§18προσελθὼν δὲ οὑτοσὶ Θεοκρίνης ὡμολόγησεν ὀφείλειν καὶ ἐκτείσειν ἐναντίον τῶν φυλετῶν, ἐπειδὴ προσιόντας ἡμᾶς ᾔσθετο καὶ βουλομένους ἀντίγραφα τῶν ἐν τῷ γραμματείῳ γεγραμμένων λαβεῖν.
This man Theocrines came forward and, when he perceived that we were approaching and wishing to take copies of what was registered in the record, admitted before the tribesmen that he owed the money and would pay it.
ΨΗΦΙΣΜΑ.
πολύ γʼ ἄν, ὦ ἄνδρες Λεωντίδαι, τοὺς ἀναγκάσαντας ἀποδοῦναι Θεοκρίνην τὰς ἑπτὰ μνᾶς ἐπῃνέσατʼ ἂν μᾶλλον ἢ τοῦτον.
DECREE. Gentlemen of the Leontis tribe, you would certainly have praised those who compelled Theocrines to pay back the seven minae far more than this man.
§19τέταρτος τοίνυν νόμος ἐστίν (ὁμολογῶ γὰρ τῶν τούτῳ πεπραγμένων τὰ πλεῖστα ἐξητακέναι) καθʼ ὃν ὀφείλει πεντακοσίας δραχμὰς Θεοκρίνης οὑτοσί, οὐκ ἐκτετεικότος αὐτῷ τοῦ πατρὸς ἃς προσῶφλεν ἀφελόμενος τὴν Κηφισοδώρου θεράπαιναν εἰς ἐλευθερίαν, ἀλλὰ διοικησαμένου πρὸς Κτησικλέα τὸν λογογράφον, ὃς ἦν ἐπὶ τοῖς τῶν ἀντιδίκων πράγμασιν, ὥστε μήτʼ ἐκτεῖσαι μήτʼ εἰς ἀκρόπολιν ἀνενεχθῆναι.
There is, then, a fourth law (for I admit that I have investigated most of this man's doings) according to which this Theocrines owes five hundred drachmas, since his father did not pay the additional fine which he incurred by claiming the female slave of Cephisodorus for freedom, but instead made an arrangement with Ctesicles the speechwriter, who was in charge of the adversaries' affairs, so that he neither paid it nor was registered on the acropolis.
§20ἃς οὐδὲν ἧττον οἶμαι Θεοκρίνης ὀφείλει νυνὶ κατὰ τὸν νόμον.
Which sum I think Theocrines owes now nonetheless in accordance with the law.
οὐ γὰρ ἐὰν Κτησικλῆς ὁ μέτοικος συγχωρήσῃ τούτῳ, πονηρὸς πονηρῷ, μὴ παραδοθῆναι τοῖς πράκτορσιν τὸν προσοφλόντα κατὰ τὸν νόμον, διὰ τοῦτο δεῖ τὴν πόλιν ἀπεστερῆσθαι τῶν ἐκ τῶν νόμων ἐπικειμένων ζημιῶν, ἀλλὰ προσήκει τοὺς ἀντιδίκους ὑπὲρ μὲν τῶν ἰδίων, ὅπως ἂν αὑτοὺς πείθωσιν, διοικεῖσθαι πρὸς ἀλλήλους, ὑπὲρ δὲ τῶν πρὸς τὸ δημόσιον, ὅπως ἂν οἱ νόμοι κελεύωσιν.
For it is not because Ctesicles the resident alien, rogue with rogue, agreed with this man that the person who incurred the additional fine in accordance with the law should not be delivered to the collectors, that on this account the city should be deprived of the penalties imposed by the laws; rather, it is proper for adversaries to settle with each other regarding private matters in whatever way they can persuade themselves, but regarding public matters, in whatever way the laws command.
§21καί μοι λέγε τόν τε νόμον, ὃς κελεύει τὸ ἥμισυ τοῦ τιμήματος ὀφείλειν τῷ δημοσίῳ ὃς ἂν δόξῃ μὴ δικαίως εἰς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἀφελέσθαι, καὶ τὴν τοῦ Κηφισοδώρου μαρτυρίαν.
Read to me, then, both the law which commands that whoever is judged to have unjustly claimed someone for freedom should owe half of the valuation to the treasury, and the deposition of Cephisodorus.
ΝΟΜΟΣ. ΜΑΡΤΥΡΙΑ.
λέγε δὴ κἀκεῖνον τὸν νόμον τὸν ἀπʼ ἐκείνης κελεύοντα τῆς ἡμέρας ὀφείλειν ἀφʼ ἧς ἂν ὄφλῃ, ἐάν τε ἐγγεγραμμένος ᾖ, ἐάν τε μή.
LAW. DEPOSITION. Read now also that other law which commands that one owes from the day on which the judgment is given, whether he is registered or not.
ΝΟΜΟΣ.
LAW.
§22πῶς οὖν ἄλλως, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, προσήκει τὸν δικαίως κατηγοροῦντα ἀποφαίνειν ὀρθῶς ἐνδεδειγμένον Θεοκρίνην τουτονί, καὶ μὴ μόνον ἔνοχον ὄντα τῇ ἐνδείξει κατὰ τὰς χιλίας ἐφʼ αἷς ἐνδέδεικται, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλοῖς ἄλλοις ὀφλήμασιν;
How else, then, gentlemen of the jury, is it proper for one who accuses justly to show that this Theocrines has been rightly informed against, and that he is liable not only to the information concerning the thousand drachmas for which he has been informed against, but also to many other debts?
ἐγὼ μὲν οὐδαμῶς νομίζω.
For my part, I think there is no other way.
