[8] ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἡ ἑτέρα θυγάτηρ ἀνέκδοτος ἔμελλεν ἔσεσθαι· τίς γὰρ ἄν ποτε παρ᾽ ὀφείλοντος τῷ δημοσίῳ καὶ ἀποροῦντος ἔλαβεν ἄπροικον; οὐκοῦν τηλικούτων κακῶν αἴτιος ἡμῖν πᾶσιν ἐγίγνετο, οὐδὲν πώποτε ὑφ᾽ ἡμῶν ἠδικημένος. τοῖς μὲν οὖν δικασταῖς τοῖς τότε δικάσασι πολλὴν χάριν κατά γε τοῦτο ἔχω, ὅτι οὐ περιεῖδον αὐτὸν ἀναρπασθέντα, ἀλλ᾽ ἐτίμησαν ταλάντου, ὥστε δυνηθῆναι ἐκτεῖσαι μόλις· τούτῳ δὲ δικαίως τὸν αὐτὸν ἔρανον ἐνεχειρήσαμεν ἀποδοῦναι.

[9] καὶ γὰρ οὐ μόνον ταύτῃ ἐζήτησεν ἀνελεῖν ἡμᾶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ τῆς πατρίδος αὐτὸν ἐβουλήθη ἐκβαλεῖν. ἐπενέγκας γὰρ αὐτῷ αἰτίαν ψευδῆ ὡς Ἀφίδναζέ ποτε ἀφικόμενος ἐπὶ δραπέτην αὑτοῦ ζητῶν πατάξειε γυναῖκα καὶ ἐκ τῆς πληγῆς τελευτήσειεν ἡ ἄνθρωπος, παρασκευασάμενος ἀνθρώπους δούλους καὶ κατασκευάσας ὡς Κυρηναῖοι εἴησαν, προεῖπεν αὐτῷ ἐπὶ Παλλαδίῳ φόνου.

[10] καὶ ἔλεγεν τὴν δίκην Στέφανος οὑτοσί, διομοσάμενος ὡς ἔκτεινεν Ἀπολλόδωρος τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοχειρίᾳ, ἐξώλειαν αὑτῷ καὶ γένει καὶ οἰκίᾳ ἐπαρασάμενος, ἃ οὔτ᾽ ἐγένετο οὔτ᾽ εἶδεν οὔτ᾽ ἤκουσεν οὐδενὸς πώποτε ἀνθρώπων. ἐξελεγχθεὶς δ᾽ ἐπιορκῶν καὶ ψευδῆ αἰτίαν ἐπιφέρων, καὶ καταφανὴς γενόμενος μεμισθωμένος ὑπὸ Κηφισοφῶντος καὶ Ἀπολλοφάνους ὥστ᾽ ἐξελάσαι Ἀπολλόδωρον ἢ ἀτιμῶσαι ἀργύριον εἰληφώς, ὀλίγας ψήφους μεταλαβὼν ἐκ πεντακοσίων, ἀπῆλθεν ἐπιωρκηκὼς καὶ δόξας πονηρὸς εἶναι.

[11] σκοπεῖτε δὴ αὐτοί, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ἐκ τῶν εἰκότων λογιζόμενοι πρὸς ὑμᾶς αὐτούς, τί ἂν ἐχρησάμην ἐμαυτῷ καὶ τῇ γυναικὶ καὶ τῇ ἀδελφῇ, εἴ τι Ἀπολλοδώρῳ συνέβη παθεῖν ὧν Στέφανος οὑτοσὶ ἐπεβούλευσεν αὐτῷ, ἢ ἐν τῷ προτέρῳ ἢ ἐν τῷ ὑστέρῳ ἀγῶνι; ἢ ποίᾳ αἰσχύνῃ οὐκ ἂν καὶ συμφορᾷ περιπεπτωκὼς ἦν;

    Apollodoros suffered a large but not unpayable fine. Then Stephanos fabricated a charge of murder against Apollodoros, of which he was duly acquitted.

    8

    τι δὲ καί: “and what is more,” adding a further point

    ποροντος: “poor” < ἀπορέω

    λαβεν: “took (a woman) in marriage”

    προικον: girls were generally given in marriage with a dowry (προίξ), which their husband would manage (and the interest from which would support her). It wasn’t impossible to marry without a dowry, but it was uncommon.

