§37ἀλλʼ οὐ δίκαιον.
But it is not just.
φέρε γάρ, ὅστις ἂν μέταλλον παρὰ τῆς πόλεως πρίηται, τοὺς κοινοὺς παρελθὼν νόμους, καθʼ οὓς καὶ διδόναι καὶ λαμβάνειν πᾶσι προσήκει δίκας, ἐν ταῖς μεταλλικαῖς δικάσεται, ἐὰν δανείσηται παρά του;
For come, if anyone who purchases a mine from the state, bypassing the common laws, according to which it is proper for all both to give and receive justice, should bring his suit in the mining courts, if he borrows money from someone?
τί δʼ, ἂν κακῶς ἀκούσῃ;
And what if he is defamed?
ἂν πληγὰς λάβῃ;
If he is beaten?
ἂν κλοπὴν ἐγκαλῇ;
If he charges theft?
ἂν προεισφορὰν μὴ κομίζηται;
If he does not recover an advance tax?
ἂν ὅλως ἄλλο τι;
If in general any other thing?
§38ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ οἴομαι, ἀλλὰ τὰς μεταλλικὰς εἶναι δίκας τοῖς κοινωνοῦσι μετάλλου καὶ τοῖς ἕτερον συντρήσασιν εἰς τὰ τῶν πλησίον καὶ ὅλως τοῖς ἐργαζομένοις τὰ μέταλλα καὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ τι ποιοῦσιν, τῷ δὲ δανείσαντι Πανταινέτῳ, καὶ ταῦτʼ ἀπειληφότι γλίσχρως καὶ μόλις παρὰ τούτου, οὐκ εἶναι δίκην μεταλλικὴν πρὸς φευκτέον, οὐδʼ ἐγγύς.
I, for my part, do not think so, but that mining actions belong to those who share a mine, and to those who have bored through into their neighbors' property, and in general to those who work the mines and who do any of the things mentioned in the law; but for one who lent money to Pantaenetus, and that too having recovered it with difficulty and barely from him, there is no mining action to be defended against, nor anything close to it.
§39ὡς μὲν οὖν οὔτʼ ἠδίκηκα τοῦτον οὐδὲν οὔτʼ εἰσαγώγιμος ἐκ τῶν νόμων ἐστὶν ἡ δίκη, ταῦτʼ ἄν τις σκοπῶν ῥᾳδίως γνοίη.
Thus, that I have neither wronged this man in any way nor is the suit admissible according to the laws, anyone considering these matters would easily recognize.
οὐδὲν τοίνυν δίκαιον ἔχων οὐδὲ καθʼ ἓν λέγειν ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐγκαλεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ψευδῆ γεγραφὼς εἰς τὸ ἔγκλημα καὶ περὶ ὧν ἀφῆκε δικαζόμενος, τοῦ ἐξελθόντος μηνός, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, ἐπειδὴ ἔμελλον εἰσιέναι τὴν δίκην, ἤδη τῶν δικαστηρίων ἐπικεκληρωμένων, προσελθὼν καὶ περιστήσας τοὺς μεθʼ ἑαυτοῦ, τὸ ἐργαστήριον τῶν συνεστώτων, πρᾶγμα ποιεῖ πάνδεινον· §40ἀναγιγνώσκει μοι πρόκλησιν μακράν, ἀξιῶν, ὅν φησιν οἰκέτην ταῦτα συνειδέναι, βασανίζεσθαι, κἂν μὲν ᾖ ταῦτʼ ἀληθῆ, τὴν δίκην ἀτίμητον ὀφλεῖν αὑτῷ, ἐὰν δὲ ψευδῆ, τὸν βασανιστὴν Μνησικλέα ἐπιγνώμονʼ εἶναι τῆς τιμῆς τῆς τοῦ παιδός.
Having therefore nothing just to say on even a single point concerning his charges, but having even written falsehoods into the indictment, and bringing a suit concerning matters for which he had already released me, last month, men of Athens, when I was about to enter the court, the courts having already been allotted, he approached, and surrounding me with his associates, that gang of conspirators, did a most outrageous thing: he reads to me a long challenge, demanding that the slave, whom he says has knowledge of these matters, be examined by torture, and if these things are true, that I should owe him the damages of the suit without further assessment, but if false, that the torturer, Mnesicles, should be the arbiter of the value of the slave.
λαβὼν δʼ ἐγγυητὰς τούτων παρʼ ἐμοῦ, καὶ σημηναμένου τὴν πρόκλησιν ἐμοῦ, οὐχ ὡς δίκαιον ὄν (ποῦ γάρ ἐστι δίκαιον, §41ἐν οἰκέτου σώματι καὶ ψυχῇ ἢ δύʼ ὠφληκέναι τάλαντα, ἢ μηδὲν τὸν συκοφαντοῦντα ζημιοῦσθαι; ) ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ πολλῷ τῷ δικαίῳ περιεῖναι βουλόμενος συνεχώρουν.
