the very beginning, and furthermore, that the woman on whose account he expelled me from this land has not actually left her husband, and that he is championing Aphobus for the purpose of depriving me of my possessions and is submitting to these trials; and this I shall show by such powerful evidence and clear proofs that you will all clearly see that he is justly and properly made a defendant in this suit by me.
ὅθεν δὲ ῥᾷστα μαθήσεσθε περὶ αὐτῶν, ἐντεῦθεν ὑμᾶς καὶ ἐγὼ πρῶτον πειράσομαι διδάσκειν.
From the point where you will most easily learn about these matters, I too shall try to instruct you first.
§6ἐγὼ γάρ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, πολλούς τʼ ἄλλους Ἀθηναίων καὶ τοῦτον οὐκ ἐλάνθανον κακῶς ἐπιτροπευόμενος, ἀλλʼ ἦν καταφανὴς εὐθὺς ἀδικούμενος· τοσαῦται πραγματεῖαι καὶ λόγοι καὶ παρὰ τῷ ἄρχοντι καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐγίγνονθʼ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐμῶν.
For I, men of the jury, did not escape the notice of many other Athenians, nor of this man, in being badly wardship-abused, but was immediately manifest as being wronged; so many transactions and discussions took place concerning my property both before the archon and before others.
τό τε γὰρ πλῆθος τῶν καταλειφθέντων ἦν φανερόν, ὅτι τʼ ἀμίσθωτον τὸν οἶκον ἐποίουν οἱ διαχειρίζοντες, ἵνʼ αὐτοὶ τὰ χρήματα καρποῖντο, οὐκ ἄδηλον ἦν.
For the large amount of the estate left to me was obvious, and it was not unclear that those administering it kept the house unrented so that they themselves might enjoy the fruits of the money.
ὥστʼ ἐκ τῶν γιγνομένων οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅστις οὐχ ἡγεῖτο τῶν εἰδότων δίκην με λήψεσθαι παρʼ αὐτῶν, ἐπειδὴ τάχιστʼ ἀνὴρ εἶναι δοκιμασθείην.
Consequently, from what was happening, there was no one among those who knew who did not think that I would obtain satisfaction from them as soon as I should be approved as a man.
§7ἐν οἷς καὶ Τιμοκράτης καὶ Ὀνήτωρ ταύτην ἔχοντες διετέλεσαν τὴν διάνοιαν. τεκμήριον δὲ πάντων μέγιστον·
Among these, Timocrates and Onetor also continued to hold this opinion.
οὗτος γὰρ ἐβουλήθη μὲν Ἀφόβῳ δοῦναι τὴν ἀδελφήν, ὁρῶν τῆς θʼ αὑτοῦ πατρῴας οὐσίας καὶ τῆς ἐμῆς οὐκ ὀλίγης αὐτὸν κύριον γεγενημένον, προέσθαι δὲ τὴν προῖκʼ οὐκ ἐπίστευσεν, ὥσπερ εἰ τὰ τῶν ἐπιτροπευόντων χρήματʼ ἀποτίμημα τοῖς ἐπιτροπευομένοις καθεστάναι νομίζων.
And here is the greatest proof of all: this man wished to give his sister to Aphobus, seeing that he had become master both of his own ancestral estate and of my not inconsiderable property, yet he did not trust him enough to hand over the dowry, just as if he believed that the property of guardians is established as a security for those under guardianship.
ἀλλὰ τὴν μὲν ἀδελφὴν ἔδωκεν, τὴν δὲ προῖκʼ αὐτῷ Τιμοκράτης ἐπὶ πέντʼ ὀβολοῖς ὀφειλήσειν ὡμολόγησεν, ᾧ πρότερον ἡ γυνὴ συνοικοῦσʼ ἐτύγχανεν.
Instead, although he gave him his sister, Timocrates, with whom the woman had previously been living, agreed to owe him the dowry at the interest rate of five obols.
§8ὀφλόντος δέ μοι τὴν δίκην Ἀφόβου τῆς ἐπιτροπῆς καὶ οὐδὲν δίκαιον ποιεῖν ἐθέλοντος, διαλύειν μὲν ἡμᾶς Ὀνήτωρ οὐδʼ ἐπεχείρησεν, οὐκ ἀποδεδωκὼς δὲ τὴν προῖκα, ἀλλʼ αὐτὸς κύριος ὤν, ὡς ἀπολελοιπυίας τῆς ἀδελφῆς καὶ δοὺς κομίσασθαι δʼ οὐ δυνάμενος, ἀποτιμήσασθαι φάσκων τὴν γῆν ἐξάγειν μʼ ἐξ αὐτῆς ἐτόλμησεν· τοσοῦτον καὶ ἐμοῦ καὶ ὑμῶν καὶ τῶν κειμένων νόμων κατεφρόνησεν.
But when Aphobus lost the wardship lawsuit to me and was unwilling to do anything that was right, Onetor did not even attempt to reconcile us; instead, though he had not paid the dowry but was himself in possession of it, on the ground that his sister had left her husband and that, having paid it, he was unable to recover it, he claimed that he had taken the land as security and dared to expel me from it; so utterly did he despise me, you, and the established laws.