§1ἀδελφὰς ἔχομεν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, γυναῖκας ἐγὼ καὶ Σπουδίας οὑτοσί, Πολυεύκτου θυγατέρας.
We have sisters as wives, men of the jury, I and Spudias here, daughters of Polyeuctus.
ἄπαιδος δʼ ἐκείνου τελευτήσαντος ἀρρένων παίδων, ἀναγκάζομαι πρὸς τουτονὶ περὶ τῶν καταλειφθέντων δικάζεσθαι.
He having died without male children, I am forced to go to law against this man concerning the property left behind.
καὶ εἰ μέν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, μὴ πᾶσαν σπουδὴν καὶ προθυμίαν ἐποιησάμην βουλόμενος διαλύεσθαι καὶ τοῖς φίλοις ἐπιτρέπειν, ἐμαυτὸν ἂν ᾐτιώμην, εἰ μᾶλλον ᾑρούμην δίκας καὶ πράγματʼ ἔχειν ἢ μίκρʼ ἐλαττωθεὶς ἀνέχεσθαι· §2νῦν δʼ ὅσῳ πραότερον ἐγὼ καὶ φιλανθρωπότερον τούτῳ διελεγόμην, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλόν μου κατεφρόνει.
And if indeed, men of the jury, I had not made every effort and zeal, wishing to settle the dispute and to refer it to friends, I should blame myself, if I preferred to have lawsuits and troubles rather than to bear a small loss; but as it is, the more gently and kindly I spoke with him, so much the more he despised me.
καὶ νῦν κινδυνεύω μὲν οὐδὲν ὁμοίως τούτῳ πρὸς τουτονὶ τὸν ἀγῶνʼ ἔχειν, ἀλλʼ οὗτος μὲν ῥᾳδίως φέρει πολλάκις εἰθισμένος ἐνταῦθʼ εἰς ὑμᾶς παριέναι, ἐγὼ δʼ αὐτὸ τοῦτο φοβοῦμαι, μὴ διὰ τὴν ἀπειρίαν οὐ δυνηθῶ δηλῶσαι περὶ τῶν πραγμάτων ὑμῖν· ὅμως δʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, προσέχετε τὸν νοῦν.
And now I run the risk of being in no way on equal terms with him in this contest, but he indeed bears it easily, being often accustomed to come forward here before you, while I fear this very thing, lest through inexperience I should be unable to explain the matters to you; nevertheless, men of the jury, pay attention.
§3Πολύευκτος γὰρ ἦν τις Θριάσιος, ὃν ἴσως οὐδʼ ὑμῶν τινες ἀγνοοῦσιν.
For Polyeuctus was a certain Thriasian, whom perhaps some of you also know.
οὗτος ὁ Πολύευκτος, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἦσαν αὐτῷ παῖδες ἄρρενες, ποιεῖται Λεωκράτη τὸν ἀδελφὸν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ γυναικός.
This Polyeuctus, since he had no male children, adopted Leocrates, the brother of his own wife.
οὐσῶν δʼ αὐτῷ δύο θυγατέρων ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Λεωκράτους ἀδελφῆς, τὴν μὲν πρεσβυτέραν ἐμοὶ δίδωσιν καὶ τετταράκοντα μνᾶς προῖκα, τὴν δὲ νεωτέραν τῷ Λεωκράτει.
And he having two daughters from the sister of Leocrates, gave the elder to me with forty minae as dowry, and the younger to Leocrates.
§4τούτων δʼ οὕτως ἐχόντων, διαφορᾶς γενομένης τῷ Πολυεύκτῳ πρὸς τὸν Λεωκράτη, περὶ ἧς οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅ τι δεῖ λέγειν, ἀφελόμενος ὁ Πολύευκτος τὴν θυγατέρα δίδωσι Σπουδίᾳ τουτῳί.
These things being so, a dispute having arisen between Polyeuctus and Leocrates, concerning which I do not know what I must say, Polyeuctus, having taken away his daughter, gave her to Spudias here.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτʼ ἠγανάκτει θʼ ὁ Λεωκράτης, καὶ δίκας ἐλάγχανε Πολυεύκτῳ καὶ τουτῳὶ Σπουδίᾳ, καὶ περὶ πάντων ἠναγκάζοντʼ εἰς λόγον καθίστασθαι.
After this Leocrates was indignant, and brought lawsuits against Polyeuctus and Spudias here, and they were forced to come to an explanation about everything.
καὶ τὸ τελευταῖον διελύθησαν, ἐφʼ ᾧτε κομισάμενον τὸν Λεωκράτην ἅπερ ἦν εἰς τὴν οὐσίαν εἰσενηνεγμένος, μήτε κακόνουν εἶναι τῷ Πολυεύκτῳ, τῶν τε πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐγκλημάτων ἀπηλλάχθαι πάντων.
And finally they settled, on the condition that Leocrates, having recovered whatever he had brought into the estate, should neither bear ill-will toward Polyeuctus, and should be released from all complaints against one another.
