J. E. Sandys, Select Private Orations of Demosthenes

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μήπω τῆς πολιτείας κ.τ.λ. No one would lend money on the security of land unless in default of payment (Or. 35 § 12) the lender had the right to take possession of such land, and this right of possession was confined to citizens to the exclusion of μέτοικοι (or resident aliens) like Phormion. In a similar case a special exception was once made by the Byzantines: Aristot. Oeconom. II 4 μετοίκων τινῶν ἐπιδεδανεικότων ἐπὶ κτήμασιν οὐκ οὔσης αὐτοῖς ἐγκτήσεως, ἐψηφίσαντο τὸ τρίτον μέρος εἰσφέροντα τοῦ δανείου τὸν βουλόμενον κυρίως ἔχειν τὸ κτῆμα (Buchsenschutz, Besitz und Erwerbim Griechischen Alterthume, pp. 492—3, K. F. Hermann, Rechtsalt. § 13, p. 103{4} Thalheim).

[On the insecurity of lending money on houses or lands, except for citizens, see Boeckh, P. E. pp. 140 and 654 Lewis (2), who observes on this passage that ‘no resident alien could safely lend money upon houses or other landed property. a privilege which was confined to the citizens.’ Of course μήπω οὔσης, ‘si nondum esset,’ is very different from οὔπω οὔσης, ‘cum nondum esset.’ P.]

ἔσοιτ᾽ See note on 53 § 8.

ἐπὶ γῇ...δεδανεικὼς Cf. ἔγγειον δάνεισμα and Or. 34 § 23 ἔγγειοι τόκοι. (K. F. Hermann-Blumner, Privatalterthümer p. 460, Büchsenschütz, u. s. p. 490, Cambridge Companion to Greek Studies, § 478.)

συνοικίαις See n. on Or. 53 § 13 τίθημι τὴν συνοικίαν ἐκκαί- δεκα μνῶν. Houses built in blocks and let out to families were commonly so called. The συνοικίαι were chiefly let as lodgings for the μέτοικοι. Cf. § 34 n.

ἢ τοὺς ἄλλους χρήστας ‘Than the others, to whom Pasion had lent it, debtors to the bank.’ Perhaps the word χρήστας is interpolated. P.]

οἷς προειμένος ἦν In the medial sense. Liddell and Scott, s.v. προΐημι B iii, refer to this passage for the sense ‘to give away,’ ‘to give freely.’ But it here means ‘to lend,’ as in Plato Demod. 384. Cf. Or. 56 §§ 2, 48, 50.

ἐγράφη ... προσοφείλων ἕνδεκα τάλ.] Or. 45 § 29 προσγέγραπται ἕνδεκα τάλαντα ὁ πατὴρ (Pasion) ὀφείλων εἰς τὰς παρακαταθήκας τούτῳ, and § 34 ἐῶ τἄλλ᾽ ὅσ᾽ ἂν περὶ τῶν ἕνδεκα ταλ. ἔχοιμι εἰπεῖν, ὡς οὐκ ὤφειλεν ὁ πατήρ, ἀλλ᾽ οὖτος ὑφῄρηται.

‘Ces onze talents provenant de dépôts constituaient une dette exigible de la part des déposants, et par suite un danger pour la banque du moment que le contre-valeur n'était pas facilement et promptement réalisable. C'est pourquoi Pasion donne à Phormion sa garantie pour les onze talents. Il reste créancier de ses emprunteurs, mais il devient débiteur, envers la banque, d'une somme égale de sa créance sur ces derniers.’ Dareste.