1. Homer, Iliad, 2.124, 3.31, 3.73, 3.94, 3.105, 3.252, 3.356, 4.155, 19.191, 19.267-19.268, 24.483 (8th cent. BCE - 7th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •official oaths, archons oath of office Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 141| 2.124. ὅρκια πιστὰ ταμόντες ἀριθμηθήμεναι ἄμφω, 3.31. ἐν προμάχοισι φανέντα, κατεπλήγη φίλον ἦτορ, 3.73. οἳ δʼ ἄλλοι φιλότητα καὶ ὅρκια πιστὰ ταμόντες 3.94. οἳ δʼ ἄλλοι φιλότητα καὶ ὅρκια πιστὰ τάμωμεν. 3.105. ἄξετε δὲ Πριάμοιο βίην, ὄφρʼ ὅρκια τάμνῃ 3.252. ἐς πεδίον καταβῆναι ἵνʼ ὅρκια πιστὰ τάμητε· 3.356. καὶ βάλε Πριαμίδαο κατʼ ἀσπίδα πάντοσε ἴσην· 4.155. φίλε κασίγνητε θάνατόν νύ τοι ὅρκιʼ ἔταμνον 19.191. ἐκ κλισίης ἔλθῃσι καὶ ὅρκια πιστὰ τάμωμεν. 19.267. τὸν μὲν Ταλθύβιος πολιῆς ἁλὸς ἐς μέγα λαῖτμα 19.268. ῥῖψʼ ἐπιδινήσας βόσιν ἰχθύσιν· αὐτὰρ Ἀχιλλεὺς 24.483. ὣς Ἀχιλεὺς θάμβησεν ἰδὼν Πρίαμον θεοειδέα· | 2.124. how that thus vainly so goodly and so great a host of the Achaeans warred a bootless war, and fought with men fewer than they, and no end thereof hath as yet been seen. For should we be minded, both Achaeans and Trojans, to swear a solemn oath with sacrifice, and to number ourselves, 3.31. But when godlike Alexander was ware of him as he appeared among the champions, his heart was smitten, and back he shrank into the throng of his comrades, avoiding fate. And even as a man at sight of a snake in the glades of a mountain starteth back, and trembling seizeth his limbs beneath him, 3.73. to do battle for Helen and all her possessions. And whichsoever of us twain shall win, and prove him the better man, let him duly take all the wealth and the woman, and bear them to his home. But for you others, do ye swear friendship and oaths of faith with sacrifice. So should ye dwell in deep-soiled Troyland, and let them return 3.94. and himself in the midst and Menelaus, dear to Ares, to do battle for Helen and all her possessions. And whichsoever of the twain shall win, and prove him the better man, let him duly take all the wealth and the woman, and bear them to his home; but for us others, let us swear friendship and oaths of faith with sacrifice. 3.105. and fetch ye hither the mighty Priam, that he may himself swear an oath with sacrifice, seeing that his sons are over-weening and faithless; lest any by presumptuous act should do violence to the oaths of Zeus. Ever unstable are the hearts of the young; but in whatsoever an old man taketh part, he looketh both before and after, 3.252. Rise, thou son of Laomedon, the chieftains of the horse-taming Trojans, and of the brazen-coated Achaeans, summon thee to go down into the plain, that ye may swear oaths of faith with sacrifice. But Alexander and Menelaus, dear to Ares, will do battle with long spears for the woman's sake; 3.356. He spoke, and poised his far-shadowing spear, and hurled it; and he smote upon the son of Priam's shield, that was well balanced upon every side. Through the bright shield went the mighty spear, and through the corselet, richly dight, did it force its way; and straight on beside his flank the spear shore through his tunic; 4.155. Dear brother, it was for thy death, meseems, that I swore this oath with sacrifice, setting thee forth alone before the face of the Achaeans to do battle with the Trojans, seeing the Trojans have thus smitten thee, and trodden under foot the oaths of faith. Yet in no wise is an oath of none effect and the blood of lambs and drink-offerings of unmixed wine and the hand-clasps, wherein we put our trust. 19.191. and abide all ye others together, until the gifts be brought from my hut, and we make oaths of faith with sacrifice. And to thine own self do I thus give charge and commandment: Choose thee young men, princes of the host of the Achaeans, and bear from my ship the gifts 19.267. full many, even all that they are wont to give to him whoso sinneth against them in his swearing. He spake, and cut the boar's throat with the pitiless bronze, and the body Talthybius whirled and flung into the great gulf of the grey sea, to be food for the fishes; but Achilles uprose, and spake among the war-loving Argives: 19.268. full many, even all that they are wont to give to him whoso sinneth against them in his swearing. He spake, and cut the boar's throat with the pitiless bronze, and the body Talthybius whirled and flung into the great gulf of the grey sea, to be food for the fishes; but Achilles uprose, and spake among the war-loving Argives: 24.483. And as when sore blindness of heart cometh upon a man, that in his own country slayeth another and escapeth to a land of strangers, to the house of some man of substance, and wonder holdeth them that look upon him; even so was Achilles seized with wonder at sight of godlike Priam, and seized with wonder were the others likewise, and they glanced one at the other. |
