On The Estate of Apollodorus

On the other hand, he had had experience of me, having sufficiently tested me; he well knew what had been my behavior towards my father and mother, my care for my relatives and my capacity for managing my own affairs. He was well aware that in my official capacity as thesmothete[*](This title was given to six junior archons, who presided at the allotment of the magistrates and were responsible for revising the laws.) I have been neither unjust nor rapacious. It was then not in ignorance, but with full knowledge, that he was making me master of his property.

Further, I was no stranger but his own nephew; the services which I had rendered him were not unimportant but very considerable; he knew that I was not a man devoid of public spirit, who would be likely to squander his possessions, as my opponents have squandered the property which composes the estate, but that I should be anxious to act as a trierarch and go on service and act as choregus and do everything else that the state requires, as he himself had done.

Since I was his kinsman, his friend, his benefactor, and a man of public spirit, and had been approved as such, who could maintain that my adoption was not the act of a man of sound judgement? Indeed, I have already performed one of those acts, the promise of which had won his approval; for I have acted as gymnasiarch[*](The duty of a gymnasiarch at the festival of Prometheus was to provide a team to compete in the inter-tribal torch-race.) at the festival of Prometheus in the present year with a liberality which all my fellow-tribesmen acknowledge. Please call the witnesses to prove that these statements are true.

Witnesses

These, gentlemen, are the just grounds on which we claim that we are entitled to keep the estate; and we beseech you to help us for the sake of Apollodorus and his father, for you will find that they were useful citizens and as zealous as possible for your interests.

His father not only performed all the other state services but also acted continuously as a trierarch, not contributing jointly with several others,[*](The system under which several citizens could jointly contribute to provide a trireme for the service of the state appears to have come into force about 357 B.C.; see Introduction.) as is the practice nowadays, but bearing the expenses out of his own fortune, and not jointly with one other but by himself alone; nor did he intermit his duties for two years[*](i.e., he did not avail himself of the period of exemption allowed by law.) but served continuously, not performing his duties in a perfunctory manner but providing the most perfect equipment. Wherefore, mindful of these services you honored him and saved his son when he was being robbed of his fortune, forcing those who were in possession of his property to restore it.

Again, Apollodorus himself did not, like Pronapes, assess his property below its value, but, paying taxes as a knight, aspired to hold the offices open to that rank, nor did he seek to possess himself by violence of the property of others and think that you ought to have no advantage from his wealth, but he openly declared the amount of his fortune and met whatever demands for service you made upon him, and wronging no man he tried to live honorably on his own fortune, considering that he ought to be moderate in his personal expenditure and dedicate the surplus to the service of the state, so that it might meet its expenses.