§52τὸ μετὰ ταῦτα τοίνυν πῶς οὐκ ἄτοπον καὶ δεινόν ἐστιν, ἅμα παρακαταβεβληκέναι τοῦ κλήρου πρὸς τῷ ἄρχοντι ὡς ὄντα αὐτὸν Ἀρχιάδου Λεώστρατον τουτονί, τὸν Ἐλευσίνιον τοῦ Ὀτρυνέως, διαμεμαρτυρηκέναι δʼ ἕτερον, ὡς αὐτοὶ ὁρᾶτε, φάσκοντα καὶ τοῦτον Ἀρχιάδου υἱὸν εἶναι;
Then, how is what followed not strange and outrageous, that Leostratus here—the one from Eleusis, though originally of Otryne—has made a deposit for the estate before the archon on the ground that he himself is the son of Archiades, and at the same time another person, as you yourselves see, has entered a protest, claiming that this man too is the son of Archiades?
καὶ ποτέρῳ δεῖ προσέχειν ὑμῶν ὡς ἀληθῆ λέγοντι;
And to which of the two should you pay attention as speaking the truth?
§53αὐτὸ γὰρ τοῦτο τεκμήριον οὐκ ἐλάχιστόν ἐστι τοῦ ψευδῆ τὴν διαμαρτυρίαν γεγενῆσθαι, τὸ περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ πράγματος μὴ τὸν αὐτὸν ἀμφισβητεῖν. εἰκότως·
For this very fact is no small proof that the protest has become false: namely, that concerning the same matter, the same person is not contesting.
ὅτε γὰρ οἶμαι Λεώστρατος οὑτοσὶ παρακατέβαλλε τοῦ κλήρου πρὸς ἡμᾶς, οὔπω ὁ διαμεμαρτυρηκὼς νῦν ἐνεγέγραπτο δημότης εἶναι.
And naturally so; for when, I believe, Leostratus here made his deposit for the estate against us, the one who has now entered the protest had not yet been enrolled as a demesman.
ὥστε πάντων ἂν δεινότατα πάθοιμεν, εἰ τῇ ὕστερον τῶν πραγμάτων γεγενημένῃ διαμαρτυρίᾳ πιστεύσετε ὑμεῖς.
Therefore, we should suffer the most outrageous of all things if you should believe the protest that was made after the events.
§54ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ πρεσβύτερά γε αὑτοῦ διαμεμαρτύρηκεν.
Moreover, he has entered a protest concerning matters older than himself.
ὁ γὰρ μήπω ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τῷ Ἀρχιάδου ὤν, ὅθʼ ἡ λῆξις αὕτη τοῦ κλήρου ἐγένετο, πῶς ἂν εἰδείη τι τούτων;
For how could one who was not yet in the house of Archiades, when this claim for the estate was made, know anything of these things?
ἔπειτʼ εἰ μὲν αὑτὸν διεμεμαρτυρήκει, εἶχεν ἂν λόγον αὐτῷ τὸ πρᾶγμα· ἀδίκως μὲν ἂν ἔγραφεν, οὐδὲν δʼ ἧττον ὑπὲρ τοῦ κατὰ τὴν ἡλικίαν γʼ ὄντος.
Furthermore, if he had entered the protest on his own behalf, the matter would have some explanation for him; he would have written unjustly, but nevertheless on behalf of one who was within his own age.
νῦν δὲ γνησίους υἱοὺς γέγραφεν τῷ Ἀρχιάδῃ ἐκείνῳ εἶναι, τόν τε αὑτοῦ πατέρα δῆλον ὅτι καὶ τὸν κατὰ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ποίησιν, οὐκ ἐπιλογισάμενος ὅτι ἐπανεληλυθότες ἦσαν.
But as it is, he has written that there are legitimate sons to that famous Archiades—clearly meaning his own father and the one adopted from the beginning—not taking into account that they had returned.
οὐκοῦν ἀνάγκη πρεσβυτέρας πράξεις αὐτὸν καὶ μὴ τὰς ἐφʼ ἑαυτοῦ γεγενημένας διαμεμαρτυρηκέναι.
Therefore, he must necessarily have entered a protest concerning older events and not those that occurred in his own time.
εἶθʼ ὑμεῖς τῷ τοῦτο τετολμηκότι πιστεύσετε ὡς ἀληθῆ λέγοντι;
Will you then believe the one who has dared to do this, as speaking the truth?
§55νὴ Δίʼ, ἀλλʼ ἀκηκοὼς τοῦ αὑτοῦ πατρὸς διαμεμαρτύρηκεν. ὁ δέ γε νόμος ἀκοὴν τῶν τετελευτηκότων κελεύει διαμαρτυρεῖν, οὐ ζῶντος τοῦ πατρὸς τὰ ὑπʼ ἐκείνου πραχθέντα.
'By Zeus, but he entered the protest because he had heard it from his own father!' Yet the law commands to testify by hearsay only of deceased persons, and not concerning things done by a father while he is still living.
ἐπεὶ κἀκεῖνο· διὰ τί ποτε Λεώστρατος οὑτοσὶ οὐχ αὑτόν, ἀλλὰ τοῦτον ἐπεγράψατο τῇ διαμαρτυρίᾳ;
Moreover, there is also this: why in the world did Leostratus here not name himself, but this man, in the protest?
τὰ γὰρ πρεσβύτερα τῶν πραγμάτων τὸν πρεσβύτερον ἔδει διαμαρτυρεῖν.
