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 concerning a special plea (paragraphe) in an Athenian mercantile court. The speaker argues that no contract meeting the requirements for a commercial lawsuit exists between him and the opponent, Zenothemis, and therefore requests the dismissal of the suit. As the background of the dispute, the speaker exposes a maritime insurance fraud scheme in which Zenothemis and a shipowner attempted to sink their ship at sea to embezzle borrowed funds. After the ship survived and reached Athens, Zenothemis brought a lawsuit claiming ownership of the wheat cargo, but the speaker denounces his deceitful collusion with malicious associates in Piraeus. Despite attempts to resolve the issue, Zenothemis rejected any inquiries in Sicily to verify the facts, and even the original buyer, Protus, was corrupted into joining the conspiracy. Ultimately, the speaker demonstrates that Zenothemis, who obstructed the import of grain to Athens, has no legal right to sue, and strongly urges the judges to reject the fraudulent claim.