§27ἵνα δʼ εἰδῆθʼ ὅτι καὶ τὸν χλῆδον εἰς τὴν ὁδὸν ἐκβεβλήκασιν, καὶ τὴν αἱμασιὰν προαγαγόντες στενοτέραν τὴν ὁδὸν πεποιήκασιν, ἔτι δʼ ὡς ὅρκον ἐδίδουν ἐγὼ τῇ τούτων μητρί, καὶ τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ τὸν αὐτὸν ὀμόσαι προὐκαλούμην, λαβέ μοι τάς τε μαρτυρίας καὶ τὴν πρόκλησιν.
In order that you may know that they have both thrown the rubbish into the road and, by extending their wall forward, have made the road narrower, and furthermore how I offered an oath to their mother, and challenged them to swear the same oath by my own, take for me both the depositions and the challenge.
ΜΑΡΤΥΡΙΑΙ. ΠΡΟΚΛΗΣΙΣ.
DEPOSITIONS. CHALLENGE.
§28εἶτα τούτων ἀναισχυντότεροι γένοιντʼ ἂν ἄνθρωποι ἢ περιφανέστερον συκοφαντοῦντες, οἵτινες αὐτοὶ τὴν αἱμασιὰν προαγαγόντες καὶ τὴν ὁδὸν ἀνακεχωκότες ἑτέροις βλάβης δικάζονται, καὶ ταῦτα χιλίων δραχμῶν ἀτίμητον, οἵ γʼ οὐδὲ πεντήκοντα δραχμῶν τὸ παράπαν ἅπαντʼ ἀπολωλέκασιν;
Could there then be men more shameless than these, or more patently bringing a vexatious suit, who, having themselves extended their wall forward and heaped up soil on the road, go to law with others for damages, and that too for a thousand drachmae, without assessment, when they have not lost even fifty drachmae's worth of goods in all?
καίτοι σκοπεῖτʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, πόσους ὑπὸ τῶν ὑδάτων ἐν τοῖς ἀγροῖς βεβλάφθαι συμβέβηκεν, τὰ μὲν Ἐλευσῖνι, τὰ δʼ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις τόποις.
Yet consider, men of the jury, how many people in the country have happened to be damaged by the waters, some at Eleusis, and others in other places.
ἀλλʼ οὐ δήπου τούτων, ὦ γῆ καὶ θεοί, παρὰ τῶν γειτόνων ἕκαστος ἀξιώσει τὰς βλάβας κομίζεσθαι.
But surely, O earth and gods, not one of these will expect to recover damages from his neighbors.
§29καὶ ἐγὼ μέν, ὃν προσῆκεν ἀγανακτεῖν τῆς ὁδοῦ στενοτέρας καὶ μετεωροτέρας γεγενημένης, ἡσυχίαν ἔχω· τούτοις δὲ τοσοῦτον περίεστιν ὡς ἔοικεν, ὥστε τοὺς ἠδικημένους πρὸς συκοφαντοῦσιν.
And while I, who had reason to be indignant at the road having been made narrower and higher, keep quiet, these men, as it seems, have such a surplus of insolence that they bring a vexatious suit in addition against those they have wronged.
καίτοι, ὦ Καλλίκλεις, εἰ καὶ ὑμῖν περιοικοδομεῖν ἔξεστιν τὸ ὑμέτερον αὐτῶν χωρίον, καὶ ἡμῖν δήπου τὸ ἡμέτερον ἐξῆν.
And yet, Callicles, if you are allowed to wall in your own land, we too surely were allowed to wall in ours.
εἰ δʼ ὁ πατὴρ ὁ ἐμὸς ἠδίκει περιοικοδομῶν ὑμᾶς, καὶ νῦν ὑμεῖς ἔμʼ ἀδικεῖτε περιοικοδομοῦντες οὕτως· §30δῆλον γὰρ ὅτι μεγάλοις λίθοις ἀποικοδομηθέντος πάλιν τὸ ὕδωρ εἰς τὸ ἐμὸν ἥξει χωρίον, εἶθʼ ὅταν τύχῃ καταβαλεῖ τὴν αἱμασιὰν ἀπροσδοκήτως.