§5τίνος οὖν ἕνεχʼ ὑμῖν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ταῦτʼ εἶπον;
Why then, men of the jury, did I tell you these things?
ὅτι τὴν προῖκʼ οὐ κομισάμενος ἅπασαν, ἀλλʼ ὑπολειφθεισῶν χιλίων δραχμῶν καὶ ὁμολογηθεισῶν ἀπολαβεῖν ὅταν Πολύευκτος ἀποθάνῃ, ἕως μὲν ὁ Λεωκράτης ἦν κληρονόμος τῶν Πολυεύκτου, πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἦν μοι τὸ συμβόλαιον· ἐπειδὴ δʼ ὅ τε Λεωκράτης ἐξεκεχωρήκει ὅ τε Πολύευκτος μοχθηρῶς εἶχεν, τηνικαῦτʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, τὴν οἰκίαν ταύτην ἀποτιμῶμαι πρὸς τὰς δέκα μνᾶς, ἐξ ἧς διακωλύει με τὰς μισθώσεις κομίζεσθαι Σπουδίας.
Because, not having recovered the whole dowry, but a thousand drachmae having been left unpaid and agreed to be received when Polyeuctus should die, as long as Leocrates was the heir of Polyeuctus, my contract was with him; but when Leocrates had departed and Polyeuctus was in a bad state of health, then, men of the jury, I took this house as security for the ten minae, from which Spudias prevents me from receiving the rents.
§6πρῶτον μὲν οὖν ὑμῖν μάρτυρας παρέξομαι τοὺς παραγενομένους ὅτʼ ἠγγύα μοι Πολύευκτος τὴν θυγατέρʼ ἐπὶ τετταράκοντα μναῖς· ἔπειθʼ ὡς ἔλαττον ταῖς χιλίαις ἐκομισάμην· ἔτι δʼ ὡς ἅπαντα τὸν χρόνον ὀφείλειν ὡμολόγει μοι Πολύευκτος, καὶ τὸν Λεωκράτην συνέστησε, καὶ ὡς τελευτῶν διέθεθʼ ὅρους ἐπιστῆσαι χιλίων δραχμῶν ἐμοὶ τῆς προικὸς ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκίαν.
First then I will produce to you as witnesses those who were present when Polyeuctus betrothed his daughter to me with forty minae; next, that I recovered less by a thousand; further, that during all the time Polyeuctus admitted that he owed it to me, and introduced Leocrates, and that at the end he directed by will to set up boundary-stones for a thousand drachmae for me for my dowry upon the house.
καί μοι κάλει τοὺς μάρτυρας. ΜΑΡΤΥΡΕΣ.
And call the witnesses for me. ΜΑΡΤΥΡΕΣ.
§7ἓν μὲν τοίνυν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, τοῦτʼ ἔστιν ὧν ἐγκαλῶ Σπουδίᾳ.
One thing indeed, men of the jury, this is of the things which I charge against Spudias.
καὶ περὶ τούτου τί ἂν ἔτι μεῖζον ἢ ἰσχυρότερον ἔχων εἰς ὑμᾶς κατέστην ἢ τὸν νόμον, ὃς οὐκ ἐᾷ διαρρήδην, ὅσα τις ἀπετίμησεν, εἶναι δίκας, οὔτʼ αὐτοῖς οὔτε τοῖς κληρονόμοις;
And concerning this, what greater or stronger thing could I have in coming before you than the law, which expressly does not allow, concerning whatever things anyone has taken as security, that there should be lawsuits, either for themselves or for their heirs?
ἀλλʼ ὅμως πρὸς τοῦτο τὸ δίκαιον ἥκει Σπουδίας ἀμφισβητήσων.
But nevertheless Spudias has come to dispute against this justice.
§8ἕτερον δʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, δύο μὲν μνᾶς, ἃς ἐμαρτύρησεν Ἀριστογένης ἐγκαλεῖν ἀποθνῄσκοντα Πολύευκτον ὀφειλομένας αὑτῷ παρὰ Σπουδίᾳ καὶ τὸν τόκον (τοῦτο δʼ ἐστὶν οἰκέτου τιμή, ὃν ἐωνημένος οὗτος παρὰ τοῦ Πολυεύκτου, τὴν τιμὴν οὔτʼ ἐκείνῳ διέλυσεν οὔτε νῦν εἰς τὸ κοινὸν ἀνενήνοχεν), ὀκτακοσίας δὲ καὶ χιλίας, περὶ ὧν οὐδʼ ἔγωγʼ οἶδα τί ποθʼ ἕξει δίκαιον λέγειν.
And another thing, men of the jury, two minae, which Aristogenes testified that Polyeuctus when dying charged was owed to him by Spudias, and the interest (this is the price of a house-slave, whom he having bought from Polyeuctus, neither paid the price to him nor has now brought it into the common fund), and eighteen hundred, concerning which I indeed do not know what just thing he will ever have to say.