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| 2. Aeschylus, Eumenides, eumenides (6th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •official oaths, archons oath of office Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 38 |
3. Sophocles, Oedipus At Colonus, 521-523 (5th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •nan Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 137 | 523. I have suffered the greatest misery, strangers—suffered it through unintended deeds—may the god know it! No part was of my own choice. Choru |
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4. Plato, Laws, 757d, 757c (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •nan Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 137| 757c. καὶ ἰδιώταις, πάντʼ ἀγαθὰ ἀπεργάζεται· τῷ μὲν γὰρ μείζονι πλείω, τῷ δʼ ἐλάττονι σμικρότερα νέμει, μέτρια διδοῦσα πρὸς τὴν αὐτῶν φύσιν ἑκατέρῳ, καὶ δὴ καὶ τιμὰς μείζοσι μὲν πρὸς ἀρετὴν ἀεὶ μείζους, τοῖς δὲ τοὐναντίον ἔχουσιν ἀρετῆς τε καὶ παιδείας τὸ πρέπον ἑκατέροις ἀπονέμει κατὰ λόγον. ἔστιν γὰρ δήπου καὶ τὸ πολιτικὸν ἡμῖν ἀεὶ τοῦτʼ αὐτὸ τὸ δίκαιον· οὗ καὶ νῦν ἡμᾶς ὀρεγομένους δεῖ καὶ πρὸς ταύτην τὴν ἰσότητα, ὦ Κλεινία, ἀποβλέποντας, τὴν νῦν | 757c. it produces all things good; for it dispenses more to the greater and less to the smaller, giving due measure to each according to nature; and with regard to honors also, by granting the greater to those that are greater in goodness, and the less to those of the opposite character in respect of goodness and education, it assigns in proportion what is fitting to each. Indeed, it is precisely this which constitutes for us political justice, which is the object we must strive for, Clinias; this equality is what we must aim at, now that we are settling the State |
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5. Plato, Critias, 119e, 119d (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •nan Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 138| 119d. ὀρειχαλκίνῃ, ἣ κατὰ μέσην τὴν νῆσον ἔκειτʼ ἐν ἱερῷ Ποσειδῶνος, οἷ δὴ διʼ ἐνιαυτοῦ πέμπτου, τοτὲ δὲ ἐναλλὰξ ἕκτου, συνελέγοντο, τῷ τε ἀρτίῳ καὶ τῷ περιττῷ μέρος ἴσον ἀπονέμοντες, συλλεγόμενοι δὲ περί τε τῶν κοινῶν ἐβουλεύοντο καὶ ἐξήταζον εἴ τίς τι παραβαίνοι, καὶ ἐδίκαζον. ὅτε δὲ δικάζειν μέλλοιεν, πίστεις ἀλλήλοις τοιάσδε ἐδίδοσαν πρότερον. ἀφέτων ὄντων ταύρων ἐν τῷ τοῦ Ποσειδῶνος ἱερῷ, μόνοι γιγνόμενοι δέκα ὄντες, ἐπευξάμενοι τῷ θεῷ τὸ κεχαρισμένον | 119d. and thither they assembled every fifth year, and then alternately every sixth year—giving equal honor to both the even and the odd—and when thus assembled they took counsel about public affairs and inquired if any had in any way transgressed and gave judgement. And when they were about to give judgement they first gave pledges one to another of the following description. In the sacred precincts of Poseidon there were bulls at large ; and the ten princes, being alone by themselves, after praying to the God that they might capture a victim well-pleasing unto him, |
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6. Plato, Apology of Socrates, 17c (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •official oaths, archons oath of office •official oaths, on acropolis Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 137| 17c. ῥήμασί τε καὶ ὀνόμασιν οὐδὲ κεκοσμημένους, ἀλλʼ ἀκούσεσθε εἰκῇ λεγόμενα τοῖς ἐπιτυχοῦσιν ὀνόμασιν—πιστεύω γὰρ δίκαια εἶναι ἃ λέγω—καὶ μηδεὶς ὑμῶν προσδοκησάτω ἄλλως· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν δήπου πρέποι, ὦ ἄνδρες, τῇδε τῇ ἡλικίᾳ ὥσπερ μειρακίῳ πλάττοντι λόγους εἰς ὑμᾶς εἰσιέναι. καὶ μέντοι καὶ πάνυ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τοῦτο ὑμῶν δέομαι καὶ παρίεμαι· ἐὰν διὰ τῶν αὐτῶν λόγων ἀκούητέ μου ἀπολογουμένου διʼ ὧνπερ εἴωθα λέγειν καὶ ἐν ἀγορᾷ ἐπὶ τῶν τραπεζῶν, ἵνα ὑμῶν πολλοὶ ἀκηκόασι, καὶ ἄλλοθι, μήτε | 17c. as theirs are, nor carefully arranged, but you will hear things said at random with the words that happen to occur to me. For I trust that what I say is just; and let none of you expect anything else. For surely it would not be fitting for one of my age to come before you like a youngster making up speeches. And, men of Athens, I urgently beg and beseech you if you hear me making my defence with the same words with which I have been accustomed to speak both in the market place at the bankers tables, where many of you have heard me, and elsewhere, |
