Demosthenes's guardians handed back the house, 14 slaves and 30 minae of a 14-talent estate, and he sued them at 20

The orator Demosthenes was seven when his father died. Plutarch says the father was called the Cutler because he owned a large workshop of skilled slaves. In his speech Against Aphobus, Demosthenes lists the estate: a sword factory with 32 or 33 slaves, a couch factory with 20, ivory, iron and wood worth about 80 minae, and a talent lent at interest. The total came "to about fourteen talents." The will gave his mother to the guardian Aphobus with a dowry of 80 minae and his sister to the guardian Demophon with a dowry of two talents. A third guardian, Therippides, also served. They managed the estate for ten years. When Demosthenes came of age, they handed over the house, fourteen slaves and thirty silver minae, about seventy minae in all. In 364 BC he sued each guardian for ten talents and won. Plutarch says the guardians used "many evasions and new trials," and that he recovered "not even a small fraction of his patrimony." An ancient life of Demosthenes says he released some guardians for money and others as a favour. The speeches he wrote for these suits survive.