§1οὐκ ἔστιν χαλεπώτερον οὐδέν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ἢ ὅταν ἄνθρωπος δόξαν ἔχων καὶ δυνάμενος εἰπεῖν τολμᾷ ψεύδεσθαι καὶ μαρτύρων εὐπορῇ.
There is nothing more difficult, men of the jury, than when a man who has reputation and is able to speak dares to lie and is well provided with witnesses.
ἀνάγκη γάρ ἐστιν τῷ φεύγοντι μηκέτι περὶ τοῦ πράγματος μόνον λέγειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ λέγοντος, ὡς οὐκ εἰκὸς αὐτῷ διὰ τὴν δόξαν πιστεύειν. §2εἰ γὰρ ἔθος καταστήσετε τοῖς δυναμένοις εἰπεῖν καὶ δόξαν ἔχουσι μᾶλλον πιστεύειν ἢ τοῖς ἀδυνατωτέροις, ἐφʼ ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς ἔσεσθε τὸ ἔθος τοῦτο κατεσκευακότες.
For it is necessary for the defendant no longer to speak only about the matter itself, but also about the speaker himself, showing that it is not reasonable to trust him on account of his reputation. For if you establish the custom of trusting those who are able to speak and have reputation more than those who are weaker, you will have established this custom to your own detriment.
δέομαι οὖν ὑμῶν, εἴπερ τι καὶ ἄλλο πώποτε πρᾶγμα αὐτὸ καθʼ αὑτὸ ἐδικάσατε, μηδὲ μεθʼ ἑτέρων τὴν γνώμην γενόμενοι, μήτε μετὰ τῶν διωκόντων μήτε μετὰ τῶν φευγόντων, ἀλλὰ τὸ δίκαιον σκεψάμενοι, οὕτω καὶ νῦν διαγνῶναι.
Therefore, I entreat you, if ever you judged any other matter on its own merits, without choosing sides either with the prosecutors or with the defendants, but looking only to what is just, so to decide now as well.
ἐξ ἀρχῆς δʼ ὑμῖν διηγήσομαι. §3Λύκων γὰρ ὁ Ἡρακλεώτης, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, οὗτος ὃν καὶ αὐτὸς λέγει, τῇ τραπέζῃ τῇ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐχρῆτο, ὥσπερ καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι ἔμποροι, ξένος μὲν ὢν Ἀριστόνῳ τῷ Δεκελεῖ καὶ Ἀρχεβιάδῃ τῷ Λαμπτρεῖ, ἄνθρωπος δέ τις σώφρων.
I will narrate the matter to you from the beginning. Lycon of Heraclea, men of the jury, the very man whom the opponent himself mentions, used the bank of my father, just like the other merchants; he was a guest-friend of Aristonus of Decelea and Archebiades of Lamptrae, and a prudent man.
οὗτος ἐπειδὴ ἐκπλεῖν ἔμελλεν εἰς τὴν Λιβύην, διαλογισάμενος πρὸς τὸν πατέρα τὸν ἐμὸν ἐναντίον Ἀρχεβιάδου καὶ Φρασίου προσέταξεν τὸ ἀργύριον ὃ κατέλειπεν (ἦν δὲ τοῦτο ἑκκαίδεκα μναῖ καὶ τετταράκοντα δραχμαί, ὡς ἐγὼ ὑμῖν πάνυ ἀκριβῶς ἐπιδείξω) Κηφισιάδῃ ἀποδοῦναι, λέγων ὅτι κοινωνὸς εἴη αὑτοῦ ὁ Κηφισιάδης οὗτος, οἰκήτωρ μὲν ὢν ἐν Σκίρῳ, ἐν δὲ τῷ παρόντι ἐφʼ ἑτέρᾳ ἀποδημῶν ἐμπορίᾳ. §4δεῖξαι δʼ αὐτὸν τῷ πατρὶ τῷ ἐμῷ καὶ συστῆσαι τῷ Ἀρχεβιάδῃ καὶ τῷ Φρασίᾳ προσέταξεν, ἐπειδὴ ἥκοι ἐκ τῆς ἀποδημίας.
When he was about to sail to Libya, having settled accounts with my father in the presence of Archebiades and Phrasias, he ordered the money which he left (this was sixteen minae and forty drachmae, as I will demonstrate to you very accurately) to be paid to Cephisiades, saying that this Cephisiades was his partner, who was a resident in Scirus, but at present was traveling abroad on another trading venture. And he ordered him to show him to my father and to introduce him to Archebiades and Phrasias when he returned from his journey.
