§1ὃ παρέλιπον ἐν τῷ προτέρῳ λόγῳ τεκμήριον, οὐδενὸς τῶν εἰρημένων ἔλαττον, τοῦ μὴ δεδωκέναι τὴν προῖκα τούτους Ἀφόβῳ, τοῦτο πρῶτον εἰπών, μετὰ τοῦτο καὶ περὶ ὧν οὗτος ἔψευσται πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐξελέγχειν αὐτὸν πειράσομαι.
The evidence which I omitted in my previous speech, and which is no less important than any of those already mentioned to prove that these men did not give the dowry to Aphobus—having first stated this, I shall next attempt to refute him concerning the lies he has told you.
οὗτος γάρ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, τὸ πρῶτον ὅτε τῶν Ἀφόβου διενοεῖτʼ ἀμφισβητεῖν, οὐχὶ τάλαντον ἔφη τὴν προῖκα, ὥσπερ νυνί, ἀλλʼ ὀγδοήκοντα μνᾶς δεδωκέναι, καὶ τίθησιν ὅρους ἐπὶ μὲν τὴν οἰκίαν δισχιλίων, ἐπὶ δὲ τὸ χωρίον ταλάντου, βουλόμενος μὴ μόνον τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ κἀκείνην διασῴζειν αὐτῷ. §2γενομένης δέ μοι τῆς δίκης πρὸς αὐτόν, ἰδὼν ὡς διάκεισθʼ ὑμεῖς πρὸς τοὺς λίαν ἀναιδῶς ἀδικοῦντας, ἔννους γίγνεται, καὶ δεινὰ πάσχειν ἡγήσατο δόξειν ἐμὲ τοσούτων χρημάτων ἀπεστερημένον, εἰ μηδʼ ὁτιοῦν ἕξοιμι τῶν Ἀφόβου λαβεῖν τοῦ τἄμʼ ἔχοντος, ἀλλʼ ὑπὸ τούτου κωλυόμενος φανερὸς γενήσομαι. §3καὶ τί ποιεῖ;
For this man, gentlemen of the jury, at first, when he intended to lay claim to the property of Aphobus, did not say that the dowry was one talent, as he does now, but that he had given eighty minae; and he set up mortgage pillars on the house for two thousand drachmae, and on the land for one talent, wishing to rescue for him not only the latter but also the former. But when my lawsuit against him took place, seeing how you are disposed toward those who commit injustices with extreme impudence, he came to his senses and realized that I would be thought to suffer monstrous treatment if, deprived of so much property, I should not be able to obtain any part of the estate of Aphobus, who holds my possessions, but should be seen to be prevented by this man. And what does he do?
τοὺς ὅρους ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκίας ἀφαιρεῖ, καὶ τάλαντον μόνον εἶναι τὴν προῖκά φησιν, ἐν ᾧ τὸ χωρίον ἀποτετιμῆσθαι.
He removes the pillars from the house, and says that the dowry is only one talent, against which the land has been mortgaged.
καίτοι δῆλον ὅτι τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας ὅρους εἰ δικαίως ἔθηκεν καὶ ὄντως ἀληθεῖς, δικαίως καὶ τοὺς ἐπὶ τοῦ χωρίου τέθηκεν· εἰ δʼ εὐθὺς ἀδικεῖν βουλόμενος ψευδεῖς ἔθηκεν ἐκείνους, εἰκὸς καὶ τούτους οὐκ ἀληθεῖς ὑπάρχειν. §4τοῦτο τοίνυν οὐκ ἐξ ὧν ἐγὼ δεδήλωκα λόγων δεῖ σκοπεῖν, ἀλλʼ ἐξ ὧν αὐτὸς οὗτος διεπράξατο· οὐδʼ ὑφʼ ἑνὸς γὰρ ἀναγκασθεὶς ἀνθρώπων αὐτὸς ἀνεῖλεν τοὺς ὅρους, ἔργῳ φανερὸν ποιήσας ὅτι ψεύδεται.
And yet it is clear that if he set up the pillars on the house justly and truthfully, he also set up those on the land justly; but if, wishing to do wrong from the start, he set up those false ones, it is likely that these also are not true. Therefore, this must not be examined from the arguments I have made, but from what this man himself did; for without being forced by any human being, he himself removed the pillars, proving by his action that he was lying.
καὶ ταῦθʼ ὡς ἀληθῆ λέγω, τὸ μὲν χωρίον καὶ νῦν οὗτός φησιν ἀποτετιμῆσθαι ταλάντου, τὴν δʼ οἰκίαν ὡς προσωρίσατο δισχιλίων καὶ πάλιν τοὺς ὅρους ἀνεῖλεν γενομένης τῆς δίκης, τοὺς εἰδότας ὑμῖν μάρτυρας παρέξομαι.
