24.21

Having addressed the major accusations leveled against his fitness for the benefit, the defendant begins to conclude his speech.

Pathos takes center stage in the conclusion (epilogos) of the defendant’s speech, inverting the humorous and sarcastic tone of the speech’s prologue (Carey 1990: 48).  [read full essay]

ἀλλὰ γὰρ: “but certainly.” This combination often initiates a breaking off of thought and thus signals that a speaker is reaching a conclusion (Denniston GP 103).

ὅ τι δεῖ...με...ὑμῖν...ἐνοχλεῖν: “why I must bother you all.”

λίαν με ἀκριβῶς ἀπολογούμενον: “by responding so very precisely.” A circumstantial participial phrase that describes με the accusative subject of the ἐνοχλεῖν (see previous note).

πρὸς ἓν ἕκαστον...τῶν εἰρημένων: “to every single one of the accusations.” The strengthened numeration εἷς ἕκαστος (“every single one”, LSJ εἷς 1e) is punctuated by the alliterative use of the rough breathing. We can almost hear the defendant panting from the exertion of responding to every accusation in full.

πλείω χρόνον: “for much longer,” accusative of duration of time. πλείω = acc. sg. m. comparative of πολύς; the form is the Attic contract: πλείο(ν)α = πλείω.

εἴρηκα: “I have spoken,” > ἐρῶ, 1st sing. perf. act. ind.

ὑπὲρ τῶν μεγίστων: “about the most important points.” ὑπὲρ = πέρι, for the variation see Chapter 4 (cross-reference).

περὶ τῶν φαύλων: “about trivial nonsense.”

τῶν μεγίστων...τῶν φαύλων: In his contrast of the arguments made by the defendant and challenger, Lysias pointedly employs the language of physical strength (μεγίστος = “strongest”) and weakness (φαῦλος = “weak”, “slight”) in the choice of adjectives, which humorously inverts the bodily reality at argument before the jury: the defendant is “strong” in his arguments despite the “weakness” of his physical state. 

ὁμοίως τούτῳ: “just as this man does,” i.e. the challenger wastes the jury’s time by belaboring the importance of minor complaints.

τὴν αὐτὴν...διάνοιαν: “the same consideration.”

ἥνπερ καὶ πρότερον: “(the same consideration) which (you held) earlier.” Supply ἔσχετε. The argument that the jury should retain the same opinion of the defendant as they had previously is a fairly common appeal in the defense speeches of Lysias.