§14ἐπειδὴ γάρ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τῶν ὑμετέρων πολιτῶν τινὲς παραγενόμενοι ἀπὸ ταὐτομάτου συνεβούλευον ἡμῖν τὸ μὲν διδόμενον λαμβάνειν, περὶ δὲ τῶν ἀντιλεγομένων κρίνεσθαι, τοὺς δὲ εἰς Ῥόδον τόκους μὴ καθομολογεῖν τέως ἂν κριθῶμεν, ἡμεῖς μὲν ταῦτα συνεχωροῦμεν, οὐκ ἀγνοοῦντες, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, τὸ ἐκ τῆς συγγραφῆς δίκαιον, ἀλλʼ ἡγούμενοι δεῖν ἐλαττοῦσθαί τι καὶ συγχωρεῖν ὥστε μὴ δοκεῖν φιλόδικοι εἶναι, οὗτος δʼ ὡς ἑώρα ἡμᾶς ὁμόσε πορευομένους,
ἀναιρεῖσθε
φησὶ
τοίνυν τὴν συγγραφήν.
For when, men of Athens, some of your citizens happening to be present advised us to accept what was offered, but to go to trial concerning the disputed points, and not to agree in the meantime to the interest to Rhodes until we should have a decision, we agreed to this, not because we were ignorant, men of the jury, of our rights under the contract, but because we thought we ought to make some concession and give way so as not to appear litigious; but this man, when he saw us coming to close quarters, said, 'Then cancel the contract!' We cancel it?
§15ἡμεῖς ἀναιρώμεθα; οὐδέν γε μᾶλλον ἢ ὁτιοῦν·
Not in the least!
ἀλλὰ κατὰ μὲν τἀργύριον ὃ ἂν ἀποδῷς, ὁμολογήσομεν ἐναντίον τοῦ τραπεζίτου ἄκυρον ποιεῖν τὴν συγγραφήν, τὸ μέντοι σύνολον οὐκ ἂν ἀνελοίμεθα, ἕως ἂν περὶ τῶν ἀντιλεγομένων κριθῶμεν.
But so far as concerns the money which you may pay back, we will agree in the presence of the banker to render the contract void; however, we will not cancel it as a whole until we have a decision concerning the disputed points.
τί γὰρ ἔχοντες δίκαιον ἢ τί τὸ ἰσχυρὸν ἀντιδικήσομεν, ἐάν τε πρὸς διαιτητὴν ἐάν τε εἰς δικαστήριον δέῃ βαδίζειν, ἀνελόμενοι τὴν συγγραφήν, ἐν ᾗ τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν δικαίων βοήθειαν ἔχομεν
;
For what grounds of justice or what strong point shall we have to maintain our suit, whether we must go before an arbitrator or to a court of law, if we have cancelled the contract in which we have our support for our rights?
§16ταῦτα δὲ ἡμῶν λεγόντων, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, καὶ ἀξιούντων Διονυσόδωρον τουτονὶ τὴν μὲν συγγραφὴν μὴ κινεῖν μηδὲ ἄκυρον ποιεῖν τὴν ὁμολογουμένην καὶ ὑπʼ αὐτῶν τούτων κυρίαν εἶναι, τῶν δὲ χρημάτων ὅσα μὲν αὐτὸς ὁμολογεῖ, ἀποδοῦναι ἡμῖν, περὶ δὲ τῶν ἀντιλεγομένων ἑτοίμων ὄντων κριθῆναι, εἴτε βούλοιντο ἐφʼ ἑνὸς εἴτε κἀν πλείοσι τῶν ἐκ τοῦ ἐμπορίου, οὐκ ἔφη προσέχειν Διονυσόδωρος τούτων οὐδενί, ἀλλʼ ὅτι τὴν συγγραφὴν ὅλως οὐκ ἀνῃρούμεθα ἀπολαμβάνοντες ἃ οὗτος ἐπέταττεν, ἔχει δεύτερον ἔτος τὰ ἡμέτερα καὶ χρῆται τοῖς χρήμασιν·
And though we said this, men of the jury, and demanded of Dionysodorus here not to disturb the contract nor to make void the agreement which was acknowledged to be valid by these very men, but to pay back to us so much of the money as he himself admitted, and that we were ready to be judged concerning the disputed points, whether they wished before one or more of those in the market, Dionysodorus declared he would pay attention to none of these things; but because we would not cancel the contract altogether upon receiving what he dictated, he is holding our money for a second year and using it.
