EXTRACT S

FROM

DEMOSTHENES AND ÆSCHINES.

FROM THE

FIRST PHILIPPIC OF DEMOSTHENES.

M. Tourreil places this harangue at the head of the reft.

DEMOSTHENES, in this oration, ani

mates the Athenians with hopes of better fuccefs hereafter in the war against Philip, in cafe they will. follow his example, by applying themselves feriously to the management of their affairs.

"If you refolve, fays he, to imitate Philip, which you have not done hitherto; if every one will act "with fincerity for the public good; the wealthy, "by contributing part of their eftates, and the young

men by their swords; in a word, if you will de"pend on yourselves only, and fupprefs that indolent "difpofition which ties up your hands, in expecta

tion of fome foreign fuccours; you then will soon,; "by the affiftance of the gods, retrieve your loffes, "and atone for your faults, and will be revenged of your enemies. For, do not think, gentlemen,, "that Philip is a god, who enjoys immutable felicity. "He is dreaded, hated, and envied, by thofe who are

beft affected to his intereft; and, indeed, we mult "prefume they have like paffions with the reft of "mankind. But all thefe fentiments feem at prefent: "extinguished, and that because your flow and indo"lent conduct gives them no opportunity of exerting "themselves; and it is to this you must apply a remedy. K 3.

For

"For obferve, gentlemen, the low condition to which you are reduced, and to what a height this "man's infolence is rifen. He will not allow you liberty of determining for peace or war. He "threatens you; he speaks, as it is faid, with an arrogant and haughty tone: he is not fatisfied with his former conquefts, but is every day acquiring "more; and, whilft you are temporifing and unactive, "he furrounds and invests you on all fides.

"When, gentlemen, when will you act as you "ought to do? What event do you wait for? What neceffity muft compel you to it? Alas! is there not "neceffity fufficient at this very time? For, in my opinion, none is more urgent to a free people, than when they are furrounded with fhame and ignominy. Will you for ever do nothing but walk up and down the city afking one another, What news? "What news! Is there any thing more new, than "to fee a man of Macedonia become mafter of the Athenians, and give laws to all Greece? Is Philip dead? fays one. No, replies another, he is only fick. Whether he be fick or dead, what is that to the purpofe; fince, were he no more, you would foon raife up another Philip by your bad conduct? "for his grandeur is much more owing to your indolence, than to his own valour."

Extract from the fecond Olynthian.

It is generally ranked the third.

Demofthenes compares the prefent condition of the Athenians to the glory of their ancestors :

"Our ancestors, who were neither flattered by their orators, nor loved by them, as you are by "yours, governed Greece during fixty-five years,

with the unanimous confent of the whole nation; put above ten thousand talents into the public trea"fury; exercised fuch a power over the King of Ma

cedon,

cedon, as becomes the Greeks to exercife over a "Barbarian; raised great numbers of magnificent tro"phies for the victories they had gained in perfon

both by fea and land; they only, of the whole race "of men, tranfmitted to their pofterity, by their great "exploits, a glory fuperior to envy itself. Such were

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thofe perfonages at that time, with regard to Greece. "Let us now examine their public and private life in "thofe days. Their magiftrates erected many noble "edifices for our ufe, and adorned our temples with "fuch a number of rich ornaments, that none will "be able to furpass them hereafter in magnificence. "As to their private behaviour, they were fo tem"perate, and adhered fo ftrictly to our antient fim"plicity of manners, that, if any of you happens to "know the houses inhabited, once by Ariftides, Miltiades, or any other of their illuftrious cotempora"ries, he does not fee them diftinguished by their fplendor from the others in their neighbourhood. For, in the management of public affairs, they thought themselves obliged to aggrandife the state, " and not their families. By this means they arrived " at the meridian of felicity, and that defervedly, by faithfully confulting the common good of Greece, "an exemplary piety towards the gods, and living

with their fellow-citizens in a modeft equality. "Such was the condition of your forefathers, under "fuch worthy leaders; but what is yours, at this

time, under thofe foft-tongued orators who govern $ you ? Does it bear the least resemblance to it? I will & not infift upon the parallel, though the subject: opens a large field

"But fome will answer me and fay, Though things "do not go well abroad, they are in a much better "condition at home. But what proofs-can be brought of this? Why, fome battlements have been whitened, fome highways repaired, and fome aqueducts built; with fuch-like trifles. Caft your eyes, I befeech you, upon those men, to whom you owe these

K

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6 rare

46 rare monuments of their administration. Some of "them were raised from poverty to affluence, others "from obfcurity to fplendor; fome again have built "private houfes fo magnificent, that they feem to in

fult even the public edifices; and the lower the fortune of the ftate has funk, the higher has that of "fuch people rifen. To what then must we impute this intire fubverfion of things in our days; and

why is that wonderful order, which was formerly "feen in all things, now changed for confufion? "The reafon is this: firft, because the people at that time, having valour equal to military employments, kept the magiftrates dependent on them, and had the intire difpofal of all offices and favours; and every citizen thought it a merit to receive honours, employments, or good offices from the people. But now it is quite otherwife; for the magiftrates confer all favours, and exercife a defpotic power; while you, unhappy people, enervated and defpoiled both of treafure and alliances, are merely "but as fo many laqueys, and, in a manner, only a "more numerous mob; and think yourselves doubly 66 happy, if your magiftrates do but indulge you the " two oboli for the theatre, and the mean entertain"ment they provide for you upon rejoicing-days. "And, to complete your bafenefs, you lavifh the title "of benefactors upon thofe who give you nothing but what is your own; and who, after imprifoning you, as it were, within your own walls, lay baits "for, and foften you in this manner, with no other "view, but to prepare you for flavery."

EXTRACT OF THE HARANGUE CONCERNING THE CHERSONESUS.

The penfioners which Philip kept at Athens wêre perpetually endeavouring to find out expedients for difpofing the people to peace; but Demofthenes difcovers their treachery and artifices.

"I fhall

"I fhall only obferve, that, as foon as this dif"course against Philip was begun, one of thofe merce"naries rofe up, and cried out, What a blessed thing is "peace! how difficult to fupport great armies! Our "treafury is in danger: and they amufe you with "fuch difcourfes, by which they cool your zeal, and "give Philip an opportunity of effecting his purposes "without difficulty... But it is not you who are to "be perfuaded to peace; you, I fay, who, being al "ready but too much influenced that way, loiter "here in indolence; it is that man who breathes no "thing but war. ... Befides, we ought not to con"fider what is employed for our fafety as a hardship, "but that which we fhall fuffer in cafe we neglect to "fecure ourselves in time. As to the fquandering of "the public monies, this must be remedied by pro"pofing the best means of preventing it for the future, "and not by perfuading you to abandon intirely your own interest..

"As to myself, gentlemen, I am filled with indig"nation to fee fome of you make such a noife about

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fquandering the public funds (which may be rec"tified by punishing the offenders in an exemplary "manner), because their private intereft fuffers by it; "and not fay one word, at the fame time, of Philip, "who plunders all Greece fucceffively, and that to your prejudice. Whence can it proceed, gentlemen, that while Philip is difplaying his banners in "the face of the whole world, committing violences, "and feizing fortreffes; none of these people has ever "thought fit to fay, that man acts unjustly, and "commits hoftilities? And that, when you are ad"vised not to fuffer fuch outrages, but to put a stop "to them, these very people cry out immediately, "that you are going to kindle the flames of a war " which were extinguifhed?:

"What! fhall we fay again, that to advife you to "defend yourselves is kindling a war? If that be

b Towards the end of the harangue.

K 5.

the