§47καὶ ὑβρίζεις μὲν σαυτὸν καὶ τοὺς γονέας τεθνεῶτας, προπηλακίζεις δὲ τὴν πόλιν, καὶ ἃ τῆς τουτωνὶ φιλανθρωπίας ἀπολαύσας ηὕρεθʼ ὁ σὸς πατὴρ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα Φορμίων οὑτοσί, ταῦτʼ ἀντὶ τοῦ κοσμεῖν καὶ περιστέλλειν, ἵνα καὶ τοῖς δοῦσιν ὡς εὐσχημονέστατʼ ἐφαίνετο καὶ τοῖς λαβοῦσιν ὑμῖν, ἄγεις εἰς μέσον, δεικνύεις, ἐλέγχεις, μόνον οὐκ ὀνειδίζεις οἷον ὄντα σʼ ἐποιήσαντʼ Ἀθηναῖον.
And you insult yourself and your deceased parents, and drag the city through the mud; and those benefits which your father, and after him Phormio here, obtained by enjoying the generosity of these men, instead of honoring and protecting them—so that they might appear in the most honorable light both to those who gave them and to you who received them—you bring into the open, display, and scrutinize, almost reproaching them for making you an Athenian, considering what kind of person you were.
§48εἶτʼ εἰς τοῦθʼ ἥκεις μανίας (τί γὰρ ἂν ἄλλο τις εἴποι; ) ὥστʼ οὐκ αἰσθάνει ὅτι καὶ νῦν ἡμεῖς μὲν ἀξιοῦντες, ἐπειδήπερ ἀπηλλάγη Φορμίων, μηδὲν ὑπόλογον εἶναι εἴ ποτε τοῦ σοῦ πατρὸς ἐγένετο, ὑπὲρ σοῦ λέγομεν, σὺ δὲ μηδέποτʼ ἐξ ἴσου σοι γενέσθαι τοῦτον ἀξιῶν κατὰ σαυτοῦ λέγεις·
Then you have reached such a pitch of madness (for what else could one call it?) that you do not perceive that even now, while we, on the ground that Phormio has been manumitted, maintain that it should not be held against him if he once belonged to your father, are speaking on your behalf, you, by demanding that he should never be on an equal footing with you, are speaking against yourself.
ἃ γὰρ ἂν σὺ δίκαια σαυτῷ κατὰ τούτου τάξῃς, ταὐτὰ ταῦθʼ ἥξει κατὰ σοῦ παρὰ τῶν τὸν σὸν πατέρʼ ἐξ ἀρχῆς κτησαμένων.
For whatever standard of justice you set for yourself against him, these same rules will come against you from those who originally owned your father.
ἀλλὰ μὴν ὅτι κἀκεῖνος ἦν τινῶν, εἶτʼ ἀπηλλάγη τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ὅνπερ οὗτος ἀφʼ ὑμῶν, λαβέ μοι ταυτασὶ τὰς μαρτυρίας, ὡς ἐγένετο Πασίων Ἀρχεστράτου. ΜΑΡΤΥΡΙΑΙ.
But to prove that he too belonged to certain persons, and was then manumitted in the same manner as this man was from you, take these depositions for me, showing how Pasion became the property of Archestratus. ΜΑΡΤΥΡΙΑΙ.
§49εἶτα τὸν σῴσαντα μὲν ἐξ ἀρχῆς τὰ πράγματα καὶ πολλὰ χρήσιμον αὑτὸν παρασχόντα τῷ πατρὶ τῷ τούτου, τοσαῦτα δʼ αὐτὸν τοῦτον ἀγάθʼ εἰργασμένον, ὅσʼ ὑμεῖς ἀκηκόατε, τοῦτον οἴεται δεῖν ἑλὼν τηλικαύτην δίκην ἀδίκως ἐκβαλεῖν.
Then, a man who from the beginning saved the estate and showed himself highly useful to this man's father, and who has done so many good services to this man himself as you have heard, he thinks he must convict in a suit of such magnitude and unjustly drive out of the country.
οὐ γὰρ ἄλλο γʼ ἔχοις οὐδὲν ἂν ποιῆσαι.
For indeed you would have nothing else to do.
εἰς μὲν γὰρ τὰ ὄντʼ εἰ βλέπεις ἀκριβῶς, ταῦθʼ εὑρήσεις ὧν ἔστιν, ἐάν, ὃ μὴ γένοιτο, ἐξαπατηθῶσιν οὗτοι.
For if you look closely at the existing property, you will find to whom it belongs, if these men—which may heaven forbid—should be deceived.
§50ὁρᾷ τὸν Ἀριστόλοκον τὸν Καπιδήμου· ποτʼ εἶχεν ἀργόν, εἶτά γε νῦν πολλοῖς γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ὀφείλων αὐτὸν ἐκτήσατο.
He sees Aristolochus, the son of Capidemus; he once owned land, but now at last—for since he owed money to many, that man acquired it.
καὶ τὸν Σωσίνομον καὶ τὸν Τιμόδημον καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους τραπεζίτας, οἵ, ἐπειδὴ διαλύειν ἐδέησεν οἷς ὤφειλον, ἐξέστησαν ἅπαντες τῶν ὄντων.
