Demosthenes
ΔΗΜΟΣΘΕΝΟΥΣ
XLI
ΠΡΟΣ ΣΠΟΥΔΙΑΝ ΥΠΕΡ ΠΡΟΙΚΟΣ
[1028]Ἀδελφὰς ἔχομεν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, γυναῖκας ἐγὼ καὶ Σπουδίας οὑτοσί, Πολυεύκτου θυγατέρας. ἄπαιδος δ᾿ ἐκείνου τελευτήσαντος ἀρρένων παίδων, ἀναγκάζομαι πρὸς τοῦτον περὶ τῶν καταλειφθέντων δικάζεσθαι. καὶ εἰ μέν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, μὴ πᾶσαν σπουδὴν καὶ προθυμίαν ἐποιησάμην, βουλόμενος διαλύεσθαι καὶ τοῖς φίλοις ἐπιτρέπειν, ἐμαυτὸν ἂν ᾐτιώμην, εἰ μᾶλλον ᾑρούμην δίκας καὶ 2πράγματ᾿ ἔχειν, ἢ μίκρ᾿ ἐλαττωθεὶς ἀνέχεσθαι· νῦν δ᾿ ὅσῳ πραότερον ἐγὼ καὶ φιλανθρωπότερον τούτῳ διελεγόμην, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλόν μου κατεφρόνει. καὶ νῦν κινδυνεύομεν οὐδὲν ὁμοίως πρὸς τουτονὶ τὸν ἀγῶν᾿ ἔχειν, ἀλλ᾿ οὗτος μὲν ῥᾳδίως φέρει πολλάκις εἰθισμένος ἐνταῦθ᾿ εἰς ὑμᾶς παριέναι, ἐγὼ δ᾿ αὐτὸ τοῦτο φοβοῦμαι, μὴ διὰ τὴν ἀπειρίαν οὐ δυνηθῶ δηλῶσαι περὶ τῶν πραγμάτων ὑμῖν· ὅμως δ᾿, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, προσέχετε τὸν νοῦν.
Against Spudias
Demosthenes XLI
An Unknown Pleader Against Spudias, in the Matter of a Marriage Portion
This man Spudias and I, men of the jury, are married to two sisters, daughters of Polyeuctus. Polyeuctus having died without male issue, I am forced to go to law with the defendant in regard to the property which has been left. And if, men of the jury, I had not shown all zeal and eagerness in my desire to find a settlement and to submit the matters at issue to our friends, I should have blamed myself for not choosing to suffer a trifling loss rather than engage in a troublesome lawsuit. But, as it is,2 the more gentleness and consideration I used in talking with the defendant, the more contempt he showed toward me. And now it appears that in my contest with him we are in no sense on equal terms, but he can take the matter lightly, since he has been accustomed to come often before you, whereas I fear this very thing, that because of my lack of experience I may prove unable to explain my case to you. None the less, men of the jury, I beg you to give heed.