And if my father was doing wrong by walling it in to your detriment, then you too are doing wrong to me now by walling it in like this; for it is clear that if it is walled off with large stones, the water will come back to my land, and then, whenever it happens, will unexpectedly throw down my wall.
ἀλλʼ οὐδὲν μᾶλλον ἐγκαλῶ τούτοις ἐγὼ διὰ τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ στέργω τὴν τύχην καὶ τἀμαυτοῦ φυλάττειν πειράσομαι.
Yet I bring no charge against them any more on this account, but submit to fortune and will try to protect my own property.
καὶ γὰρ τοῦτον φράττοντα μὲν τὰ ἑαυτοῦ σωφρονεῖν ἡγοῦμαι, δικαζόμενον δέ μοι πονηρότατόν τʼ εἶναι καὶ διεφθαρμένον ὑπὸ νόσου νομίζω.
For indeed I think this man is acting prudently in fencing in his own things, but in going to law with me I consider him most villainous and ruined by some disease.
§31μὴ θαυμάζετε δʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, τὴν τούτου προθυμίαν, μηδʼ εἰ τὰ ψευδῆ κατηγορεῖν νῦν τετόλμηκεν.
Do not wonder, men of the jury, at his eagerness, nor that he has now dared to bring false accusations.
καὶ γὰρ τὸ πρότερον πείσας τὸν ἀνεψιὸν ἀμφισβητεῖν μοι τοῦ χωρίου, συνθήκας οὐ γενομένας ἀπήνεγκεν, καὶ νῦν αὐτὸς ἐρήμην μου καταδεδιῄτηται τοιαύτην ἑτέραν δίκην, Κάλλαρον ἐπιγραψάμενος τῶν ἐμῶν δούλων.
For on the previous occasion also, having persuaded his cousin to dispute the land with me, he produced a contract that had never been made, and now he himself has obtained an award against me by default in another such suit, having indicted Callaros, one of my slaves.
πρὸς γὰρ τοῖς ἄλλοις κακοῖς καὶ τοῦθʼ ηὕρηνται σόφισμα· Καλλάρῳ τὴν αὐτὴν δίκην δικάζονται.
For in addition to their other misdeeds, they have also devised this trick: they are bringing the same suit against Callaros.
§32καίτοι τίς ἂν οἰκέτης τὸ τοῦ δεσπότου χωρίον περιοικοδομήσειεν μὴ προστάξαντος τοῦ δεσπότου;
Yet what servant would wall in his master's land without his master's orders?
Καλλάρῳ δʼ ἕτερον ἐγκαλεῖν οὐδὲν ἔχοντες, ὑπὲρ ὧν ὁ πατὴρ πλέον ἢ πεντεκαίδεκʼ ἔτη φράξας ἐπεβίω δικάζονται.
But having nothing else to charge Callaros with, they are going to law over things which my father lived for more than fifteen years after fencing them in.
κἂν μὲν ἐγὼ τῶν χωρίων ἀποστῶ τούτοις ἀποδόμενος ἢ πρὸς ἕτερα χωρία ἀλλαξάμενος, οὐδὲν ἀδικεῖ Κάλλαρος· ἂν δʼ ἐγὼ μὴ βούλωμαι τἀμαυτοῦ τούτοις προέσθαι, πάντα τὰ δεινόταθʼ ὑπὸ Καλλάρου πάσχουσιν οὗτοι, καὶ ζητοῦσιν καὶ διαιτητὴν ὅστις αὐτοῖς τὰ χωρία προσκαταγνώσεται, καὶ διαλύσεις τοιαύτας ἐξ ὧν τὰ χωρίʼ ἕξουσιν.
