§60ὅτι μὲν οὖν ἡ διαμαρτυρία ψευδής ἐστιν, καὶ ἐκ τῶν γεγραμμένων καὶ ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων λόγων σχεδὸν ἀκριβῶς μεμαθήκατε.
That the protest is false, you have learned almost accurately both from what is written and from the arguments spoken.
ὅτι δὲ καὶ οἱ νόμοι, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ἡμῖν τὴν κληρονομίαν ἀποδιδόασι, τοῦθʼ ὑμᾶς διὰ βραχέων βούλομαι διδάξαι, οὐχ ὡς οὐ μεμαθηκότας καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐν ἀρχῇ εἰρημένοις, ἀλλʼ ἵνα μᾶλλον πρὸς τὴν τούτων ψευδολογίαν τὰ δίκαια μνημονεύητε.
But that the laws also, gentlemen of the jury, give the inheritance to us, this is what I wish to teach you briefly, not as though you had not also learned it in what was said at the beginning, but so that you may rather remember what is just against their falsehood.
§61τὸ μὲν γὰρ σύνολον, ὄντες Ἀρχιάδῃ, οὗ ἐστιν ὁ κλῆρος οὑτοσί, πρὸς ἀνδρῶν κατὰ γένος ἐγγυτάτω, καὶ τῆς ποιήσεως, ἣν ἐκεῖνος ἐποιήσατο, τῶν μὲν ἐπανεληλυθότων εἰς τὸν πατρῷον οἶκον, τοῦ δʼ ἐγκαταλειφθέντος ἄπαιδος τετελευτηκότος, τούτων δʼ οὕτως ἐχόντων ἀξιοῦμεν κληρονομεῖν, §62οὐδεμίαν οὐσίαν Λεωστράτου ἀφελόμενοι (οὗτοι μὲν γὰρ τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἔχουσιν), τῆς ὑπʼ Ἀρχιάδου δὲ καταλειφθείσης οὔσης ἐκ τῶν νόμων ἡμετέρας.
For in general, being closest in kinship in the male line to Archiades, to whom this estate belongs, and when, of the adoption which he made, some of them have returned to their father's house, and the one who was left behind has died childless—since these matters stand thus, we claim to inherit, not taking away any property of Leostratus (for these men have their own), but the estate left by Archiades being ours according to the laws.
ὁ γὰρ νόμος, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, κελεύει κρατεῖν τοὺς ἄρρενας καὶ τοὺς ἐκ τῶν ἀρρένων· οὗτοι δʼ ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν.
For the law, gentlemen of the jury, commands that the males and those descended from the males should have possession; and these are we.
οὐκ ἦσαν τοίνυν παῖδες ἐκείνῳ· οἱ δʼ ὄντες ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν.
Moreover, he had no children; and those who exist of his blood are we.
§63ἔπειτα οὐ δίκαιον δήπου τὸν ποιητὸν υἱὸν ποιητοὺς ἑτέρους εἰσάγειν, ἀλλʼ ἐγκαταλείπειν μὲν γιγνομένους, ὅταν δὲ τοῦτʼ ἐπιλίπῃ, τοῖς γένεσιν ἀποδιδόναι τὰς κληρονομίας· ταῦτα γὰρ οἱ νόμοι κελεύουσιν.
Furthermore, it is surely not just for an adopted son to introduce other adopted sons, but rather to leave behind legitimate ones when they are born, and when this fails, to restore the inheritances to the family lines; for this is what the laws command.
ἐπεὶ πῶς οὐκ ἐκκλείεται εἷς ἕκαστος ὑμῶν τῆς κατὰ γένος ἀγχιστείας, ὅταν τοῖς ποιητοῖς ἡ ἄδεια αὕτη δοθῇ;
Otherwise, how is each one of you not excluded from the succession by kinship, whenever this freedom is granted to adopted sons?
ὁρᾶτε γὰρ ὅτι ταῖς κολακείαις οἱ πλεῖστοι ψυχαγωγούμενοι καὶ ταῖς πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους διαφοραῖς πολλάκις φιλονικοῦντες ποιητοὺς υἱεῖς ποιοῦνται· εἰ δʼ ἔσται τῷ εἰσποιηθέντι παρὰ τὸν νόμον εἰσποιεῖν ὃν ἂν βούληται, οὐδέποτε τοῖς γένεσιν αἱ κληρονομίαι δοθήσονται.
For you see that most people, led away by flattery and often contending in differences with their relatives, make adopted sons; but if it is to be possible for the one adopted to adopt whomsoever he wishes contrary to the law, inheritances will never be given to the family lines.
§64ἃ καὶ προνοηθεὶς ὁ νομοθέτης ἀπεῖπεν τῷ ποιητῷ αὐτῷ ὄντι ποιητὸν υἱὸν μὴ ποιεῖσθαι, τίνα τρόπον διορίσας περὶ τούτων;
Which things the lawgiver also foresaw and forbade the one who is himself adopted to make an adopted son, in what way having distinguished concerning these things?
ὅταν εἴπῃ
υἱὸν γνήσιον ἐγκαταλιπόντα ἐπανιέναι
, δηλοῖ δήπου φανερῶς ὅτι οὐ δεῖ ποιεῖσθαι· ἀδύνατον γάρ ἐστιν υἱὸν γνήσιον ἐγκαταλιπεῖν, ἐὰν μὴ γόνῳ γεγονὼς ᾖ τινι.
