4
Malefactors are not likely to have murdered him,Inserted in the Aldine edition to fill a probable lacuna in the manuscript text; some reference to κακοῦργοι is clearly wanted. The term κακοῦργος(cf. Antiph. 2.4.5-6) is a generic one comprising various species of criminal; κλέπται, τοιχωρύχοι, βαλλοντιοτόμοι, etc. The malefactors her referred to are doubtless λωποδύταιfootpads. For a further discussion of κακοῦργοι see Herodes, Introd. as nobody who was exposing his life to a very grave risk would forgo the prize when it was securely within his grasp; and the victims were found still wearing their cloaks. Nor again did anyone in liquor kill him: the murderer’s identity would be known to his boon companions. Nor again was his death the result of a quarrel; they would not have been quarrelling at the dead of night or in a deserted spot. Nor did the criminal strike the dead man when intending to strike someone else; he would not in that case have killed master and slave together.
