Source edition
Isocrates, Vol. 3. Van Hook, Larue, editor. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd., 1945 (printing).
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA (per Perseus's terms)
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is a courtroom oration concerning the recovery of a deposit contested in ancient Athens. The client, Nicias, claims that during the turbulent period of the Thirty Tyrants, he entrusted his property to Euthynus, who subsequently embezzled a portion of it. In the first half, the speech logically demonstrates Euthynus's guilt and Nicias's innocence by examining the social instability of the time and the relationship between the two parties. The second half focuses on the contrasting positions of the two men under the oligarchy, explaining Euthynus's motive for the embezzlement based on his advantageous political standing. Set against the backdrop of Athenian political chaos, the oration powerfully depicts the vulnerability of citizens and the abuse of power during the crisis.