§9τί δʼ, ἂν ἄλλη τις ἀρχὴ καθιστῇ λῃτουργεῖν, οἷον ἄρχων, βασιλεύς, ἀθλοθέται, τί σημεῖον ἔσται πότερον καθιστᾶσιν;
What if some other authority, such as the archon, the king-archon, or the stewards of the games, appoints us to perform a liturgy, what sign will there be as to which of us they are appointing?
προσπαραγράψουσι νὴ Δία τὸν ἐκ Πλαγγόνος, ἂν σὲ ἐγγράφωσιν, ἂν δʼ ἐμέ, τῆς ἐμῆς μητρὸς τοὔνομα.
By Zeus, they will add 'the son of Plangon' if they register you, or my mother's name if they register me.
καὶ τίς ἤκουσε πώποτε, ἢ κατὰ ποῖον νόμον προσπαραγράφοιτʼ ἂν τοῦτο τὸ παράγραμμα ἢ ἄλλο τι πλὴν ὁ πατὴρ καὶ ὁ δῆμος;
But who has ever heard of such a thing, or under what law could this or any other addition be made except the father and the deme?
ὧν ὄντων ἀμφοῖν τῶν αὐτῶν πολλὴ ταραχὴ συμβαίνει.
Since both of these are the same, great confusion arises.
§10φέρε, εἰ δὲ κριτὴς καλοῖτο Μαντίθεος Μαντίου Θορίκιος, τί ἂν ποιοῖμεν;
Come now, if 'Mantitheus, son of Mantias, of Thoricus' were called as a judge, what should we do?
ἢ βαδίζοιμεν ἂν ἄμφω;
Should we both go?
τῷ γὰρ ἔσται δῆλον πότερον σὲ κέκληκεν ἢ ἐμέ;
For by what will it be clear whether he has called you or me?
πρὸς Διός, ἂν δʼ ἀρχὴν ἡντινοῦν ἡ πόλις κληροῖ, οἷον βουλῆς, θεσμοθέτου, τῶν ἄλλων, τῷ δῆλος ὁ λαχὼν ἡμῶν ἔσται;
By Zeus, if the city chooses by lot for any office whatsoever, such as the council, the thesmothetes, or any of the others, by what will the one of us who has won the lot be clear?
πλὴν εἰ σημεῖον, ὥσπερ ἂν ἄλλῳ τινί, τῷ χαλκίῳ προσέσται· καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦθʼ ὁποτέρου ἐστὶν οἱ πολλοὶ γνώσονται.
Unless a mark is added to the bronze ticket, as would be done for anyone else; and even then, the public will not know to which of us it belongs.
οὐκοῦν ὁ μὲν ἑαυτόν, ἐγὼ δʼ ἐμαυτὸν φήσω τὸν εἰληχότʼ εἶναι.
Therefore, he will say that he is the one who won, and I will say that I am.
§11λοιπὸν εἰς τὸ δικαστήριον εἰσιέναι.
What remains is to go to the court.
οὐκοῦν ἐφʼ ἑκάστῳ τούτων δικαστήριον ἡμῖν ἡ πόλις καθιεῖ, καὶ τοῦ μὲν κοινοῦ καὶ ἴσου, τοῦ τὸν λαχόντʼ ἄρχειν, ἀποστερησόμεθα, ἀλλήλους δὲ πλυνοῦμεν, καὶ ὁ τῷ λόγῳ κρατήσας ἄρξει.
Therefore, for each of these cases, the city will establish a court for us, and we shall be deprived of our equal and common right—that the one who wins the lot should hold office—and we shall slander each other, and the one who prevails in speech will hold office.
καὶ πότερʼ ἂν βελτίους εἴημεν τῶν ὑπαρχουσῶν δυσκολιῶν ἀπαλλαττόμενοι, ἢ καινὰς ἔχθρας καὶ βλασφημίας ποιούμενοι;
And would we be better off being rid of our existing difficulties, or creating new hatreds and slanders?
ἃς πᾶσʼ ἀνάγκη συμβαίνειν, ὅταν ἀρχῆς ἤ τινος ἄλλου πρὸς ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἀμφισβητῶμεν.
All of these are bound to happen whenever we dispute with each other about an office or anything else.
§12τί δʼ, ἂν ἄρα (δεῖ γὰρ ἅπαντα ἐξετάσαι) ἅτερος ἡμῶν πείσας τὸν ἕτερον, ἐὰν λάχῃ, παραδοῦναι αὑτῷ τὴν ἀρχήν, οὕτω κληρῶται, τὸ δυοῖν πινακίοιν τὸν ἕνα κληροῦσθαι τί ἄλλʼ ἐστίν;
What if indeed (for we must examine everything) one of us, having persuaded the other, should, in case he wins, hand over the office to him, and so enter the lottery—what else is this than one person drawing lots with two tickets?