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| 7. Lysias, Orations, 12.1 (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •official oaths, archons oath of office Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 21 |
| 8. Isaeus, Orations, 2.31-2.32, 7.28, 12.9 (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •official oaths, archons oath of office •official oaths, on acropolis Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 21, 137, 138 |
| 9. Empedocles, Fragments, fr.115.1-12 d-k (5th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •official oaths, archons oath of office Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 21 |
| 10. Plato, Phaedrus, 89c, 89b (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •nan Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 21 |
| 11. Plato, Statesman, 328c2, 328c1 (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •nan Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 138 |
12. Aristophanes, Frogs, 303, 305-306, 304 (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •nan Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 138 304. “ἐκ κυμάτων γὰρ αὖθις αὖ γαλῆν ὁρῶ.” 304. > | |
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13. Aristophanes, Peace, 1046, 1096-1098, 1117, 962, 978-987, 963 (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •nan Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 137| 963. ἔδωκας ἤδη; νὴ τὸν ̔Ερμῆν ὥστε γε | |
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14. Aristophanes, Clouds, 1233-1234, 1232 (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •nan Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 138| 1232. καὶ ταῦτ' ἐθελήσεις ἀπομόσαι μοι τοὺς θεοὺς | |
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15. Aristophanes, Acharnians, 730 (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •official oaths, archons oath of office •official oaths, on acropolis Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 137| 730. ἐπόθουν τυ ναὶ τὸν φίλιον ᾇπερ ματέρα. | |
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16. Aristophanes, Birds, 861, 954-955, 860 (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •nan Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 137| 860. τουτὶ μὰ Δί' ἐγὼ πολλὰ δὴ καὶ δείν' ἰδὼν | |
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17. Aristophanes, Women of The Assembly, 155-157, 159-160, 158 (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •nan Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 322| 158. μὰ Δί' ἀλλ' ἀνὴρ ὢν τὼ θεὼ κατώμοσας, | |
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| 18. Antiphon, Orations, 5.11-5.12 (5th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •official oaths, archons oath of office Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 21 |
19. Aristophanes, The Women Celebrating The Thesmophoria, 279-651, 72-73, 86 (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •nan Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 137| 86. νὴ τὸν Ποσειδῶ καὶ δίκαιά γ' ἂν πάθοις. | |
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| 20. Isocrates, Orations, 17.2, 17.18-17.19, 17.31-17.32, 17.51-17.52 (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •nan Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 74 |
21. Aristophanes, Lysistrata, 186-189, 191, 193-194, 206-208, 185 (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •nan Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 141| 185. θὲς ἐς τὸ πρόσθεν ὑπτίαν τὴν ἀσπίδα, | |
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22. Demosthenes, Orations, 18.283, 19.172, 19.219-19.220, 21.119, 23.67-23.68, 24.148-24.151, 29.26, 29.33, 29.54, 47.7, 47.73, 49.66-49.67, 54.4, 54.26, 54.38, 54.41, 59.1, 59.6 (4th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •official oaths, archons oath of office •official oaths, on acropolis Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 21, 38, 39, 137, 138, 322 | 18.283. and yet you still raise your voice, and dare to look your fellow citizens in the face! Do you imagine that they do not know who you are? that they are sunk in such slumber and oblivion that they do not remember the harangues you made while the war was still going on, when you protested with oaths and curses that you had no dealings with Philip— that I had laid that charge against