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Pasis complains to Menches that his neighbor, against an order from Menches himself, has still damned up the canal by which Pasis waters his plot of crown land, causing a loss of produce.
Translation: To Menches, village scribe of Kerkeosiris, from Pasis son of Petesouchos, cultivator of crown land from the same village. It is an old-established custom to water the royal land belonging to me in the neighborhood of the said village by means of the royal conduit which passes through the adjacent crown and temple land of Lykos son of Zopyrion, and others. Now in the 2nd year during my absence from home on pressing matters for Asklepiades (the king's) cousin, the aforesaid Lykos thinking that he had a favorable opportunity dammed up that part of the above-mentioned conduit which lay on his own land. The result of this was that I missed the right season for the irrigation of the land, and incurred a loss amounting to 30 artabas of wheat besides 3 talents of bronze for the expenses of other irrigation works. I therefore at the time took you and Horos the komarches and the elders of the cultivators and pointed out the damage and the dammed-up conduit, and you decided that the aforesaid Lykos should dig out his part and that I should use it for irrigation according to custom, as is my right. Up to the present time, however, he has not done so, but procrastinates, causing me every year to miss the proper season for irrigating and watering the crops, and involving me in the aforesaid loss in wheat and money, the total of which is from the 2nd to the 6th year 150 artabas of wheat and 15 talents of bronze. Wherefore, because my crops did not meet my expectations I was impoverished; and I make this complaint to you in order that you may subscribe to my statements and further forward a copy of the petition to the proper officials, so that the accused Lykos having been made to appear may be compelled first of all to dig out the conduit as it was before and to forfeit the damage aforesaid, the 150 artabas of wheat and the 15 talents of bronze. I shall then be enabled to pay without hindrance the rent of the land and no loss will result to the king. Farewell.
Translation: To Menches, village scribe of Kerkeosiris, from Pasis son of Petesouchos, cultivator of crown land from the same village. It is an old-established custom to water the royal land belonging to me in the neighborhood of the said village by means of the royal conduit which passes through the adjacent crown and temple land of Lykos son of Zopyrion, and others. Now in the 2nd year during my absence from home on pressing matters for Asklepiades (the king's) cousin, the aforesaid Lykos thinking that he had a favorable opportunity dammed up that part of the above-mentioned conduit which lay on his own land. The result of this was that I missed the right season for the irrigation of the land, and incurred a loss amounting to 30 artabas of wheat besides 3 talents of bronze for the expenses of other irrigation works. I therefore at the time took you and Horos the komarches and the elders of the cultivators and pointed out the damage and the dammed-up conduit, and you decided that the aforesaid Lykos should dig out his part and that I should use it for irrigation according to custom, as is my right. Up to the present time, however, he has not done so, but procrastinates, causing me every year to miss the proper season for irrigating and watering the crops, and involving me in the aforesaid loss in wheat and money, the total of which is from the 2nd to the 6th year 150 artabas of wheat and 15 talents of bronze. Wherefore, because my crops did not meet my expectations I was impoverished; and I make this complaint to you in order that you may subscribe to my statements and further forward a copy of the petition to the proper officials, so that the accused Lykos having been made to appear may be compelled first of all to dig out the conduit as it was before and to forfeit the damage aforesaid, the 150 artabas of wheat and the 15 talents of bronze. I shall then be enabled to pay without hindrance the rent of the land and no loss will result to the king. Farewell.
