Menches informs Horos that Apollodoros, contractor for the retailing and the tax upon oil at Kerkeosiris, had discovered that oil (a state monopoly) was being smuggled, appending a copy of the petition from the Apollodoros to Menches.
Translation: Menches, village scribe of Kerkeosiris in the division of Polemon, to Horos, greeting. At the … of the land survey according to crops which took place in Ptolemais Euergetis news reached me that Apollodoros, the seller of oil at the village, had found on the 11th of the month below written a certain Thracian who had been selling oil in the house inhabited by Petesouchos, a leather-seller … handing this Thracian over to Apollonios, who is discharging the duties of Epistates at the said village, together with the contraband goods, to be brought up before the proper officials. With reference to this case Apollodoros has presented to me the subjoined statement. I have therefore thought it right to communicate with you. Good-bye. The 4th year, Mecheir 14. From Apollodoros, the contractor for the disposal of and the tax upon oil in the said village for the 4th year. My enterprise has been made a complete failure owing to the smuggling into the village and illicit sale of smuggled oil and castor oil. Therefore on the 11th of Mecheir, when news had been brought to me that a certain Thracian of Kerkesephis, whose name I do not know, had smuggled oil into the dwelling inhabited by Petesouchos, a leather-seller, and was selling it to Thaesis, who was living in the same house, and to N.N. a gooseherd, and his daughter, inhabitant of the same village, I immediately took the Epistates and the agent of the archiphylakites--as you were not present on the occasion-- to the aforesaid dwelling of the leather-seller, where I found the Thracian indoors, but the contraband goods removed. After a search for it with them I discovered … concealed in a hide and sheepskins belonging to the leather-seller. (Meanwhile the Thracian?) took to flight, and the contraband oil … resulting in a loss to me amounting to 15 talents of copper. I therefore present to you this statement in order that you may subscribe to my statements and forward a copy to the proper officials … Farewell. (Addressed on the verso:) To Horos.