Source edition
Demosthenes. Orationes, Vol. III. Rennie, W., editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1931.
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 from ancient Athens concerning the procedure of property exchange (antidosis). The plaintiff, who claims to be in financial distress due to losses in mining enterprises, accuses the wealthy defendant, Phaenippus, of evading his civic duties (leitourgia). According to the plaintiff, Phaenippus repeatedly broke the law by delaying the submission of his property inventory and violating the seals on his estate. Furthermore, the speaker exposes Phaenippus's attempts to conceal his true wealth by fabricating debts and inflating his mother's dowry. Proposing a bold compromise where he would surrender his own assets if Phaenippus's estate were delivered free of debt as originally sealed, the plaintiff implores the jury to punish the dishonest rich man and grant relief to a citizen in need.