§11.937ΑΘ.ἐάν τις ἑκὼν μὴ ʼθέλῃ μαρτυρεῖν, προκαλεῖσθαι τὸν δεόμενον, ὁ δὲ κληθεὶς ἀπαντάτω πρὸς τὴν δίκην, καὶ ἐὰν μὲν εἰδῇ καὶ ἐθέλῃ μαρτυρεῖν, μαρτυρείτω, ἐὰν δὲ εἰδέναι μὴ φῇ, τοὺς τρεῖς θεοὺς Δία καὶ Ἀπόλλωνα καὶ Θέμιν ἀπομόσας ἦ μὴν μὴ εἰδέναι ἀπαλλαττέσθω τῆς δίκης·
ATH. If anyone of his own will does not wish to witness, let the one who needs him summon him, and let the one summoned attend the trial; and if indeed he knows and wishes to witness, let him witness, but if he says he does not know, let him swear by the three gods, Zeus, Apollo, and Themis, indeed that he does not know, and let him be released from the trial.
ὁ δʼ εἰς μαρτυρίαν κληθείς, μὴ ἀπαντῶν δὲ τῷ καλεσαμένῳ, τῆς βλάβης ὑπόδικος ἔστω κατὰ νόμον.
But let the one summoned to witness, who does not attend the summoner, be liable for the damage according to the law.
ἐὰν δέ τίς τινα δικάζοντα ἀναστήσηται μάρτυρα, μαρτυρήσας μὴ διαψηφιζέσθω περὶ ταύτης τῆς δίκης.
And if anyone sets up any of those judging as a witness, after witnessing let him not vote concerning this trial.
γυναικὶ δʼ ἐξέστω ἐλευθέρᾳ μαρτυρεῖν καὶ συνηγορεῖν, ἐὰν ὑπὲρ τετταράκοντα ἔτη ᾖ γεγονυῖα, καὶ δίκην λαγχάνειν, ἐὰν ἄνανδρος ᾖ· ζῶντος δὲ ἀνδρὸς ἐξέστω μαρτυρῆσαι μόνον.
And let it be permitted to a free woman to witness and advocate if she is over forty years of age, and to bring a suit if she is without a husband; but while her husband is living, let it be permitted to witness only.
δούλῃ δὲ καὶ δούλῳ καὶ παιδὶ φόνου μόνον ἐξέστω μαρτυρεῖν καὶ συνηγορεῖν, ἐὰν ἐγγυητὴν ἀξιόχρεων ἦ μὴν μενεῖν καταστήσῃ μέχρι δίκης, ἐὰν ἐπισκηφθῇ τὰ ψευδῆ μαρτυρῆσαι.
And to a female slave, a male slave, and a child, let it be permitted to witness and advocate only in case of murder, if they establish a sufficient guarantor that they will indeed remain until the trial, if they should be accused of having witnessed falsely.
ἐπισκήπτεσθαι δὲ τῶν ἀντιδίκων ἑκάτερον ὅλῃ τῇ μαρτυρίᾳ καὶ μέρει, ἐὰν τὰ ψευδῆ φῇ τινα μεμαρτυρηκέναι, πρὶν τὴν δίκην διακεκρίσθαι· τὰς δʼ ἐπισκήψεις τὰς ἀρχὰς φυλάττειν κατασεσημασμένας ὑπʼ ἀμφοῖν, καὶ παρέχειν εἰς τὴν τῶν ψευδομαρτυριῶν διάκρισιν.
And let each of the opponents challenge the whole testimony or a part of it, if they say someone has witnessed falsely, before the trial is decided; and let the officials guard the challenges sealed by both, and produce them for the decision of the false testimonies.
ἐὰν δέ τις ἁλῷ δὶς ψευδομαρτυρῶν, τοῦτον μηκέτι νόμος ἀναγκαζέτω μηδεὶς μαρτυρεῖν, ἐὰν δὲ τρίς, μηκέτʼ ἐξέστω τούτῳ μαρτυρεῖν·
But if anyone is convicted twice of witnessing falsely, let no law force this man to witness any longer, and if three times, let it no longer be permitted to him to witness.
ἐὰν δὲ τολμήσῃ μαρτυρῆσαι τρὶς ἑαλωκώς, ἐνδεικνύτω μὲν πρὸς τὴν ἀρχὴν ὁ βουλόμενος αὐτόν, ἡ δʼ ἀρχὴ δικαστηρίῳ παραδότω, ἐὰν δὲ ὄφλῃ, θανάτῳ ζημιούσθω.
And if he dares to witness having been convicted three times, let anyone who wishes denounce him to the official, and let the official hand him over to the court, and if he is convicted, let him be punished with death.
ὁπόσων δʼ ἂν μαρτυρίαι ἁλῶσιν δίκῃ, ψευδῆ δοξάντων μαρτυρεῖν καὶ τὴν νίκην τῷ ἑλόντι πεποιηκέναι, ἐὰν τῶν τοιούτων ὑπὲρ ἥμισυ μαρτυριῶν καταδικασθῶσίν τινες, τὴν κατὰ ταύτας ἁλοῦσαν δίκην ἀνάδικον γίγνεσθαι, ἀμφισβήτησιν δʼ εἶναι καὶ διαδικασίαν εἴτε κατὰ ταύτας εἴτε μὴ ἡ δίκη ἐκρίθη, ὁποτέρως δʼ ἂν κριθῇ, ταύτῃ γιγνέσθω τὸ τέλος τῶν ἔμπροσθεν δικῶν.
