§28εἰ δέ τινες ἀφείκασίν τί σοι καὶ συγκεχωρήκασιν τοὺς εἰς Ῥόδον τόκους ὁτῳδήποτε τρόπῳ πεισθέντες, διὰ ταῦτα οὐδὲν ἀδικεῖς ἡμᾶς, οὓς παρασυγγεγράφηκας εἰς Ῥόδον καταγαγὼν τὴν ναῦν;
But if some people have released to you any part of their claims and have agreed to accept the interest to Rhodes, having been persuaded in whatever manner, do you on this account do no wrong to us, against whom you have violated the contract by bringing the ship into Rhodes?
οὐκ οἴομαί γε· οὐ γὰρ τὰ ὑφʼ ἑτέρων συγκεχωρημένα δικάζουσιν οὗτοι νῦν, ἀλλὰ τὰ ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ σοῦ πρὸς ἡμᾶς συγγεγραμμένα.
I think not; for these men are not now judging the concessions made by others, but the terms contracted by yourself to us.
ἐπεὶ ὅτι γε καὶ τὸ περὶ τὴν ἄφεσιν τῶν τόκων, εἰ ἄρα γέγονεν ὡς οὗτοι λέγουσιν, μετὰ τοῦ συμφέροντος τοῦ τῶν δανειστῶν γέγονε, πᾶσιν ὑμῖν φανερόν ἐστιν.
Furthermore, that even this matter of the release of interest, if indeed it did take place as these men claim, took place in connection with the interest of the lenders, is manifest to you all.
§29οἱ γὰρ ἐκ τῆς Αἰγύπτου δανείσαντες τούτοις ἑτερόπλουν τἀργύριον εἰς Ἀθήνας, ὡς ἀφίκοντο εἰς τὴν Ῥόδον καὶ τὴν ναῦν ἐκεῖσε οὗτοι κατεκόμισαν, οὐδὲν οἶμαι διέφερεν αὐτοῖς ἀφεμένοις τῶν τόκων καὶ κομισαμένοις τὸ δάνειον ἐν τῇ Ῥόδῳ πάλιν ἐνεργὸν ποιεῖν εἰς τὴν Αἴγυπτον, ἀλλʼ ἐλυσιτέλει πολλῷ μᾶλλον τοῦτʼ ἢ δεῦρʼ ἐπαναπλεῖν.
For those who had lent money to these men for a single voyage from Egypt to Athens, when they arrived at Rhodes and these men brought the ship into port there, it made no difference to them, I suppose, if they released the interest and, having recovered their principal at Rhodes, put it to work again for Egypt; on the contrary, this was far more profitable for them than sailing back hither.
§30ἐκεῖσε μέν γε ἀεὶ ὡραῖος ὁ πλοῦς, καὶ δὶς ἢ τρὶς ὑπῆρχεν αὐτοῖς ἐργάσασθαι τῷ αὐτῷ ἀργυρίῳ· ἐνταῦθα δʼ ἐπιδημήσαντας παραχειμάζειν ἔδει καὶ περιμένειν τὴν ὡραίαν.
For to that place, the voyage is always in season, and it was possible for them to employ the same money two or three times over; whereas if they stayed here, they had to pass the winter and wait for the sailing season.
ὥστʼ ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οἱ δανεισταὶ προσκεκερδήκασιν καὶ οὐκ ἀφείκασι τούτοις οὐδέν· ἡμῖν δʼ οὐχ ὅπως περὶ τοῦ τόκου ὁ λόγος ἐστίν, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ τἀρχαῖα ἀπολαβεῖν δυνάμεθα.
Consequently, those lenders made an additional profit and did not release anything to these men; whereas for us, not only is our argument not about the interest, but we cannot even recover our principal.
§31μὴ οὖν ἀποδέχεσθε τούτου φενακίζοντος ὑμᾶς καὶ τὰ πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους δανειστὰς πεπραγμένα παραβάλλοντος, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ τὴν συγγραφὴν ἀνάγετʼ αὐτὸν καὶ τὰ ἐκ τῆς συγγραφῆς δίκαια.
Do not then allow this man to cheat you and to compare the transactions made with the other lenders, but bring him back to the contract and the just rights arising from the contract.
ἔστι γὰρ ἐμοί τε λοιπὸν διδάξαι ὑμᾶς τοῦτο, καὶ οὗτος ἰσχυρίζεται τῷ αὐτῷ τούτῳ, φάσκων τὴν συγγραφὴν κελεύειν σωθείσης τῆς νεὼς ἀποδιδόναι τὸ δάνειον.
For it remains for me to instruct you on this point, and he himself relies on this very same point, claiming that the contract bids him pay back the loan if the ship is saved.
§32καὶ ἡμεῖς ταῦτα οὕτω φαμὲν δεῖν ἔχειν.
And we agree that this should be so.
ἡδέως δʼ ἂν πυθοίμην αὐτοῦ σοῦ, πότερον ὡς ὑπὲρ διεφθαρμένης τῆς νεὼς διαλέγει, ἢ ὡς ὑπὲρ σεσῳσμένης.