And if I withdraw from the lands by selling them to these men or exchanging them for other lands, Callaros does no wrong; but if I refuse to abandon my property to them, they suffer all the worst things from Callaros, and they seek both an arbitrator who will adjudge the lands to them, and such settlements as will give them possession of the lands.
§33εἰ μὲν οὖν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, τοὺς ἐπιβουλεύοντας καὶ συκοφαντοῦντας δεῖ πλέον ἔχειν, οὐδὲν ἂν ὄφελος εἴη τῶν εἰρημένων· εἰ δʼ ὑμεῖς τοὺς μὲν τοιούτους μισεῖτε, τὰ δὲ δίκαια ψηφίζεσθε, μήτʼ ἀπολωλεκότος Καλλικλέους μηδὲν μήτʼ ἠδικημένου μήθʼ ὑπὸ Καλλάρου μήθʼ ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρός, οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅ τι δεῖ πλείω λέγειν.
If then, men of the jury, those who plot and bring vexatious suits are to have the advantage, there would be no use in what has been said; but if you hate such men and vote for what is just, since Callicles has lost nothing and suffered no wrong either from Callaros or from my father, I do not know what more need be said.
§34ἵνα δʼ εἰδῆθʼ ὅτι καὶ πρότερον ἐπιβουλεύων μου τοῖς χωρίοις τὸν ἀνεψιὸν κατεσκεύασεν, καὶ νῦν τὴν ἑτέραν αὐτὸς κατεδιῃτήσατο Καλλάρου ταύτην τὴν δίκην, ἐπηρεάζων ἐμοὶ διότι τὸν ἄνθρωπον περὶ πολλοῦ ποιοῦμαι, καὶ Καλλικράτης Καλλάρῳ πάλιν εἴληχεν ἑτέραν, ἁπάντων ὑμῖν ἀναγνώσεται τὰς μαρτυρίας.
In order that you may know that on the previous occasion too, plotting against my lands, he set up his cousin, and now has himself obtained this other award against Callaros by default, harassing me because I value the man highly, and that Callicrates in turn has brought another suit against Callaros, he will read you the depositions concerning all these matters.
ΜΑΡΤΥΡΙΑΙ.
DEPOSITIONS.
§35μὴ οὖν πρὸς Διὸς καὶ θεῶν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, προῆσθέ με τούτοις μηδὲν ἀδικοῦντα.
Do not then, by Zeus and the gods, men of the jury, abandon me to these men when I am doing no wrong.
οὐ γὰρ τῆς ζημίας τοσοῦτόν τί μοι μέλει, χαλεπὸν ὂν πᾶσι τοῖς μικρὰν οὐσίαν ἔχουσιν· ἀλλʼ ἐκβάλλουσιν ὅλως ἐκ τοῦ δήμου μʼ ἐλαύνοντες καὶ συκοφαντοῦντες.
For I do not care so much about the penalty, though it is a hard thing for all who have a small estate; but they are driving me out of the deme altogether by harassing and suing me vexatiously.
ὅτι δʼ οὐκ ἀδικοῦμεν οὐδέν, ἕτοιμοι μὲν ἦμεν ἐπιτρέπειν τοῖς εἰδόσιν, τοῖς ἴσοις καὶ κοινοῖς, ἕτοιμοι δʼ ὀμνύναι τὸν νόμιμον ὅρκον· ταῦτα γὰρ ᾠόμεθʼ ἰσχυρότατʼ ἂν παρασχέσθαι τοῖς αὐτοῖς ὑμῖν ὀμωμοκόσιν.
And to show that we are doing no wrong, we were ready to refer the matter to those who know, to fair and impartial persons, and we were ready to take the customary oath; for we thought that this would be the strongest proof to present to you who have yourselves taken an oath.
καί μοι λαβὲ τήν τε πρόκλησιν καὶ τὰς ὑπολοίπους ἔτι μαρτυρίας.
Take for me, please, both the challenge and the remaining depositions.
ΠΡΟΚΛΗΣΙΣ. ΜΑΡΤΥΡΙΑΙ.
CHALLENGE. DEPOSITIONS.