    περιεδον < περι-ὁράω

    ναρπασθέντα: “utterly ruined” by being held responsible for a fine he couldn’t possibly afford, < ἀναρπάζω, “carry off, snatch away,” used figuratively.

    τίμησαν ταλάντου: that is, the jurors accepted Apollodoros’ counter-proposal of a one talent fine.

    τν ατν ρανον...ποδοναι: “to return the same favor,” i.e., pay him back in the same way, by taking him to court. ἔρανος is literally a friendly loan, often without interest and therefore given as a kind of favor, here used ironically.

    9

    ταυτ: adverbial, “in this way”

    νελεν: “destroy” < ἀν-αἱρέω

    πενέγκας < ἐπι-φέρω + αἰτίαν, “to bring a charge against (+ dat.)”

    ατίαν: here, “charge, accusation”

    φίδναζεAphidna is a town in northeast Attica. The suffix –ζε indicates direction toward.

    φικόμενος: Apollodoros is the antecedent.

    πὶ δραπέτην ατοῦ ζητν: “in search of a runaway slave of his (Apollodoros’).” Dilts, in his OCT (2009), marks ζητῶν as spurious, following Dobree, in which case the meaning is “because of a runaway slave of his” (see LSJ ἐπί C.III.1).

    πατάξειε < πατάττω

    νθρωπος: it is unclear what the status of this woman was, since ἄνθρωπος in the feminine is often used pejoratively to refer to slaves (see §46). Because the Palladion is mentioned below, she was probably a slave, in which case Stephanos may have represented himself as her master.

    παρασκευασάμενος: Stephanos is the antecedent.

    κατασκευάσας < κατασκευάζω, “to represent (as)” (LSJ A.6)

    Κυρηναοι: the reason for pretending that the slaves were individuals from Cyrene was presumably to use them as (free) witnesses; as slaves, they would have had to be tortured for testimony.

    προεπεν < προεῖπον: this public proclamation, performed in the Agora, is the first step in bringing a homicide case. The trial itself would have been in the Palladion (see below).

    Παλλαδί: the Palladion was the court that heard cases of unintentional killing of citizens and both intentional and unintentional killing of slaves and foreigners.

    10

    λεγεν τν δίκην: this is a slightly unusual way of phrasing “to bring a suit”; perhaps it has the sense of “to plead one’s case.”

    διομοσάμενος < διόμνυμι: for homicide trials, both sides had to swear an oath, the accuser swearing that he was making a truthful accusation, the accused that he was not guilty.

    ατ: “upon himself (Stephanos),” i.e., if he were swearing falsely

    παρασάμενος < ἐπαράομαι

    εδεν < ὁράω

    κουσεν: “heard about from” + gen.

    ξελεωχθείς < ἐξελέγχω

    πιορκν < ἐπιορκέω, “to swear falsely”

    καταφανής: where English would say “it was clear,” Greek says “he was clear(ly).”

    μεμισθωμένος...ργύριον εληφώς: “(having been) hired...receiving cash,” to procure the conviction of Apollodoros. εληφώς < λαμβάνω.

    Κηφισοφντος καὶ πολλοφάνους: this is probably the Athenian politician Kephisophon son of Kallibios of Paiania. It is unclear who Apollophanes was, but he may have been a politician travelling in the same circles as Kephisophon and Stephanos.

    ξελάσαι < ἐξ-ελαύνω

    ἢ τιμσαι: Gernet excises this phrase from the text, on the grounds that the penalty for homicide would (only) be exile, not disenfranchisement. Other editors (including Dilts 2009) retain it, on the grounds that a fine is a possibility, and if the fine were too high to be paid, it could result in disfranchisement.

    πεντακοσίων: in most manuscripts πεντακοσίων is followed by δραχμῶν, but the majority of editors, following Reiske, delete the δραχμῶν. If δραχμῶν is accepted, it could refer either to how much Stephanos spent securing witnesses, or (perhaps less likely) to how much he was bribed to bring the case. A couple of manuscripts have δικαστῶν instead of δραχμῶν, thus “500 jurors,” which is unlikely for a case heard at the Palladion (which we hear elsewhere had 51 special jurors called ἐφέται).

