§1ἀναγκαῖον ἴσως ἐστίν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, καὶ τοὺς μὴ εἰωθότας μηδὲ δυναμένους εἰπεῖν εἰσιέναι εἰς δικαστήριον, ἐπειδὰν ὑπό τινος ἀδικῶνται, ἄλλως τε καὶ ὑφʼ ὧν ἥκιστα προσῆκεν, οἷον καὶ ἐμοὶ νυνὶ συμβαίνει.
Perhaps it is necessary, gentlemen of the jury, even for those who are not accustomed to speaking and are unable to do so, to enter a court of law when they are wronged by someone, especially by those from whom it was least fitting, just as has now happened to me.
οὐ βουλόμενος γάρ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ἀγωνίζεσθαι πρὸς Ὀλυμπιόδωρον οἰκεῖον ὄντα καὶ ἀδελφὴν τούτου ἔχων, ἠνάγκασμαι διὰ τὸ μεγάλʼ ἀδικεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τούτου.
For, gentlemen of the jury, not wishing to engage in a lawsuit against Olympiodorus, who is a relative of mine and whose sister I have as my wife, I have been compelled to do so because I am being greatly wronged by him.
§2εἰ μὲν οὖν μὴ ἀδικούμενος, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ἀλλὰ ψεῦδός τι ἐγκαλῶν Ὀλυμπιοδώρῳ τούτων τι ἐποίουν, ἢ τοῖς ἐπιτηδείοις τοῖς ἐμοῖς καὶ Ὀλυμπιοδώρου μὴ ἐθέλων ἐπιτρέπειν, ἢ ἄλλου τινὸς τῶν δικαίων ἀφιστάμενος, εὖ ἴστε ὅτι πάνυ ἂν ᾐσχυνόμην καὶ ἐνόμιζον ἂν ἐμαυτὸν φαῦλον εἶναι ἄνθρωπον·
If, therefore, gentlemen of the jury, I were doing any of these things without being wronged, but bringing some false charge against Olympiodorus, or refusing to submit the matter to our mutual friends, or shrinking from any other of my just duties, know well that I should have been thoroughly ashamed and should have considered myself a base person.
νῦν δʼ οὔτε μικρὰ ἐλαττούμενος ὑπὸ Ὀλυμπιοδώρου, οὔτε διαλλακτὴν οὐδένα φεύγων, οὔτʼ αὖ μὰ τὸν Δία τὸν μέγιστον ἑκών, ἀλλʼ ὡς οἷόν τε μάλιστα ἄκων, ἠνάγκασμαι ὑπὸ τούτου ἀγωνίζεσθαι ταύτην τὴν δίκην.
But as it is, being not slightly disadvantaged by Olympiodorus, and avoiding no arbitrator, and, by Zeus the Greatest, not willingly at all, but as much as possible against my will, I have been compelled by him to contest this lawsuit.
§3δέομαι οὖν ὑμῶν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ἀκούσαντας ἀμφοτέρων ἡμῶν καὶ αὐτοὺς δοκιμαστὰς τοῦ πράγματος γενομένους μάλιστα μὲν διαλλάξαντας ἀποπέμψαι καὶ εὐεργέτας ἡμῶν ἀμφοτέρων ὑμᾶς γενέσθαι, ἐὰν δʼ ἄρα μὴ ἐπιτυγχάνητε τούτου, ἐκ τῶν ὑπολοίπων τῷ τὰ δίκαια λέγοντι, τούτῳ τὴν ψῆφον ὑμᾶς προσθέσθαι.
I beg of you, therefore, gentlemen of the jury, after hearing both of us and becoming yourselves judges of the matter, if possible to reconcile us and dismiss us, and thus become benefactors to both of us; but if, after all, you do not succeed in this, then, from what remains, to give your vote to the one who speaks what is just.
πρῶτον μὲν οὖν μαρτυρίας ἀναγνώσεται ὅτι οὐκ ἐγὼ αἴτιός εἰμι τοῦ εἰς τὸ δικαστήριον εἰσιέναι, ἀλλʼ οὗτος αὐτός.
First, then, the clerk shall read the testimonies showing that I am not the cause of entering the court, but he himself is.
λέγε τὰς μαρτυρίας.
Read the testimonies.
ΜΑΡΤΥΡΙΑΙ.
TESTIMONIES.
§4ὅτι μὲν οὖν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, καὶ μέτρια καὶ προσήκοντα προὐκαλούμην Ὀλυμπιόδωρον, μεμαρτύρηται ὑπὸ τῶν παραγενομένων.
That I made moderate and proper proposals to Olympiodorus, gentlemen of the jury, has been testified by those who were present.
οὐκ ἐθέλοντος δὲ τούτου οὐδʼ ὁτιοῦν ποιεῖν τῶν δικαίων, ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστιν πρὸς ὑμᾶς λέγειν περὶ ὧν ἀδικοῦμαι ὑπὸ Ὀλυμπιοδώρου.