And of all those whose testimonies are convicted in a suit, being thought to have witnessed falsely and to have caused the victory for the one who won, if some of such testimonies over half are condemned, let the trial convicted according to these become subject to a new trial, and let there be a dispute and judicial decision as to whether the trial was decided according to these or not; and whichever way it is decided, let this be the end of the previous trials.
πολλῶν δὲ ὄντων καὶ καλῶν ἐν τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίῳ, τοῖς πλείστοις αὐτῶν οἷον κῆρες ἐπιπεφύκασιν, αἳ καταμιαίνουσίν τε καὶ καταρρυπαίνουσιν αὐτά· καὶ δὴ καὶ δίκη ἐν ἀνθρώποις πῶς οὐ καλόν, ὃ πάντα ἡμέρωκεν τὰ ἀνθρώπινα;
Now many and beautiful things being in the life of men, upon most of them as it were fates have grown, which defile and stain them; and indeed, how is justice among men not a beautiful thing, which has tamed all human things?
καλοῦ δὲ ὄντος τούτου, πῶς οὐ καὶ τὸ συνδικεῖν ἡμῖν γίγνοιτʼ ἂν καλόν;
And this being beautiful, how would advocating with us also not become beautiful?
ταῦτα οὖν τοιαῦτα ὄντα διαβάλλει τις κάκη, καλὸν ὄνομα προστησαμένη τέχνην, ἣ πρῶτον μὲν δή φησιν εἶναί τινα δικῶν μηχανήν—εἶναι δʼ αὐτὴ τοῦ τε δικάσασθαι καὶ συνδικεῖν ἄλλῳ—νικᾶν δυναμένην, ἄντʼ οὖν δίκαια ἄντε μὴ τὰ περὶ τὴν δίκην ἑκάστην ᾖ πεπραγμένα· §11.938ΑΘ. δωρεὰν δʼ αὐτῆς εἶναι τῆς τέχνης καὶ τῶν λόγων τῶν ἐκ τῆς τέχνης, ἂν ἀντιδωρῆταί τις χρήματα.
These things, therefore, being such, a certain wickedness slanders, having put forward a beautiful name, "art," which first indeed says that there is a certain device of lawsuits—and that this is an art of suing and advocating for another—capable of winning, whether the actions concerning each lawsuit have been done justly or not; ATH. and that the art itself and the speeches from the art are a gift, if someone gives money in return.
ταύτην οὖν ἐν τῇ παρʼ ἡμῖν πόλει, εἴτʼ οὖν τέχνη εἴτε ἄτεχνός ἐστίν τις ἐμπειρία καὶ τριβή, μάλιστα μὲν δὴ χρεών ἐστιν μὴ φῦναι· δεομένου δὲ τοῦ νομοθέτου πείθεσθαι καὶ μὴ ἐναντία δίκῃ φθέγγεσθαι, πρὸς ἄλλην δὲ ἀπαλλάττεσθαι χώραν, πειθομένοις μὲν σιγή, ἀπειθοῦσιν δὲ φωνὴ νόμου ἥδε· ἄν τις δοκῇ πειρᾶσθαι τὴν τῶν δικαίων δύναμιν ἐν ταῖς τῶν δικαστῶν ψυχαῖς ἐπὶ τἀναντία τρέπειν καὶ παρὰ καιρὸν πολυδικεῖν τῶν τοιούτων ἢ καὶ συνδικεῖν, γραφέσθω μὲν ὁ βουλόμενος αὐτὸν κακοδικίας ἢ καὶ συνδικίας κακῆς, κρινέσθω δὲ ἐν τῷ τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν δικαστηρίῳ, ὀφλόντος δέ, τιμάτω τὸ δικαστήριον εἴτε φιλοχρηματίᾳ δοκεῖ δρᾶν τὸ τοιοῦτον εἴτε φιλονικίᾳ, καὶ ἐὰν μὲν φιλονικίᾳ, τιμᾶν αὐτῷ τὸ δικαστήριον ὅσου χρὴ χρόνου τὸν τοιοῦτον μηδενὶ λαχεῖν δίκην μηδὲ συνδικῆσαι, ἐὰν δὲ φιλοχρηματίᾳ, τὸν μὲν ξένον ἀπιόντα ἐκ τῆς χώρας μήποτε πάλιν ἐλθεῖν ἢ θανάτῳ ζημιοῦσθαι, τὸν ἀστὸν δὲ τεθνάναι φιλοχρημοσύνης ἕνεκα τῆς ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου παρʼ αὐτῷ τιμωμένης· καὶ ἐάν τις φιλονικίᾳ κριθῇ δὶς τὸ τοιοῦτον δρᾶν, τεθνάτω.
This, therefore, in our city, whether indeed it is an art or some artless experience and practice, is especially necessary not to grow; and though the legislator requests to obey and not to speak contrary to justice, but to depart to another land, for those who obey let there be silence, but for those who disobey let this be the voice of the law: if anyone is thought to attempt to turn the power of justice in the souls of the judges to the contrary, and to litigate excessively or also to advocate for such people out of season, let anyone who wishes indict him for bad litigation or also for bad advocacy, and let him be judged in the court of the select judges; and if he is convicted, let the court assess whether he seems to do such a thing out of love of money or love of victory; and if out of love of victory, let the court assess for how long such a person must not bring any suit or advocate for anyone, but if out of love of money, let the stranger depart from the country and never come back on pain of death, and let the citizen die on account of the love of money that is honored by him in every way; and if anyone is judged twice to do such a thing out of love of victory, let him die.