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§§ 7—12. An enumeration of the anomalies and confusion that would result in the state from two citizens bearing the same name. (1) Supposing some public service is imposed; which of the two is to perform it? (2) Or which of the two is to pay the penalty for refusing to perform it? (3) The same may occur if the name is entered on the list of contributors, or in the military list, or for any public function to which the archon or other authorities are nominating fitting persons. It would be possible, but it would also be illegal, to distinguish them by adding the name of the mother. (4) Or suppose a judge or umpire were nominated; who is to know which is summoned? (5) If, on the other hand, the appointment is not a burden, but an honour, there would be no way of knowing which of the two was appointed by lot, unless indeed a mark is put on the bronze tablet; and even then the meaning of the mark would only be known to a very few. (6) If the two should enter into a compact that the lot drawn for the one should be counted for the election of the other; that would violate the law which orders, under penalty of death, that “no citizen shall have more than one lot drawn on his behalf.” τὰ κοινά ‘To mention public before private difficulties, in what way shall the state impose the duty, if there is anything to be done,’ i.e. any burden or liturgy to be performed? The state, as the master, gives its orders on the subject as its slave. Ἐπιτάσσειν is the technical word in this sense, whereas προστάσσειν is used of general commissions, orders, or appointments; in poetry even τάσσειν, as φωνεῖν ἐτάχθην πρὸς σοφοῦ διδασκάλου, Aesch. Eum. 269. We have οἰκέτῃ προστάξαι in Or. 37 § 24, but the more common word is ἐπιτάξαι. So ἐπιταττόμενος φοιτᾷς, Ar. Vesp. 686. οἴσουσι—οἱ φυλέται κ.τ.λ. ‘The members of the tribe will propose the name (or ‘will return us’) by the same formula as they adopt for the citizens in general,’ i.e. by the name of the person with the addition of his father and his deme or ward (borough). [Aristot. Const. Ath. 56 § 3 (χορηγοὺς κωμῳδοῖς) αἱ φυλαὶ φέρουσιν, and τοὺς χορηγοὺς τοὺς ἐνηνεγμένους ὑπὸ τῶν φυλῶν.] χορηγόν ‘Choral-Steward.’ Prof. Kennedy. [Cf. Introd. to Dem. Leptines, pp. iv—vii ed. Sandys.] γυμνασίαρχον [‘Superintendent of the festal games.’ The γυμνασιαρχία was a λῃτουργία connected not with the public gymnasia, but with the public games, especially with the torchrace in the festivals of Prometheus, Hephaestus and Pan, as well as in the Panathenaea. Introd. to Dem. Lept. p. viii f.] The gymnasiarchs (Boeckh, p. 462 Lewis (2)) had to maintain and pay persons in training for the celebration of these festivals, as well as to provide the requisite food for the competitors and the requisite decorations for the exhibition. ἑστιάτορα [Harpocr. ἑστιάτωρ᾽ ὁ τράπεζάν τισι παρατιθείς. Δημ. ἐν τῷ πρὸς Βοιωτόν. εἱστἱων τὰς φυλὰς οἱ μὲν ἐθελονταὶ, οἱ δὲ κληρωτοὶ, ὡς ὁ αὐτὸς ῥήτωρ δηλοῖ ἐν τῷ κατὰ Μειδίου (p. 565, 10?). S.] One of the public duties was to give an annual dinner (probably in the Prytaneum), at the cost of some wealthy citizen, to the members of his tribe. Wolf indeed says “to the men of his tribe on days of sacrifice and on feast-days” (Preface to Leptines, p. 45, ed. Beatson); but it is obvious that this requires some limitation. Boeckh (Publ. Ec. p. 465 Lewis (2)) thinks the hestiatores were appointed according to the amount of property in some regular succession which is unknown to us. He thinks there may have been two thousand guests, and the cost nearly 700 drachmas. It may perhaps be doubted if the entertainment was so general, and not in fact limited to the fifty βουλευταὶ in each tribe. [Cf. Introd. to Dem. Lept. p. x.]
Select Private Orations of Demosthenes, Part I. F. A. Paley, M.A., LL.D., and J. E. Sandys, Litt. D. 1898. Cambridge University Press.
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