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 an ancient Athenian court speech concerning a dispute between neighbors over land boundaries and water damage. The defendant defends himself against an unjust lawsuit brought by his neighbor, Callicles. In his speech, the defendant explains that his father built a stone wall years ago to protect their property, and argues that the land is private property rather than a public watercourse, presenting physical evidence such as old graves and trees. He also points out that Callicles himself is guilty of narrowing the public road and that the actual damage claimed is extremely trivial. Finally, the defendant exposes Callicles's lawsuit as a malicious conspiracy to seize his land and calls upon the judges to deliver a just verdict.