[339]
Again, when you observe
eloquence, or vocal power, or any such merit, in a right-minded and patriotic
speaker, by all means congratulate him and help him to exercise his gift, for
you all share in its advantages. But when you find such powers in the possession
of a corrupt and evil-minded man, the slave of filthy lucre, discourage him, and
listen to him with aversion and animosity; for if knavery enjoys in your eyes
the reputation of ability, it becomes a peril to the commonwealth.
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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