Demosthenes
XLIII
ΠΡΟΣ ΜΑΚΑΡΤΑΤΟΝ ΠΕΡΙ ΑΓΝΙΟΥ ΚΛΗΡΟΥ
Ἐπειδὴ καὶ πρότερον ἀγῶνες ἐγένοντο ἡμῖν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, πρὸς τοὺς αὐτοὺς τούτους περὶ τοῦ κλήρου τοῦ Ἁγνίου, καὶ οὐδὲν παύονται παρανομοῦντες καὶ βιαζόμενοι, ὥστ᾿ ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου τὰ μὴ προσήκονθ᾿ ἑαυτοῖς ἔχειν, ἀνάγκη ἴσως ἐστὶ τὰ πραχθέντ᾿ ἐξ ἀρχῆς διηγήσασθαι· ὑμεῖς τε γάρ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ῥᾷον παρακολουθήσετε ἅπασι 2τοῖς λεγομένοις, καὶ οὗτοι ἐπιδειχθήσονται οἷοί εἰσιν ἄνθρωποι, καὶ ὅτι πάλαι ἤδη ἀρξάμενοι οὐδὲν παύονται κακοτεχνοῦντες καὶ οἰόμενοι δεῖν διαπράττεσθαι [1051]ὅ τι ἂν ἐπέλθῃ τούτοις. δεόμεθα οὖν ὑμῶν, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, εὐνοϊκῶς ἀκροάσασθαι τῶν λεγομένων καὶ παρακολουθεῖν προσέχοντας τὸν νοῦν. πειράσομαι δὲ κἀγὼ διδάσκειν ὡς ἂν οἷός τε ὦ σαφέστατα περὶ τῶν πεπραγμένων.
3Τουτουὶ γὰρ τοῦ παιδὸς ἡ μήτηρ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, γένει οὖσα ἐγγυτάτω Ἁγνίᾳ τῷ ἐξ Οἴου, ἐπεδικάσατο τοῦ κλήρου τοῦ Ἁγνίου κατὰ τοὺς νόμους τοὺς ὑμετέρους· καὶ τῶν τότε ἀμφισβητησάντων
Against Macartatus
XLIII
Sositheus against Macartatus, in Regard to the Estate of Hagnias
Since we have had suits before now, men of the jury, against these same men regarding the estate of Hagnias, and they do not cease from their lawless and violent conduct, endeavouring by hook or crook to keep what does not belong to them, it is perhaps necessary to set forth all that has been done from the beginning; for you, men of the jury, will thus more easily follow the course of the whole argument, and2 these men will be exhibited in their true character, and you will see that they began long ago and still continue to play their tricks, and to think that they may do whatever occurs to them. We therefore beg of you, men of the jury, to listen to our arguments with goodwill, and to follow with close attention. And I, on my part, will endeavour to give you the clearest information I can concerning the facts.
The mother of this boy, men of the jury, being the3 nearest of kin to Hagnias of Oeon,a had the estate of Hagnias adjudged to her according to your laws; and