Apollodorus Against Callippus (6-10)

On hearing this, men of the jury, Phormion immediately showed him the books, and, when he had done so, and Callippus (it was he himself, and not another) had read them, and had seen in them the entry, Lycon, the Heracleote, sixteen hundred and forty drachmae, to be paid to Cephisiades; Archebiades of Lamptrae will identify Cephisiades, he went off in silence and for more than five months made no mention of the matter.

After this Cephisiades, having returned to Athens, came to the bank and demanded the money, and in the presence of Archebiades and Phrasias, men of the jury, the persons whom Lycon had introduced to my father, and had hidden to identify Cephisiades, when he should return and in the presence of other witnesses also, Phormion, who is here in court, counted out and paid him the sixteen minae forty drachmae.

To prove that I am speaking the truth, the clerk shall read you the depositions which bear upon all these facts.

The Depositions

That all I have told you is true, men of the jury, you have learned from the depositions. However, a long time after this, the plaintiff Callippus came up to my father in the city, and asked him if Cephisiades, to whom according to the entry in the book the money left by Lycon the Heracleote was to be paid, had returned to Athens. On my father’s replying that he thought so, but, if he wanted to go down to the Peiraeus, he would find out the truth, Callippus said to him, Do you know, Pasion, what it is that I am asking you?—

(and by Zeus and Apollo and Demeter, I shall make no false statement to you, men of the jury, but shall relate to you what I heard from my father)—You have a chance, he continued, to do a good turn to me, and no harm to yourself. It happens that I am proxenos of the Heracleotes, and you would be glad, I should think, to have me get the money rather than an alien who resides in Scyros, and is a man of no account. Matters have turned out like this. Lycon was without children, and has left, as I am informed, no heir in his house.

More than this, when he was brought to Argos, wounded, he gave to Strammenus, the Argive proxenos of the Heracleotes, the property which was brought in with him. I, therefore, am likewise in a position to claim the money that is here; for I think it is right that I should have it. Do you, therefore, if Cephisiades has not recovered it, say, if he should come here, that I dispute his claim; and if he has recovered it, say that I came with witnesses and demanded that the money be produced, or the person who has received it; and, if anyone tries to defraud me, let him know that he is defrauding a proxenos.