But since he is unwilling to do anything at all that is just, it is necessary to speak to you about the wrongs I suffer from Olympiodorus.
ἔστιν δὲ βραχὺς ὁ λόγος.
The story is brief.
§5ἦν γάρ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, Κόμων Ἁλαιεύς, οἰκεῖος ἡμέτερος.
For there was, gentlemen of the jury, Comon of Halae, a relative of ours.
οὗτος ὁ Κόμων ἐτελεύτησεν ἄπαις ὀλίγον πάνυ χρόνον ἀρρωστήσας, ἐβίω δὲ πολλὰ ἔτη, καὶ ἦν πρεσβύτερος ὅτε ἐτελεύτα.
This Comon died childless after being ill for a very short time; he had lived many years and was quite elderly when he died.
καὶ ἐγὼ ἐπειδὴ ᾐσθόμην ὅτι οὐχ οἷός τέ ἐστιν περιγενέσθαι, μετεπεμψάμην τουτονὶ Ὀλυμπιόδωρον, ὅπως ἂν παρῇ καὶ συνεπιμελῆται μεθʼ ἡμῶν ἁπάντων ὧν προσῆκεν.
And I, when I perceived that he was not able to recover, sent for this Olympiodorus, so that he might be present and assist in taking care of all the fitting matters with all of us.
καὶ Ὀλυμπιόδωρος οὑτοσί, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ἐπειδὴ ἦλθεν ὡς ἐμὲ καὶ τὴν ἀδελφὴν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ, ἐμὴν δὲ γυναῖκα, μεθʼ ἡμῶν ἅπαντα διῴκει.
And Olympiodorus here, gentlemen of the jury, when he came to me and his own sister, who is my wife, managed everything with us.
§6ὄντων δʼ ἡμῶν περὶ ταύτην τὴν πραγματείαν, ἐξαίφνης λόγον μοι προσφέρει Ὀλυμπιόδωρος οὑτοσί, ὅτι καὶ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ προσήκουσα εἴη τῷ Κόμωνι τῷ τετελευτηκότι, καὶ ὅτι δίκαιον εἴη καὶ αὑτὸν τὸ μέρος λαβεῖν ἁπάντων ὧν ὁ Κόμων κατέλιπεν.
While we were occupied with this business, Olympiodorus here suddenly made a proposal to me, saying that his mother also was related to the deceased Comon, and that it was just for him too to receive a share of all that Comon left behind.
καὶ ἐγώ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, συνειδὼς ὅτι ἐψεύδετο καὶ ἀναισχυντεῖν ἐπεχείρει, καὶ ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἦν ἄλλος τῷ Κόμωνι γένει ἐγγυτέρω ἐμοῦ, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ὡς οἷόν τε μάλιστα ὠργίσθην καὶ ἠγανάκτησα ἐπὶ τῇ ἀναισχυντίᾳ τοῦ λόγου, ἔπειτα δὲ ἐλογισάμην πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν ὅτι οὐκ ἐν καιρῷ ὀργιζοίμην, καὶ τούτῳ ἀπεκρινάμην ὅτι ἐν μὲν τῷ παρόντι προσήκει θάπτειν τὸν τετελευτηκότα καὶ τἄλλα ποιεῖν τὰ νομιζόμενα, ἐπειδὰν δὲ τούτων ἁπάντων ἐπιμεληθῶμεν, τόθʼ ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς διαλεξόμεθα.
And I, gentlemen of the jury, knowing well that he was lying and attempting a shameless act, and that there was no one else closer in kin to Comon than myself, was at first as angry and indignant as possible at the shamelessness of his speech; but afterwards I reflected to myself that it was not a proper time to be angry, and I answered him that for the present it was fitting to bury the deceased and perform the other customary rites, and when we had taken care of all these things, we would then discuss the matter among ourselves.
§7καὶ οὗτος, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, προσωμολόγησεν ταῦτα καὶ καλῶς μʼ ἔφη λέγειν.
And he, gentlemen of the jury, agreed to this and said that I spoke well.
ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀπηλλάγημεν καὶ ἐποιήσαμεν ἅπαντα τὰ νομιζόμενα, καθʼ ἡσυχίαν ἤδη παρακαλέσαντες τοὺς οἰκείους ἅπαντας διελεγόμεθα ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς περὶ ὧν οὗτος ἠξίου ἑαυτῷ εἶναι.
And when we had finished and performed all the customary rites, having now at our leisure called together all our relatives, we discussed among ourselves the things he claimed for himself.
ὅσα μὲν οὖν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ἡμεῖς πρὸς ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς διηνέχθημεν περὶ τούτων διαλεγόμενοι, τι ἂν ἐγὼ ταῦτα διηγούμενος ἢ ὑμῖν πράγματα παρέχοιμι ἢ ἐμαυτῷ;
Now, gentlemen of the jury, as to how much we differed in discussing these matters among ourselves, why should I, by narrating this, cause trouble either to you or to myself?