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 work is a courtroom oration delivered by the young Demosthenes against Onetor, who conspired with Demosthenes' former guardian, Aphobus, to withhold his rightful inheritance. Continuing from the previous speech, Demosthenes aims to expose the falsity of the mortgage claims on land that Onetor asserts under the pretext of an unpaid dowry. He reveals how Onetor has repeatedly changed his testimony depending on the situation in order to conceal Aphobus's assets. Through detailed arguments, Demosthenes highlights inconsistencies regarding the amount of the dowry, Onetor's financial guarantees for Aphobus, and the unnatural timing of the mortgage establishment. By demonstrating that his own estate was unjustly occupied long before Onetor's marriage alliance, Demosthenes vigorously denounces Onetor's claims as selfish fabrications.