"felves by rafh fpeeches; dare you, and that in the pre"fence of this auguft affembly, affert, that we must ❝beftow a crown, at your interceffion, on the perfon "who has occafioned all the publick calamities? And "if this man fhall prefume fo far, will you fuffer it, "gentlemen, and fhall the memory of thofe great men "who died in the field for their country, die with r them? I beg you for a few moments, to convey "yourselves in imagination from the Roftra to the theatre, and imagine you fee the herald advancing ❝and proclaiming the crown decreed to Demofthenes. "On which occafion do you think, that the relations "of those citizens, who spilt their blood for you, ought « to fhed moft tears; either for the tragical fate of "thofe heroes which I fhall reprefent to you by and by, or for the enormous ingratitude of the Atheni“ ans? Do not lay open again the deep and incurable "wounds of the unhappy Thebans, who through De"mofthenes are become fugitives, and have been re" 'ceiv'd by you into this city. But fince you were ' not present at their cataftrophe, endeavour, at least, "to form fome image of it, and represent to yourselves days; a city taken, walls levelled, houses reduced to afhes, "mothers and children dragged into flavery; old men " and women forced to be fervants at the end of their drowned in tears, imploring your juftice, breaking out into reproaches, not against the actors, but against the authors of the cruel vengeance, which they felt; earneftly preffing you to be fo far from conferring any kind of reward upon the destroyer of Greece, that you would preferve yourselves from the curfe, the fatality infeparable from his perfon. "Imagine then, gentlemen, when he fhall invite the confidents and accomplices of his abject perfidy to range themselves around him, towards the clofe of his harangue, imagine then, gentlemen, on your fide, that you fee the ancient benefactors of this comແ monwealth drawn up in battle array, round this Roftra where I am now fpeaking, in order to re 35 ແ ແ ແ 2 "pulfe pulfe that audacious band. Imagine you hear Solon, "who ftrengthened the popular government by fuch ex"cellent laws; that philofopher, that incomparable "legiflator, conjuring you with a gentleness and mo"defty becoming his character, not to fet a higher "value upon Demofthenes's oratorial flourishes than Ec upon your oaths and your laws. Imagine you hear "Ariftides, who made fo exact and juft a divifion of the "contributions impofed upon the Greeks for the common caufe; that fage difpenfer, who left no other "inheritance to his daughters, but the publick gratitude, which was their portion; imagine, I fay, you "hear him bitterly bewailing the outragious manner " in which we trample upon juftice, and fpeaking to <c you in these words: What because Arthmius of <c Zelia, that Afiatick, who paffed through Athens, "where he even enjoyed the rights of hofpitality, had <c brought gold from the Medes into Greece; your cc ancestors were going to fend him to the place of ex"ecution, and banished him, not only from their cicc ty, but from all the countries dependent on them; "and will not you blush to decree Demofthenes, who "has not indeed brought gold from the Medes, but "has received fuch fums of money from all parts to be tray you, and now enjoys the fruit of his treasures; "will not you, I fay, blush to decree a crown of gold "to Demofthenes? Do you think that Themiftocles, " and the heroes who were killed in the battles of "Marathon and Platea; do you think, the very tombs "of your ancestors will not fend forth groans, if you crown a man who, by his own confeffion, has "been for ever confpiring with Barbarians to ruin "Greece? L "As to myfelf, O Earth! O Sun! O Virtue! and you, who are the fprings of true difcernment, lights "both natural and acquired, by which we distinguish "good from evil, I call you to witness, that I have u"fed all my endeavours to relieve the ftate, and to plead her caufe. I could have wifhed my fpeech ઃઃ had "had been equal to the greatnefs and importance of the "fubject; at least, I can flatter myself with having discharged my duty according to my abilities, if I have not done it according to my withes. Do you, " gentlemen, from the reafons you have heard, and k those which your wisdom will fuggeft; do you pro“ nounce fuch a judgment, as is conformable to strict 66 juftice, and the common good demands from you. EXTRACTS OF DEMOSTHENES'S HARANGUE FOR CTESIPHON. « “ "I begin with intreating all the Gods and all the Goddeffes, that they would inspire you, gentlemen, "in this caufe with a benevolence towards me, proportionate to my constant zeal for the common"wealth in general, and for every one of you in particular: afterwards, (which is of the utmost confequence to your perfons, your confciences, and your honour) I crave of the fame Deities, that they would fix you