    πιωρκηκς καὶ δόξας πονηρς εναι: “a perjured man and one with the reputation of a scoundrel”

    11

    τί ν χρησάμην: “what use I would have made of (+ dat.),” i.e., “what I would have done with” (see LSJ χράομαι C.III.4)

    συνέβη < συμβαίνω: used impersonally here, with the dative + infinitive construction

    γνι: the word ἀγών is often used, as here, of court trials.

    περιπεπτωκώς < περι-πίπτω

    ν: 1st person singular, imperfect of εἰμί

    8

    νέκδοτος: not given in marriage, unmarried

    φείλω φειλήσω φελον φείληκα ––– φειλήθην: to owe, be obliged

    δημόσιος –α –ον: belonging to the people

    πορέω πορήσω πόρησα πόρηκα πόρημαι πορήθην: be at a loss; be poor

    προικος -ον: undowered, without a dowry

    τηλικοτος τηλικαύτη τηλικοτον: of such an age or size

    πώποτε: ever yet

    δικαστής –ο: judge, juror

    δικάζω δικάσω δίκασα δεδίκακα δεδίκασμαι δικάσθην: to judge, sit in judgment; (mid.) plead a case, go to law; δίκην δικάζεσθαί τινι go to law with someone

    περιοράω περιόψομαι περιεδον περιεόρκα περιμμαι περιώφθην: to allow

    ναρπάζω ναρπάξομαι/ναρπάξω/ναρπάσομαι/ναρπάσω νήρπαξα/νήρπασα νήρπακα νήρπαγμαι/νήρπασμαι νηρπάσθην/νηρπάχθην: to snatch up

    τάλαντον –ου τό: talent (large sum of silver=6000 drachmas)

    κτίνω κτείσω ξέτεισα κτέτεικα: to pay off, pay in full

    μόλις: with difficulty; scarcely; reluctantly

    ρανος: a meal to which each contributed his share; loan; favor

    γχειρέω γχειρήσω νεχείρησα γκεχείρηκα: to attempt, try

    9

    κβάλλω κβαλξέβαλον κβέβληκα κβέβλημαι ξεβλήθην: throw, cast out, produce

    πιφέρω πιοίσω πήνεγκα πενήνοχα πενήνεγμαι πηνέχθην: bring on; bring as a charge against

    ψευδής –ές: false, lying, untrue

    φίδναζε: to Aphidna

    δραπέτης –ου : a runaway slave, fugitive

    πατάσσω πατάξω πάταξα ––– πεπάταγμαι πατάχθην: to beat, knock

    πληγή –ής : blow, stroke

    Κυρηναος: of Cyrene

    προεπον (aor. of προλέγω): to make a proclamation against (+dat.)

    Παλλάδιον: a court of the ἐφέται at Athens

    φόνος –ου : murder, slaughter, corpse

    10

    Στέφανος: Stephanos

    διόμνυμι διομομαι/διομόσω διώμοσα διομώμοκα ––– διωμόθην/διωμόσθην: to swear solemnly, to declare on oath

    κτείνω κτενκτεινα πέκτονα ––– –––: kill

    ατοχειρία –ας: murder perpetrated by one’s own hand

    ξώλεια: utter destruction

    παράομαι: to imprecate (curses) upon, + acc. + dat. of person

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

    πιορκέω πιορκήσω πιώρκησα πιώρκηκα: to swear falsely, forswear oneself

    καταφανής: visible, in view; clear, manifest

    μισθόω: hire for pay

    Κηφισοφν: Kephisophon

    πολλοφάνης: Apollophanes

    ξελαύνω ξελξήλασα ξελήλακα ξελήλαμαι ξηλάθην: to drive out from

    τιμόω: to disenfranchise

    ψφος –ου : small stone; vote; judgment

    μεταλαμβάνω: get, receive

    πεντακόσιοι –αι –α: five hundred

    πέρχομαι πελεύσομαι πλθον πελήλυθα ––– –––: go away, depart from

    11

    πιβουλεύω πιβουλεύσω πεβούλευσα πιβεβούλευκα ––– –––: plan against, plot

    ασχύνη –ης : shame, dishonor

    περιπίπτω περιπεσομαι περέπεσον: to fall in with, meet, suffer (+ dat.)

    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/8-11