William Watson Goodwin, Commentary on Demosthenes: On the Crown

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Here the orator gives the most striking proof of his adversary's malicious purpose (ἐπήρειαν), viz. his bringing a form of suit by which he hoped to deprive Demosth. of the power to defend himself (λόγου τυχεῖν). It must be remembered that Aesch. had not merely prosecuted Ctesiphon instead of Demosth., but had also (III. 200—202) besought the judges most earnestly not to allow Demosth. to speak as Ctesiphon's advocate.

1. οὐ γὰρ ἀφαιρεῖσθαι κ.τ.λ.: in Σ δεῖ is crowded into the line by a later hand after ἀφαιρεῖσθαι. If we omit δεῖ, ἀφαιρεῖσθαι and τοῦτο ποιεῖν with their adjuncts are subjects of οὔτε...ἔχον οὔτε πολιτικὸν οὔτε δίκαιόν ἐστιν, the negation of οὐ and οὐδ̓ being thrice repeated in οὔτε. As we naturally omit οὐ in translation (that we may translate οὔτε), we can give the emphatic οὐδ̓ (2) the force of still more (dazu, Bl.), and translate, for to try to take away my right to come before the people and be heard—still more to do this by way of malice and spite—is neither right nor patriotic (see note on 4) nor just. ἀφαιρεῖσθαι is conative (cf. § 207.5). For ἀφαιρεῖσθαι as subject (where we might expect τὸ ἀφαιρεῖσθαι, were it not for the following τὸ προσελθεῖν), see Thuc. III. 38, ἀμύνασθαι δὲ, τῷ παθεῖν ὅτι ἐγγυτάτω κείμενον, ἀντίπαλον ὂν μάλιστα τὴν τιμωρίαν ἀναλαμβάνει.—τὸ προσελθεῖν...τυχεῖν here is the right of every accused citizen to be heard before the popular court, which is here called δῆμος, as it is often addressed ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι.

2. ἐν ἐπηρείας τάξει, by way of (venting) malice: cf. § 63.3, ἐν τῇ... τάξει, and XX. 81, ἐν ἐχθροῦ μέρει. So III. 31.

3. οὔτε...οὔτε...οὔτε after οὐ: see Eur. frag. 322 (N.), οὐκ ἔστιν οὔτε τεῖχος οὔτε χρήματα οὔτ᾽ ἄλλο δυσφύλακτον οὐδὲν ὡς γυνή.

4. ὀρθῶς ἔχον: stronger than ὀρθόν.—πολιτικὸν, properly belonging to the state (see § 246.7), here due to the state from a citizen: cf. X. 74, οὐκ ἴσως οὐδὲ πολιτικῶς. Such conduct, it is meant, is not fair to the state. In IX. 48, πολιτικῶς refers to the simple old-fashioned Spartan style of warfare.

5. ἐφ̓ οἷς...ἑώρα: a condensed form for ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀδικήμασιν ἃ ἀδικοῦντά με ἑώρα.

6. οὖσι τηλικούτοις (=εἰ ἦν τηλι- καῦτα), supposing them to have been so great. ἐτραγῴδει καὶ διεξῄει (see note on § 4.6), set forth in his tragic style (i.e. pompously), referring to the theatrical days of Aeschines, like ὑποκρίνεται, § 15.5. Cf. XIX. 189, ταῦτα τραγῳδεῖ.

8. χρῆσθαι (sc. δίκαιον ἦν, sup- plied from δίκαιόν ἐστιν in l. 4), he ought to have employed.

9. εἰσαγγέλλοντα and γραφό- μενον (11) express the manner of χρῆσθαι, and with it make the apodoses to the conditions εἰ...ἑώρα and εἰ...παράνομα (sc. ἑώρα). εἰσαγγέλλω is to indict by εἰσαγγελία (a state prosecution), as γράφομαι is (properly) to indict by ordinary γραφή. Notice the distinction between γράφοντα παράνομα, proposing illegal measures, and παρανόμων γραφόμενον, indicting for illegal proposals. For the double meaning of the passive of γράφω see note on § 56.4.

11. οὐ γὰρ...ἐγράψατο: οὐ γὰρ δήπου belongs to both clauses, Κτης. μὲν and ἐμὲ δ᾽ κ.τ.λ.: for it surely cannot be that he is prosecuting Ctesiphon on my account, and yet would not have indicted me myself if etc. See note on § 179.3.

12. δἰ ἐμὲ, ἐμὲ δ̓: emphatic re- petition.