εἰώθασι δὲ πάντες οἱ τραπεζῖται, ὅταν τις ἀργύριον τιθεὶς ἰδιώτης ἀποδοῦναί τῳ προστάττῃ, πρῶτον τοῦ θέντος τοὔνομα γράφειν καὶ τὸ κεφάλαιον τοῦ ἀργυρίου, ἔπειτα παραγράφειν
τῷ δεῖνι ἀποδοῦναι δεῖ
, καὶ ἐὰν μὲν γιγνώσκωσι τὴν ὄψιν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ᾧ ἂν δέῃ ἀποδοῦναι, τοσοῦτο μόνον ποιεῖν, γράψαι ᾧ δεῖ ἀποδοῦναι, ἐὰν δὲ μὴ γιγνώσκωσι, καὶ τούτου τοὔνομα προσπαραγράφειν ὃς ἂν μέλλῃ συστήσειν καὶ δείξειν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὃν ἂν δέῃ κομίσασθαι τὸ ἀργύριον. §5τύχης δὲ συμβάσης τοιαύτης τῷ Λύκωνι τούτῳ ὥστε εὐθὺς ἐκπλέοντα αὐτὸν περὶ τὸν Ἀργολικὸν κόλπον ὑπὸ λῃστρίδων νεῶν τά τε χρήματα καταχθῆναι εἰς Ἄργος καὶ αὐτὸν τοξευθέντα ἀποθανεῖν, ἔρχεται ἐπὶ τὴν τράπεζαν Κάλλιππος οὑτοσὶ εὐθὺς ἐρωτῶν, Λύκωνα Ἡρακλεώτην εἰ γιγνώσκοιεν.
It is the custom for all bankers, whenever a private individual deposits money and orders them to pay it to someone, first to write the name of the depositor and the sum of the money, then to write beside it "it is necessary to pay so-and-so"; and if they know the face of the person to whom it must be paid, to do only this, namely, to write to whom it must be paid, but if they do not know him, to write beside this also the name of the person who is to introduce and point out the man who is to receive the money. But such a fortune befell this Lycon that immediately upon sailing, near the Argolic Gulf, his property was carried off to Argos by pirate ships, and he himself was shot with arrows and died. Then this Callippus came straight to the bank, asking if they knew Lycon of Heraclea.
ἀποκριναμένου δὲ Φορμίωνος τουτουὶ ὅτι γιγνώσκοιεν,
ἆρα καὶ ἐχρῆτο ὑμῖν
; ἔφη ὁ Φορμίων· ἀλλὰ πρὸς τί ἐρωτᾷς
; πρὸς τί
; ἔφη· ἐγώ σοι ἐρῶ.
When this Phormion replied that they knew him, Callippus said, "Did he also use your bank?" Phormion said, "But for what reason do you ask?" "For what reason?" he said; "I will tell you.
ἐκεῖνος μὲν τετελεύτηκεν, ἐγὼ δὲ προξενῶν τυγχάνω τῶν Ἡρακλεωτῶν.
He has died, and I happen to be the proxenos of the Heracleots.
ἀξιῶ δή σε δεῖξαί μοι τὰ γράμματα, ἵνʼ εἰδῶ εἴ τι καταλέλοιπεν ἀργύριον· ἐξ ἀνάγκης γάρ μοί ἐστιν ἁπάντων Ἡρακλεωτῶν ἐπιμελεῖσθαι. §6ἀκούσας δʼ αὐτοῦ ὁ Φορμίων, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ἔδειξεν εὐθέως παραχρῆμα.
I demand then that you show me the ledger, so that I may know if he has left any money; for of necessity I must take care of all Heracleots." Phormion, men of the jury, having heard him, showed it immediately on the spot.
δείξαντος δὲ αὐτοῦ τὸ γραμματεῖον, ἀναγνοὺς αὐτὸς καὶ ἄλλος οὐδείς, καὶ ἰδὼν γεγραμμένον ἐν αὐτῷ
Λύκων Ἡρακλεώτης χιλίας ἑξακοσίας τετταράκοντα· Κηφισιάδῃ ἀποδοῦναι δεῖ· Ἀρχεβιάδης Λαμπτρεὺς δείξει τὸν Κηφισιάδην
, ᾤχετο ἀπιὼν σιωπῇ, καὶ πλέον ἢ πέντε μηνῶν οὐδένα λόγον ἐποιήσατο. §7ἐπιδημήσαντος δὲ τοῦ Κηφισιάδου μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ προσελθόντος πρὸς τὴν τράπεζαν καὶ ἀπαιτοῦντος τὰ χρήματα, παρόντος δέ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, Ἀρχεβιάδου καὶ τοῦ Φρασίου, οὓς ὁ Λύκων τῷ πατρὶ συνέστησεν καὶ ἐκέλευσε τὸν Κηφισιάδην δεῖξαι ὃς εἴη, ἐπειδὴ ἔλθοι, παρόντων δὲ καὶ ἄλλων, ἐξαριθμήσας αὐτῷ τὰς ἑκκαίδεκα μνᾶς καὶ τετταράκοντα δραχμὰς ἀπέδωκε Φορμίων οὑτοσί.
And when he showed the tablet, Callippus read it himself and no one else, and seeing written in it: "Lycon of Heraclea, one thousand six hundred and forty; must pay to Cephisiades; Archebiades of Lamptrae will point out Cephisiades," he went away in silence, and for more than five months made no mention of it. But after this, when Cephisiades returned and came to the bank demanding the money, in the presence, men of the jury, of Archebiades and Phrasias, whom Lycon had introduced to my father and ordered to point out Cephisiades, who he was, when he should arrive, and in the presence of others also, this Phormion paid back to him the sixteen minae and forty drachmae, counting them out to him.
ὡς δὲ ἀληθῆ λέγω, τούτων ἁπάντων ὑμῖν τὰς μαρτυρίας ἀναγνώσεται.
And to show that I speak the truth, he will read to you the depositions of all these matters.
ΜΑΡΤΥΡΙΑΙ.
DEPOSITIONS