§37ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, πάνυ ἁπλοῦν ἐστιν διαγνῶναι ὑμῖν ὑπὲρ ταύτης τῆς δίκης, καὶ οὐδὲν δεῖ λόγων πολλῶν.
Men of Athens, it is extremely simple for you to decide concerning this lawsuit, and there is no need for many words.
ἡ ναῦς ὅτι μὲν σέσῳσται καὶ ἔστιν σῶς, καὶ παρʼ αὐτῶν τούτων ὁμολογεῖται (οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἀπεδίδοσαν τό τε ἀρχαῖον δάνειον καὶ τῶν τόκων μέρος τι), οὐ κατακεκόμισται δʼ εἰς τὸν Πειραιᾶ.
That the ship has been saved and is safe is admitted even by these men themselves (for otherwise they would not have been paying back both the principal loan and a certain part of the interest), but she has not been brought into the Peiraeus.
διὰ τοῦτο ἡμεῖς μὲν οἱ δανείσαντες ἀδικεῖσθαί φαμεν, καὶ ὑπὲρ τούτου δικαζόμεθα, ὅτι οὐ κατέπλευσεν εἰς τὸ συγκείμενον ἐμπόριον.
On this account, we the lenders claim that we are being wronged, and we are bringing this suit on this very point, because she did not sail into the agreed port.
§38Διονυσόδωρος δὲ οὔ φησιν ἀδικεῖν διʼ αὐτὸ τοῦτο· οὐ γὰρ δεῖν αὑτὸν ἀποδοῦναι πάντας τοὺς τόκους, ἐπειδὴ ἡ ναῦς οὐ κατέπλευσεν εἰς τὸν Πειραιᾶ.
But Dionysodorus claims that he is doing no wrong on this very account; for he says he does not have to pay back all the interest, since the ship did not sail into the Peiraeus.
ἡ δὲ συγγραφὴ τί λέγει;
But what does the contract say?
οὐ μὰ Δίʼ οὐ ταῦτα ἃ σὺ λέγεις, ὦ Διονυσόδωρε·
By Zeus, not what you say, Dionysodorus!
ἀλλʼ ἐὰν μὴ ἀποδῷς τὸ δάνειον καὶ τοὺς τόκους ἢ μὴ παράσχῃς τὰ ὑποκείμενα ἐμφανῆ καὶ ἀνέπαφα, ἢ ἄλλο τι παρὰ τὴν συγγραφὴν ποιήσῃς, ἀποτίνειν κελεύει σε διπλάσια τὰ χρήματα.
On the contrary, if you do not pay back the loan and the interest, or do not produce the security visible and intact, or do anything else contrary to the contract, it bids you pay double the money.
καί μοι λέγε αὐτὸ τοῦτο τῆς συγγραφῆς.
Read for me this very passage of the contract.
ΣΥΓΓΡΑΦΗ.
ἐὰν δὲ μὴ παράσχωσι τὰ ὑποκείμενα ἐμφανῆ καὶ ἀνέπαφα, ἢ ποιήσωσίν τι παρὰ τὴν συγγραφήν, ἀποδιδότωσαν διπλάσια τὰ χρήματα. §39ἔστιν οὖν ὅποι παρέσχηκας ἐμφανῆ τὴν ναῦν, ἀφʼ οὗ τὰ χρήματα ἔλαβες παρʼ ἡμῶν, ὁμολογῶν σῶν εἶναι αὐτός;
CONTRACT "And if they do not produce the security visible and intact, or do anything contrary to the contract, let them pay double the money." Is there, then, any place where you have produced the ship visible, since you received the money from us, while you yourself admit that she is safe?
ἢ καταπέπλευκας ἐξ ἐκείνου τοῦ χρόνου εἰς τὸ Ἀθηναίων ἐμπόριον, τῆς συγγραφῆς διαρρήδην λεγούσης εἰς τὸν Πειραιᾶ κατάγειν τὴν ναῦν καὶ ἐμφανῆ παρέχειν τοῖς δανείσασιν;
Or have you, since that time, sailed into the Athenian port, although the contract explicitly says that you must bring the ship into the Peiraeus and produce her visible to the lenders?
§40καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο, ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι.
And further this, men of Athens.
θεάσασθε τὴν ὑπερβολήν.
Behold the extremity of their impudence.
ἐρράγη ἡ ναῦς, ὥς φησιν οὗτος, καὶ διὰ τοῦτʼ εἰς Ῥόδον κατήγαγεν αὐτήν.
The ship was damaged, as this man claims, and on this account he brought her into Rhodes.
οὐκοῦν τὸ μετὰ τοῦτο ἐπεσκευάσθη καὶ πλόϊμος ἐγένετο.
Very well, after this she was repaired and became fit for sailing.
