E. M. Cope, Commentary on the Rhetoric of Aristotle

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‘And friends as well as enemies; the former from the ease, the latter from the pleasure, of the undertaking and its success’. Theognis 1219, ἐχθρὸν μὲν χαλεπὸν καὶ δυσμενεῖ ἐξαπατῆσαι, Κύρνε: φίλον δὲ φίλῳ ῥᾴδιον ἐξαπατᾶν. Lysias, κατ᾽ Ἀνδοκίδου § 7, p. 103 ult. (of Andocides), ὃς τέχνην ταύτην ἔχει, τοὺς μὲν ἐχθροὺς μηδὲν ποιεῖν κακόν, τοὺς δὲ φίλους ὅτι ἂν δύνηται κακόν. Victorius.

‘And the friendless. And those who have no skill and practice in speaking or action (business)’; (the opposite of them, οἱ εἰπεῖν δυνάμενοι καὶ οἱ πρακτικοί, are opposite also in disposition; they are of those that are inclined to do wrong, § 2); ‘for these either make no attempt at all to prosecute, or if they do make the attempt, soon come to an agreement, or if they do carry on the prosecution, produce no effect (bring it to no conclusion, make nothing of it)’. These are the ἀπράγμονες, the ordinary victims of the Cleons, and public informers, the συκοφάνται, and all other troublesome and mischievous people, who, like fever-fits or nightmares, τοὺς πατέρας τ᾽ ἦγχον νύκτωρ καὶ τοὺς πάππους ἀπέπνιγον, κατακλινόμενοί τ̓ ἐπὶ ταῖς κοίταις ἐπὶ τοῖσιν ἀπράγμοσιν ὑμῶν ἀντωμοσίας καὶ προσκλήσεις καὶ μαρτυρίας συνεκόλλων (Arist. Vesp. 1039), and, κἄν τιν᾽ αὐτῶν γνῷς (Cleon) ἀπράγμον᾽ ὄντα καὶ κεχηνότα καταγαγὼν ἐκ χεῤῥονήσου διαλαβὼν ἠγκύρισας... καὶ σκοπεῖς γε τῶν πολιτῶν ὅστις ἐστὶν ἀμνοκῶν, πλούσιος καὶ μὴ πονηρὸς καὶ τρέμων τὰ πράγματα, Equit. 261. On the impossibility of leading a quiet life at Athens, see Criton's case in Xen. Mem. II 9. 1, οἶδα δέ ποτε αὐτὸν καὶ Κρίτωνος ἀκούσαντα ὡς χαλεπὸν ὁ βίος Ἀθήνῃσιν εἴη ἀνδρὶ βουλομένῳ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ πράττειν. νῦν γὰρ, ἔφη, ἐμέ τινες εἰς δίκας ἄγουσιν, οὐχ ὅτι ἀδικοῦνται ὑπ᾽ ἐμοῦ, ἀλλ̓ ὅτι νομίζουσιν ἥδιον ἄν με ἀργύριον τελέσαι ἢ πράγματα ἔχειν. It ends by Criton's taking one of these ‘sycophants’ into his own service, like a dog, as he describes him, to keep off these wolves from his flocks.