§61ἡ δὲ γυνή, ἣν ἐγὼ περὶ πλείστου ποιοῦμαι, ἀσθενῶς διέκειτο πολὺν χρόνον ἐν τῇ ἐμῇ ἀποδημίᾳ· τὰ δὲ παιδία μικρά, ἡ δὲ οὐσία ὑπόχρεως·
And my wife, whom I hold in the highest esteem, was in poor health for a long time during my absence; my children were small, and my estate was encumbered with debt.
ἡ δὲ γῆ οὐχ ὅπως τινὰ καρπὸν ἤνεγκεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ ἐνιαυτῷ, ὡς πάντες ἴστε, ἐκ τῶν φρεάτων ἐπέλιπεν, ὥστε μηδὲ λάχανον γενέσθαι ἐν τῷ κήπῳ·
Not only did the land yield no crop, but in that year, as you all know, even the water in the wells failed, so that not even a vegetable grew in the garden.
οἱ δὲ δεδανεικότες ἧκον ἐπὶ τοὺς τόκους, ἐπειδὴ ὁ ἐνιαυτὸς ἐξῆλθεν, εἰ μή τις ἀποδοίη αὐτοῖς κατὰ τὰς συγγραφάς.
And the creditors came for their interest when the year had expired, in case one should not pay them according to the contracts.
§62ὧν ἀκούοντά με καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἀφικνουμένων λόγῳ, τὰ δὲ καὶ διʼ ἐπιστολῶν παρὰ τῶν οἰκείων, τίνα με οἴεσθε ψυχὴν ἔχειν ἢ πόσα δάκρυα ἀφιέναι, τὰ μὲν ἐκλογιζόμενον περὶ τῶν παρόντων, τὰ δὲ καὶ ποθοῦντα ἰδεῖν παιδία καὶ γυναῖκα καὶ μητέρα, ἣν ἐγὼ οὐ πολλὰς ἐλπίδας εἶχον ζῶσαν καταλήψεσθαι;
When I heard of these things both by word of mouth from those who arrived and by letters from my family, what feelings do you think I had, or how many tears do you think I shed, reflecting on my present troubles, and longing to see my children, my wife, and my mother, whom I had little hope of finding alive?
ὧν τί ἥδιόν ἐστιν ἀνθρώπῳ, ἢ τοῦ ἕνεκʼ ἄν τις εὔξαιτο τούτων στερηθεὶς ζῆν.
What is sweeter to a man than these, or for the sake of what would anyone pray to live, if deprived of them?
§63τοιούτων τοίνυν μοι συμβεβηκότων τῶν πραγμάτων, οὐ περὶ πλείονος ἐποιησάμην τὰ ἐμαυτοῦ ἴδια ἢ τὰ ὑμέτερα, ἀλλʼ ἡγούμην δεῖν καὶ χρημάτων ἀναλισκομένων κρείττων εἶναι καὶ τῶν οἴκοι ἀμελουμένων καὶ γυναικὸς καὶ μητρὸς νοσούσης, ὥστε μήτε τὴν τάξιν αἰτιᾶσθαί μέ τινα λιπεῖν μήτε τὴν τριήρη τῇ πόλει ἄχρηστον γενέσθαι.
Although such affairs had cumulative weight upon me, I did not value my private interests above yours, but I thought I ought to overcome the expenditure of money, the neglect of my home, and the illness of my wife and mother, so that no one might accuse me of deserting my post, nor the trireme become useless to the state.
§64ἀνθʼ ὧν ἁπάντων νῦν ὑμῶν δέομαι, ὥσπερ ἐγὼ ὑμῖν εὔτακτον καὶ χρήσιμον ἐμαυτὸν παρέσχον, οὕτω καὶ ὑμᾶς νυνὶ περὶ ἐμοῦ πρόνοιαν ποιησαμένους, καὶ ἀναμνησθέντας ἁπάντων ὧν τε διηγησάμην πρὸς ὑμᾶς, τῶν τε μαρτυριῶν ὧν παρεσχόμην καὶ τῶν ψηφισμάτων, βοηθῆσαι μὲν ἐμοὶ ἀδικουμένῳ, τιμωρήσασθαι δʼ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν, εἰσπρᾶξαι δὲ τὰ ὑπὲρ τούτου ἀνηλωμένα.
In return for all this, I now entreat you, that just as I showed myself orderly and useful to you, so you too should now show concern for me, and remembering all that I have related to you, and the depositions and decrees which I have presented, you should aid me who am wronged, take vengeance on your own behalf, and exact the money spent on this man's account.
ἢ τίς ἐθελήσει φιλοτιμεῖσθαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ὅταν ὁρῶσι μήτε τοῖς χρηστοῖς καὶ εὐτάκτοις χάριν οὖσαν, μήτε τοῖς πονηροῖς καὶ ἀκοσμοῦσιν τιμωρίαν παρʼ ὑμῶν.
Otherwise, who will be willing to show public spirit toward you, when they see that there is neither gratitude for the good and orderly, nor punishment from you for the wicked and disorderly?