εἶτʼ ἐφʼ ᾧ θάνατον ζημίαν ὁ νόμος λέγει, τοῦθʼ ἡμῖν ἀδεῶς ἐξέσται πράττειν;
And then, shall we be allowed to do without fear that for which the law prescribes death as the penalty?
πάνυ γε· οὐ γὰρ ἂν αὐτὸ ποιήσαιμεν. οἶδα κἀγώ, τὸ γοῦν κατʼ ἐμέ· ἀλλʼ οὐδʼ αἰτίαν τοιαύτης ζημίας ἐνίους ἔχειν καλόν, ἐξὸν μή.
'Of course, for we would not do it.' I too know that, at least as far as I am concerned; but it is not good for some to bear even the accusation of such a penalty, when it is possible not to.
§13εἶεν.
Very well.
ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἡ πόλις βλάπτεται· ἐγὼ δʼ ἰδίᾳ τί;
These are the ways in which the city is harmed; but what of me privately?
θεάσασθʼ ἡλίκα, καὶ σκοπεῖτʼ ἄν τι δοκῶ λέγειν· πολὺ γὰρ χαλεπώτερα ταῦθʼ ὧν ἀκηκόατʼ ἐστίν.
See how great they are, and consider if I seem to speak the truth; for these are far more grievous than what you have heard.
ὁρᾶτε μὲν γὰρ ἅπαντες αὐτὸν χρώμενον, ἕως μὲν ἔζη, Μενεκλεῖ καὶ τοῖς περὶ ἐκεῖνον ἀνθρώποις, νῦν δʼ ἑτέροις ἐκείνου βελτίοσιν οὐδέν, καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτʼ ἐζηλωκότα καὶ δεινὸν δοκεῖν εἶναι βουλόμενον· καὶ νὴ Δίʼ ἴσως ἔστιν.
For you all see him associating, as long as he lived, with Menecles and the people of that crowd, and now with others no better than he, emulating such things and wishing to seem formidable; and by Zeus, perhaps he is.
§14ἂν οὖν προϊόντος τοῦ χρόνου τῶν αὐτῶν τι ποιεῖν τούτοις ἐπιχειρῇ (ἔστι δὲ ταῦτα γραφαί, φάσεις, ἐνδείξεις, ἀπαγωγαί), εἶτʼ ἐπὶ τούτων τινί (πολλὰ γάρ ἐστι τἀνθρώπινα, καὶ τοὺς πάνυ δεινοὺς ἑκάστοτε, ὅταν πλεονάζωσιν, ἐπίστασθʼ ὑμεῖς κοσμίους ποιεῖν) ὄφλῃ τῷ δημοσίῳ, τί μᾶλλον οὗτος ἐγγεγραμμένος ἔσται ἐμοῦ;
If, then, as time goes on, he attempts to do any of the same things as these men (and these are public prosecutions, plaints, indictments, summary arrests), and then, on one of these charges (for human affairs are full of vicissitudes, and you know how to make even the most formidable keep order whenever they exceed bounds), he is fined to the treasury, how much more will he be registered than I?
§15ὅτι νὴ Δίʼ εἴσονται πάντες πότερός ποτʼ ὦφλεν.
Because, by Zeus, everyone will know which of the two was fined.
καλῶς.
Well and good.
ἂν δέ, ὃ τυχὸν γένοιτʼ ἄν, χρόνος διέλθῃ καὶ μὴ ἐκτεισθῇ τὸ ὄφλημα, τί μᾶλλον οἱ τούτου παῖδες ἔσονται τῶν ἐμῶν ἐγγεγραμμένοι, ὅταν τοὔνομα καὶ ὁ πατὴρ καὶ ἡ φυλὴ καὶ πάντʼ ᾖ ταὐτά;
But if, as might well happen, time passes and the fine is not paid, why will his children be registered any more than mine, when the name, the father, the tribe, and everything are the same?
τί δʼ, εἴ τις δίκην ἐξούλης αὐτῷ λαχὼν μηδὲν ἐμοὶ φαίη πρὸς αὑτὸν εἶναι, κυρίαν δὲ ποιησάμενος ἐγγράψαι, τί μᾶλλον ἂν εἴη τοῦτον ἢ ἔμʼ ἐγγεγραφώς;
And what if someone, having brought an action of ejectment against him, should say that he has nothing to do with me, but having made the judgment binding, registers it—why would he have registered him any more than me?
τί δʼ, εἴ τινας εἰσφορὰς μὴ θείη;
And what if he should not pay some tax-contributions?