69
Witnesses Then is it not clearly a duty upon you all to convict this man? For if each of the brothers was thought deserving of death for a single offence, surely the man who, both publicly against the city and privately against each of you, has committed many offences, for each of which the penalty under our laws is death, must by all means be condemned to death by you.
70
He will say, gentlemen, attempting to deceive you, that in the time of the Four Hundred411 B.C.; cf. Lys. 12.42. he killed Phrynichus,A prominent member of the Four Hundred; cf. Thuc. 8.92. and in reward for this, he asserts, the people made him an Athenian citizen. But he lies, gentlemen. For neither did he kill Phrynichus, nor did the people make him an Athenian citizen.
71
It was Thrasybulus of Calydon and Apollodorus of Megara, gentlemen, who combined in a plot against Phrynichus: they lighted on him as he was out walking, and Thrasybulus struck Phrynichus, knocking him down with the blow; but Apollodorus did not touch him. Meanwhile an outcry arose, and they ran off and disappeared. But Agoratus here was neither invited to join them nor was present at the deed, nor does he know anything of the matter. The truth of my statement will be shown you by the decree itself.
72
Decree These were decrees passed by the people in gratitude to the slayers of Phrynichus, who were granted full civic rights in the form That so-and-so be an Athenian. That he did not kill Phrynichus is clear from the decree itself: for nowhere do we find that Agoratus be an Athenian, as in the case of Thrasybulus. If, however, he had killed Phrynichus, he ought to appear as having been made an Athenian in the inscription on the same tablet as Thrasybulus does; though some do contrive, by bribing the proposer, to have their own names added to the tablet as benefactors. The truth of my words will be proved by this decree.
