[67]
Do you wish me to tell you the reason, men
of Athens? [He has his
share in the proceeds of certain iniquities, and he also gets his pickings from
the collection of revenue. In his insatiable greed he reaps a double harvest
from the State. Now it is not an easier matter to make enemies of a multitude of
petty offenders than of a few big offenders; neither of course is it a more
popular thing to have an eye for the sins of the many than for the sins of the
few. However, the reason is what I am telling you.] He knows indeed
that he is one of them, one of the criminals, but he thought you beneath his
notice; and that was why he treated you in this way.
Demosthenes. Demosthenes with an English translation by A. T. Murray, Ph.D., LL.D. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1939.
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