§44ὑμεῖς οὖν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, μὴ ἐπιτρέπετε τούτοις οὕτως ἔχουσιν, μηδʼ ἐπὶ δυοῖν ἀγκύραιν ὁρμεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐᾶτε, ὡς, ἐὰν μὲν κατορθώσωσι, τἀλλότρια ἕξοντας, ἐὰν δὲ μὴ δύνωνται ἐξαπατῆσαι ὑμᾶς, αὐτὰ τὰ ὀφειλόμενα ἀποδώσοντας·
Therefore, men of Athens, do not permit them to act thus, nor allow them to ride at two anchors, on the calculation that if they succeed, they will keep other people's property, and if they fail to deceive you, they will pay back only the actual debt.
ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἐπιτιμίοις ζημιοῦτε τοῖς ἐκ τῆς συγγραφῆς.
On the contrary, punish them with the penalties prescribed by the contract.
καὶ γὰρ ἂν δεινὸν εἴη, αὐτοὺς μὲν τούτους διπλασίαν καθʼ αὑτῶν τὴν ζημίαν γράψασθαι, ἐάν τι παραβαίνωσι τῶν ἐν τῇ συγγραφῇ, ὑμᾶς δʼ ἠπιωτέρως ἔχειν πρὸς αὐτούς, καὶ ταῦτα οὐχ ἧττον ἡμῶν συνηδικημένους.
For indeed it would be a shocking thing if, while these men themselves wrote down a double penalty against themselves in case they violated any of the terms of the contract, you should be more lenient toward them, especially when you have been wronged no less than we.
§45τὰ μὲν οὖν περὶ τοῦ πράγματος δίκαια βραχέα ἐστὶ καὶ εὐμνημόνευτα.
Now the justice of our case is brief and easy to remember.
ἐδανείσαμεν Διονυσοδώρῳ τουτῳὶ καὶ τῷ κοινωνῷ αὐτοῦ τρισχιλίας δραχμὰς Ἀθήνηθεν εἰς Αἴγυπτον καὶ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου Ἀθήναζε·
We lent to this Dionysodorus and his partner three thousand drachmae from Athens to Egypt and from Egypt to Athens.
οὐκ ἀπειλήφαμεν τὰ χρήματα οὐδὲ τοὺς τόκους, ἀλλʼ ἔχουσι τὰ ἡμέτερα καὶ χρῶνται δεύτερον ἔτος·
We have received back neither our money nor the interest, but they hold our property and have been using it for a second year.
οὐ κατακεκομίκασιν τὴν ναῦν εἰς τὸ ὑμέτερον ἐμπόριον οὐδέπω καὶ νῦν, οὐδʼ ἡμῖν παρεσχήκασιν ἐμφανῆ·
They have not brought the ship into your port even to this day, nor have they produced her visible to us.
ἡ δὲ συγγραφὴ κελεύει, ἐὰν μὴ παρέχωσιν ἐμφανῆ τὴν ναῦν, ἀποτίνειν αὐτοὺς διπλάσια τὰ χρήματα, τὴν δὲ πρᾶξιν εἶναι καὶ ἐξ ἑνὸς καὶ ἐξ ἀμφοῖν.
Yet the contract bids them, if they do not produce the ship visible, to pay double the money, and the right of recovery is to be both from one and from both of them.
§46ταῦτʼ ἔχοντες τὰ δίκαια εἰσεληλύθαμεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἀξιοῦντες τὰ ἡμέτερα αὐτῶν ἀπολαβεῖν διʼ ὑμῶν, ἐπειδὴ παρʼ αὐτῶν τούτων οὐ δυνάμεθα.
With these just claims we have come before you, demanding to recover our own property through your aid, since we cannot get it from these men themselves.
ὁ μὲν παρʼ ἡμῶν λόγος οὗτός ἐστιν.
This is our argument.
οὗτοι δὲ δανείσασθαι μὲν ὁμολογοῦσιν καὶ μὴ ἀποδεδωκέναι, διαφέρονται δὲ ὡς οὐ δεῖ τελεῖν αὐτοὺς τοὺς τόκους τοὺς ἐν τῇ συγγραφῇ, ἀλλὰ τοὺς εἰς Ῥόδον, οὓς οὔτε συνεγράψαντο οὔτε ἔπεισαν ἡμᾶς.
But these men admit having borrowed the money and not having paid it back, but they dispute on the ground that they ought not to pay the interest prescribed in the contract, but only that to Rhodes, which they neither contracted for nor persuaded us to accept.
εἰ μὲν οὖν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, §47ἐν τῷ Ῥοδίων δικαστηρίῳ ἐκρινόμεθα, ἴσως ἂν οὗτοι ἐπλεονέκτουν ἡμῶν, σεσιτηγηκότες πρὸς αὐτοὺς καὶ καταπεπλευκότες τῇ νηὶ εἰς τὸ ἐκείνων ἐμπόριον·
If indeed, men of Athens, we were being judged in a Rhodian court, these men would perhaps have had the advantage over us, as they have supplied them with corn and have brought their ship into their port.