in the refolution of confulting upon the manner of hearing me, not my accufer, (for you could not do that without partiality;) but your laws and your oaths, the form of which, among other terms, (all dictated by juftice) is as follows: Hear both par❝ties equally; which obliges you to come with an un"biaffed mind and heart to the Tribunal, and to allow each of the parties to draw up his reafons and proofs, in whatever manner he fhall think fit. “ "Now, gentlemen, among the many disadvantages on my fide in this caufe, there are two particularly, and two very terrible ones, which make my condition much worse than his. The first is, that we run very unequal rifques; for now I hazard much ແ more in lofing your good will, than he does, fhould he fail to make good the charge; fince I am to.... ર t Eschines pretended to point out the order which Demofthenes was to obferve in his pleading. " But "But I will not fuffer one word to fall from me in the beginning of my discourse, that prefages any thing "finifter. He, on the contrary, attacks me through wantonnefs, and without any neceffity for fo doing. "The other difadvantage I lie under, is, that all men 66 are naturally inclinable to hear an accufer with plea"fure; while on the other hand they hear those who "boaft or magnify themselves with indignation. He "therefore acts a part that pleases univerfally; whereas almost every thing which falls to my lot, is what cc generally makes every man an enemy. But if on one hand, the fear of incurring indignation, which "is infeparable from felf applause, fhould oblige me to "be filent on my own actions; it will be thought that "I can neither refute him who reproaches me with "crimes, nor justify the person who decrees rewards On the other, if I fhould discuss the fer❝vices I have done during my administration, I fhall "be forced to fpeak of myself frequently. I fhall "therefore endeavour, in this dangerous dilemma, to "behave with all poffible moderation; but whatever "the neceffity of my own defence may extort from E me, this ought in justice to be imputed only to the aggreffor, who voluntarily imposed it upon me. «for me. 7 "But in fpite of those facts, inconteftible, and cer "tified, as it were, by the mouth of truth itself, Æ"scines has so far renounced all shame, that not con❝tent to proclaim me the author of fuch a peace as he "has mentioned, he is fo audacious as to tax, me like"wife with preventing the commonwealth from con<< certing it with the general affembly of the Greeks. .... But did you, O! .... (what title fhall I give you?) did you betray the least shadow of displeasure «Ε against me, when I broke the chords of that hare mony in your prefence, and difpoffeffed the com"monwealth of the advantages of that confederacy, "which you magnify fo much, with the loudeft ftrains ❝of your theatrical voice? Did you ascend the Ros * Efchines had been a comedian. "trum? trum? Did you denounce, or once explain those "crimes, with which you are now pleased to charge "me? Surely then, if I could have forgot my duty "fo far, as to fell myself to Philip, in order to exclude "the Greeks from participating in that peace; you « ought then to have exclaimed, protefted, and dif« covered my prevarications to those who now hear but you never did any thing of this kind, nor did any perfon living hear you fay one fyllable tending this way me; "But if Philip was conftantly depriving all states, "without exception, of their honour, prerogatives, (C liberty, or rather fubverting as many common"wealths as he could; did not you, gentlemen, form C thofe very arguments which undoubtedly were the "moft glorious to you, through your regard for my "advice? Tell us, Efchines, how Athens fhould ❝ have behaved in Philip's fight, when he fet all enCC gines at work, to eftablish his empire and tyranny over the Greeks? Or what counfels and refolutions "fhould I, who was the minifter, have proposed; efpecially in Athens; (for the circumftances of place require a particular attention: ) I, who was intimate"ly fenfible, that my country had at all times, even "till the day I firft afcended the tribunal, perpetually fought for fuperiority, for honour and glory; and "that it alone had, through a noble emulation, fa"crificed more men and money for the general good ❝of the Greeks, than any other of the Grecian ftates "had ever facrificed for their own private advantage? I, who befides faw this fame Philip, with whom « " we contended for fovereignty and empire; faw him, though covered with wounds, his eye beat out, his collar- bone broke, his hand and leg maimed, ftill refolved to plunge himself amidst dangers, and ready to give up to fortune whatever other part of his body the fhould require, provided he could live honourably and gloriously with the remainder? Now, « certainly no man dares to say, that a Barbarian e ແ k "ducated -་ |
