§17τί ἂν τὰ πολλὰ λέγοι τις;
Why should one say more?
ἦν γὰρ οὐδʼ ὁτιοῦν πλέον ἡμῖν ταῦτα λέγουσιν, ἀλλʼ εἴχετο τοῦ σίτου.
For there was no advantage at all for us in saying these things, but he held fast to the corn.
ἐξῆγεν αὐτὸν Πρῶτος καὶ ὁ κοινωνὸς τοῦ Πρώτου, Φέρτατος· οὑτοσὶ δʼ οὐκ ἐξήγετο, οὐδʼ ἂν ἔφη διαρρήδην ὑπʼ οὐδενὸς ἐξαχθῆναι, εἰ μὴ αὐτὸν ἐγὼ ἐξάξω.
Protos and Protos' partner, Phertatus, tried to eject him; but this man would not be ejected, and said flatly that he would not be ejected by anyone unless I myself should eject him.
§18μετὰ ταῦτα προὐκαλεῖθʼ ὁ Πρῶτος αὐτὸν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν τὴν τῶν Συρακοσίων, κἂν μὲν ἐωνημένος τὸν σῖτον ἐκεῖνος φαίνηται καὶ τὰ τέλη κείμενʼ ἐκείνῳ καὶ τὰς τιμὰς ὁ διαλύων ἐκεῖνος, τοῦτον πονηρὸν ὄντʼ ἀξιοῦμεν ζημιοῦσθαι, εἰ δὲ μή, καὶ τὰ διάφορʼ ἀπολαβεῖν καὶ τάλαντον προσλαβεῖν, καὶ τοῦ σίτου ἀφιστάμεθα.
After this, Protos and we challenged him to go before the magistrates of Syracuse, proposing that if Protos appeared to have purchased the corn, and the taxes were shown to have been paid by him, and he was the one who discharged the price, we demanded that this defendant should be punished as a rogue; but if not, that this defendant should recover the difference and receive an additional talent, and we would withdraw from our claim to the corn.
ταῦτʼ ἐκείνου προκαλουμένου καὶ λέγοντος καὶ ἡμῶν οὐδὲν ἦν πλέον, ἀλλʼ ἦν αἵρεσις ἢ τοῦτον ἐξάγειν ἢ ἀπολωλεκέναι σωθέντα καὶ παρόντα τὰ ἡμέτερʼ αὐτῶν.
Though Protos made this challenge and statement, and we supported it, nothing more was gained; rather, there was a choice, either to eject this man, or to have lost our own property, which had been saved and was now present before us.
§19ὁ γὰρ αὖ Πρῶτος διεμαρτύρετʼ ἐξάγειν, βεβαιῶν ἀναπλεῖν ἐθέλειν εἰς τὴν Σικελίαν· εἰ δὲ ταῦτʼ ἐθέλοντος αὑτοῦ προησόμεθʼ ἡμεῖς τούτῳ τὸν σῖτον, οὐδὲν αὑτῷ μέλειν.
For Protos, on his part, called on us to eject him, declaring that he was ready to sail back to Sicily; and saying that if, while he was willing to do this, we should abandon the corn to this defendant, it was no concern of his.
καὶ ὅτι ταῦτʼ ἀληθῆ λέγω, καὶ οὔτʼ ἂν ἐξαχθῆναι ἔφη, εἰ μὴ ὑπʼ ἐμοῦ, οὔθʼ ἃ προὐκαλεῖτο περὶ τοῦ ἀναπλεῖν ἐδέχετο, ἔν τε τῷ πλῷ τὴν συγγραφὴν ἔθετο, λέγε τὰς μαρτυρίας. ΜΑΡΤΥΡΙΑΙ.
And to prove that I am speaking the truth in this, and that he said he would not be ejected except by me, and that he did not accept the challenges regarding the sailing back, and that he deposited the agreement during the voyage, read the depositions.
§20ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν οὔτʼ ἐξάγεσθαι ἤθελεν ὑπὸ τοῦ Πρώτου οὔτʼ εἰς τὴν Σικελίαν ἀναπλεῖν ἐπὶ τὰ δίκαια, προειδώς θʼ ἅπαντʼ ἐφαίνετο, ἃ ὁ Ἡγέστρατος ἐκακούργει, λοιπὸν ἦν ἡμῖν τοῖς ἐνθένδε μὲν πεποιημένοις τὸ συμβόλαιον, παρειληφόσι δὲ τὸν σῖτον παρὰ τοῦ δικαίως ἐκεῖ πριαμένου, ἐξάγειν τοῦτον.
Since, therefore, he neither wished to be ejected by Protos, nor to sail back to Sicily for a trial of his rights, and since he was clearly shown to have had prior knowledge of all the villainies that Hegestratus was committing, there was nothing left for us, who had made the contract here and had taken over the corn from the man who had justly purchased it there, but to eject this man.
§21τί γὰρ ἂν καὶ ἄλλʼ ἐποιοῦμεν;
For what else could we have done?
