[2]
Now I observe that men who enter public
life with honest intentions, even after they have submitted to scrutiny, do
still acknowledge a perpetual responsibility. But Aeschines, the defendant,
reverses this practice. Before coming into court to justify his proceedings, he
has put out of the way one of the men who called him to account, and the others
he is constantly threatening. So he is trying to introduce into politics a most
dangerous and deplorable practice; for if a man who has undertaken and
administered any public function can get rid of accusers not by his honesty but
by the fear he inspires, the people will soon lose all control of public
affairs.
Demosthenes. Demosthenes with an English translation by C. A. Vince, M. A. and J. H. Vince, M.A. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1926.
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