§15τοῦ μὲν νόμου τοίνυν ἀκηκόατε, ὃς οὐκ ἐᾷ διαθήκας διαθέσθαι, ἐὰν παῖδες ὦσι γνήσιοι.
You have, then, heard the law, which does not allow a man to make a will if there are legitimate children.
οὗτοι δέ φασι ταῦτα διαθέσθαι τὸν πατέρα, ὡς δὲ παρεγένοντο οὐκ ἔχουσιν ἐπιδεῖξαι.
But these men say that my father made these dispositions, yet they cannot show how they were present.
ἄξιον δὲ καὶ τόδε ἐνθυμηθῆναι, ὅτι ὅσοι μὴ ἐπεποίηντο ἀλλʼ ἦσαν πεφυκότες γνήσιοι, τούτοις ὁ νόμος δίδωσιν, ἐὰν ἄπαιδες ὦσιν, διαθέσθαι τὰ ἑαυτῶν.
It is also worth considering this point, that the law grants to those who had not been adopted but were born legitimate, if they are childless, the right to dispose of their own property.
ὁ τοίνυν πατὴρ ἡμῶν ἐπεποίητο ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου πολίτης, ὥστε οὐδὲ κατὰ τοῦτο ἐξῆν αὐτῷ διαθέσθαι διαθήκην, ἄλλως τε καὶ περὶ τῆς γυναικός, ἧς οὐδὲ κύριος ἐκ τῶν νόμων ἦν, παῖδές τε ἦσαν αὐτῷ.
Our father, therefore, had been made a citizen by the people, so that on this ground too he was not permitted to make a will, especially concerning his wife, of whom he did not even have guardianship according to the laws, and when he had children.
§16σκέψασθε δὲ καὶ διότι οὐδʼ ἂν ἄπαις τις ᾖ, κύριός ἐστι τὰ αὑτοῦ διαθέσθαι, ἐὰν μὴ εὖ φρονῇ· νοσοῦντα δὲ ἢ φαρμακῶντα ἢ γυναικὶ πειθόμενον ἢ ὑπὸ γήρως ἢ ὑπὸ μανιῶν ἢ ὑπὸ ἀνάγκης τινὸς καταληφθέντα ἄκυρον κελεύουσιν εἶναι οἱ νόμοι.
Consider also why it is that, even if someone is childless, he has no authority to dispose of his property unless he is of sound mind; for the laws ordain that a disposition is invalid if a man is diseased, or under the influence of drugs, or persuaded by a woman, or overcome by old age, or madness, or some constraint.
σκοπεῖτε δή, εἰ δοκοῦσιν ὑμῖν εὖ φρονοῦντος ἀνδρὸς εἶναι αἱ διαθῆκαι, ἅς φασι διαθέσθαι οὗτοι τὸν πατέρα.
Now consider whether the will which these men say our father made seems to you to be that of a man of sound mind.
§17μὴ πρὸς ἄλλο δέ τι παράδειγμα σκέψησθε ἢ πρὸς τὴν μίσθωσιν, εἰ δοκεῖ ὑμῖν ἀκόλουθον εἶναι τῷ τὴν τέχνην μὴ ἐξουσίαν δοῦναι εἰ μὴ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ ἡμῖν ἐργάζεσθαι, τούτῳ τὴν γυναῖκα δοῦναι τὴν αὑτοῦ καὶ τῶν παίδων ἐᾶσαι κοινωνὸν αὑτῷ γενέσθαι.
Do not look to any other example than the lease, to see whether it seems consistent to you that he should give his own wife and allow her to become a partner with him in his children, to a man to whom he did not give the power to carry on the business unless he worked in the same place with us.
καὶ μὴ θαυμάζετε, εἰ τἄλλα σκευωρουμένους αὐτοὺς τὰ ἐν τῇ μισθώσει τοῦτο παρέλαθεν.
And do not wonder if, while they were fabricating the other details in the lease, this escaped them.
ἴσως μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲ προσεῖχον ἄλλῳ οὐδενὶ ἢ τῷ τὰ χρήματα ἀποστερῆσαι καὶ τῷ προσοφείλοντα τὸν πατέρα ἐγγράψαι· εἶτα δὲ οὐδὲ ἐδόκουν ἐμὲ οὕτω δεινὸν ἔσεσθαι ὥστε ταῦτα ἀκριβῶς ἐξετάσαι.
For perhaps they paid no attention to anything else except to deprive us of the money and to register our father as a debtor; and furthermore, they did not think that I would be so clever as to examine these matters with such precision.
§18σκέψασθε τοίνυν καὶ τοὺς νόμους, παρʼ ὧν κελεύουσι τὰς ἐγγύας ποιεῖσθαι, ἵνʼ εἰδῆτε καὶ ἐκ τούτων ὡς κατεσκευασμένης διαθήκης ψευδὴς μάρτυς γέγονε Στέφανος οὑτοσί.
Now consider also the laws from which they bid the betrothals to be made, so that from these too you may know that this Stephanos has become a false witness to a fabricated will.
ΝΟΜΟΣ.
"ἣν ἂν ἐγγυήσῃ ἐπὶ δικαίοις δάμαρτα εἶναι ἢ πατὴρ ἢ ἀδελφὸς ὁμοπάτωρ ἢ πάππος ὁ πρὸς πατρός, ἐκ ταύτης εἶναι παῖδας γνησίους.
