[210]
You ought also to consider this point, that many Hellenic nations have often
resolved by vote to adopt your laws; and in this you take an honorable pride,
naturally; for there seems to me to be truth in an observation once made, as we
are told, in this court, that all wise men regard laws as the character of the
State. Therefore we should take pains that they be accounted as good as
possible, and we should punish those who debase and pervert them; for, if they
are impaired by your neglect, you will lose that high distinction, and will
create an unfavorable reputation for your city.
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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