[42] οὐσία μὲν γὰρ οὐχ ὑπῆρχεν Στεφάνῳ οὐδὲ Νεαίρᾳ, ὥστε τὰ καθ᾽ ἡμέραν ἀναλώματα δύνασθαι ὑποφέρειν, ἡ δὲ διοίκησις συχνή, ὁπότ᾽ ἔδει τοῦτόν τε καὶ αὑτὴν τρέφειν καὶ παιδάρια τρία, ἃ ἦλθεν ἔχουσα ὡς αὐτόν, καὶ θεραπαίνας δύο καὶ οἰκέτην διάκονον, ἄλλως τε καὶ μεμαθηκυῖα μὴ κακῶς ἔχειν τὰ ἐπιτήδεια ἑτέρων ἀναλισκόντων αὐτῇ τὸ πρότερον.

[43] οὔτε γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς πολιτείας προσῄει Στεφάνῳ τουτῳὶ ἄξιον λόγου· οὐ γάρ πω ἦν ῥήτωρ, ἀλλ᾽ ἔτι συκοφάντης τῶν παραβοώντων παρὰ τὸ βῆμα καὶ γραφομένων μισθοῦ καὶ φαινόντων καὶ ἐπιγραφομένων ταῖς ἀλλοτρίαις γνώμαις, ἕως ὑπέπεσε Καλλιστράτῳ τῷ Ἀφιδναίῳ· ἐξ ὅτου δὲ τρόπου καὶ δι᾽ ἣν αἰτίαν, ἐγὼ ὑμῖν καὶ περὶ τούτου διέξειμι, ἐπειδὰν περὶ ταυτησὶ Νεαίρας ἐπιδείξω ὡς ἔστι ξένη καὶ ὡς μεγάλα ὑμᾶς ἠδίκηκεν καὶ ὡς ἠσέβηκεν εἰς τοὺς θεούς,

[44] ἵν᾽ εἰδῆτε ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸς οὗτος ἄξιός ἐστιν οὐκ ἐλάττω δοῦναι δίκην ἢ καὶ Νέαιρα αὑτηί, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῷ μείζω καὶ μᾶλλον, ὅσῳ Ἀθηναῖος φάσκων εἶναι οὕτω πολὺ τῶν νόμων καταπεφρόνηκεν καὶ ὑμῶν καὶ τῶν θεῶν, ὥστ᾽ οὐδ᾽ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἡμαρτημένων αὑτῷ αἰσχυνόμενος τολμᾷ ἡσυχίαν ἄγειν, ἀλλὰ συκοφαντῶν ἄλλους τε καὶ ἐμέ, τουτονὶ πεποίηκεν αὐτὸν καὶ ταύτην εἰς τηλικοῦτον ἀγῶνα καταστῆσαι, ὥστ᾽ ἐξετασθῆναι μὲν ταύτην ἥτις ἐστίν, ἐξελεγχθῆναι δὲ τὴν αὐτοῦ πονηρίαν.

[45] λαχόντος τοίνυν αὐτῷ τοῦ Φρυνίωνος δίκην, ὅτι αὐτοῦ ἀφείλετο Νέαιραν ταυτηνὶ εἰς ἐλευθερίαν, καὶ ὅτι, ἃ ἐξῆλθεν ἔχουσα παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ αὕτη, ὑπεδέξατο, συνῆγον αὐτοὺς οἱ ἐπιτήδειοι καὶ ἔπεισαν δίαιταν ἐπιτρέψαι αὑτοῖς. καὶ ὑπὲρ μὲν τοῦ Φρυνίωνος διαιτητὴς ἐκαθέζετο Σάτυρος Ἀλωπεκῆθεν ὁ Λακεδαιμονίου ἀδελφός, ὑπὲρ δὲ Στεφάνου τουτουὶ Σαυρίας Λαμπτρεύς· κοινὸν δὲ αὑτοῖς προσαιροῦνται Διογείτονα Ἀχαρνέα.

    The blackmailing was motivated by a need for money: Neaira wanted to maintain the lifestyle to which she had become accustomed, and Stephanos’ only source of income was bringing frivolous lawsuits. Friends of Phrynion and Stephanos brought the two men to arbitration.

