Source edition
Lysias. Lamb, W.R.M., editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1930.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is a courtroom oration in which the defendant asserts his innocence regarding an unjust military enrollment and the resulting fine. The speaker begins by accusing his opponents of avoiding the main legal issue and instead slandering his personal character. He then details the background of the unfair conscription imposed on him, explaining how the treasurers subsequently exempted him from the fine. Furthermore, he reveals that the hostility of his accusers stems from personal enmity (echthra) originating from his past friendship with the influential Sostratus. Finally, he appeals to the jurors, arguing that an unjust conviction would deprive him of his citizenship and force him into exile, and earnestly begs for a fair verdict.