Theomnestus and Apollodorus Against Neaera (41-45)

Now that Stephanus had become surety for her, and seeing that she was living at his house, she continued to carry on the same trade no less than before, but she charged higher fees from those who sought her favors as being now a respectable woman living with her husband. Stephanus, on his part, joined with her in extorting blackmail. If he found as a lover of Neaera any young alien rich and without experience, he would lock him up as caught in adultery with her, and would extort a large sum of money from him.

And this course was natural enough; for neither Stephanus nor Neaera had any property to supply funds for their daily expenditures, and the expenses of their establishment were large; for they had to support both him and her and three children whom she had brought with her, and two female servants and a male house-servant; and besides Neaera had become accustomed to live comfortably, since heretofore others had provided the cost of her maintenance.

This fellow Stephanus was getting nothing worth mentioning from public business, for he was not yet a public speaker, but thus far merely a pettifogger, one of those who stand beside the platform and shout, who prefer indictments and informations for hire, and who let their names be inscribed on motions made by others, up to the day when he became an underling of Callistratus of Aphidna.[*] How this came about and for what cause I will tell you in detail regarding this matter also, when I shall have proved regarding this woman Neaera that she is an alien and is guilty of grievous wrongs against you and of impiety towards the gods;

for I would have you know that Stephanus himself deserves to pay no less heavy a penalty than Neaera here, but even one far heavier, and that he is far more guilty, seeing that, while professing to be an Athenian, he treats you and your laws and the gods with such utter contempt that he cannot bring himself to keep quiet even for shame at the wrongs he has himself committed, but by bringing baseless charges against me and against others he has caused my colleague to bring against him and against this woman a charge so grievous that it necessitates inquiry being made into her origin, and his own profligacy being brought to light.

So, then, Phrynion brought suit against Stephanus for having taken this woman Neaera from him and asserted her freedom, and for having received the goods which Neaera had brought with her from Phrynion’s house. Their friends, however, brought them together and induced them to submit their quarrel to arbitration. On behalf of Phrynion, Satyrus of Alopecê, the brother of Lacedaemonius, sat as arbitrator, and on behalf of Stephanus here, Saurias of Lamptrae[*]; and they added to their number by common consent Diogeiton of Acharnae.[*]