§17ἀλλὰ μὴν ὡς ἐγήματο μὲν ἡ γυνὴ καθʼ ὃν ἐγὼ λέγω χρόνον, ἀντίδικοι δʼ ἡμεῖς ἤδη πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ χρόνῳ κατέστημεν, ὕστερον δʼ ἢ ἐγὼ τὴν δίκην ἔλαχον τὴν ἀπόλειψιν οὗτοι πρὸς τὸν ἄρχοντʼ ἀπεγράψαντο, λαβέ μοι καθʼ ἕκαστον ταύτας τὰς μαρτυρίας. ΜΑΡΤΥΡΙΑ.
μετὰ τοίνυν τοῦτον τὸν ἄρχοντα Κηφισόδωρος, Χίων.
But indeed, to prove that the woman was married at the time I say, and that we had already become adversaries to each other in the intervening time, and that they registered the divorce with the archon later than I brought my lawsuit, please take these depositions for me one by one.\n\n[DEPOSITION]\n\nNow, after this archon came Cephisodorus, and then Chion.
ἐπὶ τούτων ἐνεκάλουν δοκιμασθείς, ἔλαχον δὲ τὴν δίκην ἐπὶ Τιμοκράτους.
During their terms, having passed my examination, I brought my accusations, and I brought my lawsuit when Timocrates was archon.
λαβὲ ταύτην τὴν μαρτυρίαν. ΜΑΡΤΥΡΙΑ. §18ἀνάγνωθι δὲ καὶ ταύτην τὴν μαρτυρίαν. ΜΑΡΤΥΡΙΑ.
δῆλον μὲν τοίνυν καὶ ἐκ τῶν μεμαρτυρημένων, ὅτι τὴν προῖκʼ οὐ δόντες, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ τῷ διασῴζειν Ἀφόβῳ τὴν οὐσίαν ταῦτα τολμῶσι πράττειν.
Please take this deposition.\n\n[DEPOSITION]\n\n And read this deposition as well.\n\n[DEPOSITION]\n\nNow, it is clear from the testimonies as well that they are daring to do these things not because they paid the dowry, but for the purpose of preserving the estate for Aphobus.
οἳ γὰρ ἐν τοσούτῳ χρόνῳ καὶ ὀφειλῆσαι καὶ ἀποδοῦναι καὶ τὴν γυναῖκʼ ἀπολιπεῖν καὶ οὐ κομίσασθαι καὶ τὸ χωρίον ἀποτιμήσασθαί φασιν, πῶς οὐ φανερὸν ὅτι προστάντες τοῦ πράγματος τὰ γνωσθένθʼ ὑφʼ ὑμῶν ἀποστερῆσαί με ζητοῦσιν; §19ὡς δὲ καὶ ἐξ ὧν αὐτὸς οὗτος καὶ Τιμοκράτης καὶ Ἄφοβος ἀπεκρίναντο, οὐχ οἷόν τʼ ἀποδεδόσθαι τὴν προῖκα, ταῦτʼ ἤδη πειράσομαι διδάσκειν ὑμᾶς.
For when they claim that within so short a time they owed, paid, the woman divorced, they failed to recover it, and they mortgaged the land, how is it not obvious that by championing this matter they are seeking to deprive me of what was decided by you?\n\n Now, I shall try to instruct you next that from the very answers given by this man himself, Timocrates, and Aphobus, it is impossible for the dowry to have been paid.
ἐγὼ γάρ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, τούτων ἕκαστον ἠρόμην πολλῶν ἐναντίον μαρτύρων, Ὀνήτορα μὲν καὶ Τιμοκράτην, εἴ τινες εἶεν μάρτυρες ὧν ἐναντίον τὴν προῖκʼ ἀπέδοσαν, αὐτὸν δʼ Ἄφοβον, εἴ τινες παρῆσαν ὅτʼ ἀπελάμβανεν. §20καί μοι πάντες ἀπεκρίναντο καθʼ ἕκαστον, ὅτι οὐδεὶς μάρτυς παρείη, κομίζοιτο δὲ λαμβάνων καθʼ ὁποσονοῦν δέοιτʼ Ἄφοβος παρʼ αὐτῶν.
For I, men of the jury, questioned each of them in the presence of many witnesses: Onetor and Timocrates, as to whether there were any witnesses in whose presence they paid the dowry, and Aphobus himself, as to whether anyone was present when he received it.\n\n And they all answered me individually that no witness was present, but that Aphobus recovered it by receiving it from them in whatever amounts he might need.
καίτοι τῷ τοῦθʼ ὑμῶν πιστόν, ὡς ταλάντου τῆς προικὸς οὔσης ἄνευ μαρτύρων Ὀνήτωρ καὶ Τιμοκράτης Ἀφόβῳ τοσοῦτον ἀργύριον ἐνεχείρισαν;
And yet, who among you would believe this, that Onetor and Timocrates, when the dowry was a talent, handed over so much money to Aphobus without witnesses?