you out of private malice, and that it was not true? 19.172. It would therefore have been too bad to break my word and abandon fellow-creatures and fellow-citizens in misfortune. Had I declined on oath, a private excursion to Macedonia would have been neither decent nor safe. Except for my strong desire to liberate those men, may I die miserably before my time The Greek phrase, which occurs also at the end of the De corona, suggests by its jingle the formula of some curse, but cannot be well reproduced in English. if any reward would have induced me to accept an embassy with these men as my colleagues. I proved that by twice excusing myself when you twice appointed me to the third embassy, and also by my constant opposition to them on this journey. 19.219. and with foreknowledge on the assurance of your ambassadors that your allies would be ruined, that the Thebans would gain strength, that Philip would occupy the northern positions, that a basis of attack would be established against you in Euboea, and that everything that has in fact resulted would befall you, you thereupon cheerfully made the peace, by all means acquit Aeschines, and do not crown your other dishonors with the sin of perjury. He has done you no wrong, and I am a madman and a fool to accuse him. 19.220. But if the truth is otherwise, if they spoke handsomely of Philip and told you that he was the friend of Athens, that he would deliver the Phocians, that he would curb the arrogance of the Thebans, that he would bestow on you many boons of more value than Amphipolis, and would restore Euboea and Oropus, if only he got his peace,—if, I say, by such assertions and such promises they have deceived and deluded you, and wellnigh stripped you of all Attica, find him guilty, and do not reinforce the outrages, for I can find no better word,—that you have endured, by returning to your homes laden with the curse and the guilt of perjury, for the sake of the bribes that they have pocketed. 21.119. I am going to call the witnesses now present in court to prove that my version of the facts is correct; that on the day before he told that tale to the Council, he had entered Aristarchus’s house and had a conversation with him; that on the next day-and this, men of Athens, this for vileness is impossible to beat—he went into his house and sat as close to him as this, and put his hand in his, in the presence of many witnesses, after that speech in the Council in which he had called Aristarchus a murderer and said the most terrible things of him; that he invoked utter destruction on himself if he had said a word in his disparagement; that he never thought twice about his perjury, though there were people present who knew the truth, and he actually begged him to use his influence to bring about a reconciliation with me. 23.67. And so, in defiance of this safeguard of justice, and of the lawful penalties that it awards, the author of this decree has offered to Charidemus a free licence to do what he likes as long as he lives, and to his friends the right of vindictive prosecution when he is dead. For look at it in this light. You are all of course aware that in the Areopagus, where the law both permits and enjoins the trial of homicide, first, every man who brings accusation of such a crime must make oath by invoking destruction upon himself, his kindred, and his household; 23.68. econdly, that he must not treat this oath as an ordinary oath, but as one which no man swears for any other purpose; for he stands over the entrails of a boar, a ram, and a bull, and they must have been slaughtered by the necessary officers and on the days appointed, so that in respect both of the time and of the functionaries every requirement of solemnity has been satisfied. Even then the person who has sworn this tremendous oath does not gain immediate credence; and if any falsehood is brought home to him, he will carry away with him to his children and his kindred the stain of perjury,—but gain nothing. 