οὐ γὰρ δὴ προσδοκᾶν γε δεῖ Θεοκρίνην αὐτὸν ὁμολογήσειν ὀφείλειν ὑμῖν τῷ δημοσίῳ καὶ δικαίως ἐνδεδεῖχθαι φήσειν, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον πάντα λόγον μᾶλλον ἐρεῖν καὶ πάσας αἰτίας οἴσειν, ὡς καταστασιάζεται, ὡς διὰ τὰς τῶν παρανόμων γραφὰς εἰς ταῦθʼ ἥκει.
For we must certainly not expect Theocrines himself to admit that he owes money to your treasury and to say that he has been justly informed against; on the contrary, he will say every other kind of argument and bring forward all sorts of charges, claiming that he is being conspired against, and that he has come to this plight because of his indictments for illegal proposals.
§23λοιπὸν γάρ ἐστιν τοῦτο τοῖς ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς πράγμασιν ἐξελεγχομένοις, αἰτίας καὶ προφάσεις εὑρίσκειν αἵτινες τοῦ παρόντος ὑμᾶς ποιήσουσι πράγματος ἐπιλαθομένους τοῖς ἔξω τῆς κατηγορίας λόγοις προσέχειν.
For this is what remains for those who are convicted in the very acts themselves: to find excuses and pretexts which will make you forget the present matter and attend to arguments outside the accusation.
ἐγὼ δέ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, εἰ μὲν ἑώρων ἐν τοῖς ἀνεγνωσμένοις νόμοις γεγραμμένον
ταῦτα δʼ εἶναι κύρια περὶ τῶν συκοφαντούντων, ἂν μὴ Θεοκρίνης ἐνδειχθεὶς αἰτιᾶσθαι βούληται Θουκυδίδην ἢ Δημοσθένην ἢ καὶ τῶν πολιτευομένων ἄλλον τινά
, ἡσυχίαν ἂν ἦγον.
But for my part, gentlemen of the jury, if I saw written in the laws that have been read: "¦ ταῦτα δʼ εἶναι κύρια περὶ τῶν συκοφαντούντων, ἂν μὴ Θεοκρίνης ἐνδειχθεὶς αἰτιᾶσθαι βούληται Θουκυδίδην ἢ Δημοσθένην ἢ καὶ τῶν πολιτευομένων ἄλλον τινά ¦", I would have kept quiet.
νῦν δὲ τούτων οὐδεμίαν ὁρῶ τῶν σκήψεων ὑπόλογον οὖσαν ἐν τοῖς νόμοις, οὐδὲ καινήν, ὥστε προσέχειν νῦν πρῶτον ἀκούσαντας, ἀλλὰ μυριάκις παρὰ τῶν κρινομένων εἰρημένην.
But as it is, I see that none of these pretexts is taken into account in the laws, nor is any of them new, so that you should attend to it now having heard it for the first time, but they have been said ten thousand times by those who are on trial.
§24ἀκούω δὲ καὶ παρὰ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ὡς ἄρα προσῆκόν ἐστιν ὅλως μὲν μηδενὶ μηδεμίαν συγγνώμην ὑπάρχειν παραβαίνοντι τοὺς νόμους, εἰ δʼ ἄρα δεῖ, μὴ τοῖς συνεχῶς οὖσι πονηροῖς μηδὲ τοῖς ἐπʼ ἀργυρίῳ τοὺς νόμους προϊεμένοις (οὐ γὰρ εἰκός), ἀλλʼ οἵτινες ἂν διὰ τὴν αὑτῶν ἀπραγμοσύνην ἄκοντές τι τῶν γεγραμμένων παραβῶσιν.
And I hear also from my elders, gentlemen of the jury, that while as a general rule no allowance of any kind should be made for anyone who violates the laws, yet if indeed one must be made, it should not be for those who are continuously rogues, nor for those who betray the laws for money (for that is not reasonable), but for those who, through their own lack of experience, have unintentionally violated something of the written laws.
ὧν οὐδεὶς ἂν δήπου Θεοκρίνην τουτονὶ φήσειεν εἶναι, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον οὐδενὸς τῶν ἐν τοῖς νόμοις ἄπειρον.
Of whom surely no one would say that this Theocrines is one; on the contrary, he is not inexperienced in any of the matters contained in the laws.
§25διὸ καὶ δεῖ φυλάττειν αὐτόν, μὴ πρὸς τοὺς ἐμοὺς λόγους μηδὲ τοὺς ὑπὸ τούτου ῥηθησομένους ἀποβλέποντας.
Therefore, you must watch him carefully, not looking to my words nor to those which will be spoken by him.
οὐ γὰρ δίκαιον τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῶν νόμων καθημένους μακροῖς λόγοις καὶ κατηγορίαις προσέχειν, ἀλλʼ οἷς ἂν ἅπαντες ῥᾳδίως ἐπακολουθήσαιτε, καὶ διʼ ὧν δόξετε πᾶσι τοῖς ἐν τῇ πόλει τῶν νόμων ἀξίως ταύτην τὴν ἔνδειξιν δικάσαι, σαφῶς ἐρωτῶντας
τί λέγεις, Θεοκρίνη καὶ πάντες οἱ τῶν αὐτῶν τούτῳ μετέχοντες;
For it is not just for those who sit in judgment in defense of the laws to attend to long speeches and accusations, but rather to those points which you can all easily follow, and through which you will appear to all the citizens in the city to have judged this information in a manner worthy of the laws, by asking clearly: "What do you say, Theocrines, and all you who share in the same practices with him?
ἀξιοῦθʼ ἡμᾶς, κατὰ τοὺς νόμους ὀμωμοκότας δικάσειν, παρὰ τούτους διὰ τοὺς ὑμετέρους λόγους ψηφίζεσθαι;
Do you expect us, who have sworn to judge according to the laws, to vote contrary to them because of your speeches?"