§frag_1## Frag.
## Frag.
I
ἀλλʼ ἐγώ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ὅπερ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς παρακαθημένους ἀρτίως ἔλεγον, θαυμάζω τουτὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα, εἰ δὴ νὴ Δία κατὰ Δημοσθένους μόνου τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει μήτε οἱ νόμοι ἰσχύουσιν, οἱ κελεύοντες κύρια εἶναι ὅσα ἄν τις αὐτὸς καθʼ αὑτοῦ διάθηται, μήτε τὰ ψηφίσματα τοῦ δήμου, καθʼ ἃ ὑμεῖς μὲν ὀμωμόκατε τὴν ψῆφον οἴσειν, ἔγραψεν δὲ αὐτὰ οὐδεὶς τῶν ἐχθρῶν τῶν Δημοσθένους, ἀλλʼ αὐτὸς οὗτος, ἐψηφίσατο δὲ ὁ δῆμος τούτου κελεύοντος καὶ μόνον οὐχ ἑκουσίως αὑτὸν ἀπολλύοντος καίτοι τὸ δίκαιον, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ἁπλοῦν ὑπολαμβάνω ἡμῖν εἶναι πρὸς Δημοσθένη.
I But I, gentlemen of the jury, just as I was saying to those sitting near me a moment ago, wonder at this matter, if indeed, by Zeus, against Demosthenes alone of all those in the city neither the laws are valid—which command that whatever agreements a man himself makes against himself shall be binding—nor the decrees of the people—according to which you have sworn to cast your vote, and which none of the enemies of Demosthenes proposed, but this man himself, and which the people decreed at his own request when he was all but voluntarily destroying himself. And yet, gentlemen of the jury, I believe that our case against Demosthenes is simple.
ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν ἰδίων ἐγκλημάτων πολλὰ διὰ προκλήσεων κρίνεται, οὕτως καὶ τουτὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα κέκριται.
For just as in private disputes many matters are decided by means of challenges, so this matter too has been decided.
σκέψασθε γάρ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, οὑτωσί.
Consider it, gentlemen of the jury, in this way.
ᾐτιάσατό σε, ὦ Δημόσθενες, ὁ δῆμος εἰληφέναι εἴκοσι τάλαντα ἐπὶ τῇ πολιτείᾳ καὶ τοῖς νόμοις.
The people accused you, Demosthenes, of having taken twenty talents to the detriment of the constitution and the laws.
ταῦτα ςὺ ἔξαρνος ἐγένου μὴ λαβεῖν, καὶ πρόκλησιν γράψας ἐν ψηφίσματι προσήνεγκας τῷ δήμῳ, ἐπιτρέπων ὑπὲρ ὧν τὴν αἰτίαν ἔσχες τῇ βουλῇ τῇ ἐξ Ἀρείου πάγου
You denied having taken them, and having written a challenge in a decree, you presented it to the people, referring the charge of which you were accused to the Council of the Areopagus.
§frag_2## Frag.
## Frag.
II
καὶ συκοφαντεῖς τὴν βουλήν, προκλήσεις ἐκτιθεὶς καὶ ἐρωτῶν ἐν ταῖς προκλήσεσιν, πόθεν ἔλαβες τὸ χρυσίον, καὶ τίς ἦν σοι ὁ δούς, καὶ ποῦ.
II And now you slander the Council, putting forward challenges and asking in them where you received the money, who was the one who gave it to you, and where.
τελευτῶν δʼ ἴσως ἐρωτήσεις καὶ ὅτι ἐχρήσω λαβὼν τῷ χρυσίῳ, ὥσπερ τραπεζιτικὸν λόγον παρὰ τῆς βουλῆς ἀπαιτῶν.
In the end, perhaps, you will even ask what you did with the money after receiving it, as if demanding a bank statement from the Council.
ἐγὼ δὲ τοὐναντίον ἡδέως ἂν παρὰ σοῦ πυθοίμην, τίνος ἂν ἕνεκα ἡ ἐξ Ἀρείου πάγου βουλὴ ἔφη ις ἀδίκως τατοχρυ φησι του ωτατις. ε δικαστ ἂν ἐνοι εσθαι ἐμ δικαίως τω ι
But I, on the contrary, would gladly learn from you for what reason the Council of the Areopagus said [...] unjustly [...] the gold [...] judges [...] justly [...]