F. A. Paley, Select Private Orations of Demosthenes

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μή τις κ.τ.λ. ‘Lest some one, as is often the case when a man has received some annoyance elsewhere (i.e. not in court) from one who is engaged in public life, should confront him here.’ [οἷα, acc. adverbially used (like ἅτε) for ὡς, as in Thuc. II 5 οἷα ὰπροσδοκήτου κακοῦ ἐν εἰρήνῃ γενομένου, and VIII 95 οἷα πόλεως στασιαζούσης.]

Mantias had evidently been unpopular in his administration (cf. note on Argument, l. 1), and was afraid lest some one should pay off an old score by giving evidence against him if he disclaimed the relationship before the dicasts. From Or. 40 § 37, it seems that Mantias had been an ambassador or πρόξενος to the Mytileneans, or in some way had performed a public service for which they had voted him a reward. To avoid the risk of meeting his political enemies in court, he had made a πρόκλησις, or offer of settling the matter, by the summary process of denying the parentage, before an arbitrator, or perhaps in presence of the Archon, on the testimony of Plangon on her oath.

ὀμοσάσης αὐτῆς ‘Who had voluntarily sworn that, if any one should tender her an oath (lit. an object to swear by), she would decline to take it.’ The terms διδόναι and δέξασθαι ὅρκον are well known, if only from Aesch. Eum. 429 ἀλλ᾽ ὅρκον οὐ δέξαιτ̓ ἂν, οὐ δοῦναι θέλει. We might render μὴ ὀμεῖσθαι ‘that she would swear they were not,’ and this seems the more idiomatic meaning. The author of the Argument, however, says ὡς οὐ δεξομένης τὸν ὅρκον, and τὸν ὅρκον μὴ δέξεσθαι.

οὐδὲν ἔσεσθαι κ.τ.λ. ‘This being done, all connexion between them should cease.’ ‘In that case their dispute would come to an end’ (Kennedy). The transaction here mentioned is more fully described in Or. 40 §§ 10, 11.

μεσεγγυήσασθαι is ‘to get a sum of money placed in the hands of a third party’ (in sequestro deponere). Mantias had promised that she should receive a certain sum on the condition of fulfilling her promise. [Harpocr. μεσεγγύημα: τὸ ὁμολογηθὲν ἀργύριον παρ άνδρὶ μέσῳ γινομένῳ ἐγγυητῇ τῆς ἀποδόσεως. Hermann, Rechtsalt., p. 105{4} Thalheim, quotes Antiph. 6 § 50, Lysias 29 § 6, Isocr. 13 § 5. S.]