διὰ τί οὖν, ὦ βέλτιστε, εἰς μὲν τὴν Αἴγυπτον καὶ τἄλλα ἐμπόρια ἀπέστελλες αὐτήν, Ἀθήναζε δὲ οὐκ ἀπέσταλκας οὐδέπω καὶ νῦν πρὸς ἡμᾶς τοὺς δανείσαντας, οἷς ἡ συγγραφὴ κελεύει σε ἐμφανῆ καὶ ἀνέπαφον τὴν ναῦν παρέχειν, καὶ ταῦτʼ ἀξιούντων ἡμῶν καὶ προκαλεσαμένων σε πολλάκις;
Why then, my good sir, did you dispatch her to Egypt and other ports, but to Athens, to us the lenders, to whom the contract bids you produce the ship visible and intact, you have not dispatched her even to this day, and that though we demanded it and challenged you many times?
§41ἀλλʼ οὕτως ἀνδρεῖος εἶ, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀναίσχυντος, ὥστʼ ἐκ τῆς συγγραφῆς ὀφείλων ἡμῖν διπλάσια τὰ χρήματα, οὐκ οἴει δεῖν οὐδὲ τοὺς τόκους τοὺς γιγνομένους ἀποδοῦναι, ἀλλὰ τοὺς εἰς Ῥόδον προστάττεις ἀπολαβεῖν, ὥσπερ τὸ σὸν πρόσταγμα τῆς συγγραφῆς δέον κυριώτερον γενέσθαι, καὶ τολμᾷς λέγειν ὡς οὐκ ἐσώθη ἡ ναῦς εἰς τὸν Πειραιᾶ· ἐφʼ ᾧ δικαίως ἂν ἀποθάνοις ὑπὸ τῶν δικαστῶν.
But you are so bold, or rather shameless, that, although you owe us double the money under the contract, you do not think you ought to pay back even the interest that has accrued, but you order us to accept the interest to Rhodes, as though your order ought to be more authoritative than the contract, and you dare to say that the ship was not saved into the Peiraeus—for which you would justly be put to death by the judges.
§42διὰ τίνα γὰρ μᾶλλον, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, οὐ σέσῳσται ἡ ναῦς εἰς τὸν Πειραιᾶ;
For by whose fault rather, gentlemen of the jury, was the ship not saved into the Peiraeus?
πότερον διʼ ἡμᾶς τοὺς διαρρήδην δανείσαντας εἰς Αἴγυπτον καὶ εἰς Ἀθήνας, ἢ διὰ τοῦτον καὶ τὸν κοινωνὸν αὐτοῦ, οἳ ἐπὶ ταύταις ταῖς ὁμολογίαις δανεισάμενοι, ἐφʼ ᾧ τε καταπλεῖν Ἀθήναζε, εἰς Ῥόδον κατήγαγον τὴν ναῦν;
Was it by ours, who explicitly lent money for Egypt and for Athens, or by this man's and his partner's, who, having borrowed money on these terms, namely that they should sail back to Athens, brought the ship into Rhodes?
ὅτι δὲ ἑκόντες καὶ οὐκ ἐξ ἀνάγκης ταῦτʼ ἔπραξαν, ἐκ πολλῶν δῆλον.
And that they did this voluntarily and not of necessity is clear from many proofs.
§43εἰ γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς ἀκούσιον τὸ συμβὰν ἐγένετο καὶ ἡ ναῦς ἐρράγη, τὸ μετὰ τοῦτʼ ἐπειδὴ ἐπεσκεύασαν τὴν ναῦν, οὐκ ἂν εἰς ἕτερα δήπου ἐμπόρια ἐμίσθωσαν αὐτήν, ἀλλʼ ὡς ὑμᾶς ἀπέστελλον, ἐπανορθούμενοι τὸ ἀκούσιον σύμπτωμα.
For if the occurrence had been truly involuntary and the ship had been damaged, surely after they had repaired the ship, they would not have chartered her to other ports, but would have dispatched her to you, thus making amends for the involuntary accident.
νῦν δʼ οὐχ ὅπως ἐπηνωρθώσαντο, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τοῖς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀδικήμασι πολλῷ μείζω προσεξημαρτήκασιν, καὶ ὥσπερ ἐπὶ καταγέλωτι ἀντιδικοῦντες εἰσεληλύθασιν, ὡς ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς ἐσόμενον, ἐὰν καταψηφίσησθε αὐτῶν, τὰ ἀρχαῖα μόνον ἀποδοῦναι καὶ τοὺς τόκους.
But as it is, so far from making amends, they have committed a far greater offense in addition to their original wrongs, and have entered court to contest the suit as if in mockery, on the assumption that it will be in their power, even if you cast your vote against them, to pay back only the principal and the interest.