[89]
You will see the point by observing that
he adds a clause to the effect that the property of the sureties shall be
confiscated, if they do not pay the debt in full. Yes, but suppose a man has not
named any sureties,—then of course there are no sureties to punish. He
compels the Commissioners, men chosen for that office by lot from the ranks of
the citizens, to accept sureties whenever named; but on men who defraud the
commonwealth he imposes no sort of compulsion,—he treats them as
benefactors, and gives them the right to choose whether they will be punished or
not.
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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