William Watson Goodwin, Commentary on Demosthenes: On the Crown

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The sophistical character of the argument of §§ 112—119 explains the anxiety of the orator to cover its weakness by its position in the oration. The reply of Aeschines (III. 17 ff.) to this ἄφυκτον λόγον, ὅν φησι Δημοσθένης, probably written or greatly modified after hearing this passage, is conclusive. The law quoted by Aesch. (11), τοὺς ὑπευθύνους μὴ στεφανοῦν, certainly made no exception for those who gave money to the state while in office. Indeed, this very claim is one which needed to be established by the εὔθυναι, in which it might be disputed: see Aesch. 23, ἔασον ἀμφισβητῆσαί σοι τὸν βουλόμενον τῶν πολιτῶν ὡς οὐκ ἐπέδωκας. The claim of Demosthenes at least amounts to this, that any officer who asserts that he has expended more in the service of the state than he received should be exempt from the law τοὺς ὑπευθύνους μὴ στεφανοῦν. The specious argument that a man cannot fairly be called to account for the expenditure of his own money on public works could not release Demosthenes from εὔθυναι when he had obviously had public money in his hands.

1. ὧν μέντοι γ̓: γε emphasizes the whole relative clause.

2. ἐπαγγειλάμενος δέδωκα, have offered and given, i.e. have given by my free act, openly declared.

4. τῶν ἐννἔ ἀρχόντων: The Ar- chons, as the chief magistrates and as candidates for the Areopagus, would be subject to special scrutiny at their εὔθυναι.

5. μισανθρωπίας, misanthropy, op- posed to φιλάνθρωπον (7).

8. εἰς τοὺς συκοφάντας: ironical allusion to εἰς τοὺς λογιστάς, as if the sycophants were a board of officers (hence τοὺς).

9. τούτους...ἐφιστάναι, to set them to audit the accounts etc.