For the older man ought to have protested concerning the older of the matters.
ὅτι νὴ Δίʼ, ἂν εἴποι, τοῦτον εἰσπεποίηκα υἱὸν τῷ Ἀρχιάδῃ. §56οὐκοῦν σὲ τὸν εἰσποιοῦντα καὶ κατασκευάζοντα τὰ πράγματα καὶ λόγον ἔδει διδόναι, γενόμενον ὑπεύθυνον ὧν πεποίηκας· πολλή γε ἀνάγκη.
'Because, by Zeus,' he might say, 'I have adopted this man as a son to Archiades.' Therefore you, the one who adopts and contrives the matters, ought to have given an account, becoming responsible for what you have done; there is indeed great necessity for this.
ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν ἔφυγες, τῇ διαμαρτυρίᾳ δὲ τοῦτον οὐδὲν εἰδότʼ ἐπεγράψω.
But you fled from this, and registered this man, who knows nothing, for the protest.
ὥστε φανερὸν ὑμῖν ἐστιν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, τὰ διαμαρτυρούμενα μὴ εἶναι ἀληθῆ, καὶ παρʼ αὐτοῖς γε τούτοις ὁμολογεῖται.
So it is clear to you, gentlemen of the jury, that the statements protested are not true, and this is admitted by these very men.
καὶ μὴν κἀκεῖνο δίκαιόν ἐστιν, μὴ λέγοντος αὐτίκα μάλʼ ἀκούειν Λεωστράτου τουτουί, ὑπὲρ ὧν γε διαμαρτυρῆσαι οὐκ ἐτόλμησεν.
Furthermore, it is also just not to listen to Leostratus here speaking in a moment concerning things which he did not dare to protest.
§57ὡς δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀγώνων ἀδικώτατοι καὶ πλείστης ὀργῆς ἄξιοι τοῖς ἀγωνιζομένοις αἱ διαμαρτυρίαι εἰσίν, μάλιστʼ ἄν τις ἐκεῖθεν καταμάθοι.
And that protests are of all contests the most unjust and deserve the greatest anger for those who contend, one can understand best from the following.
πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ἀναγκαίως ἔχουσιν, ὥσπερ οἱ ἄλλοι, ἀλλʼ ἐκ προαιρέσεως καὶ βουλήσεως τῆς τοῦ διαμαρτυροῦντος γίγνονται.
For in the first place, they are not necessary, as the others are, but arise from the choice and will of the one who protests.
εἰ μὲν γὰρ ὑπὲρ τῶν διαμφισβητουμένων μὴ ἔστιν ἄλλον τρόπον δίκην λαβεῖν ἢ διαμαρτυρήσαντα, ἴσως ἀναγκαῖον τὸ διαμαρτυρεῖν· §58εἰ δὲ καὶ ἄνευ διαμαρτυρίας πρὸς ἅπασι τοῖς συνεδρίοις ἔνεστι λόγου μὴ ἀποστερηθῆναι, πῶς οὐ προπετείας καὶ τῆς μεγίστης ἀπονοίας σημεῖον τὸ διαμαρτυρεῖν ἐστιν;
For if it were not possible to obtain justice concerning disputed matters in any other way than by entering a protest, perhaps protesting would be necessary; but if even without a protest it is possible before all courts not to be deprived of speech, how is entering a protest not a sign of rashness and the greatest madness?
οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ νομοθέτης ἀναγκαῖον αὐτὸ ἐποίησεν τοῖς ἀντιδίκοις, ἀλλʼ ἂν βούλωνται διαμαρτυρεῖν, ἔδωκεν, ὥσπερ διάπειραν ποιούμενος τῶν τρόπων ἑνὸς ἑκάστου ἡμῶν, πῶς ποτʼ ἔχοιμεν πρὸς τὸ προπετῶς τι πράττειν.
For not even the lawgiver made it necessary for litigants, but granted it if they wish to protest, as if making a trial of the character of each of us, to see how we are disposed toward doing something rashly.
§59ἔτι τοίνυν ἐπὶ τὸ τῶν διαμαρτυρούντων μέρος οὔτε δικαστήρια ἦν ἂν οὔτε ἀγῶνες ἐγίγνοντο· κωλύει γὰρ πάντα ταῦτα τὸ τῶν διαμαρτυριῶν γένος καὶ ἀποκλείει εἰσαγωγῆς ἕκαστα τῆς εἰς τὸ δικαστήριον, κατά γε τὴν τοῦ διαμαρτυροῦντος βούλησιν.
Furthermore, as far as the part of those who protest is concerned, there would be neither courts nor would contests take place; for the class of protests hinders all these things and shuts out each case from entry into the court, at least according to the will of the one who protests.
διόπερ οἶμαι δεῖν κοινοὺς ἐχθροὺς τοὺς τοιούτους ἀνθρώπους ὑπολαμβάνειν πᾶσιν εἶναι, καὶ μηδέποτε τυγχάνειν αὐτοὺς συγγνώμης ἀγωνιζομένους παρʼ ὑμῖν· προελόμενος γὰρ ἕκαστος αὐτῶν τὸν ἐκ τοῦ διαμαρτυρῆσαι κίνδυνον, οὐκ ἀναγκασθεὶς εἰσέρχεται.
Therefore, I believe we must assume such men to be common enemies to all, and that they should never obtain pardon when contending before you; for each of them enters, not being forced, but having chosen the risk of protesting.