[3]
The reason, Athenians, is this. Though all who aim at their own
aggrandizement must be checked, not by speeches, but by practical measures, yet,
in the first place, we who come before you shrink from any definite proposal or
advice, being reluctant to incur your displeasure; we prefer to dilate on
Philip's shocking behavior and the like topics; and, secondly, you who sit here
are indeed better equipped than Philip for making speeches about justice and for
appreciating them in the mouth of another, but, when it comes to hindering the
accomplishment of his present plans, you remain utterly inactive.
Demosthenes. Demosthenes with an English translation by J. H. Vince, M.A. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1930.
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