24.148. Solon therefore, wishing to deprive the Council of authority to imprison, included this formula in the Councillors’ oath; but he did not include it in the judicial oath. He thought it right that a Court of Justice should have unlimited authority, and that the convicted criminal should submit to any punishment ordered by the court. To make good this view the clerk will read the judicial oath of the Court of Heliaea. Read. 24.149. The Oath of the Heliasts I will give verdict in accordance with the statutes and decrees of the People of Athens and of the Council of Five-hundred. I will not vote for tyranny or oligarchy. If any man try to subvert the Athenian democracy or make any speech or any proposal in contravention thereof I will not comply. I will not allow private debts to be cancelled, nor lands nor houses belonging to Athenian citizens to be redistributed. I will not restore exiles or persons under sentence of death. I will not expel, nor suffer another to expel, persons here resident in contravention of the statutes and decrees of the Athenian People or of the Council. 24.150. I will not confirm the appointment to any office of any person still subject to audit in respect of any other office, to wit the offices of the nine Archons or of the Recorder or any other office for which a ballot is taken on the same day as for the nine Archons, or the office of Marshal, or ambassador, or member of the Allied Congress. I will not suffer the same man to hold the same office twice, or two offices in the same year. I will not take bribes in respect of my judicial action, nor shall any other man or woman accept bribes for me with my knowledge by any subterfuge or trick whatsoever. 24.151. I am not less than thirty years old. I will give impartial hearing to prosecutor and defendant alike, and I will give my verdict strictly on the charge named in the prosecution. The juror shall swear by Zeus, Poseidon, and Demeter, and shall invoke destruction upon himself and his household if he in any way transgress this oath, and shall pray that his prosperity may depend upon his loyal observance thereof. The oath, gentlemen of the jury, does not contain the words I will not imprison any Athenian citizen. The courts alone decide every question brought to trial; and they have full authority to pass sentence of imprisonment, or any other sentence they please. 29.26. Besides this, my mother was ready to call to her side my sister and myself, and swear, with imprecations on our heads if she spoke falsely—we were her only children, and it was for our sakes that she gave herself up to a life of widowhood—that my father when he was about to die had set this man free, and that Milyas was regarded by us as free thereafter. Let no one of you assume that she would have been willing to make this oath with imprecations on our heads if she had not known well that what she was to swear to was true. Come now, to prove that I am speaking the truth and that we were ready to do these things, call the witnesses thereto. The Witnesses 29.33. But how was it proved? In the first place, Therippides, his co-trustee, testified that he had given him the money. Secondly, Demo, his uncle, and the rest of the witnesses who were present, testified that he agreed to supply my mother with maintece, as being in possession of her portion. Against these men he has lodged no charges, plainly because he knew that their testimony was true. Besides this, my mother was ready to call to her side my sister and myself, and swear with imprecations on our heads, if she spoke falsely, that Aphobus had received her marriage-portion according to the terms of my father’s will. 29.54. Do not suppose that while I was ready to take this course, the witnesses did not hold the same opinion. No; they too were ready to place their children by their side, and in confirmation of the testimony they had given, to take an oath with imprecations upon them, if they swore falsely. But Aphobus did not see fit to allow an oath to be given either to them or to me. Instead, he rests his case on arguments subtly planned and on witnesses accustomed to perjury, and thinks thereby easily to mislead you. So take and read to the jury this deposition also. The Deposition 47.73. Now, to tell a false story to you and support it by an oath with imprecations on myself, my son, and my wife, was a thing I dared not do, even if I knew well that I should convict these men; for I do not hate them as much as I love myself. But that you may hear this not merely from my own lips, the clerk shall read you the law itself. The Law 49.66. The specific instances of the perjuries which he has committed without scruple would make a long story; but I will call to your minds the most flagrant instances and those of which you are all well aware. You know that he swore in the assembly, imprecating destruction upon himself and dedicating his property to sacred uses, if he should fail to indict Iphicrates as a usurper of the rights of citizenship. Yet, although he had sworn and promised this in the assembly, no long time afterwards, in order to serve his own interests, he gave his daughter in marraige to the son of Iphicrates. 