When he says, ¦υἱὸν γνήσιον ἐγκαταλιπόντα ἐπανιέναι¦ he shows clearly, I suppose, that he must not make an adoption; for it is impossible to leave behind a legitimate son, unless one has been begotten by birth.
σὺ τοίνυν, ὦ Λεώστρατε, ἀξιοῖς τῷ τετελευτηκότι εἰσποιητῷ εἰς τὸ ἡμέτερον γένος ὄντι ποιητὸν ἐπὶ τὸν κλῆρον εἰσαγαγεῖν, ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τὰ σαυτοῦ κτήματα καὶ οὐκ εἰς τὰ κατὰ νόμον τῷ προσήκοντι δοθησόμενα βαδίζων.
You then, Leostratus, claim to introduce an adopted son to the estate of the deceased who was himself an adopted son into our family, as if walking onto your own possessions and not into those to be given to the proper relative according to the law.
§65ἡμεῖς δέ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, εἰ μὲν ὁ τετελευτηκὼς ἐποιήσατό τινα, καίπερ οὐ διδόντος τοῦ νόμου συνεχωροῦμεν ἂν αὐτῷ, ἢ εἰ διαθήκας κατελελοίπει, καὶ ταύταις ἂν ἐνεμείναμεν, ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς τοιοῦτοι ὄντες διετελοῦμεν, οὐκ ἐναντιούμενοι τούτοις ἔχουσι τὴν οὐσίαν καὶ ἐπανιοῦσιν ἄνω, καθʼ ὃν δήποτε τρόπον ἐβούλοντο.
And we, gentlemen of the jury, if the deceased had made an adoption, even though the law did not grant it, we would have conceded to him, or if he had left a will, we would have abided by these also, since indeed from the beginning we have continued to be of such a character, not opposing these men when they had the property and returned back, in whatever way they wished.
§66ἐπεὶ δὲ νυνί ποτε ὑπὸ τούτων αὐτῶν καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν νόμων τὸ πρᾶγμʼ ἐξελήλεγκται, οἰόμεθα δεῖν κληρονομεῖν τῶν Ἀρχιάδου, καὶ παρʼ ἡμῶν εἶναι τὸν υἱὸν τὸν εἰσποιούμενον τῶν μὴ πεποιημένων πρότερον, μὴ παρὰ τούτων.
But since now at last the matter has been refuted by these very men and by the laws, we believe we ought to inherit the property of Archiades, and that the son to be adopted should be from our side, of those not previously adopted, and not from their side.
δικαίως γὰρ ὁ νομοθέτης, οἶμαι, ὥσπερ καὶ τὰς ἀτυχίας τῶν οἰκείων καὶ τὰς ἐκδόσεις τῶν γυναικῶν τοῖς ἐγγύτατα γένους προσέταττε, οὕτως καὶ τὰς κληρονομίας καὶ τὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν μετουσίαν τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἀποδέδωκεν.
For justly, I believe, the lawgiver, just as he assigned the misfortunes of relatives and the giving in marriage of women to the closest in kinship, so also has he returned the inheritances and the sharing of goods to the same persons.
§67τὸ δὲ πάντων μέγιστον καὶ γνωριμώτατον ὑμῖν· ὁ γὰρ τοῦ Σόλωνος νόμος οὐδὲ διαθέσθαι τὸν ποιητὸν ἐᾷ τὰ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ, οἷ ἂν ποιηθῇ.
And this is the greatest and most familiar thing of all to you: for the law of Solon does not even allow the adopted son to dispose by will of the things in the house into which he has been adopted.
εἰκότως, οἶμαι· τῷ γὰρ κατὰ νόμον εἰσποιηθέντι ἐπὶ τὰ ἑτέρου οὐχ οὕτως ὡς περὶ τῶν ἰδίων κτημάτων βουλευτέον ἐστίν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς νόμοις ἀκολούθως, περὶ ἑκάστου τῶν γεγραμμένων ὡς ὁ νόμος λέγει.
Naturally so, I think; for the one adopted according to law into the estate of another must not decide about it as if concerning his own possessions, but in accordance with the laws, concerning each of the written provisions as the law says.
§68ὅσοι μὴ ἐπεποίηντο
φησίν
ὅτε Σόλων εἰσῄει εἰς τὴν ἀρχήν, ἐξεῖναι αὐτοῖς διαθέσθαι ὅπως ἂν ἐθέλωσιν
, ὡς τοῖς γε ποιηθεῖσιν οὐκ ἐξὸν διαθέσθαι, ἀλλὰ ζῶντας ἐγκαταλιπόντας υἱὸν γνήσιον ἐπανιέναι, ἢ τελευτήσαντας ἀποδιδόναι τὴν κληρονομίαν τοῖς ἐξ ἀρχῆς οἰκείοις οὖσι τοῦ ποιησαμένου.
'As many as had not been adopted,' it says, 'when Solon entered office, shall be permitted to dispose by will as they wish,' showing that for those who have been adopted, it is not permitted to dispose by will, but while living, they must return leaving a legitimate son, or when they die, they must restore the inheritance to those who are the original relatives of the adopter.