    42

    οὐσία: here in the sense of “resources” generated by an estate

    πρχεν: “existed” + dat. of possession, < ὑπάρχω (LSJ B.2)

    δύνασθαι: supply as subjects Neaira and Stephanos.

    διοίκησις: the costs of keeping up a house

    πότ’ δει: “since it was necessary.” See LSJ ὁπότε BDilts 2009 prints ὅπου γε δέοι, following Kapparis 1999, with similar meaning (LSJ ὄπου ΙΙ.2).

    λλως τε καί: “especially”

    μεμαθηκυα < μανθάνω; in past tenses, can have the sense of “to be accustomed to” + infinitive.

    μ κακς χειν τ πιτήδεια : “to not be in a bad state with regard to necessities,” i.e., to live comfortably, see note on §30 regarding ἔχω + adverb. For τὰ ἐπιτήδεια  = “necessaries, provisions,” see LSJ ἐπιτήδειος II.1.

    τέρων ναλισκόντων: genitive absolute, “with others bearing the expenses” 

    τ πρότερον: adverbial accusative (see §1611)

    43

    πολιτείας: “the daily life of a citizen,” i.e., doing civic business (LSJ A.2)

    προσει < πρός + εἶμι, of revenue, “to come in” (LSJ πρόσειμι [εἶμι ibo] III)

    παραβοώντων: that is, shouting in support of, or in opposition to, other (more prominent) politicians who were speaking at the speakers’ platform (βῆμα), in order to whip up the crowd in the Assembly.

    γραφομένων μισθο: “indicting for pay”; that is, Stephanos was paid by others to bring γραφαί against their opponents.

    φαινόντων < φαίνω, “to inform against, denounce” someone who withholds property that belongs to the state; successful prosecution in a φάσις brought the prosecutor half the fine the jury imposed.

    πιγραφομένων < ἐπιγράφω, “to inscribe one’s name on” proposals as the (in this case, alleged) proposer. Senior politicians who didn’t want to take on the risk of making a new proposal in their own name would sometimes pay others to do so.

    γνώμαις: “proposals”

    ως: introduces a temporal clause; governing an aorist verb, it means “until” (G. 631, S. 2383C).

    πέπεσε: “fell under the sway of” + dat. < ὑποπίπτω

    ξ του δ τρόπου: “in what way” (for the preposition, see LSJ τρόπος II.3). του < ὅστις, used as the indirect interrogative adjective

    σέβηκεν < ἀσεβέω

    44

    λάττω = ἐλάττονα (< ἐλάσσων); adverbial accusative

    δοναι δίκην: δίδωμι δίκην means “to suffer a punishment, pay a penalty.”

    σ: “inasmuch as”

    κατεφρόνηκεν < καταφρονέω (+ gen.)

    οδ...τολμ: “he does not endure to,” “he cannot bring himself to”

    μαρτημένων < ἁμαρτάνω: the participle is neuter.

    ατ: dative of agent with perfect passive participle ἡμαρτημένων 

    συκοφαντν: “bringing baseless charges against” < συκοφαντέω

    τουτονί: i.e. Theomnestos; subject of καταστῆσαι

    αὐτὸν καὶ ταύτην: i.e. Stephanos and Neaira; objects of καταστῆσαι

    ξετασθναι < ἐξετάζω, “examine, investigate”

    45

    λαχόντος < λαγχάνω: λαγχάνω δίκην: “to obtain permission to bring a suit” (+ dat. of person charged) by handing in a statement of the charge to the appropriate magistrate. The suit referred to here is likely a δίκη ἀφαιρέσεως.

    ατο φείλετο: “he took from him” < ἀφαιρέω (+ gen. of person from whom something/someone is taken)

    συνγον: “brought them together”

    πιτήδειοι: “close friends”

    δίαιταν πιτρέψαι ατος: “to refer the arbitration to them,” i.e., to turn the matter over to them for arbitration. See LSJ ἐπιτρέπω I.A.3. In Athens, there was both private and public arbitration (the former administered by private individuals, the latter by state officials). This is an instance of private arbitration, the decision of which was binding (cf. public arbitration, the decision of which could be appealed to the courts). The aim of arbitration was to arrive at a solution agreeable to both parties; usually, each party got to pick an arbitrator favorable to his side, and the two agreed on a third who was relatively impartial.

