§12πρῶτον μὲν οὖν, ᾧ τρόπῳ κηδεσταὶ ἡμῖν ἐγένοντο, διδάξω ὑμᾶς.
First of all, I shall instruct you in what manner they became our relatives.
στρατηγῶν γὰρ Κόνων περὶ Πελοπόννησον, τριηραρχήσαντι τῷ ἐμῷ πατρὶ πάλαι φίλος γεγενημένος, ἐδεήθη δοῦναι τὴν ἐμὴν ἀδελφὴν αἰτοῦντι τῷ ὑεῖ τῷ Νικοφήμου.
For when Conon was general around the Peloponnese, having long been a friend of my father, who had served as trierarch, he begged my father to give my sister to the son of Nicophemus, who was asking for her.
§13ὁ δὲ ὁρῶν αὐτοὺς ὑπʼ ἐκείνου τε πεπιστευμένους γεγονότας τε ἐπιεικεῖς τῇ τε πόλει ἔν γε τῷ τότε χρόνῳ ἀρέσκοντας, ἐπείσθη δοῦναι, οὐκ εἰδὼς τὴν ἐσομένην διαβολήν, ἀλλʼ ὅτε καὶ ὑμῶν ὁστισοῦν ἂν ἐκείνοις ἠξίωσε κηδεστὴς γενέσθαι, ἐπεὶ ὅτι γε οὐ χρημάτων ἕνεκα, ῥᾴδιον γνῶναι ἐκ τοῦ βίου παντὸς καὶ τῶν ἔργων τῶν τοῦ πατρός.
And my father, seeing that they were trusted by Conon, were decent men, and were pleasing to the city at least at that time, was persuaded to give her, not knowing the slander that was to come, but at a time when any one of you too would have deemed it worthy to become their relative; and indeed, that it was not for the sake of money is easy to recognize from my father's whole life and deeds.
§14ἐκεῖνος γὰρ ὅτʼ ἦν ἐν τῇ ἡλικίᾳ, παρὸν μετὰ πολλῶν χρημάτων γῆμαι ἄλλην, τὴν ἐμὴν μητέρα ἔλαβεν οὐδὲν ἐπιφερομένην, ὅτι δὲ Ξενοφῶντος ἦν θυγάτηρ τοῦ Εὐριπίδου ὑέος, ὃς οὐ μόνον ἰδίᾳ χρηστὸς ἐδόκει εἶναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ στρατηγεῖν αὐτὸν ἠξιώσατε, ὡς ἐγὼ ἀκούω.
For when he was of age, though it was possible for him to marry another woman with a large dowry, he took my mother who brought nothing, simply because she was the daughter of Xenophon, the son of Euripides, who was not only thought to be good in private, but whom you also deemed worthy of being general, as I hear.
§15τὰς τοίνυν ἐμὰς ἀδελφὰς ἐθελόντων τινῶν λαβεῖν ἀπροίκους πάνυ πλουσίων οὐκ ἔδωκεν, ὅτι ἐδόκουν κάκιον γεγονέναι, ἀλλὰ τὴν μὲν Φιλομήλῳ τῷ Παιανιεῖ, ὃν οἱ πολλοὶ βελτίω ἡγοῦνται εἶναι ἢ πλουσιώτερον, τὴν δὲ πένητι γεγενημένῳ οὐ διὰ κακίαν, ἀδελφιδῷ δὲ ὄντι Φαίδρῳ τῷ Μυρρινουσίῳ, ἐπιδοὺς τετταράκοντα μνᾶς, §16κᾆτʼ Ἀριστοφάνει τὸ ἴσον.
Furthermore, when some very rich men wished to take my sisters without a dowry, he did not give them, because they seemed to be of worse character, but instead gave one to Philomelus of Paiania, whom most people think to be better than richer, and the other to Phaedrus of Myrrhinus, who had become poor through no fault of his own but was his nephew, giving forty minae with her, and then the same amount to Aristophanes.
πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἐμοὶ πολλὴν ἐξὸν πάνυ προῖκα λαβεῖν ἐλάττω συνεβούλευσεν, ὥστε εὖ εἰδέναι ὅτι κηδεσταῖς χρησοίμην κοσμίοις καὶ σώφροσι.
In addition to this, though it was possible for me to receive a very large dowry, he advised me to take less, so that I might be sure of having orderly and prudent relatives.
καὶ νῦν ἔχω γυναῖκα τὴν Κριτοδήμου θυγατέρα τοῦ Ἀλωπεκῆθεν, ὃς ὑπὸ Λακεδαιμονίων ἀπέθανεν, ὅτε ἡ ναυμαχία ἐγένετο ἐν Ἑλλησπόντῳ.
And now I have as wife the daughter of Critodemus of Alopece, who was killed by the Lacedaemonians when the sea-fight took place in the Hellespont.
§17καίτοι, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ὅστις αὐτός τε ἄνευ χρημάτων ἔγημε τοῖν τε θυγατέροιν πολὺ ἀργύριον ἐπέδωκε τῷ τε ὑεῖ ὀλίγην προῖκα ἔλαβε, πῶς οὐκ εἰκὸς περὶ τούτου πιστεύειν ὡς οὐχ ἕνεκα χρημάτων τούτοις κηδεστὴς ἐγένετο;
And yet, gentlemen of the jury, for a man who himself married without money, gave a large amount of silver with his two daughters, and accepted a small dowry for his son, how is it not reasonable to believe concerning him that he did not become their relative for the sake of money?
