[11]
Why then, you may ask, do I choose the present time for
these remarks? Because I think that, as the principle that all citizens should
serve for pay is displeasing to some people, and yet the advantage of
organization and equipment is approved by all, you ought to begin the business
at this point, giving everyone a chance of stating his views on the subject. For
the case stands thus: if you are convinced that now is the opportunity for these
reforms, all things will be ready when the need of them arrives, but if you pass
over the opportunity as unsuitable, then, just when you want to use them, you
will be compelled to begin your preparations.
Demosthenes. Demosthenes with an English translation by C. A. Vince, M. A. and J. H. Vince, M.A. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1926.
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