§65ἀναγνώσεται δὲ καὶ τὸν νόμον ὑμῖν καὶ τὰ ἀναλώματα τοῦ χρόνου οὗ ἐπετριηράρχησα ὑπὲρ τούτου, καθʼ ἕκαστον, καὶ τοὺς λιπόνεως, ὅσον ἕκαστος ἔχων ἀργύριον ἀπέδρα καὶ ὅπου, ἵνα εἰδῆτε ὅτι οὔτε νῦν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ψεῦδος οὐδὲν λέγω οὔτε ἐν τῷ πρόσθεν χρόνῳ, ἡγοῦμαί τε δεῖν τὸν μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν νόμων χρόνον ὡρισμένον ἀμέμπτως ὑμῖν λῃτουργεῖν, τοὺς δὲ καταφρονοῦντας καὶ ὑμῶν καὶ τῶν νόμων καὶ οὐκ ἐθέλοντας πείθεσθαι τοῖς νόμοις ἐξελέγξας ἀδικοῦντας ἐν ὑμῖν τιμωρήσασθαι.
And the clerk shall read to you the law and the expenditures for the time during which I performed the extra service as trierarch on this man's account, item by item, and the deserters, showing how much money each had when he ran away, and whither, so that you may know that I am telling no falsehood to you now, nor have I in the past; and I think it right to perform public services for you blamelessly for the time defined by the laws, and to punish in your court those who show contempt for both you and the laws and do not wish to obey the laws, after proving them guilty of wrongdoing.
§66εὖ δʼ ἴστε ὅτι οὐ περὶ τῶν ἐμῶν ἰδίων μᾶλλον τιμωρήσεσθε Πολυκλέα ἢ οὐχ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν, οὐδὲ περὶ τῶν παρεληλυθότων τριηράρχων ἐπιμέλειαν ποιήσεσθε μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τῶν μελλόντων πρόνοιαν, ὥστε μήτε τοὺς λῃτουργοῦντας ἀθυμεῖν, μήτε τοὺς διαδόχους καταφρονεῖν τῶν νόμων, ἀλλʼ ἀπιέναι ἐπὶ τὰς ναῦς, ὅταν κατασταθῶσιν.
And be assured that you will take vengeance on Polycles not so much on account of my private affairs as on your own behalf, and you will show concern not only for past trierarchs, but also foresight for future ones, so that neither those who perform public services may be discouraged, nor the successors show contempt for the laws, but rather depart for the ships when they are appointed.
ἃ προσήκει ὑμᾶς ἐνθυμηθέντας ὀρθῶς καὶ δικαίως διαγνῶναι περὶ ἁπάντων.
Reflecting on these matters, it is fitting for you to decide on all points rightly and justly.
§67ἡδέως δʼ ἂν ὑμῶν πυθοίμην, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, τίνʼ ἄν ποτε γνώμην περὶ ἐμοῦ εἴχετε, εἰ τοῦ τε χρόνου ἐξήκοντος καὶ τούτου μὴ ἥκοντος ἐπὶ τὴν ναῦν μὴ ἐπετριηράρχησα κελεύοντος τοῦ στρατηγοῦ, ἀλλὰ πλέων ᾠχόμην.
I would gladly ask you, men of the jury, what opinion you would have had of me, if, when my time had expired and this man did not arrive at the ship, I had not performed the extra service as trierarch when the general ordered it, but had sailed away?
ἆρʼ οὐκ ἂν ὠργίζεσθέ μοι καὶ ἡγεῖσθε ἂν ἀδικεῖν;
Would you not have been angry with me and considered that I was doing wrong?
εἰ τοίνυν ἂν ἐμοὶ τότε ὠργίζεσθε, ὅτι οὐκ ἐπετριηράρχησα, πῶς οὐχὶ νῦν προσήκει ὑμᾶς τοῦτον εἰσπρᾶξαί μοι τὰ ἀναλώματα, ἃ ἐγὼ ὑπὲρ τούτου ἀνήλωσα, τὸν οὐ διαδεξάμενον τὴν ναῦν.
If, then, you would have been angry with me at that time because I did not perform the extra service, how is it not fitting that you should now exact for me from this man, who did not succeed to the ship, the money which I spent on his behalf?
§68ὅτι δʼ οὐκ ἐμοὶ μόνῳ οὐ διεδέξατο τὴν ναῦν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρότερον Εὐριπίδῃ συντριήραρχος ὢν καὶ συνθηκῶν οὐσῶν αὐτοῖς τοὺς ἓξ μῆνας ἑκάτερον πλεῖν, ἐπειδὴ Εὐριπίδης ἐξέπλευσεν καὶ ὁ χρόνος ἐξῆκεν, οὐ διεδέξατο τὴν ναῦν αὐτῷ, ἀναγνώσεται τὴν μαρτυρίαν.
And that it was not to me alone that he did not succeed to the command of the ship, but that also formerly when he was co-trierarch with Euripides, and they had an agreement that each should sail for six months, when Euripides sailed out and his time had expired, he did not succeed him on the ship, the clerk shall read the deposition.
ΜΑΡΤΥΡΙΑ.
DEPOSITION.