[113] νῦν μὲν γάρ, κἂν ἀπορηθῇ τις, ἱκανὴν προῖκ᾽ αὐτῇ ὁ νόμος συμβάλλεται, ἂν καὶ ὁπωστιοῦν μετρίαν ἡ φύσις ὄψιν ἀποδῷ· προπηλακισθέντος δὲ τοῦ νόμου ὑφ᾽ ὑμῶν ἀποφυγούσης ταύτης, καὶ ἀκύρου γενομένου, παντελῶς ἤδη ἡ μὲν τῶν πορνῶν ἐργασία ἥξει εἰς τὰς τῶν πολιτῶν θυγατέρας, δι᾽ ἀπορίαν ὅσαι ἂν μὴ δύνωνται ἐκδοθῆναι, τὸ δὲ τῶν ἐλευθέρων γυναικῶν ἀξίωμα εἰς τὰς ἑταίρας, ἂν ἄδειαν λάβωσι τοῦ ἐξεῖναι αὐταῖς παιδοποιεῖσθαι ὡς ἂν βούλωνται καὶ τελετῶν καὶ ἱερῶν καὶ τιμῶν μετέχειν τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει.

[114] ὥστε εἷς ἕκαστος ὑμῶν νομιζέτω, ὁ μὲν ὑπὲρ γυναικός, ὁ δ᾽ ὑπὲρ θυγατρός, ὁ δ᾽ ὑπὲρ μητρός, ὁ δ᾽ ὑπὲρ τῆς πόλεως καὶ τῶν νόμων καὶ τῶν ἱερῶν τὴν ψῆφον φέρειν, τοῦ μὴ ἐξ ἴσου φανῆναι ἐκείνας τιμωμένας ταύτῃ τῇ πόρνῃ, μηδὲ τὰς μετὰ πολλῆς καὶ καλῆς σωφροσύνης καὶ ἐπιμελείας τραφείσας ὑπὸ τῶν προσηκόντων καὶ ἐκδοθείσας κατὰ τοὺς νόμους, ταύτας ἐν τῷ ἴσῳ φαίνεσθαι μετεχούσας τῇ μετὰ πολλῶν καὶ ἀσελγῶν τρόπων πολλάκις πολλοῖς ἑκάστης ἡμέρας συγγεγενημένῃ, ὡς ἕκαστος ἐβούλετο.

[115] ἡγεῖσθε δὲ μήτ᾽ ἐμὲ τὸν λέγοντα εἶναι Ἀπολλόδωρον μήτε τοὺς ἀπολογησομένους καὶ συνεροῦντας πολίτας, ἀλλὰ τοὺς νόμους καὶ Νέαιραν ταυτηνὶ περὶ τῶν πεπραγμένων αὐτῇ πρὸς ἀλλήλους δικάζεσθαι. καὶ ὅταν μὲν ἐπὶ τῆς κατηγορίας γένησθε, τῶν νόμων αὐτῶν ἀκούετε, δι᾽ ὧν οἰκεῖται ἡ πόλις καὶ καθ᾽ οὓς ὀμωμόκατε δικάσειν, τί κελεύουσι καὶ τί παραβεβήκασιν· ὅταν δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀπολογίας ἦτε, μνημονεύοντες τὴν τῶν νόμων κατηγορίαν καὶ τὸν ἔλεγχον τὸν τῶν εἰρημένων, τήν τε ὄψιν αὐτῆς ἰδόντες, ἐνθυμεῖσθε τοῦτο μόνον, εἰ Νέαιρα οὖσα ταῦτα διαπέπρακται.

The jurors should convict Neaira in order to prevent poor citizen women from turning to prostitution, and to prevent prostitutes from exercising the rights of citizens.

113

πορηθ < ἀπορέω

κανν προκ’Patteson 1978: 113 takes this as the literal dowry provided by the nearest male relative (if he doesn’t marry her himself) for an ἐπίκληρος (“heiress”) of the poorest class. More likely, however, is the interpretation of Carey 1992: 143 and Kapparis 1999: 407, both of whom think that it is a metaphorical dowry, namely the right to marry an Athenian citizen. As long as the law remains in force, being the daughter of citizens makes one more marriageable, like a dowry.

ποφυγούσης < ἀποφεύγω

ν δειαν λάβωσι το ξεναι: “if they should get permission to be able,” i.e., if they are allowed

καί...μετέχειν: “and (at the same time) to have a share in”

114

στε: at the beginning of a sentence ὥστε marks a strong conclusion: “and so...”

νομιζέτω...φέρειν: “let him consider (which way) to cast,” 3rd sing. imperat.

πέρ: “on behalf of,” “in defense of”

κείνας: the citizen women just mentioned

ξ σου: “equally to” (+ dat.); see similarly ἐν τῷ ἴσῳ, below.

φανναι < φαίνω; subject is ἐκείνας, predicate is τιμωμένας.

τραφείσας < τρέφω

τσυγγεγενημέν: “a woman who has had sex with” + dat.; this is all one very long substantive phrase.

μετ πολλν κα σελγν τρόπων: “in many vulgar ways”; see §108 note on εἰργασμένην.

115

γεσθε: imperative, “consider,” “have the opinion that” + acc. + infin.

πολλόδωρον...πολίτας: predicates

εναι πολλόδωρονDilts 2009 brackets this, following van Herwerden.

πολογησομένους κα συνεροντας: both these participles are future; συνεροντας < συναγορεύω

τος νόμους κα Νέαιραν ταυτηνί: take these as the subject of δικάζεσθαι; the laws here are personified.

ατ: dative of agent

π τς κατηγορίας γένησθε: “you are in the presence of the accusation,” i.e., “you listen to the accusation”

οκεται: “is administered,” “is governed”

μωμόκατε < ὅμνυμι. This refers to the oath that all prospective jurors swore at the beginning of each year, stating that they would vote according to the laws, and in cases where laws didn’t exist, they would give an opinion rooted in justice.

τί κελεύουσι κα τί παραβεβήκασιν: the subject of the first verb is the laws, the second is implied, namely Stephanos and Neaira.

παραβεβήκασιν < παραβαίνω

τν λεγχον τν τν ερημένων: “the scrutiny of what has been said,” i.e., the refutations consisting in the testimony already given. Explanatory genitive, S. 1322

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/es/against-neaira/113-115