And having received guarantors for these terms from me, and after I had sealed the challenge, not because it was just (for where is it just, on the body and life of a slave, either that I should be condemned to pay two talents, or the malicious prosecutor suffer no penalty at all?) but because I, wishing to triumph through the sheer justice of my cause, agreed.
καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα προσκαλεῖται μέν με τὴν δίκην πάλιν, ἐπειδὴ θᾶττον ἀνείλετο τὰς παρακαταβολάς (οὕτως εὐθὺς ἦν δῆλος οὐδʼ οἷς αὐτὸς ὡρίσατʼ ἐμμένων δικαίοις)· §42ἐπειδὴ δʼ ἥκομεν πρὸς τὸν βασανιστήν, ἀντὶ τοῦ τὴν πρόκλησιν ἀνοίξας δεῖξαι τὰ γεγραμμένα καὶ κατὰ ταῦτα πράττειν ὅ τι δόξαι (διὰ γὰρ τὸν θόρυβον τότε καὶ τὸ μέλλειν καλεῖσθαι τὴν δίκην τοιοῦτον ἦν· προκαλοῦμαί σε ταυτί· δέχομαι· φέρε δὴ τὸν δακτύλιον· λαβέ· τίς δʼ ἐγγυητής; οὑτοσί· οὐδὲν οὔτʼ ἀντίγραφον οὔτʼ ἄλλʼ οὐδὲν ἐποιησάμην τοιοῦτον) ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ ταῦθʼ οὕτως ὥσπερ λέγω πράττειν ἑτέραν ἧκεν ἔχων πρόκλησιν, ἀξιῶν αὐτὸς βασανίζειν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ ἐπιλαβόμενος εἷλκεν, καὶ ἐνέλειπεν οὐδὲν ἀσελγείας.
And after this, he summons me to the suit again, as soon as he had taken back his deposits (so quickly did he make it clear that he did not even abide by the terms of justice which he himself had defined); and when we came before the torturer, instead of opening the challenge, showing what was written, and acting according to whatever had been decided (for because of the confusion at that time and the fact that the suit was about to be called, it was like this: 'I challenge you to this.' 'I accept.' 'Come now, the signet ring.' 'Take it.' 'Who is the guarantor?' 'This man here.' I had made no copy nor any other such thing) instead of acting in this way as I say, he came holding another challenge, demanding that he himself should torture the man, and seizing him, he dragged him, leaving no excess of insolence undone.
§43καὶ ἔγωγʼ ἐνεθυμήθην, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ἡλίκον ἐστὶ πλεονέκτημα τὸ καταπεπλάσθαι τὸν βίον.
And I reflected, men of the jury, how great an advantage it is to have fashioned one's life fictitiously.
ἐγὼ γὰρ ἐμαυτῷ ταῦτα πάσχειν ἐδόκουν καταφρονούμενος τῷ ἁπλῶς καὶ ὡς πέφυκα ζῆν, καὶ δίκην διδόναι παμμεγέθη ταῦτʼ ἀνεχόμενος.
For I seemed to myself to suffer these things because I was despised for living simply and as my nature is, and to be paying an enormous penalty in enduring this.
ὅτι δʼ οὖν ἠναγκαζόμην, παρʼ ἃ ἡγούμην δίκαιʼ εἶναι, ἀντιπροκαλεῖσθαι, καὶ τὸν οἰκέτην παρεδίδουν, καὶ ὅτι ταῦτʼ ἀληθῆ λέγω, λέγε τὴν πρόκλησιν.
At all events, because I was forced, contrary to what I thought was just, to make a counter-challenge, and I offered to surrender the slave, and to prove that I speak the truth in this, read the challenge.
ΠΡΟΚΛΗΣΙΣ.
CHALLENGE.
§44φυγὼν μὲν τοίνυν ταῦτα, φυγὼν δʼ ἃ τὸ πρῶτον αὐτὸς προὐκαλέσατο, ἔγωγʼ, ὅ τι ποτʼ ἐρεῖ πρὸς ὑμᾶς, θαυμάζω.
Having therefore fled from these terms, and having fled from what he himself had first challenged, I, for my part, wonder what on earth he will say to you.
ἵνα δʼ εἰδῆθʼ ὑφʼ οὗ φησὶ καὶ τὰ δεινὰ πεπονθέναι, θεάσασθε.
But so that you may know by whom he also claims to have suffered these terrible things, behold.
οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Πανταίνετον ἐκβαλών, οὗτός ἐσθʼ ὁ κρείττων τῶν φίλων τῶν Πανταινέτου καὶ τῶν νόμων.
This is the man who ejected Pantaenetus, this is the man who is stronger than the friends of Pantaenetus and the laws.
οὐ γὰρ ἔγωγʼ ἐπεδήμουν, οὐδʼ αὐτὸς ἐγκαλεῖ.
For I was not even in the country, nor does he himself charge me with it.