The Orations of Lysias

by Lysias

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.