But I would gladly ask you yourself, whether you are speaking on the assumption that the ship has been destroyed, or on the assumption that she has been saved.
εἰ μὲν γὰρ διέφθαρται ἡ ναῦς καὶ ἀπόλωλεν, τί περὶ τῶν τόκων διαφέρει καὶ ἀξιοῖς ἡμᾶς κομίζεσθαι τοὺς εἰς Ῥόδον τόκους;
For if the ship has been destroyed and is lost, why does it matter about the interest, and why do you demand that we accept the interest to Rhodes?
οὔτε γὰρ τοὺς τόκους οὔτε τἀρχαῖα προσήκει ἡμᾶς ἀπολαβεῖν.
For it is proper for us to receive neither the interest nor the principal.
εἰ δʼ ἐστὶν ἡ ναῦς σῶς καὶ μὴ διέφθαρται, διὰ τί ἡμῖν οὐκ ἀποδίδως τὰ χρήματα ἃ συνεγράψω;
But if the ship is safe and has not been destroyed, why do you not pay back to us the money which you contracted?
§33πόθεν οὖν ἀκριβέστατα ἂν μάθοιτε, ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, ὅτι σέσῳσται ἡ ναῦς;
From what source, then, men of Athens, can you learn most accurately that the ship has been saved?
μάλιστα μὲν ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ εἶναι τὴν ναῦν ἐν πλῷ, οὐχ ἧττον δὲ καὶ ἐξ ὧν αὐτοὶ οὗτοι λέγουσιν.
Most of all from the very fact that the ship is in service, but no less also from what these very men say.
ἀξιοῦσιν γὰρ ἡμᾶς τά τε ἀρχαῖα ἀπολαβεῖν καὶ μέρος τι τῶν τόκων, ὡς σεσῳσμένης μὲν τῆς νεώς, οὐ πεπλευκυίας δὲ πάντα τὸν πλοῦν.
For they demand that we receive both our principal and a certain part of the interest, on the assumption that the ship has been saved, but has not completed the whole voyage.
§34σκοπεῖτε δέ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, πότερον ἡμεῖς τοῖς ἐκ τῆς συγγραφῆς δικαίοις χρώμεθα ἢ οὗτοι, οἳ οὔτε εἰς τὸ συγκείμενον ἐμπόριον πεπλεύκασιν, ἀλλʼ εἰς Ῥόδον καὶ Αἴγυπτον, σωθείσης τε τῆς νεὼς καὶ οὐ διεφθαρμένης ἄφεσιν οἴονται δεῖν εὑρίσκεσθαι τῶν τόκων παρασυγγεγραφηκότες, καὶ αὐτοὶ μὲν πολλὰ χρήματα εἰργασμένοι παρὰ τὴν σιτηγίαν τὴν εἰς Ῥόδον, τὰ δʼ ἡμέτερα χρήματα ἔχοντες καὶ καρπούμενοι δεύτερον ἔτος τουτί.
And consider, men of Athens, whether we are adhering to the just rights of the contract, or these men, who have not sailed to the agreed port, but to Rhodes and Egypt, and yet, though the ship is saved and not destroyed, think they ought to obtain a release of the interest after having violated the contract; and while they themselves have made much money by the grain transport to Rhodes, they keep our money and enjoy the fruits of it for this second year.
§35καινότατον δʼ ἐστὶ πάντων τὸ γιγνόμενον· τὸ μὲν γὰρ δάνειον τὸ ἀρχαῖον ἀποδιδόασιν ἡμῖν ὡς σεσῳσμένης τῆς νεώς, τοὺς τόκους δʼ ἀποστερῆσαι οἴονται δεῖν ὡς διεφθαρμένης.
And the most extraordinary thing of all is what is happening; for they are paying back to us the principal on the assumption that the ship has been saved, but they think they ought to deprive us of the interest on the assumption that she has been destroyed.
καίτοι ἡ συγγραφὴ οὐχ ἕτερα μὲν λέγει περὶ τῶν τόκων, ἕτερα δὲ περὶ τοῦ ἀρχαίου δανείσματος;
And yet, does the contract say one thing about the interest, and another about the principal loan?
§36ἀλλὰ τὰ δίκαια ταὐτὰ περὶ ἀμφοῖν ἐστιν καὶ ἡ πρᾶξις ἡ αὐτή.
No, but the rights concerning both are the same, and the recovery is the same.
ἀνάγνωθι δέ μοι πάλιν τὴν συγγραφήν.
Read the contract for me again.
ΣΥΓΓΡΑΦΗ
Ἀθήνηθεν εἰς Αἴγυπτον καὶ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου Ἀθήναζε.
CONTRACT From Athens to Egypt, and from Egypt to Athens.
ἀκούετε, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι· Ἀθήνηθεν,
φησίν,
εἰς Αἴγυπτον καὶ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου Ἀθήναζε. λέγε τὰ λοιπά.
You hear, men of Athens: "From Athens," it says, "to Egypt, and from Egypt to Athens." Read the rest.
ΣΥΓΓΡΑΦΗ
σωθείσης δὲ τῆς νεὼς εἰς Πειραιᾶ
CONTRACT And if the ship is saved into the Peiraeus