LAW "Whomever a father, or a brother by the same father, or a paternal grandfather betroths under lawful conditions to be a wife, from her shall be born legitimate children.
ἐὰν δὲ μηδεὶς ᾖ τούτων, ἐὰν μὲν ἐπίκληρός τις ᾖ, τὸν κύριον ἔχειν, ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ᾖ, ὅτῳ ἂν ἐπιτρέψῃ, τοῦτον κύριον εἶναι. " §19οὗτος μὲν τοίνυν ὁ νόμος οὓς ἐποίησεν κυρίους εἶναι, ἀκηκόατε·
And if none of these exist, if she is an heiress, her guardian shall have her; and if she is not, whomever she may be entrusted to, he shall be her guardian." You have, then, heard whom this law made guardians; and that none of these existed for my mother, my opponents themselves have testified.
ὅτι δʼ οὐδεὶς ἦν τούτων τῇ μητρί, οἱ ἀντίδικοί μοι αὐτοὶ μεμαρτυρήκασιν. εἰ γὰρ ἦν, παρείχοντʼ ἄν.
For if there had been, they would have produced him.
ἢ μάρτυρας μὲν ψευδεῖς οἴεσθʼ ἂν παρασχέσθαι καὶ διαθήκας οὐκ οὔσας, ἀδελφὸν δὲ ἢ πάππον ἢ πατέρα οὐκ ἄν, εἴπερ ἦν δυνατὸν ἕνεκα χρημάτων;
Or is it that you think they could produce false witnesses and a non-existent will, but could not produce a brother or a grandfather or a father, if it were possible, for the sake of money?
ὁπότε τοίνυν μηδεὶς φαίνεται ζῶν τούτων, τότε ἀνάγκη ἐπίκληρον τὴν μητέρα ἡμῶν εἶναι.
Since, therefore, none of these appears to be living, it is necessary that our mother was an heiress.
τῆς τοίνυν ἐπικλήρου σκοπεῖτε τίνας κελεύουσιν οἱ νόμοι κυρίους εἶναι.
Now consider whom the laws ordain to be masters over an heiress.
§20λέγε τὸν νόμον.
Read the law.
ΝΟΜΟΣ.
"καὶ ἐὰν ἐξ ἐπικλήρου τις γένηται καὶ ἅμα ἡβήσῃ ἐπὶ δίετες, κρατεῖν τῶν χρημάτων, τὸν δὲ σῖτον μετρεῖν τῇ μητρί. "
οὐκοῦν ὁ μὲν νόμος κελεύει τοὺς παῖδας ἡβήσαντας κυρίους τῆς μητρὸς εἶναι, τὸν δὲ σῖτον μετρεῖν τῇ μητρί.
LAW "And if a child is born of an heiress and has reached puberty for two years, he shall take possession of the property, and shall measure out maintenance to his mother." Therefore, the law bids the children who have reached manhood to be masters over their mother, and to measure out maintenance to their mother.
ἐγὼ δὲ φαίνομαι στρατευόμενος καὶ τριηραρχῶν ὑμῖν, ὅτε οὗτος συνῴκησεν τῇ μητρί.
But it is clear that I was serving in the army and acting as trierarch for you when this man lived with my mother.
§21ἀλλὰ μὴν ὅτι ἐγὼ μὲν ἀπεδήμουν τριηραρχῶν, ἐτετελευτήκει δὲ ὁ πατὴρ πάλαι, ὅτε οὗτος ἔγημε, τὰς δὲ θεραπαίνας αὐτὸν ἐξῄτουν καὶ ἠξίουν περὶ αὐτοῦ τούτου βασανίζεσθαι αὐτάς, εἰ ταῦτʼ ἀληθῆ ἐστι, καὶ ὡς προὐκαλούμην, λαβέ μοι τὴν μαρτυρίαν.
Indeed, that I was abroad acting as trierarch, and that my father had died long before when this man married, and that I demanded his female slaves and claimed that they should be tortured on this very point, to see if these things were true, and how I challenged him, take the testimony for me.
ΜΑΡΤΥΡΙΑ.
"μαρτυροῦσι παρεῖναι ὅτε προὐκαλεῖτο Ἀπολλόδωρος Φορμίωνα, ὅτε ἠξίου παραδοῦναι Ἀπολλόδωρος Φορμίωνα τὰς θεραπαίνας εἰς βάσανον, εἰ μή φησι Φορμίων καὶ πρότερον διεφθαρκέναι τὴν μητέρα τὴν ἐμήν, πρὶν οὗ ἀποφαίνει Φορμίων γῆμαι ἐγγυησάμενος αὐτὴν παρὰ Πασίωνος.
TESTIMONY "They testify that they were present when Apollodoros challenged Phormion, when Apollodoros demanded that Phormion surrender the female slaves for torture, in case Phormion denied that he had already seduced my mother even before the time when Phormion claims to have married her having betrothed her from Pasion.
ταῦτα δὲ προκαλουμένου Ἀπολλοδώρου οὐκ ἠθέλησε Φορμίων παραδοῦναι τὰς θεραπαίνας. "
But though Apollodoros made this challenge, Phormion refused to surrender the female slaves."