Lanterna Rally

Author: Demosthenes Demosthenes

Publisher:

Published: 2016-06-25

Total Pages: 474

ISBN-13: 9781332801350

Excerpt from The Orations of Demosthenes Against Leptines, Midias, Androtion, and Aristocrates: Translated, With Notes, &C And further you should bear in mind, that by the present laws, which have long been in force, and the propriety of which even my adversary will not dispute, each man takes the public offices every other year, so that he is exempt for half of his time.1 Then, when a moiety of this exemption is enjoyed by all, even by those who have never rendered you a mite of service, should we take away from our benefactors the additional fraction that we have bestowed upon them? Never! It were neither honourable in itself, nor to you becoming. How can it be otherwise than disgraceful, O Athenians, that when a law has been passed commanding truth to be spoken in the market-place, in matters where the public is not hurt if a man tells a falsehood, the common wealth, which has herself imposed this command upon private citizens, does not observe the law in affairs of state, but has defrauded her benefactors, even though she will suffer for it greatly. For you have to consider, not merely whether you lose money, but whether you lose also a good name, which you are more anxious after than money and not you only, but your ancestors, as I can prove: for, when they had got wealth in abundance, they expended it all in the pursuit of honour: for glory's sake they never shrank from any danger, but persevered unto the last, spending even their private for tunes.2 Instead of a good name, this statute fastens an Oppro brions one upon the commonwealth, unworthy both of your ancestors and yourselves. It begets three of the greatest reproaches - the reputation of being envious, faithless, un grateful. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.