ᾧ μὴ ὅτι τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ μετὰ πολλῶν μαρτύρων ἀποδιδοὺς εἰκῇ τις ἂν ἐπίστευσεν, ἵνʼ εἴ τις γίγνοιτο διαφορά, κομίσασθαι ῥᾳδίως παρʼ ὑμῖν δύνηται. §21μὴ γὰρ ὅτι πρὸς τοῦτον τοιοῦτον ὄντα, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ πρὸς ἄλλον οὐδʼ ἂν εἷς οὐδένα τοιοῦτον συνάλλαγμα ποιούμενος ἀμαρτύρως ἂν ἔπραξεν·
To whom, not to mention in this manner, but even if paying with many witnesses, no one would have trusted carelessly, so that if any dispute should arise, he might easily be able to recover it before you.\n\n For not to mention against a man of this character, but against no other person would a single soul have made such a transaction without witnesses.
ἀλλὰ τῶν τοιούτων ἕνεκα καὶ γάμους ποιοῦμεν καὶ τοὺς ἀναγκαιοτάτους παρακαλοῦμεν, ὅτι οὐ πάρεργον, ἀλλʼ ἀδελφῶν καὶ θυγατέρων βίους ἐγχειρίζομεν, ὑπὲρ ὧν τὰς ἀσφαλείας μάλιστα σκοποῦμεν. §22εἰκὸς τοίνυν καὶ τοῦτον, ὧνπερ ἐναντίον ὀφείλειν ὡμολόγησεν καὶ τὸν τόκον οἴσειν, τῶν αὐτῶν τούτων παρόντων διαλύσασθαι πρὸς Ἄφοβον, εἴπερ ὡς ἀληθῶς ἀπεδίδου τὴν προῖκʼ αὐτῷ.
Rather, it is for the sake of such things that we hold wedding feasts and invite our closest relatives, because it is no trivial matter, but we are committing the livelihoods of our sisters and daughters, for whom we look above all to their security.\n\n It was to be expected, then, that Onetor too, in the presence of those very same persons before whom he agreed to owe and to pay the interest, would have settled with Aphobus, if indeed he was truly paying the dowry to him.
τοῦτον μὲν γὰρ τὸν τρόπον πράξας, ὅλου τοῦ πράγματος ἀπηλλάττετο, μόνος μόνῳ δʼ ἀποδιδούς, τοὺς ἐπὶ ταῖς ὁμολογίαις παραγενομένους ὡς κατʼ ὀφείλοντος ἂν αὑτοῦ μάρτυρας ὑπελείπετο. §23νῦν τοίνυν τοὺς μὲν ὄντας οἰκείους καὶ βελτίους αὑτῶν οὐκ ἐδύναντο πεῖσαι τὴν προῖκʼ ἀποδεδωκέναι σφᾶς μαρτυρεῖν, ἑτέρους δʼ εἰ παρέχοιντο μάρτυρας μηδὲν γένει προσήκοντας, οὐκ ἂν ἡγοῦνθʼ ὑμᾶς αὐτοῖς πιστεύειν.
For by acting in this way, he would have been released from the whole transaction; whereas, by paying him alone in private, he would have left behind those who were present at the agreements as witnesses against himself as still owing.\n\n But as it is, they were unable to persuade those who were their own relatives and men of better character to testify that they had paid the dowry, and they thought that if they presented other witnesses who were not related to them by blood, you would not believe them.
ἔτι δʼ ἁθρόαν μὲν φάσκοντες δεδωκέναι τὴν προῖκα, ᾔδεσαν ὅτι τοὺς ἀπενεγκόντας οἰκέτας ἐξαιτήσομεν, οὓς μὴ γεγενημένης τῆς δόσεως παραδοῦναι μὴ ʼθέλοντες ἠλέγχοντʼ ἄν· εἰ δʼ αὐτοὶ μόνοι μόνῳ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ἀποδεδωκέναι λέγοιεν, ἐνόμιζον οὐκ ἐλεγχθήσεσθαι.
Furthermore, if they claimed to have paid the dowry all at once, they knew that we would demand the surrender of the slaves who transported it, whom they would be proven guilty if they refused to hand over because the payment had not actually taken place; but if they said that they themselves, alone in private, had paid in this manner, they thought they would not be caught.\n\n For this reason, they chose of necessity to lie in this manner.
§24διὰ τοῦτο τοῦτον εἵλοντʼ ἐξ ἀνάγκης ψεύδεσθαι τὸν τρόπον. τοιαύταις τέχναις καὶ πανουργίαις, ὡς ἁπλοῖ τινὲς εἶναι δόξοντες, ἡγοῦνται ῥᾳδίως ὑμᾶς ἐξαπατήσειν, ἁπλῶς οὐδʼ ἂν μικρὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν διαφερόντων, ἀλλʼ ὡς οἷόν τʼ ἀκριβέστατα πράξαντες.
By such tricks and knaveries, while expecting to appear to be simple folk, they believe they will easily deceive you, although they would never act simply even in a small matter concerning their interests, but would have acted as precisely as possible.
λαβὲ τὰς μαρτυρίας αὐτοῖς ὧν ἐναντίον ἀπεκρίναντο, καὶ ἀνάγνωθι. ΜΑΡΤΥΡΙΑΙ.
Take the depositions of those in whose presence they made their answers, and read them.\n\n[DEPOSITIONS]