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 an ancient Athenian court speech in which the plaintiff sues the defendant, Phormio, over a breach of contract regarding a maritime loan. The plaintiff accuses Phormio of failing to load the agreed cargo during a trading voyage to the Bosporus, misappropriating the funds, and falsely claiming to have repaid the loan after a shipwreck. In the middle section, the speech meticulously refutes the defense's claim of repayment—allegedly made to the shipowner Lampis—by pointing out the absurdity of the interest calculations, the total lack of witnesses, and Lampis's bribery-induced perjury. The plaintiff also exposes Lampis's treacherous act of smuggling grain to other cities during Athens' food crisis, contrasting it with the plaintiffs' own patriotic contributions. Ultimately, the plaintiff emphasizes that the strict legal protection of maritime creditors is vital for maintaining the commercial prosperity of Athens, pleading with the jurors for a just verdict.