§41ὁ Πρωτόμαχος πένης ἦν· ἐπικλήρου δὲ κληρονομήσας εὐπόρου, τὴν μητέρα βουληθεὶς ἐκδοῦναι πείθει λαβεῖν αὐτὴν Θούκριτον τὸν πατέρα τὸν ἐμόν, ὄνθʼ ἑαυτοῦ γνώριμον, καὶ ἐγγυᾶται ὁ πατὴρ τὴν μητέρα τὴν ἐμὴν παρὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτῆς Τιμοκράτους Μελιτέως, παρόντων τῶν τε θείων ἀμφοτέρων τῶν ἑαυτοῦ καὶ ἄλλων μαρτύρων· καὶ τούτων ὅσοι ζῶσι, μαρτυρήσουσιν ὑμῖν.
Protomachus was poor; but having married a wealthy heiress, and wishing to give my mother in marriage, he persuaded my father Thoucritus, who was an acquaintance of his, to take her; and my father betrothed my mother from her brother Timocrates of Melite, in the presence of both of his own uncles and other witnesses; and of these, as many as are alive will testify for you.
§42μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα χρόνῳ ὕστερον παιδίων αὐτῇ δυοῖν ἤδη γεγενημένων, καὶ τοῦ μὲν πατρὸς στρατευομένου καὶ ἀποδημοῦντος μετὰ Θρασυβούλου, αὐτὴ δʼ οὖσʼ ἐν ἀπορίαις ἠναγκάσθη τὸν Κλεινίαν τὸν τοῦ Κλειδίκου τιτθεῦσαι, τῷ μὲν εἰς ἔμʼ ἥκοντι κινδύνῳ νῦν μὰ τὸν Διʼ οὐχὶ συμφέρον πρᾶγμα ποιήσασα (ἀπὸ γὰρ ταύτης τῆς τιτθείας ἅπασʼ ἡ περὶ ἡμᾶς γέγονεν βλασφημία), τῇ μέντοι ὑπαρχούσῃ πενίᾳ ἴσως καὶ ἀναγκαῖα καὶ ἁρμόττοντα ποιοῦσα.
Some time after this, when two children had already been born to her, and my father was away on military service with Thrasybulus, and she herself was in difficulties, she was forced to serve as a wet-nurse to Cleinias, the son of Cleidicus. By doing this, she certainly did not do what was advantageous, by Zeus, for the danger that has now come upon me (for from this wet-nursing has arisen all the slander against us), yet for the poverty that was then upon her, she did what was perhaps both necessary and appropriate.
§43φαίνεται τοίνυν οὐχ ὁ ἐμὸς πατὴρ πρῶτος, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, λαβὼν τὴν ἐμὴν μητέρα, ἀλλʼ ὁ Πρωτόμαχος, καὶ παῖδας ποιησάμενος καὶ θυγατέρʼ ἐκδούς· ὃς καὶ τετελευτηκὼς ὅμως μαρτυρεῖ τοῖς ἔργοις ἀστήν τʼ αὐτὴν καὶ πολῖτιν εἶναι.
It is clear, therefore, gentlemen of Athens, that it was not my father who first married my mother, but Protomachus, and he had children with her and gave their daughter in marriage; even though he has died, he nevertheless testifies by his actions that she is a citizen woman and a member of the state.
ὡς οὖν ταῦτʼ ἀληθῆ λέγω, κάλει μοι πρῶτον μὲν τοὺς τοῦ Πρωτομάχου υἱεῖς, ἔπειτα τοὺς ἐγγυωμένῳ παρόντας τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τῶν φρατέρων τοὺς οἰκείους, οἷς τὴν γαμηλίαν εἰσήνεγκεν ὑπὲρ τῆς μητρὸς ὁ πατήρ, εἶτʼ Εὔνικον Χολαργέα τὸν τὴν ἀδελφὴν λαβόντα τὴν ἐμὴν παρὰ τοῦ Πρωτομάχου, εἶτα τὸν υἱὸν τῆς ἀδελφῆς.
To show that I am speaking the truth in this, call for me first of all the sons of Protomachus, then those who were present at my father's betrothal and the relatives of his phratry-members, to whom my father introduced the marriage-offering on behalf of my mother, then Eunicus of Cholargus who took my sister in marriage from Protomachus, and then the sister's son.
κάλει τούτους. ΜΑΡΤΥΡΕΣ. §44πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἂν οἰκτρότατʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, πάντων ἐγὼ πεπονθὼς εἴην, εἰ τῶν συγγενῶν ὄντων τοσούτων τουτωνὶ καὶ μαρτυρούντων καὶ διομνυμένων ἐμοὶ προσήκειν, μηδεὶς μηδενὶ τούτων ἀμφισβητῶν ὡς οὐκ εἰσὶ πολῖται, ἐμὲ ψηφίσαισθʼ εἶναι ξένον;
Call these men. [WITNESSES] How then, gentlemen of Athens, would I not have suffered the most pitiable fate of all, if, while there are so many of these relatives testifying and swearing solemn oaths that they are related to me, and when no one disputes with any of them that they are citizens, you should vote that I am a foreigner?