And so too Sosinomus, and Timodemus, and the other bankers, who, when it became necessary to pay those to whom they owed money, all surrendered their property.
σὺ δʼ οὐδὲν οἴει δεῖν σκοπεῖν οὐδʼ ὧν ὁ πατὴρ σοῦ πολλῷ βελτίων ὢν καὶ ἄμεινον φρονῶν πρὸς ἅπαντʼ ἐβουλεύσατο.
But you think you need pay no attention to any of these things, nor to what your father, who was far better than you and of sounder judgment, planned in all respects.
§51ὅς, ὦ Ζεῦ καὶ θεοί, τοσούτῳ τοῦτον ἡγεῖτο σοῦ πλείονος ἄξιον εἶναι καὶ σοὶ καὶ ἑαυτῷ καὶ τοῖς ὑμετέροις πράγμασιν ὥστʼ ἀνδρὸς ὄντος σοῦ τοῦτον, οὐ σὲ τῶν ἡμίσεων κατέλιπεν ἐπίτροπον καὶ τὴν γυναῖκʼ ἔδωκεν καὶ ζῶν αὐτὸν ἐτίμα, δικαίως, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι·
Who, by Zeus and the gods, thought this man so much more valuable than you, both to you, to himself, and to your affairs, that although you were a grown man, he left this man, and not you, as guardian of half the estate, and gave him his wife, and honored him during his lifetime—and justly so, men of Athens.
οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλοι τραπεζῖται μίσθωσιν οὐ φέροντες, ἀλλʼ αὐτοὶ ἑαυτοῖς ἐργαζόμενοι, πάντες ἀπώλοντο, οὗτος δὲ μίσθωσιν φέρων δύο τάλαντα καὶ τετταράκοντα μνᾶς ὑμῖν ἔσῳσε τὴν τράπεζαν.
For while other bankers, paying no rent but working for themselves, all came to ruin, this man, by paying a rent of two talents and forty minae, saved the bank for you.
§52ὧν ἐκεῖνος μὲν χάριν εἶχεν, σὺ δʼ οὐδένα ποιεῖ λόγον, ἀλλʼ ἐναντία τῇ διαθήκῃ καὶ ταῖς ἀπʼ ἐκείνης ἀραῖς, γραφείσαις ὑπὸ τοῦ σοῦ πατρός, ἐλαύνεις συκοφαντεῖς διώκεις.
For which services your father was grateful, but you take no account of them, and contrary to the will and the curses written therein by your father, you harass, slander, and prosecute him.
ὦ βέλτιστʼ, εἰ οἷόν τε σὲ τοῦτʼ εἰπεῖν, οὐ παύσει, καὶ γνώσει τοῦθʼ, ὅτι πολλῶν χρημάτων τὸ χρηστὸν εἶναι λυσιτελέστερόν ἐστιν;
My good sir—if it is possible to call you so—will you not stop, and realize this, that to be honest is more profitable than to have much money?
σοὶ γοῦν, εἴπερ ἀληθῆ λέγεις, χρήματα μὲν τοσαῦτʼ εἰληφότι πάντʼ ἀπόλωλεν, ὡς φής· εἰ δʼ ἦσθʼ ἐπιεικής, οὐκ ἄν ποτʼ αὔτʼ ἀνήλωσας.
At least for you, if indeed you speak the truth, though you received so much money, all has been lost, as you say; but if you had been a man of decent character, you would never have wasted it.
§53ἀλλʼ ἔγωγε μὰ τὸν Δία καὶ θεοὺς πανταχῇ σκοπῶν οὐδὲν ὁρῶ, διʼ ὅ τι ἂν σοὶ πεισθέντες τουδὶ καταψηφίσαιντο.
But for my part, by Zeus and the gods, though I look at it in every way, I see no reason why these men, persuaded by you, should cast their votes against this man.
τί γάρ;
For what is there?
ὅτι πλησίον ὄντων τῶν ἀδικημάτων ἐγκαλεῖς;
Because you bring your charge while the injuries are fresh?
ἀλλʼ ἔτεσι καὶ χρόνοις ὕστερον αἰτιᾷ.
No, you accuse him years and ages later.
ἀλλʼ ὅτι τοῦτον ἀπράγμων ἦσθα τὸν χρόνον;
But because you were a man of quiet life during that time?
καὶ τίς οὐκ οἶδεν ὅσα πράγματα πράττων οὐ πέπαυσαι, οὐ μόνον δίκας ἰδίας διώκων οὐκ ἐλάττους ταυτησί, ἀλλὰ δημοσίᾳ συκοφαντῶν καὶ κρίνων τίνας οὔ;
And who does not know how many affairs you have never ceased to involve yourself in—not only prosecuting private suits of no less importance than this one, but also acting as a public informer and bringing who not to trial?
οὐχὶ Τιμομάχου κατηγόρεις;
Did you not prosecute Timomachus?
οὐχὶ Καλλίππου τοῦ νῦν ὄντος ἐν Σικελίᾳ;
Did you not prosecute Callippus, who is now in Sicily?
οὐ πάλιν Μένωνος;
Did you not, again, prosecute Menon?
οὐκ Αὐτοκλέους;
And Autocles?
οὐ Τιμοθέου;
And Timotheus?
οὐκ ἄλλων πολλῶν.
And many others?