Books: The Orations of Lysias
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Lysias >> The Orations of Lysias
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EVIDENCE.
19. I ask you now, gentlemen of the jury, to hear my calculation, that
you may pity the boys for the magnitude of their misfortunes, and think
this man most deserving of your anger. For Diogeiton causes all men to
suspect one another, so as to trust neither the living nor the dead, nor
one's dearest ones more than one's enemies. 20. For he had the hardihood
to deny some of the facts, but finally acknowledged part, and showed the
receipts and expenses for the boys and their sister for eight years,
amounting to seven silver talents and four thousand drachmae. And he
became so shameless, that not being able to account for the money, he
charged five obols a day for the living of the boys and their sister, and
he made no itemized account for shoes and clothing, and the barber either
by the month or year, but made the sum-total amount to more than one
talent of silver. 21. And while not spending more than twenty-five minae
of the five thousand drachmae charged for their father's monument, he
charged half that amount to himself, and half to them. And for the
festival of Dionysus, gentlemen of the jury, (for I think it not out of
place to call this to your minds,) he entered a lamb as costing sixteen
drachmae, and charged the children with eight; at this we were the most
indignant. So, my friends, in great losses often the minor wrongs trouble
those who are injured no less (than more important ones), for they show
all too plainly the baseness of the offenders. 22. Then for other
festivals and sacrifices he charged to them more than four thousand
drachmae, and there were other large charges made, which were reckoned to
make out the amount, as if he had been made the children's guardian for
this, that he might show them accounts instead of money, and make up that
they were poor and not rich, and that, if they had any hereditary enemy,
they might forget him, and only contend with their guardian being bereft
of their patrimony.
23. If he had wanted to be just to the children, according to the laws
which exist about (the treatment of) orphans for the guidance of
guardians with and without property, he could have farmed out the estate
(thus) getting rid of all trouble, or bought land, and brought up the
children on the income from it. Whichever course he followed, they would
have been as rich as any Athenian. But now he seems to me never to have
taken any thought of securing the property, but to keep it for himself,
thinking that his baseness should be the dead man's heir.
24. Here is the worst count of all, gentlemen of the jury. For he, while
sharing as Trierarch with Alexis, the son of Aristodicus, claimed that he
had contributed forty-eight minae, and charged half of this to these
orphan children, whom the state has made exempt, not only because they
are children, but that when they are of age they are released from
liturgies for a year. But this man, their grandfather, illegally exacts
from the children of his own daughter half of his contribution as
Trierarch. 25. And having sent to Adria a merchant-ship worth two
talents, he told their mother when he dispatched it, that the risk was
the children's, but when it arrived in safety and doubled its value, he
said the profit was his own. And yet, if he puts down their losses, and
takes himself what is saved, he will find no difficulty in setting down
on the account what has been spent, and will easily become rich himself
from the money which does not belong to him. 26. It would be too much,
gentlemen of the jury, to go through the accounts point by point; but
when with some difficulty I got the accounts from him, in the presence of
witnesses I asked Aristodicus, the brother of Alexis, for he had died, if
he had any record of the trierarchy. He said he had, and going to his
house we found that Diogeiton had given over to him (Alexis) twenty-four
minae for the trierarchy. 27. The whole expense was here shown to have
been forty-eight minae, so that he charged them with what his whole
expense had been. And what do you think could have been his conduct in
matters of which no one had any knowledge but himself, and which he
managed alone, when in transactions which were carried on through others,
and were not difficult to find out, he had the hardihood to cheat his
daughter's children out of twenty-four minae. Now bring in the witnesses.
WITNESSES.
28. You have heard the witnesses, gentlemen of the jury. Now taking as a
basis the money which he finally acknowledged to have, I will reckon from
that, taking no income into account, but spending from the principal. I
will allow what no one in the city does, for the two boys, their sister,
teacher, and maid a thousand drachmae a year, a little less than three
drachmae a day, amounting in eight years to eight thousand drachmae, (29)
which shows a balance of six talents from the seven talents twenty minae.
For he could not show that he has lost to pirates nor suffered loss, nor
paid creditors (for the father).
ORATION XXXIII.
PANEGYRIC.
1. For many noble deeds, my friends, it is well to commemorate Heracles,
but especially because he was the founder of these games through his
good-will to Greece. For at that time cities lived in enmity one with
another; (2) but then that (hero) slew the tyrants, punished the
arrogant, and established this, contest of strength, emulation of wealth,
and exhibition of mind in this most beautiful spot in Greece, that for
all these things we might assemble together, to witness and to hear. For
he believed that concourse here would be the starting-point for a common
friendship among the Greeks. 3. He then conceived the plan, and I am here
not to quibble or juggle with words. For this I believe is the part of
useless sophists needing to make a living, but it is for a brave man and
worthy citizen to speak for the highest good, seeing how low lies Greece,
much in the power of the barbarian, many cities under the foot of
tyrants. 4. And had we suffered this through weakness, we should have to
put up with our fate; but as (it resulted) from seditions and wrangling
among ourselves, why should we not put an end to these things and check
them, knowing that it is for those who are successful to love quarrels,
but for the unfortunate to have the clearest ideas about conduct? 5. For
we see great dangers threatening on all sides, and you know that power
belongs to the rulers of the sea, and the king holds the treasure and the
lives of such Greeks as can be bought, and he has many ships, and many,
too, the tyrant of Sicily. 6. So it is best to cease our quarrels with
one another, and with one purpose cling to our liberties, feeling shame
for our past, and fear for the future, and imitate our ancestors who took
from the barbarians their liberty while they were plotting against that
of other men, and drove forth the tyrants, and established equal freedom
for all. 7. And most of all I wonder with what mind the Spartans watch
the conflagration of Greece, they who are not unjustly the leaders of the
Greeks through their inborn valor and knowledge of military affairs, who
are the only ones who live unsacked, without walls, with no factions,
unconquerable, with no change of customs. For these reasons there is hope
that they have imperishable freedom, and as in past dangers they were the
saviors of Greece that they will be seen as such for the future. 8. No
future time is better than the present. For there is no need of regarding
the misfortunes of those who have perished as concerning others, but
ourselves, and not wait until the forces of both come upon us in person,
but while we can, check their arrogance. 9. For who would not feel alarm,
seeing them gaining in importance in the war with each other? And in
these disgraceful and terrible circumstances those who have been so
greatly at fault have every advantage from what has occurred, while the
Greeks (have) no means of redress.
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