Source edition
Demosthenes. Orationes, Vol. II, Part 2. Rennie, W., editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1921.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA (per Perseus's terms)
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This is one of Demosthenes' earliest and most famous forensic speeches, delivered in an Athenian court against his untrustworthy guardian, Aphobus, to prosecute him for embezzling his patrimony. The young orator, having lost his father at an early age, details how his appointed guardians plundered the substantial estate left to him. In the first half, Demosthenes presents a meticulous inventory of his father's assets—including workshops, slaves, and raw materials like ivory—to prove that his family belonged to the highest tax bracket. He then systematically exposes how Aphobus misappropriated his mother's dowry and pocketed the profits and raw materials of the family businesses, refuting the defendant's self-contradictory excuses. Demosthenes also debunks the absurd claim made by the guardians that his father had buried a secret fortune underground. In his concluding appeal, the plaintiff highlights his own desperate financial ruin, warns of the severe penalties like disenfranchisement he faces if he loses, and entreats the jurors for a just and sympathetic verdict.