νῦν δὲ εἰς Ἀθηναίους εἰσεληλυθότες καὶ συγγραψάμενοι εἰς τὸ ὑμέτερον ἐμπόριον, οὐκ ἀξιοῦμεν ἐλαττωθῆναι ὑπὸ τῶν καὶ ἡμᾶς καὶ ὑμᾶς ἠδικηκότων.
But now, since they have come before Athenians, and having contracted for your port, we do not think it right to be at a disadvantage because of men who have wronged both us and you.
§48χωρὶς δὲ τούτων, ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, μὴ ἀγνοεῖτε, ὅτι νυνὶ μίαν δίκην δικάζοντες νομοθετεῖτε ὑπὲρ ὅλου τοῦ ἐμπορίου, καὶ παρεστᾶσι πολλοὶ τῶν κατὰ θάλατταν ἐργάζεσθαι προαιρουμένων ὑμᾶς θεωροῦντες, πῶς τὸ πρᾶγμα τουτὶ κρίνετε.
And apart from these things, men of Athens, do not ignore that now, by deciding a single lawsuit, you are passing a law for the whole port; and many of those who choose to engage in maritime business are standing by, watching how you decide this case.
εἰ μὲν γὰρ ὑμεῖς τὰς συγγραφὰς καὶ τὰς ὁμολογίας τὰς πρὸς ἀλλήλους γιγνομένας ἰσχυρὰς οἴεσθε δεῖν εἶναι καὶ τοῖς παραβαίνουσιν αὐτὰς μηδεμίαν συγγνώμην ἕξετε, ἑτοιμότερον προήσονται τὰ ἑαυτῶν οἱ ἐπὶ τοῦ δανείζειν ὄντες, ἐκ δὲ τούτων αὐξηθήσεται ὑμῖν τὸ ἐμπόριον.
For if you think that contracts and agreements made between men ought to be binding, and will have no indulgence for those who violate them, those who are in the business of lending will more readily part with their property, and as a result, your port will be increased.
§49εἰ μέντοι ἐξέσται τοῖς ναυκλήροις, συγγραφὴν γραψαμένοις ἐφʼ ᾧ τε καταπλεῖν εἰς Ἀθήνας, ἔπειτα κατάγειν τὴν ναῦν εἰς ἕτερα ἐμπόρια, φάσκοντας ῥαγῆναι καὶ τοιαύτας προφάσεις ποριζομένους οἵαισπερ καὶ Διονυσόδωρος οὑτοσὶ χρῆται, καὶ τοὺς τόκους μερίζειν πρὸς τὸν πλοῦν ὃν ἂν φήσωσιν πεπλευκέναι, καὶ μὴ πρὸς τὴν συγγραφήν, οὐδὲν κωλύσει ἅπαντα τὰ συμβόλαια διαλύεσθαι.
If, however, shipowners, having made a contract to sail to Athens, are to be allowed to bring their ship into other ports, claiming that she was damaged, and providing themselves with such excuses as this Dionysodorus uses, and to divide the interest in proportion to the voyage which they claim to have made, and not according to the contract, nothing will prevent all agreements from being dissolved.
§50τίς γὰρ ἐθελήσει τὰ ἑαυτοῦ προέσθαι, ὅταν ὁρᾷ τὰς μὲν συγγραφὰς ἀκύρους, ἰσχύοντας δὲ τοὺς τοιούτους λόγους, καὶ τὰς αἰτίας τῶν ἠδικηκότων ἔμπροσθεν οὔσας τοῦ δικαίου;
For who will be willing to part with his own property, when he sees that contracts are invalid, that such arguments are strong, and that the excuses of wrongdoers take precedence over justice?
μηδαμῶς, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί· οὔτε γὰρ τῷ πλήθει τῷ ὑμετέρῳ συμφέρει τοῦτο οὔτε τοῖς ἐργάζεσθαι προῃρημένοις, οἵπερ χρησιμώτατοί εἰσιν καὶ κοινῇ πᾶσιν ὑμῖν καὶ ἰδίᾳ τῷ ἐντυγχάνοντι.
Do not allow this, gentlemen of the jury; for this is of no advantage either to your collective body or to those who have chosen to engage in business, who are most useful both to all of you in common and to each individual who meets them.
διόπερ δεῖ ὑμᾶς αὐτῶν ἐπιμέλειαν ποιεῖσθαι.
Therefore you ought to take care of them.
ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν ὅσαπερ οἷός τʼ ἦν, εἴρηκα· ἀξιῶ δὲ καὶ τῶν φίλων μοί τινα συνειπεῖν.
For my part, I have said all that I could; and I also ask one of my friends to speak in support.
δεῦρο Δημόσθενες.
Come forward, Demosthenes.