οὔπω γὰρ τοῦτό γʼ οὐδεὶς ἡμῶν τῶν κοινωνῶν ὑπέλαβεν, ὡς ὑμεῖς γνώσεσθέ ποτʼ εἶναι τούτου τὸν σῖτον, ὃν καταλιπεῖν οὗτος ἔπειθεν τοὺς ναύτας, ὅπως ἀπόλοιτο τοῦ πλοίου καταδύντος.
Indeed, none of us partners ever imagined that you would decide that this corn belonged to this man, which he had urged the sailors to abandon so that it might perish when the ship sank.
ὃ καὶ μέγιστόν ἐστι σημεῖον τοῦ μηδὲν προσήκειν αὐτῷ.
This is indeed the greatest proof that it does not belong to him.
τίς γὰρ ἂν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ σῖτον ἔπειθε προέσθαι τοὺς σῴζειν βουλομένους;
For who would have persuaded people wishing to save it to abandon his own corn?
ἢ τίς οὐκ ἂν ἔπλει δεξάμενος τὴν πρόκλησιν εἰς τὴν Σικελίαν, οὗ ταῦτʼ ἦν ἐλέγξαι καθαρῶς.
Or who would not have sailed to Sicily, accepting the challenge, where these things could have been clearly proved?
§22καὶ μὴν οὐδὲ τοῦτʼ ἐμέλλομεν ὑμῶν καταγνώσεσθαι, ὡς εἰσαγώγιμον ψηφιεῖσθε τούτῳ τὴν δίκην περὶ τούτων τῶν χρημάτων, ἃ κατὰ πολλοὺς τρόπους οὗτος ἔπραττεν ὅπως μὴ εἰσαγώγιμα δεῦρʼ ἔσται, πρῶτον μὲν ὅτʼ αὐτὰ καταλιπεῖν τοὺς ναύτας ἔπειθεν, εἶθʼ ὅτʼ ἐν Κεφαλληνίᾳ μὴ δεῦρο πλεῖν τὴν ναῦν ἔπραττεν.
Moreover, we were not going to expect such a thing of you, as that you would vote this man's action to be admissible concerning these goods, which he in many ways endeavored should not be brought here—first when he persuaded the sailors to abandon them, and secondly when in Cephallenia he acted to prevent the ship from sailing here.
§23πῶς γὰρ οὐκ αἰσχρὸν καὶ δεινὸν ἂν γένοιτο, εἰ Κεφαλλῆνες μέν, ὅπως τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις σωθῇ τὰ χρήματα, δεῦρο πλεῖν τὴν ναῦν ἔκριναν, ὑμεῖς δʼ ὄντες Ἀθηναῖοι τὰ τῶν πολιτῶν τοῖς καταποντίσαι βουληθεῖσιν δοῦναι γνοίητε, καὶ ἃ μὴ καταπλεῖν ὅλως οὗτος δεῦρʼ ἔπραττεν, ταῦτʼ εἰσαγώγιμα τούτῳ ψηφίσαισθε;
For how could it not be shameful and monstrous, if, while the Cephallenians decided that the ship should sail here so that the property might be saved for the Athenians, you, who are Athenians, should decide to give the property of your fellow-citizens to those who wished to sink it, and should vote that those goods, which this man endeavored should not be brought here at all, are subject to his action?
μὴ δῆτʼ, ὦ Ζεῦ καὶ θεοί.
No, indeed, by Zeus and the gods!
λέγε δή μοι τί παραγέγραμμαι. ΠΑΡΑΓΡΑΦΗ.
λέγε δή μοι τὸν νόμον.
Read me what plea I have entered.
ΝΟΜΟΣ.
Read me the law.
§24ὅτι μὲν τοίνυν ἐκ τῶν νόμων παρεγραψάμην μὴ εἰσαγώγιμον εἶναι τὴν δίκην, ἱκανῶς οἴομαι δεδεῖχθαι· τέχνην δʼ ἀκούσεσθε τοῦ σοφοῦ τοῦ ταῦτα πάντα συντεθηκότος, τοῦ Ἀριστοφῶντος.
That I have filed a special plea according to the laws that the action is not admissible, I think has been sufficiently shown; but now you shall hear of the artifice of the clever man who devised all these things, Aristophon.
ὡς γὰρ ἐκ τῶν πραγμάτων ἁπλῶς οὐδὲν ἑώρων δίκαιον ἑαυτοῖς ἐνόν, ἐπικηρυκεύονται τῷ Πρώτῳ καὶ πείθουσι τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐνδοῦναι τὰ πράγμαθʼ ἑαυτοῖς, πράττοντες μὲν ὡς ἔοικεν καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς τοῦτο, ὡς ἡμῖν νῦν φανερὸν γέγονεν, οὐ δυνάμενοι δὲ πεῖσαι.
For when they saw that on the bare facts they had no justice on their side, they sent emissaries to Protos and persuaded the man to surrender the business to them—a thing which it seems they had been trying to do from the very beginning, as has now become clear to us, though they were not able then to persuade him.