49.67. When a man, then, felt no shame in deceiving you to whom he had pledged his word, though there are laws which declare that, if a man deceive the people by a promise, he shall be liable to impeachment,—when, after swearing and imprecating destruction upon himself, he had no fear of the gods in whose name he had perjured himself—was it strange that I was unwilling to allow him to take an oath? Again, not very long ago, he once more solemnly declared in the assembly that he had not adequate provision for his old age—he, who possesses so large an estate; so insatiate and grasping is his character. 54.4. Well, at whatever time the others might be having their dinner, these men were already drunk and abusive, at first toward our body-slaves, but in the end toward ourselves. For, alleging that the slaves annoyed them with smoke while getting dinner, or were impudent toward them, or whatever else they pleased, they used to beat them and empty their chamber-pots over them, or befoul them with urine; there was nothing in the way of brutality and outrage in which they did not indulge. When we saw this, we were annoyed and at first expostulated with them, but they mocked at us, and would not desist, and so our whole mess in a body—not I alone apart from the rest—went to the general and told him what was going on. 54.38. The thing, however, which is the most impudent of all that he is going to do, as I hear, I think it better to warn you of in advance. For they say that he will bring his children, and, placing them by his side, will swear by them, imprecating some dread and awful curses of such a nature that a person who heard them and reported them to me was amazed. Now, men of the jury, there is no way of withstanding such audacity; for, I take it, the most honorable men and those who would be the last to tell a falsehood themselves, are most apt to be deceived by such people—not but that they ought to look at their lives and characters before believing them. 54.41. This oath I was at that time ready to take, and now, to convince you and those who stand gathered about, I swear by all the gods and goddesses that I have in very truth suffered at the hands of Conon this wrong for which I am suing him; that I was beaten by him, and that my lip was cut open so that it had to be sewn up, and that it is because of gross maltreatment that I am prosecuting him. If I swear truly, may many blessings be mine, and may I never again suffer such an outrage; but, if I am forsworn, may I perish utterly, I and all I possess or ever may possess. But I am not forsworn; no, not though Conon should say so till he bursts. 59.1. (Theomnestus, who brings the indictment, speaks.) Many indeed are the reasons, men of Athens, which urged me to prefer this indictment against Neaera, and to come before you. We have suffered grievous wrongs at the hands of Stephanus and have been brought by him into the most extreme peril, I mean my father-in-law, myself, my sister, and my wife; so that I shall enter upon this trial, not as an aggressor, but as one seeking vengeance. For Stephanus was the one who began our quarrel without ever having been wronged by us in word or deed. I wish at the outset to state before you the wrongs which we have suffered at this hands, in order that you may feel more indulgence for me as I seek to defend myself and to show you into what extreme danger we were brought by him of losing our country and our civic rights. 59.6. This fellow Stephanus indicted the decree as illegal, and came before a court. He produced false witnesses to substantiate the calumnious charge that Apollodorus had been a debtor to the treasury for twenty-five years, and by making all sorts of accusations that were foreign to the indictment won a verdict against the decree. So far as this is concerned, if he saw fit to follow this course, we do not take it ill; but when the jurors were casting their votes to fix the penalty, although we begged him to make concessions, he would not listen to us, but fixed the fine at fifteen talents in order to deprive Apollodorus and his children of their civic rights, and to bring my sister and all of us into extremest distress and utter destitution. |
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| 23. Aristotle, Athenian Constitution, 1.1, 7.1, 29.5, 29.5.4, 55.5 (4th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •official oaths, archons oath of office •official oaths, on acropolis Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 21, 137, 138, 141, 322 |
