[141]
See what strong evidence we have of this. In the first place, you
alone of all mankind publicly pronounce over your dead funeral orations, in
which you extol the deeds of the brave. Such, however, is the practice of men
who admire bravery, not of men who envy the honors that bravery wins. Next, you
have from time immemorial given the richest rewards to those who win crowns in
the athletic games; nor, because such honors are necessarily confined to a few,
have you grudged or stinted the honors of the victors on that account. Beside
these notable instances, no one, I think, has ever surpassed our State in
generosity; such a superabundance of rewards has she heaped on those who serve
her well.
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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