[58] ὡς γὰρ ἀνέστη τάχιστα ἐξ ἐκείνης τῆς ἀσθενείας ὁ Φράστωρ καὶ ἀνέλαβεν αὑτὸν καὶ ἔσχεν ἐπιεικῶς τὸ σῶμα, λαμβάνει γυναῖκα ἀστὴν κατὰ τοὺς νόμους, Σατύρου μὲν τοῦ Μελιτέως θυγατέρα γνησίαν, Διφίλου δὲ ἀδελφήν. ὥστε ὅτι μὲν οὐχ ἑκὼν ἀνεδέξατο τὸν παῖδα, ἀλλὰ βιασθεὶς ὑπὸ τῆς νόσου καὶ τῆς ἀπαιδίας καὶ τῆς ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν θεραπείας καὶ τῆς ἔχθρας τῆς πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους, ἵνα μὴ κληρονόμοι γένωνται τῶν αὑτοῦ, ἄν τι πάθῃ, ταῦτ᾽ ἔστω ὑμῖν τεκμήρια· δηλώσει δὲ καὶ τἀκόλουθ᾽ αὐτῶν ἔτι μᾶλλον.

[59] ὡς γὰρ εἰσῆγεν ὁ Φράστωρ εἰς τοὺς φράτερας τὸν παῖδα ἐν τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ ὢν τὸν ἐκ τῆς θυγατρὸς τῆς Νεαίρας, καὶ εἰς τοὺς Βρυτίδας ὧν καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ Φράστωρ γεννήτης, εἰδότες οἶμαι οἱ γεννῆται τὴν γυναῖκα ἥτις ἦν, ἣν ἔλαβεν ὁ Φράστωρ τὸ πρῶτον, τὴν τῆς Νεαίρας θυγατέρα, καὶ τὴν ἀπόπεμψιν τῆς ἀνθρώπου, καὶ διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν πεπεισμένον αὐτὸν πάλιν ἀναλαβεῖν τὸν παῖδα, ἀποψηφίζονται τοῦ παιδὸς καὶ οὐκ ἐνέγραφον αὐτὸν εἰς σφᾶς αὐτούς.

[60] λαχόντος δὲ τοῦ Φράστορος αὐτοῖς δίκην, ὅτι οὐκ ἐνέγραφον αὑτοῦ υἱόν, προκαλοῦνται αὐτὸν οἱ γεννῆται πρὸς τῷ διαιτητῇ ὀμόσαι καθ᾽ ἱερῶν τελείων ἦ μὴν νομίζειν εἶναι αὑτοῦ υἱὸν ἐξ ἀστῆς γυναικὸς καὶ ἐγγυητῆς κατὰ τὸν νόμον. προκαλουμένων δὲ ταῦτα τῶν γεννητῶν τὸν Φράστορα πρὸς τῷ διαιτητῇ, ἔλιπεν ὁ Φράστωρ τὸν ὅρκον καὶ οὐκ ὤμοσεν.

[61] καὶ ὅτι ἀληθῆ ταῦτα λέγω, τούτων ὑμῖν μάρτυρας τοὺς παρόντας Βρυτιδῶν παρέξομαι. “Μάρτυρες

Τιμόστρατος Ἑκάληθεν, Ξάνθιππος Ἐροιάδης, Εὐάλκης Φαληρεύς, Ἄνυτος Λακιάδης, Εὐφράνωρ Αἰγιλιεύς, Νίκιππος Κεφαλῆθεν μαρτυροῦσιν εἶναι καὶ αὑτοὺς καὶ Φράστορα τὸν Αἰγιλιέα τῶν γεννητῶν οἳ καλοῦνται Βρυτίδαι, καὶ ἀξιοῦντος Φράστορος εἰσάγειν τὸν υἱὸν τὸν αὑτοῦ εἰς τοὺς γεννήτας, εἰδότες αὐτοὶ ὅτι Φράστορος υἱὸς εἴη ἐκ τῆς θυγατρὸς τῆς Νεαίρας, κωλύειν εἰσάγειν Φράστορα τὸν υἱόν.”

    But Phrastor recovered and married a citizen woman, demonstrating (according to Apollodoros) that he had only acknowledged the boy because he thought he was about to die. When Phrastor tried to introduce the boy into his phratry and genos, the boy was rejected as illegitimate, and Phrastor was unable to swear that the boy’s mother was a citizen.

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    ς γρ νέστη τάχιστα: “as soon as possible when he recovered,” “the minute he recovered” (G. 633.f). νέστη < ἀνα-ἵστημι

    νέλαβεν ατόν: “regained his strength” (LSJ ἀναλαμβάνω II.3)

    πιεικς: adverbial form of ἐπιεικής; ἔχω + ἐπιεικῶς: “to be capable,” i.e., “to be well”

    στε: introducing an independent sentence, ὥστε has the force of οὖν (G. 639, S. 2274a).

    τκόλουθ’ = τὰ ἀκόλουθα, “the sequel,” “what followed”

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    Βρυτίδας: Phrastor’s γένος, the Brytidai

    τις < ὅστις: here, the indirect interrogative pronoun

    ποψηφίζονται: “voted against,” “rejected” (+ gen.)