§17καὶ ὃ πάντων ἐστὶ δεινότατον, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ὅτι αὐτὸς μὲν οὗτος παρʼ ἑτέρων εἰσπράττει ναυτικοὺς τόκους ἀπὸ τῶν ἡμετέρων χρημάτων, οὐκ Ἀθήνησι δανείσας οὐδʼ εἰς Ἀθήνας, ἀλλʼ εἰς Ῥόδον καὶ Αἴγυπτον, ἡμῖν δὲ τοῖς δανείσασιν εἰς τὸ ὑμέτερον ἐμπόριον οὐκ οἴεται δεῖν τῶν δικαίων οὐδὲν ποιεῖν.
And what is most outrageous of all, men of the jury, is that he himself is collecting maritime interest from others on our money, having lent it not at Athens nor for Athens, but for Rhodes and Egypt, while to us who lent for your port he thinks he ought to perform none of our just rights.
ὅτι δʼ ἀληθῆ λέγω, ἀναγνώσεται ὑμῖν τὴν πρόκλησιν ἣν ὑπὲρ τούτων προὐκαλεσάμεθʼ αὐτόν.
To prove that I speak the truth, he will read to you the challenge which we served upon him concerning these matters.
ΠΡΟΚΛΗΣΙΣ. §18ταῦτα τοίνυν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, προκαλεσαμένων ἡμῶν Διονυσόδωρον τουτονὶ πολλάκις, καὶ ἐπὶ πολλὰς ἡμέρας ἐκτιθέντων τὴν πρόκλησιν, εὐήθεις ἔφη παντελῶς ἡμᾶς εἶναι, εἰ ὑπολαμβάνομεν αὐτὸν οὕτως ἀλογίστως ἔχειν ὥστʼ ἐπὶ διαιτητὴν βαδίζειν, προδήλου ὄντος ὅτι καταγνώσεται αὐτοῦ ἀποτεῖσαι τὰ χρήματα, ἐξὸν αὐτῷ ἐπὶ τὸ δικαστήριον ἥκειν φέροντα τὸ ἀργύριον, εἶτʼ ἐὰν μὲν δύνηται ὑμᾶς παρακρούσασθαι, ἀπιέναι τἀλλότρια ἔχοντα, εἰ δὲ μή, τηνικαῦτα καταθεῖναι τὰ χρήματα, ὡς ἂν ἄνθρωπος οὐ τῷ δικαίῳ πιστεύων, ἀλλὰ διάπειραν ὑμῶν λαμβάνειν βουλόμενος.
CHALLENGE When, therefore, men of the jury, we had repeatedly challenged Dionysodorus here, and had exposed the challenge for many days, he said we were completely simple-minded if we supposed he was so foolish as to go before an arbitrator, when it was manifest beforehand that the arbitrator would condemn him to pay back the money, whereas it was open to him to come to the court bringing the money, and then, if he could deceive you, to go away keeping what belonged to others, but if not, only then to pay down the money—acting like a man who does not trust in justice, but wishes to make trial of you.
§19τὰ μὲν τοίνυν πεπραγμένα Διονυσοδώρῳ ἀκηκόατε, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί· οἴομαι δʼ ὑμᾶς θαυμάζειν ἀκούοντας πάλαι τὴν τόλμαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῷ ποτε πιστεύων εἰσελήλυθεν δευρί.
Now what has been done by Dionysodorus you have heard, men of the jury; and I think you have been wondering for some time as you listened to his audacity, and what on earth he relies upon in coming in here.
πῶς γὰρ οὐ τολμηρόν, εἴ τις ἄνθρωπος δανεισάμενος χρήματα ἐκ τοῦ ἐμπορίου τοῦ Ἀθηναίων, §20καὶ συγγραφὴν διαρρήδην γραψάμενος ἐφʼ ᾧ τε καταπλεῖν τὴν ναῦν εἰς τὸ ὑμέτερον ἐμπόριον, εἰ δὲ μή, ἀποτίνειν διπλάσια τὰ χρήματα, μήτε τὴν ναῦν κατακεκόμικεν εἰς τὸν Πειραιᾶ μήτε τὰ χρήματα ἀποδίδωσι τοῖς δανείσασιν, τόν τε σῖτον ἐξελόμενος ἐν Ῥόδῳ ἀπέδοτο, καὶ ταῦτα διαπεπραγμένος μηδὲν ἧττον τολμᾷ βλέπειν εἰς τὰ ὑμέτερα πρόσωπα;
For how is it not audacious, if a man, having borrowed money from the market of the Athenians, and having entered into a contract explicitly providing that the ship should sail into your port, or else that he should pay double the money, has neither brought the ship into the Peiraeus nor paid back the money to the lenders, but has unloaded the grain in Rhodes and sold it, and having committed these acts, nevertheless dares to look you in the face?