λαβὲ δή μοι καὶ τὴν τοῦ Κλεινίου καὶ τὴν τῶν συγγενῶν αὐτοῦ μαρτυρίαν·
Take, please, for me also the testimony of Cleinias and of his relatives, who surely know who my mother was when she served as his wet-nurse.
οἳ ἴσασιν δήπου τίς οὖσά ποθʼ ἡ ἐμὴ μήτηρ ἐτίτθευσεν αὐτόν. οὐ γὰρ ἃ τήμερον ἡμεῖς φαμέν, εὔορκον αὐτοῖς μαρτυρεῖν, ἀλλʼ ἃ πάντα τὸν χρόνον ᾔδεσαν τὴν ἡμετέραν μὲν μητέρα, τιτθὴν δὲ τούτου νομιζομένην.
For it is not what we say today that they can swear to with a clear conscience, but what they knew through all that time: that she was indeed our mother, but was considered his wet-nurse.
§45καὶ γὰρ εἰ ταπεινὸν ἡ τιτθή, τὴν ἀλήθειαν οὐ φεύγω· οὐ γὰρ εἰ πένητες ἦμεν, ἠδικήκαμεν, ἀλλʼ εἰ μὴ πολῖται· οὐδὲ περὶ τύχης οὐδὲ περὶ χρημάτων ἡμῖν ἐστὶν ὁ παρὼν ἀγών, ἀλλʼ ὑπὲρ γένους.
For even if a wet-nurse is something humble, I do not shun the truth; for it is not if we were poor that we did wrong, but if we were not citizens; nor is our present contest about fortune or money, but about descent.
πολλὰ δουλικὰ καὶ ταπεινὰ πράγματα τοὺς ἐλευθέρους ἡ πενία βιάζεται ποιεῖν, ἐφʼ οἷς ἐλεοῖντʼ ἄν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, δικαιότερον ἢ προσαπολλύοιντο.
Poverty forces free men to do many servile and humble things, for which, gentlemen of Athens, they would more justly be pitied than destroyed in addition.
ὡς γὰρ ἐγὼ ἀκούω, πολλαὶ καὶ τιτθαὶ καὶ ἔριθοι καὶ τρυγήτριαι γεγόνασιν ὑπὸ τῶν τῆς πόλεως κατʼ ἐκείνους τοὺς χρόνους συμφορῶν ἀσταὶ γυναῖκες, πολλαὶ δʼ ἐκ πενήτων πλούσιαι νῦν.
For as I hear, many citizen women became both wet-nurses and wool-workers and grape-gatherers because of the misfortunes of the city in those times, and many who were poor then are rich now.
ἀλλʼ αὐτίχʼ ὑπὲρ τούτων. νῦν δὲ τοὺς μάρτυρας κάλει. ΜΑΡΤΥΡΕΣ. §46οὐκοῦν ὅτι μὲν καὶ τὰ πρὸς μητρός εἰμʼ ἀστὸς καὶ τὰ πρὸς πατρός, τὰ μὲν ἐξ ὧν ἄρτι μεμαρτύρηται μεμαθήκατε πάντες, τὰ δʼ ἐξ ὧν πρότερον περὶ τοῦ πατρός.
But concerning these things, I shall speak presently; for now, call the witnesses. [WITNESSES] Therefore, that I am a citizen both on my mother's side and on my father's side, you have all learned, partly from the things just now testified, and partly from what was previously shown concerning my father.
λοιπὸν δέ μοι περὶ ἐμαυτοῦ πρὸς ὑμᾶς εἰπεῖν, τὸ μὲν ἁπλούστατον οἶμαι καὶ δικαιότατον, ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων ἀστῶν ὄντα με, κεκληρονομηκότα καὶ τῆς οὐσίας καὶ τοῦ γένους, εἶναι πολίτην· οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ προσήκοντα πάντʼ ἐπιδείξω μάρτυρας παρεχόμενος, ὡς εἰσήχθην εἰς τοὺς φράτερας, ὡς ἐνεγράφην εἰς τοὺς δημότας, ὡς ὑπʼ αὐτῶν τούτων προὐκρίθην ἐν τοῖς εὐγενεστάτοις κληροῦσθαι τῆς ἱερωσύνης τῷ Ἡρακλεῖ, ὡς ἦρχον ἀρχὰς δοκιμασθείς.
It remains for me to speak to you about myself; the simplest and most just point, I think, being that since I am born of two citizen parents and have inherited both their property and their descent, I am a citizen; nevertheless, I shall show all the relevant facts by producing witnesses, how I was introduced to the phratry-members, how I was registered among the demesmen, how I was selected by these very men among the most noble to draw lots for the priesthood of Heracles, and how I held offices after having passed the scrutiny.
καί μοι κάλει αὐτούς. ΜΑΡΤΥΡΕΣ.
And please call them for me. [WITNESSES]