24. Aeschines, Letters, 1.114, 2.87, 2.115-2.116, 2.232-2.233, 3.99, 3.109-3.113, 3.119-3.120, 3.125-3.128, 3.233 (4th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •official oaths, archons oath of office Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 21, 38, 39, 141 | 1.114. In consequence of this experience so great became his contempt for you that immediately, on the occasion of the revision of the citizen lists, he gathered in two thousand drachmas. For he asserted that Philotades of Cydathenaeon, a citizen, was a former slave of his own, and he persuaded the members of the deme to disfranchise him. He took charge of the prosecution in court,See on Aeschin. 1.77. and after he had taken the sacred offerings in his hand and sworn that he had not taken a bribe and would not, 2.87. Is it not, therefore, an outrage, gentlemen, if one dares utter such lies about a man who is his own—no, I hasten to correct myself, not his own, but your—fellow citizen, when he is in peril of his life? Wisely, indeed, did our fathers prescribe that, in the trials for bloodshed which are held at the Palladion, the one who wins his case must cut in pieces the sacrificial flesh, and take a solemn oath (and the custom of your fathers is in force to this day), affirming that those jurors who have voted on his side have voted what is true and right, and that he himself has spoken no falsehood; and he calls down destruction upon himself and his household, if this be not true, and prays for many blessings for the jurors. A right provision, fellow citizens, and worthy of a democracy. 2.115. At the same time I reviewed from the beginning the story of the founding of the shrine, and of the first synod of the Amphictyons that was ever held; and I read their oaths, in which the men of ancient times swore that they would raze no city of the Amphictyonic states, nor shut them off from flowing water either in war or in peace; that if anyone should violate this oath, they would march against such an one and raze his cities; and if any one should violate the shrine of the god or be accessory to such violation, or make any plot against the holy places, they would punish him with hand and foot and voice, and all their power. To the oath was added a mighty curse. 3.99. other deceivers, when they are lying, try to speak in vague and ambiguous terms, afraid of being convicted; but Demosthenes, when he is cheating you, first adds an oath to his lie, calling down destruction on himself; and secondly, predicting an event that he knows will never happen, he dares to tell the date of it; and he tells the names of men, when he has never so much as seen their faces, deceiving your ears and imitating men who tell the truth. And this is, indeed, another reason why he richly deserves your hatred, that he is not only a scoundrel himself, but destroys your faith even in the signs and symbols of honesty. 3.109. Collecting a great force of the Amphictyons, they enslaved the men, destroyed their harbor and city, and dedicated their land, as the oracle had commanded. Moreover they swore a mighty oath, that they would not themselves till the sacred land nor let another till it, but that they would go to the aid of the god and the sacred land with hand and foot and voice, and all their might. 3.110. They were not content with taking this oath, but they added an imprecation and a mighty curse concerning this; for it stands thus written in the curse : “If any one should violate this,” it says, “whether city or private man, or tribe, let them be under the curse,” it says, “of Apollo and Artemis and Leto and Athena Pronaea.” 3.111. The curse goes on: That their land bear no fruit; that their wives bear children not like those who begat them, but monsters; that their flocks yield not their natural increase; that defeat await them in camp and court and market-place, and that they perish utterly, themselves, their houses, their whole race; “And never,” it says, “may they offer pure sacrifice unto Apollo, nor to Artemis, nor to Leto, nor to Athena Pronaea, and may the gods refuse to accept their offerings.” 