Humanitext Reader

Antiphon of Rhamnus · Second Tetralogy §1.1-1.2

Accusation of Involuntary Manslaughter by Javelin

Passage 1 of 5 · Greek

Summary

The prosecutor (the victim's father) accuses the defendant (a youth) of involuntary manslaughter for killing his son with a javelin in the gymnasium, demanding a strict verdict and the avoidance of pollution from the citizens.

§1.1τὰ μὲν ὁμολογούμενα τῶν πραγμάτων ὑπό τε τοῦ νόμου κατακέκριται ὑπό τε τῶν ψηφισαμένων, οἳ κύριοι πάσης τῆς πολιτείας εἰσίν· ἐὰν δέ τι ἀμφισβητήσιμον ᾖ, τοῦτο ὑμῖν, ὦ ἄνδρες πολῖται, προστέτακται διαγνῶναι.
Those matters which are agreed upon have already been decided both by the law and by those who voted, who are masters of the entire state; but if there is any matter in dispute, to decide this, gentlemen citizens, has been assigned to you.
οἶμαι μὲν οὖν οὐδὲ ἀμφισβητήσειν πρὸς ἐμὲ τὸν διωκόμενον· ὁ γὰρ παῖς μου ἐν γυμνασίῳ ἀκοντισθεὶς διὰ τῶν πλευρῶν ὑπὸ τούτου τοῦ μειρακίου παραχρῆμα ἀπέθανεν.
Therefore, I think that the accused will not even dispute with me; for my boy, having been struck through his ribs with a javelin in the gymnasium by this youth, died on the spot.
§1.2ἑκόντα μὲν οὖν οὐκ ἐπικαλῶ ἀποκτεῖναι, ἄκοντα δέ.
Therefore, I do not accuse him of having killed intentionally, but unintentionally.
ἐμοὶ δὲ οὐκ ἐλάσσω τοῦ ἑκόντος ἄκων τὴν συμφορὰν κατέστησε.
Yet to me, though unintentionally, he has caused a disaster no less than if he had done so intentionally.
τῷ δὲ ἀποθανόντι αὐτῷ μὲν οὐδὲν ἐνθύμιον, τοῖς δὲ ζῶσι προσέθηκεν.
And for the deceased himself, indeed, there is no further trouble of mind, but he has imposed it upon the living.
ὑμᾶς δὲ ἀξιῶ ἐλεοῦντας μὲν τὴν ἀπαιδίαν τῶν γονέων, οἰκτίροντας δὲ τὴν ἄωρον τοῦ ἀποθανόντος τελευτήν, εἴργοντας ὧν ὁ νόμος εἴργει τὸν ἀποκτείναντα μὴ περιορᾶν ἅπασαν τὴν πόλιν ὑπὸ τούτου μιαινομένην.
I ask you, pitying the childlessness of the parents, and mourning the untimely death of the deceased, and barring him from what the law bars a killer, not to look on while the entire city is polluted by this man.

Notes

  1. §1.1τὸν διωκόμενον — The present passive participle, literally 'the one being pursued,' functions in Attic forensic speech as a substantive meaning 'the accused' or 'the defendant.' Here it serves as the accusative subject of the infinitive `ἀμφισβητήσειν`.
  2. §1.2ἑκόντα / ἄκοντα — These adjectives are used adverbially, modifying the accusative subject of the infinitive `ἀποκτεῖναι`, or as predicative accusatives with `ἐπικαλῶ`, expressing the manner of the action: 'intentionally' and 'unintentionally.'
  3. §1.2ἐνθύμιον — Refers to a 'scruple,' 'matter of anxiety or remorse,' or 'religious anxiety/pollution.' In this contrastive structure, while the deceased himself has no awareness or trouble of mind, the killer has transferred this heavy burden of grief and religious anxiety to the living.
  4. §1.2εἴργοντας — A present participle (accusative plural) modifying `ὑμᾶς`, the object of the main verb `ἀξιῶ`. The relative pronoun `ὧν` is attracted to the genitive case from the accusative `ἃ` under the influence of the verb `εἴργει` (which governs the genitive to mean 'to bar someone from something'), with the antecedent `τούτων` being omitted. Thus, it means 'barring him from those things from which the law bars a killer.'
  5. §1.2μὴ περιορᾶν — An infinitive with the negative particle `μή`, depending directly on the main verb `ἀξιῶ` ('I ask [you] not to look on'). The verb `περιορᾶν` takes an accusative object (`ἅπασαν τὴν πόλιν`) and a present passive participle (`μιαννομένην`), forming the construction 'to look on while the entire city is being polluted by this man.'

Cite this passage

Antiphon of Rhamnus, Second Tetralogy §1.1-1.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0028.tlg003.humanitext-grc2:1.1-1.2

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