[94]
Suppose I am asked: “What do you mean, sir?
At what point do you begin your accusations?” I begin at this point,
men of Athens—at the time when you were deliberating, not whether
peace should or should not be made—that question was already
decided—but what sort of peace. Then he contradicted men who spoke
honestly, and he supported the mover of a venal resolution, being himself
bribed. Afterwards, when appointed to receive the oaths of ratification, he
disobeyed every one of your instructions; he brought to ruin allies of ours
whose safety had never been imperilled in time of war; and he told lies which
both in quantity and quality exceed all records of human mendacity before or
since. At the outset, until Philip got a hearing on the question of peace,
Ctesiphon and Aristodemus undertook
the first initiation of the imposture, but, when the business was ripe for
action, they passed it on to Philocrates and the defendant, who took it over,
and completed the enterprise of destruction.
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