19
Such are the manifold respects in which I have had to submit to a lossFrom the reading ἕλος σωθεὶς of the inferior Mss. the writer of a (late) Argument, which is found prefixed to the speech in A and N, made the curious deduction that the speaker’s name was Ἕλος. of the rights accorded me by your laws and by justice before appearing in court. However, in spite of that disadvantage, I will try to prove my innocence: although it is hard to refute at a moment’s notice false charges so carefully framed, as one cannot prepare oneself against the unexpected.
20
I sailed from Mytilene, gentlemen, as a passenger on the same boat as this Herodes whom, we are told, I murdered. We were bound for Aenus, I to visit my father, who happened to be there just then, and Herodes to release some slavesProbably prisoners of war who were being ransomed by their relatives. It is surprising that no attempt is made to throw suspicion on one of these Thracians, as a motive would have been easy to find. to certain Thracians. The slaves whom he was to release were also passengers, as were the Thracians who were to purchase their freedom. I will produce witnesses to satisfy you of this.
21
Witnesses
21
Such were our respective reasons for making the voyage. In the course of it, we happened to meet with a storm which forced us to put in at a place within the territory of Methymna, where the boat on to which Herodes transhipped, and on which the prosecution maintain that he met his end, lay at anchor. Now consider these circumstances in themselves to begin with; they were due to chance, not to any design on my part. It has nowhere been shown that I persuaded Herodes to accompany me; on the contrary, it has been shown that I made the voyage independently on business of my own.