    42

    οσία : property

    νάλωμα: expenditure, cost

    ποφέρω ποίσω πήνεγκα/πήνεγκον πενήνοχα πενήνεγμαι πηνέχθην: to carry away under

    διοίκησις: financial management

    συχνός –ή –όν: long, large, great

    πότε: when

    παιδάριον: a young, little boy

    θεράπαινα –ης : a female servant, slavewoman

    οκέτης –ου : servant

    διάκονος -ου : a servant, messenger

    πιτήδειος –α –ον: suitable, useful, (subst.) τὰ ἐπιτήδεια, necessaries, provisions; friendly, (subst.) ὁ ἐπιτήδειος, a close friend

    ναλίσκω ναλώσω νήλωσα νήλωκα νήλωμαι νηλώθην: to use up, to spend, lavish

    43

    πρόσειμι: approach; of revenue, to come in

    πω: up to this time, yet

    ήτωρ ήτορος : public speaker, orator

    συκοφάντης: a false accuser, slanderer

    παραβοάω: shout beside

    βμα: a step, pace; a speaker's platform

    μισθός –ο : wages, pay, hire

    πιγράφω πιγράψω πέγραψα πιγέγραφα πιγέγραμμαι πεγράφθην: to inscribe, register

    λλότριος –α –ον: belonging to another

    ποπίπτω ποπεσομαι πέπεσον ποπέπτωκα: to fall under; to fall under the sway or influence of + dat.

    Καλλιστράτος: Kallistratos

    φιδναος: of the deme Aphidna

    διέξειμι: go through, tell in detail

    πειδάν: whenever (ἐπειδή + ἄν, in indefinite or general clauses with subjunctive)

    πιδείκνυμι πιδείξω πέδειξα πιδέδειχα πιδέδειγμαι πεδείχθην: display, exhibit; show, prove

    ξένη: a female guest, a foreign woman

    σεβέω σεβήσω σέβησα σέβηκα σέβημαι σεβήθην: to be impious, commit sacrilege, sin against

    44

    θηναος –α –ον: Athenian

    φάσκω φάσκσω φασκσα ––– ––– –––: say, affirm, think, deem

    καταφρονέω καταφρονήσω κατεφρόνησα καταπεφρόνηκα καταπεφρόνημαι κατεφρονήθην: disdain, scorn, despise

    ασχύνω ασχυν σχυνα ––– ––– σχύνθην: to feel shame

    συχία –ας : quiet

    τηλικοτος τηλικαύτη τηλικοτον: of such an age or size

    ξετάζω ξετάσω ξήτασα ξήτακα ξήτασμαι ξητάσθην: examine closely, review

    ξελέγχω ξελέξω ξέλεξα ξέλεχα ξέλεγμαι ξελέχθην: to convict; to verify, to prove

    πονηρία –ας : fault; wickedness

    45

    λαγχάνω λήξομαι λαχον εληχα ––– –––: to obtain by lot; to file suit (absol. and with δίκην)

    Φρυνίων: Phrynion

    λευθερία –ας : freedom

    ξέρχομαι ξελεύσομαι ξλθον ξελήλυθα ––– –––: go/come out, go forth

    ποδέχομαι (Ion. ποδέκομαι) ποδέξομαι πεδεξάμην πεδέχθην: to receive, entertain; to promise

    συνάγω συνάξω συνήγαγον συνχα συνγμαι συνήχθην: bring together, unite, contract

    δίαιτα –ης : arbitration

    πιτρέπω πιτρέψω πέτρεψα πιτέτροφα πιτέτραμμαι πετράφθην (or πετράπην): turn to, transfer, leave to

    δίαιτα: arbitration

    καθέζομαι καθεδομαι/καθεδήσομαι κάθημαι καθέσθην: to sit down, take one's seat

    λωπεκή: of the deme Alopeke

    Λακεδαιμόνιος –α –ον: Spartan

    Σαυρίας: Saurias

    Λαμπτρεύς: of Lamptrai (Attic deme)

    προσαιρέομαι: to choose for oneself

    Διογείτων: Diogeiton

    χαρνεύς: inhabiting Acharnai

    Maps and Images Ref
    article nav
    Previous
    Next

    Suggested Citation

    Deborah Kamen, Pseudo-Demosthenes: Against Neaira. Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Dickinson College Commentaries, 2018. ISBN: 978-1-947822-10-8.https://dcc.dickinson.edu/against-neaira/42-45