Accusation of Calumny (11-15)

Yet in fact they were merely accusing themselves. For if I had no rightful claim in regard to a wrong suffered through an arrangement shared with them, surely they were wrong in so sharing it. And I also thought it was for the mere theory of the thing that they took up the argument in opposition; but I found they were not arguing but acting against me,

and the purpose of their argument was to enable Polycles to know my argument. This became evident: in the presence of the arbitrators Polycles angrily said that even my friends considered that I was in the wrong,—so they told him. Now, does this tally with what was reported to me? My informant himself reported that you declared you would hinder those who intended to speak on my behalf, and had prevented several others already. What need have I to set the proof of these facts in a yet clearer light? I ask you, could that man know that, having asked Cleitodicus to speak next, I was refused?

I was told he was not present at the meeting. Then what profit was he seeking, when he was so zealous in getting me into disgrace with you that he busied himself with fabricating such a story for my relatives?

And I observe that not only now, but for a long time past, you have been seeking a pretext; as when you declared that Thrasymachus was defaming you because of me. Well, I asked him if it was because of me that he was defaming Diodorus; and how he disdained that because of me! For he said he was far from defaming Diodorus because of anybody. If I should prefer this charge, Thrasymachus was anxious to be put to the test in regard to this man’s statements;

but to settle it thus was the last thing that the latter would have done. After that Autocrates told Thrasymachus in my presence that Euryptolemus was complaining of him, with the assertion that he was being defamed by him, and that the reporter of this was Menophilus. Immediately Thrasymachus walked over with me to see Menophilus; who asserted that at no time had he either heard it or reported it to Euryptolemus, and what was more, that he had not even talked with him for a long time.