3.112. As a proof of this, let the oracle of the god be read; hear the curse; call to mind the oaths that your fathers swore together with all the other Amphictyons. Oracle [;Ye may not hope to capture town nor tower, Till dark-eyed Amphitrite's waves shall break And roar against Apollo's sacred shore.]; ibl 3.113. This curse, these oaths, and this oracle stand recorded to this day; yet the Locrians of Amphissa , or rather their leaders, most lawless of men, did till the plain, and they rebuilt the walls of the harbor that was dedicate and accursed, and settled there and collected port-dues from those who sailed into the harbor and of the deputies who came to Delphi they corrupted some with money, one of whom was Demosthenes. 3.119. “You see,” I said, “O Amphictyons, the plain yonder tilled by the Amphissians, and pottery works and farm buildings erected there. You see with your own eyes the dedicated and accursed harbor walled again. You know of your own knowledge, and have no need of other witness, how these men have farmed out port-dues, and how they are making money from the sacred harbor.” At the same time I called for the reading of the oracle of the god, the oath of our fathers, and the curse that was proclaimed. And I made this declaration: 3.120. “I, in behalf of the people of Athens , in my own behalf, and in behalf of my children and my house, do come to the help of the god and the sacred land according unto the oath, with hand and foot and voice, and all my powers and I purge our city of this impiety. As for you, now make your own decision. The sacred baskets are prepared; the sacrificial victims stand ready at the altars and you are about to pray to the gods for blessings on state and hearth. 3.125. Now when we had reported this decree to our senate, and then to the assembly, and when the people had approved our acts, and the whole city was ready to choose the righteous course, and when Demosthenes had spoken in opposition—he was earning his retaining-fee from Amphissa—and when I had clearly convicted him in your presence, thereupon the fellow, unable to frustrate the city by open means, goes into the senate chamber, expels all listeners, and from the secret session brings out a bill to the assembly, taking advantage of the inexperience of the man who made the motion. 3.126. And he managed to have this same bill put to vote in the assembly and passed by the people, at the moment when the assembly was on the point of adjourning, when I had already left the place—for I would never have allowed it—and when most of the people had dispersed. Now the substance of the bill was this: “The hieromnemon of the Athenians,” it says, “and the pylagori who are at the time in office, shall go to Thermopylae and Delphi at the times appointed by our fathers”; fine in sound, shameful in fact; for it prevents attendance on the special meeting at Thermopylae , which had to be held before the date of the regular meeting. 3.233. Furthermore, a juror who so acts will go out from the court-room responsible for having made himself weak and the politician strong. For in a democracy the private citizen is a king by virtue of the constitution and his own vote; but when he hands these over to another man, he has by his own act dethroned himself. Still further, the oath that he has sworn before taking his seat haunts him and troubles him, for it was his oath, I think, that made his act a sin; and his service is unknown to the man whom he was trying to please, for the vote is cast in secret. |
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| 25. Lycurgus, Against Leocrates, 20, 79 (4th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •nan Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 21, 38 |
| 26. Herodotus Medicus, Fragments, 1.165, 4.68-4.70, 6.86 (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE) Tagged with subjects: •official oaths, archons oath of office Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 21 |
| 27. Andocides, Orations, 1.31, 1.96-1.98, 1.126 Tagged with subjects: •official oaths, archons oath of office Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 21, 38, 39 |
| 28. Anon., Hippocratic Oath, 0 Tagged with subjects: •official oaths, archons oath of office Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 21 |
| 30. Epigraphy, Ig I , 3.6-3.10 Tagged with subjects: •nan Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 137 |
| 31. Thucydides, Characters, 5.23.4, 5.47.1 Tagged with subjects: •official oaths, archons oath of office •official oaths, on acropolis Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 21, 138 |
| 32. Deinarchus, Fgrh, 3.2 Tagged with subjects: •official oaths, archons oath of office •official oaths, on acropolis Found in books: Sommerstein and Torrance, Oaths and Swearing in Ancient Greece (2014) 137 |
