Apollodorus Against Polycles for Expenses Incurred while Serving as Trierarch (27-29)

Well, when he paid no heed to what he heard from Euctemon and Deinias, later on Pythodorus of Acharnae,[*] and Apollodorus of Leuconoë, [*] friends and connections of mine, again approached him, and urged him to go and take over the ship, as he had been designated as my successor; and they told him about the equipment, that it was wholly my own, and that I had nothing from the public stores.

So, if you want to make use of that, they said, leave money here, and do not run the risk of carrying it abroad. For they wanted to redeem the farm for me by paying Archeneüs and Thrasylochus thirty minae. Regarding the wear and tear of the ship’s equipment they were willing to draw up an agreement with him, and themselves to be sureties for me, that he would assuredly have the terms which the other trierarchs gave to their successors.

To prove that I am speaking the truth in all this, the clerk shall read you the depositions bearing upon these matters.

The Depositions

There are many proofs from which I think I can show you that Polycles neither at the first intended to take over the ship from me, nor, after he was forced by you and your decree to go and join the ship, was he willing to take it over as my successor. For after he arrived at Thasos, when I was serving for the fourth month after my term had expired, I took witnesses with me, as many of the citizens as I could and the marines and rowers, and, coming up to him in the market-place at Thasos, I bade him take over the ship from me as my successor and repay me what I had expended since the expiration of my term.