    νέγραφον: i.e., inscribe him on the register of the members of the γένος

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    λαχόντοςδίκην: Carey thinks this is a δίκη βλάβης (suit for damages) for not admitting the boy (Carey 1992: 117); Kapparis thinks it is a δίκη similar to suits appealing rejection from demes (1999: 288–89)

    προκαλονται: “Ostensibly the purpose of the challenge is to avoid litigation or to obtain fresh evidence. In reality challenges are usually issued in the confident expectation that the opponent will decline; since challenges can be introduced as evidence at the trial, the effect is to give the challenger a moral advantage in court” (Carey 1992: 117).

    διαιτητ: here, a public arbitrator

    μόσαι: see §3.

    καθ’ ερν τελείων: i.e., to swear by sacrifices of perfect (unblemished) animals

    μήν: “surely, absolutely”; introduces indirect statement after a verb of swearing

    γγυητς < ἐγγυητός

    οκ μοσεν: Patteson suggests that maybe Phrastor refused to swear because he was thinking ahead to possible remarriage (and therefore didn’t mind giving up his claim that the boy was legitimate); she also argues that, since Phrastor didn’t swear, the arbitrator must have ruled (almost by default) in the favor of the γένος (1978: 95–96). Kapparis, by contrast, argues that Phrastor refused to swear because “the oath would surely be phrased in a manner which served the purposes of the challenger”: for example, Phrastor might have been challenged to swear that the child was born to a citizen woman who was not Phano. However, because the γεννηταί would have been unable to prove that the boy was not legitimate without either solid evidence or the acceptance of a challenge, Kapparis thinks that the γένος lost the arbitration (1999: 290–91). Kapparis’ theory is possible, but we are given no indication in the text that the substance of the challenge is not precisely what Apollodoros gives us in this paragraph (namely that the child was Phrastor’s son from a citizen woman legally married to him).

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    Κεφαλθεν: of the deme Kephale

    κωλύειν εσάγεινKapparis 1999: 293 finds this ambiguous, saying that it means only “to produce obstacles to the introduction,” without stating whether the introduction succeeded in the end.

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    νίστημι νστήσω νέστησα (or νέστην) νέστηκα νέσταμαι νεστάθην: make stand, set up; stand up

    τάχιστος –η –ον: swiftest; τάχιστα as Adv., most quickly, most speedily, ὅττι τάχιστα as soon as may be, as soon as possible

    σθένεια –ας : weakness, sickness

    ναλαμβάνω ναλήψομαι νέλαβον νείληφα νείλημμαι νελήφθην: to take up; recover

    πιεικής –ές: fitting, meet, suitable

    στή –ς : fem. of ἀστός

    Σάτυρος: Satyrοs

    Μελιτεύς: of the deme Melite

    γνήσιος -α -ον: (born in wedlock); genuine, legitimate

    Δίφιλος: Diphilοs

    δελφή –ς : sister

    κών –οσα –όν: willingly

    ναδέχομαι: to take up, catch, receive

    βιάω βιήσω βίασα βεβίηκα βεβίημαι βιήθην: to do violence

    παιδία –ας : childlessness

    θεραπεία (Ion. θεραπηΐη) : a waiting on, service

    χθρα –ας : hatred, enmity

    κληρονόμος: an heir

    τεκμήριον –ου τό: sign; proof

    κόλουθος: following on (+ gen.)

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    εσάγω εσάξω εσήγαγον εσαγήοχα εσγμαι εσήχθην: to lead in, bring before

    Φράστωρ: Phrastor

    φράτηρ: a member of the same phratry

    Βρυτίδαι: the genos Brytidai

    γεννητής –ο : a parent; γεννῆται, οἱ, at Athens, members of γένη

    πόπεμψις: a sending off, dispatching

    ποψηφίζομαι: reject, refuse to elect, vote against; acquit

    γγράφω γγράψω –έγραψα: inscribe

    σφες: they

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    λαγχάνω λήξομαι λαχον εληχα ––– –––: to obtain by lot; to file suit (absol. and with δίκην)

    προκαλέω προκαλέσω/προκαλ προεκάλεσα προκέκληκα προκέκλημαι προεκλήθην: to challenge; (law-term) make an offer or challenge to the opponent for bringing about a decision, e.g. for submitting the case to arbitration, letting slaves be put to the torture, etc.

    διαιτητής: an arbitrator, umpire

    μνυμι (or μνύω) μομαι μοσα μώμοκα μώμο(σ)μαι μόθην: to swear

    τέλειος –α –ον: finished, completed, perfect

    μήν: verily, truly, then

    γγυητός –ή –όν: lawfully wedded (wife), as opposed to a ἐταίρα

    ρκος –ου : oath

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    Τιμόστρατος: Timostratos

    κάληθεν: from the deme Hekale

    Ξάνθιππος: Xanthippos

    ροιάδης: of the deme Eroiadai

    Ελάλκης: Eualkes

    Φαληρεύς: Phalerian, inhabiting Phaleron

    νυτος: Anytos

    Λακιάδης: of the deme Lakiadai

    Εφράνωρ: Euphranor

    Αγιλιεύς: of the deme Aigilia

    Νίκιππος: Nikippos

    Κεφαλθεν: from the deme Kephale

    μαρτυρέω μαρτυρήσω μαρτύρησα μεμαρτύρηκα μεμαρτύρημαι μαρτυρήθην: witness to

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    Suggested Citation

    Deborah Kamen, Pseudo-Demosthenes: Against Neaira. Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Dickinson College Commentaries, 2018. ISBN: 978-1-947822-10-8.https://dcc.dickinson.edu/ro/against-neaira/58-61