§1κοινωνός εἰμι τοῦ δανείσματος τούτου, ἄνδρες δικασταί.
I am a partner in this loan, men of the jury.
συμβαίνει δʼ ἡμῖν τοῖς τὴν κατὰ θάλατταν ἐργασίαν προῃρημένοις καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερʼ αὐτῶν ἐγχειρίζουσιν ἑτέροις ἐκεῖνο μὲν σαφῶς εἰδέναι, ὅτι ὁ δανειζόμενος ἐν παντὶ προέχει ἡμῶν.
And it happens to us, who have chosen the maritime trade and entrust our own property to others, to know this very clearly, that the borrower has the advantage over us in everything.
λαβὼν γὰρ ἀργύριον φανερὸν καὶ ὁμολογούμενον, ἐν γραμματειδίῳ δυοῖν χαλκοῖν ἐωνημένῳ καὶ βυβλιδίῳ μικρῷ πάνυ τὴν ὁμολογίαν καταλέλοιπε τοῦ ποιήσειν τὰ δίκαια.
For having received tangible and acknowledged cash, on a tablet bought for two chalcoi and a very small scrap of papyrus he has left his agreement to do what is just.
ἡμεῖς δʼ οὐ φαμὲν δώσειν, ἀλλʼ εὐθὺς τῷ δανειζομένῳ δίδομεν τὸ ἀργύριον.
We, on the other hand, do not say we will give, but immediately give the money to the borrower.
§2τῷ οὖν ποτὲ πιστεύοντες καὶ τί λαβόντες τὸ βέβαιον, προϊέμεθα;
In what, then, trusting, and what security having received, do we let go of our property?
ὑμῖν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, καὶ τοῖς νόμοις τοῖς ὑμετέροις, οἳ κελεύουσιν, ὅσα ἄν τις ἑκὼν ἕτερος ἑτέρῳ ὁμολογήσῃ, κύρια εἶναι.
In you, men of the jury, and in your laws, which command that whatever agreements one voluntarily makes with another shall be binding.
ἀλλά μοι δοκεῖ οὔτε τῶν νόμων οὔτε συγγραφῆς οὐδεμιᾶς ὄφελος εἶναι οὐδέν, ἂν ὁ λαμβάνων τὰ χρήματα μὴ πάνυ δίκαιος ᾖ τὸν τρόπον, καὶ δυοῖν θάτερον, ἢ ὑμᾶς δεδιὼς ἢ τὸν συμβαλόντα αἰσχυνόμενος.
But to me it seems that there is no benefit either in laws or in any written agreement, unless the person receiving the money is thoroughly just in character, and influenced by one of two things: either fearing you or respecting his creditor.
§3ὧν οὐδέτερον πρόσεστι Διονυσοδώρῳ τουτῳί, ἀλλʼ εἰς τοσοῦτον ἥκει τόλμης, ὥστε δανεισάμενος παρʼ ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τῇ νηὶ τρισχιλίας δραχμὰς ἐφʼ ᾧ τε τὴν ναῦν καταπλεῖν Ἀθήναζε, καὶ δέον ἡμᾶς ἐν τῇ πέρυσιν ὥρᾳ κεκομίσθαι τὰ χρήματα, τὴν μὲν ναῦν εἰς Ῥόδον κατεκόμισε καὶ τὸν γόμον ἐκεῖσε ἐξελόμενος ἀπέδοτο παρὰ τὴν συγγραφὴν καὶ τοὺς νόμους τοὺς ὑμετέρους, ἐκ δὲ τῆς Ῥόδου πάλιν ἀπέστειλε τὴν ναῦν εἰς Αἴγυπτον κἀκεῖθεν εἰς Ῥόδον, ἡμῖν δὲ τοῖς Ἀθήνησι δανείσασιν οὐδέπω καὶ νῦν οὔτε τὰ χρήματα ἀποδίδωσιν οὔτε τὸ ἐνέχυρον καθίστησιν εἰς τὸ ἐμφανές, §4ἀλλὰ δεύτερον ἔτος τουτὶ καρπούμενος τὰ ἡμέτερα, καὶ ἔχων τό τε δάνειον καὶ τὴν ἐργασίαν καὶ τὴν ναῦν τὴν ὑποκειμένην ἡμῖν, οὐδὲν ἧττον εἰσελήλυθεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, δῆλον ὡς ζημιώσων ἡμᾶς τῇ ἐπωβελίᾳ καὶ καταθησόμενος εἰς τὸ οἴκημα πρὸς τῷ ἀποστερεῖν τὰ χρήματα.
Neither of these qualities belongs to this Dionysodorus here, but he has reached such a height of audacity that, having borrowed from us three thousand drachmas on his ship on the condition that the ship should sail back to Athens, and although we ought to have recovered our money in last year's season, he brought the ship into Rhodes, unloaded the cargo there and sold it, contrary to the agreement and your laws; and from Rhodes he sent the ship again to Egypt, and thence back to Rhodes; and to us who lent the money at Athens, even now he neither pays back the money nor produces the security openly, but enjoying our property for this second year, and keeping the loan, the profit, and the ship that was pledged to us, he has nonetheless entered your court, clearly intending to penalize us with the epobelia and throw us into prison, in addition to depriving us of our money.
