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What if the name be involved in the filing of any other suit, or, in general, in any unpleasant scandal? Who, among people at large, will know which of the two it is, when there are two Mantitheuses having the same father? Suppose, again, that he should be prosecuted for evasion of military service, and should be serving as chorister when he ought to be abroad with the army—as, a while ago, when the rest went over to Tamynae,A town in Euboea. he was left behind here keeping the feast of Pitchers,This name was given to the second day of the festival Anthesteria, held in February-March. and remained here and served in the chorus at the Dionysia,Service in the chorus at the Dionysiac festival would entitle the individual to exemption from the military for the time being—an easy way out for the slacker. as all of you who were at home saw;
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then, after the soldiers had come back from Euboea, he was summoned on a charge of desertion, and I, as taxiarch of our tribe,The taxiarchs were military officers, each in command of his tribe’s contingent of hoplites. was compelled to receive the summons, since it was against my name, that of my father being added; and if pay had been available for the juries,Evidently shortage of funds might prevent the courts from sitting; and the Euboean campaign had depleted the treasury. I should certainly have had to bring the case into court. If this had not occurred after the boxesThe ἐχῖνοι were receptacles in which the documents, etc., pertaining to the case were put under seal, to be opened only when the case was called. See note on Dem. 34.46 had already been sealed, I should have brought you witnesses to prove it.