§18ἀλλὰ μὴν ὅ γε Ἀριστοφάνης ἤδη ἔχων τὴν γυναῖκα ὅτι πολλοῖς ἂν μᾶλλον ἐχρῆτο ἢ τῷ ἐμῷ πατρί, ῥᾴδιον γνῶναι.
Moreover, it is easy to recognize that Aristophanes, once he had his wife, would have associated with many others rather than with my father.
ἥ τε γὰρ ἡλικία πολὺ διάφορος, ἥ τε φύσις ἔτι πλέον· ἐκείνου μὲν γὰρ ἦν τὰ ἑαυτοῦ πράττειν, Ἀριστοφάνης δὲ οὐ μόνον τῶν ἰδίων ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν κοινῶν ἐβούλετο ἐπιμελεῖσθαι, καὶ εἴ τι ἦν αὐτῷ ἀργύριον, ἀνήλωσεν ἐπιθυμῶν τιμᾶσθαι.
For their age was very different, and their nature still more so; for it was my father's way to mind his own business, whereas Aristophanes wished to attend not only to private but also to public affairs, and if he had any money, he spent it in his desire for honor.
§19γνώσεσθε δὲ ὅτι ἀληθῆ λέγω ἐξ αὐτῶν ὧν ἐκεῖνος ἔπραττε.
You will recognize that I speak the truth from the very things which he did.
πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ βουλομένου Κόνωνος πέμπειν τινὰ εἰς Σικελίαν, ᾤχετο ὑποστὰς μετὰ Εὐνόμου, Διονυσίου φίλου ὄντος καὶ ξένου, τὸ πλῆθος τὸ ὑμέτερον πλεῖστα ἀγαθὰ πεποιηκότος, ὡς ἐγὼ ἀκήκοα τῶν ἐν Πειραιεῖ παραγενομένων.
For first, when Conon wished to send someone to Sicily, Aristophanes went, having undertaken the mission with Eunomos, who was a friend and guest-friend of Dionysius, and who had done the greatest services to your multitude, as I have heard from those who were present in the Peiraeus.
§20ἦσαν δʼ ἐλπίδες τοῦ πλοῦ πεῖσαι Διονύσιον κηδεστὴν μὲν γενέσθαι Εὐαγόρᾳ, πολέμιον δὲ Λακεδαιμονίοις, φίλον δὲ καὶ σύμμαχον τῇ πόλει τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ.
And the hopes of the voyage were to persuade Dionysius to become a relative of Evagoras, an enemy to the Lacedaemonians, and a friend and ally to your city.
καὶ ταῦτʼ ἔπραττον πολλῶν κινδύνων ὑπαρχόντων πρὸς τὴν θάλατταν καὶ τοὺς πολεμίους, καὶ ἔπεισαν Διονύσιον μὴ πέμψαι τριήρεις ἃς τότε παρεσκευάσατο Λακεδαιμονίοις.
And they did this when many dangers existed from the sea and the enemy, and they persuaded Dionysius not to send the triremes which he had then prepared for the Lacedaemonians.
§21μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἐπειδὴ οἱ πρέσβεις ἧκον ἐκ Κύπρου ἐπὶ τὴν βοήθειαν, οὐδὲν ἐνέλιπε προθυμίας σπεύδων.
After this, when the ambassadors came from Cyprus for assistance, he left nothing of zeal undone in his haste.
ὑμεῖς δὲ δέκα τριήρεις αὐτοῖς ἔδοτε καὶ τἆλλα ἐψηφίσασθε, ἀργυρίου δʼ εἰς τὸν ἀπόστολον ἠπόρουν.
You gave them ten triremes and voted the other measures, but they were in want of money for the expedition.
ὀλίγα μὲν γὰρ ἦλθον ἔχοντες χρήματα, πολλῶν δὲ προσεδεήθησαν· οὐ γὰρ μόνον εἰς τὰς ναῦς, ἀλλὰ καὶ πελταστὰς ἐμισθώσαντο καὶ ὅπλα ἐπρίαντο.
For they had come with little money, but needed much; for they not only had to equip the ships, but also hired peltasts and bought arms.
§22Ἀριστοφάνης οὖν τῶν χρημάτων τὰ μὲν πλεῖστα αὐτὸς παρέσχεν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐχ ἱκανὰ ἦν, τοὺς φίλους ἔπειθε δεόμενος καὶ ἐγγυώμενος, καὶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ τοῦ ὁμοπατρίου ἀποκειμένας παρʼ αὐτῷ τετταράκοντα μνᾶς λαβὼν κατεχρήσατο.
Aristophanes, therefore, provided most of the money himself; and when it was not sufficient, he persuaded his friends by begging and giving security, and having taken forty minae belonging to his brother by the same father, which were deposited with him, he spent them.
τῇ δὲ προτεραίᾳ ᾗ ἀνήγετο, εἰσελθὼν ὡς τὸν πατέρα τὸν ἐμὸν ἐκέλευσε χρῆσαι ὅ τι εἴη ἀργύριον. προσδεῖν γὰρ ἔφη πρὸς τὸν μισθὸν τοῖς πελτασταῖς.
And on the day before he put to sea, he came to my father and asked him to lend whatever money he had; for he said he needed more for the pay of the peltasts.
ἦσαν δʼ ἡμῖν ἔνδον ἑπτὰ μναῖ· ὁ δὲ καὶ ταύτας λαβὼν κατεχρήσατο.
We had seven minae in the house; and he took these also and spent them.