(26) μὴ τοίνυν, ὦ βουλή, μηδὲν ἡμαρτηκὼς ὁμοίως ὑμῶν τύχοιμι τοῖς πολλὰ ἠδικηκόσιν, ἀλλὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ψῆφον θέσθε περὶ ἐμοῦ ταῖς ἄλλαις βουλαῖς, ἀναμνησθέντες ὅτι οὔτε χρήματα διαχειρίσας τῆς πόλεως δίδωμι λόγον αὐτῶν, οὔτε ἀρχὴν ἄρξας οὐδεμίαν εὐθύνας ὑπέχω νῦν αὐτῆς, ἀλλὰ περὶ ὀβολοῦ μόνον ποιοῦμαι τοὺς λόγους.

    Since the defendant is blameless, nothing should prevent the jury from voting in his favor and restoring the benefit.

    μὴ...ὁμοίων ὑμῶν τύχοιμι τοῖς πολλὰ ἠδικηκόσιν: “May I not receive from you all the same treatment as men who have committed many crimes.” An abbreviated and compressed expression (brachyology) of comparison with a dative noun phrase substituted for the fuller clause with the repetition of the verb. Thus this comparison would read in full: μὴ ὁμοίων ὑμῶν τύχοιμι οἵων ὑμῶν τύγχανουσιν οἱ πολλὰ ἠδικηκότες.

    ταῖς ἄλλαις βουλαῖς: “as the other councils,” i.e. the previous iterations of the Council that voted for the speaker to receive the benefit. The defendant invites the Council to take the path of least resistance in their deliberations. Another example of compressed syntax with a comparison =  τὴν αὐτὴν ψῆφον θέσθε περὶ ἐμοῦ ἥν αἱ ἄλλαι βουλαὶ ἔθηκαν.

    οὔτε χρήματα διαχειρίσας τῆς πόλεως: “(I) neither having managed state funds.”

    δίδωμι λόγον: “am I giving an accounting.”

    αὐτῶν: = χρήματα.

    οὔτε ἀρχὴν ἄρξας οὐδεμίαν: “nor having taken up any political office.” For the idiom ἀρχὴν ἄρχειν see LSJ ἄρχω II.3.

    εὐθύνας ὑπέχω : “am I undergoing a public examination.” Certain public officials had to undergo an examination of their conduct while in office at the conclusion of their term as a form of civic oversight.

    περὶ ὀβολοῦ: the daily payment of the disability benefit.

    οὔτε χρήματα διαχειρίσας τῆς πόλεως...οὔτε ἀρχὴν ἄρξας οὐδεμίαν...ἀλλὰ περὶ ὀβολοῦ μόνον: the speaker contrasts the inspection of his minor benefit with the more serious and extensive forms of oversight applied to the management of state accounts and the conduct of major public offices.

    ψῆφος –ου, ἡ: vote, lit. a pebbled used to register a vote

    ἀναμιμνήσκω, ἀναμνήσω, ἀνέμνησα, ἀναμέμνημαι, ἀνεμνήσθην: remind; remember, recall (pass.)

    διαχειρίζω, διαχειρίσω, διεχειρισα: manage, have a hand in

    εὔθυνα –ης, ἡ: public examination

    ὑπέχω, ὑφέξω, ὑπέσχον: undergo, suffer

    article Nav
    Next
    Previous

    Suggested Citation

    Taylor Coughlin, Lysias: For the Disabled Man (Oration 24). Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Dickinson College Commentaries, 2022 ISBN: 978-1-947822-22-1