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When Phrynion learned that Neaira was in Athens, he tried to drag her away as his slave, to which Stephanos responded by asserting her freedom. Neaira continued to work as a prostitute, now charging higher fees, and Stephanos blackmailed foreigners he caught having sex with her.

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Ἑρμῆν: “[the statue of] the whispering Hermes.” It isn’t known where this was located, nor what “whispering Hermes” refers to.

ἣν νυνὶ Σπίνθαρος: as Carey points out (1992: 106; see also Kapparis 1999: 247), whose house is being referred to here is grammatically ambiguous, but the context suggests that it refers back to Stephanos’ οἰκίδιον, despite the change in gender.

ἑπτὰ μνῶν: attested home prices in fourth-century Athens range from 3 to 120 mnae (Kapparis 1999: 247). Apollodoros is trying to make the point that Stephanos didn’t have a lot of money, which is what drove him to bring frivolous lawsuits. We don’t know, however, whether this was Stephanos’ only property, or one of several.

ἐώνηται < ὠνέομαι

δυοῖν δ᾽ ἕνεκα: “for two reasons”

ἐξ ἀτελείας: i.e., “without payment”

ὡς...ἕξων...καί...ταύτην ἐργασομένην καὶ θρέψουσαν: “so that he could have...and she would earn...and maintain.” Future participles expressing purpose.

ἐργασομένην < ἐργάζομαι, here, “to earn by working” (LSJ II.4)

ὅ τι μή: “except, unless” (S. 2765; see similarly G. 656)

συκοφαντήσας: a sycophant (συκοφάντης) is someone who brings malicious prosecutions solely for his own financial gain; the term is also often used for blackmailers.

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πυθόμενος < πυνθάνομαι

ἐπιδημοῦσαν: “was visiting (Athens)”

τούτῳ: i.e., Stephanos

ἦγεν: “attempted to lead her away,” on the grounds that she was his slave. Conative imperfect (G. 459.a, S. 1895).

ἀφαιρουμένου...εἰς ἐλευθερίαν: If a free person (A) was unjustly claimed by another (B) as their slave, a third party (C) could act as A’s vindicator, carrying them away to freedom. This was called an ἀφαίρεσις (or ἐξαίρεσις) εἰς ἐλευθερίαν. C would then furnish sureties (or guarantors) before the polemarch for the appearance of A in court. In turn, B could then bring a δίκη ἀφαιρέσεως (or ἐξαιρέσεως), accusing C of illegally taking away his property.

κατηγγύησε < κατεγγυάω: that is, Phrynion compelled Neaira to post bail.

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διεγγυηθεῖσα < διεγγυάω

ἐργασίαν: cognate accusative

ἐπράττετο: see §19. 

ὡς ἐπὶ προσχήματος: “on the grounds,” “under the pretext” + ptc.

τινὸς οὖσα: “being of someone,” i.e., “being someone’s wife”

συνεσυοφάντει: the συν- takes an implied “her” (αὐτῇ).

ἀγνῶτα < ἀγνώς: i.e., unknown to them and so unaware of who Neaira actually was. Patteson 1978: 75-76 points out that the advantage of trapping a foreigner is that they wouldn’t know their rights under Athenian law.

μοιχόν: although this word is often translated as “adulterer,” μοιχεία is not identical to our concept of adultery. It refers to an illicit sexual act, essentially any sexual act between two citizens outside the bounds of marriage.

πραττόμενος: “exacting as payment,” i.e., extorting; see LSJ πράσσω VI.

εἰκότως: “and rightly so, naturally.” Ironic. The idea is that their blackmailing scheme was “reasonable” because (as is about to be explained) they needed the money.