[19]
But perhaps because the role
he adopts is to rail at everyone, to shout people down and find fault with their
speeches, therefore it is convenient in these times to protect him. Gentlemen of
the jury, I swear by the goddess of Athens that what takes place on the hustings is a disgrace to
our city, and it is through the recklessness of such speakers that political
life is now discredited with all decent citizens. But if any of you happen to
like that sort of thing, you will never want for such performers. Why, even now
the platform swarms with them. For to pick holes in the counsel offered is not
difficult, but it is difficult to advise you and persuade you to pass any
indispensable resolution.
Demosthenes. Demosthenes with an English translation by A. T. Murray, Ph.D., LL.D. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1939.
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