And to show that I speak the truth on these matters—that he still claims the land was mortgaged for one talent, but that he added the house for two thousand drachmae and then removed the pillars when the lawsuit was brought—I will present to you witnesses who know the facts.
καί μοι λαβὲ τὴν μαρτυρίαν.
Please take the deposition.
ΜΑΡΤΥΡΙΑ. §5δῆλον τοίνυν ὅτι δισχιλίων μὲν ὡρισμένος τὴν οἰκίαν, ταλάντου δὲ τὸ χωρίον, ὡς ὀγδοήκοντα μνᾶς δεδωκὼς ἔμελλεν ἀμφισβητήσειν.
DEPOSITION. It is clear, then, that having marked the house for two thousand drachmae and the land for a talent, he intended to dispute the claim as one who had given eighty minae.
μεῖζον οὖν ἄν τι γένοιτο τεκμήριον ὑμῖν τοῦ μηδὲν ἀληθὲς νῦν λέγειν τοῦτον ἢ εἰ φανείη μὴ ταὐτὰ λέγων τοῖς ἐξ ἀρχῆς περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν;
What greater proof, then, could you have that he is now telling nothing true than if he should appear to be saying things inconsistent with what he said at the beginning about the same matters?
ἐμοὶ μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲν ἂν δοκεῖ τούτου μεῖζον εὑρεθῆναι. §6σκέψασθε τοίνυν τὴν ἀναίδειαν, ὃς ἐν ὑμῖν ἐτόλμησεν εἰπεῖν, ὡς οὐκ ἀποστερεῖ μʼ ὅσῳ πλείονος ἄξιόν ἐστι ταλάντου, καὶ ταῦτʼ αὐτὸς τιμήσας οὐκ ἄξιον εἶναι πλείονος.
For to me, it seems that nothing greater than this could be found. Observe, then, his effrontery, who dared to say among you that he is not depriving me of whatever the land is worth more than a talent, and that too after he himself had valued it as not worth more.
τί γὰρ βουλόμενος δισχιλίων προσωρίσω τὴν οἰκίαν, ὅτε τὰς ὀγδοήκοντα μνᾶς ἐνεκάλεις, εἴ γε τὸ χωρίον ἄξιον ἦν πλείονος, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐπὶ τούτῳ καὶ τὰς δισχιλίας ἐτίθεις; §7ἢ ὅταν μέν σοι δοκῇ πάντα τὰ Ἀφόβου διασῴζειν, τό τε χωρίον ἔσται ταλάντου μόνον ἄξιον, καὶ τὴν οἰκίαν ἐν δισχιλίαις προσέξεις, ἥ τε προὶξ ὀγδοήκοντα μναῖ γενήσονται, καὶ ἀξιώσεις ἔχειν ἀμφότερα· ὅταν δέ σοι μὴ συμφέρῃ, τἀναντία πάλιν ἡ μὲν οἰκία ταλάντου, διότι νῦν ἐγὼ ταύτην ἔχω, τοῦ δὲ χωρίου τὸ περιὸν οὐκ ἐλάττονος ἢ δυοῖν ἄξιον, ἵνʼ ἐγὼ δοκῶ βλάπτειν τοῦτον, οὐκ ἀποστερεῖσθαι; §8ὁρᾷς ὡς ὑποκρίνει μὲν δεδωκέναι τὴν προῖκα, φαίνει δὲ κατʼ οὐδʼ ὁντινοῦν τρόπον δεδωκώς;
For with what purpose did you add the house for two thousand drachmae when you were claiming the eighty minae, if the land was worth more, instead of placing the two thousand on the land? Or is it that, whenever you think fit to rescue all Aphobus's property, the land will be worth only a talent, and you will add the house for two thousand, and the dowry will become eighty minae, and you will claim to hold both; but when it is not to your advantage, the reverse again—the house is worth a talent, because I now hold it, and the surplus of the land is worth no less than two, so that I may seem to be injuring him, and not to be deprived myself? Do you see how you pretend to have given the dowry, but are shown to have given it in no way whatsoever?
τὰ γὰρ ἀληθῆ καὶ μὴ κακουργούμενα τῶν πραγμάτων ἁπλῶς, οἷʼ ἂν ἐξ ἀρχῆς πραχθῇ, τοιαῦτʼ ἐστίν· σὺ δὲ τοὐναντίον ἐξελέγχει πράξας εἰς τὴν καθʼ ἡμῶν ὑπηρεσίαν.
For things that are true and not fabricated are simple, being just as they were done from the beginning; but you, by doing the opposite, refute yourself through your service against us.