ὑμῶν οὖν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, ὁμοίως ἁπάντων δεόμεθα καὶ ἱκετεύομεν βοηθῆσαι ἡμῖν, ἂν δοκῶμεν ἀδικεῖσθαι.
Therefore, men of Athens, we beg and entreat you all alike to help us, if we seem to be wronged.
τὴν δὲ ἀρχὴν τοῦ συμβολαίου διεξελθεῖν ὑμῖν πρῶτον βούλομαι· οὕτως γὰρ καὶ ὑμεῖς ῥᾷστα παρακολουθήσετε.
First, I wish to relate to you the origin of the contract; for in this way you will also follow the case most easily.
§5Διονυσόδωρος γὰρ οὑτοσί, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, καὶ ὁ κοινωνὸς αὐτοῦ Παρμενίσκος προσελθόντες ἡμῖν πέρυσιν τοῦ μεταγειτνιῶνος μηνὸς ἔλεγον ὅτι βούλονται δανείσασθαι ἐπὶ τῇ νηί, ἐφʼ ᾧ τε πλεῦσαι εἰς Αἴγυπτον καὶ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου εἰς Ῥόδον ἢ εἰς Ἀθήνας, διομολογησάμενοι τοὺς τόκους τοὺς εἰς ἑκάτερον τῶν ἐμπορίων τούτων.
For this Dionysodorus here, men of Athens, and his partner Parmeniscus, came to us last year in the month of Metageitnion, saying that they wished to borrow money on their ship, on the condition that they should sail to Egypt, and from Egypt to Rhodes or to Athens, having agreed upon the interest rate for each of these ports.
§6ἀποκριναμένων δʼ ἡμῶν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ὅτι οὐκ ἂν δανείσαιμεν εἰς ἕτερον ἐμπόριον οὐδὲν ἀλλʼ ἢ εἰς Ἀθήνας, οὕτω προσομολογοῦσι πλεύσεσθαι δεῦρο, καὶ ἐπὶ ταύταις ταῖς ὁμολογίαις δανείζονται παρʼ ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τῇ νηὶ τρισχιλίας δραχμὰς ἀμφοτερόπλουν, καὶ συγγραφὴν ἐγράψαντο ὑπὲρ τούτων.
When we replied, men of the jury, that we would not lend for any other port but Athens, they agreed on these terms to sail here, and on these conditions they borrowed from us three thousand drachmas on the ship for a double voyage, and drew up an agreement on these matters.
ἐν μὲν οὖν ταῖς συνθήκαις δανειστὴς ἐγράφη Πάμφιλος οὑτοσί· ἐγὼ δʼ ἔξωθεν μετεῖχον αὐτῷ τοῦ δανείσματος.
Now in the agreement this Pamphilus here was written as the lender, and I, from outside, shared with him in the loan.
καὶ πρῶτον ὑμῖν ἀναγνώσεται αὐτὴν τὴν συγγραφήν. ΣΥΓΓΡΑΦΗ.
And first he will read to you the agreement itself. ΣΥΓΓΡΑΦΗ.
§7κατὰ ταύτην τὴν συγγραφήν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, λαβόντες παρʼ ἡμῶν τὰ χρήματα Διονυσόδωρός τε οὑτοσὶ καὶ ὁ κοινωνὸς αὐτοῦ Παρμενίσκος ἀπέστελλον τὴν ναῦν εἰς τὴν Αἴγυπτον ἐνθένδε.
According to this agreement, men of the jury, having received the money from us, both Dionysodorus here and his partner Parmeniscus dispatched the ship from here to Egypt.
καὶ ὁ μὲν Παρμενίσκος ἐπέπλει ἐπὶ τῆς νεώς, οὑτοσὶ δὲ αὐτοῦ κατέμενεν.
And Parmeniscus sailed on board the ship, while this man remained here.
ἦσαν γάρ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ἵνα μηδὲ τοῦτο ἀγνοῆτε, ὑπηρέται καὶ συνεργοὶ πάντες οὗτοι Κλεομένους τοῦ ἐν τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ ἄρξαντος, ὃς ἐξ οὗ τὴν ἀρχὴν παρέλαβεν οὐκ ὀλίγα κακὰ ἠργάσατο τὴν πόλιν τὴν ὑμετέραν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους Ἕλληνας, παλιγκαπηλεύων καὶ συνιστὰς τὰς τιμὰς τοῦ σίτου καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ οὗτοι μετʼ αὐτοῦ.
For they were, men of the jury, that you may not be ignorant of this either, all of them assistants and accomplices of Cleomenes, who ruled in Egypt, who, from the time he took office, did no small harm to your city, or rather to the rest of the Greeks as well, by monopolizing and fixing the price of grain, both himself and these men with him.