[82]
What law do you think Aristogeiton applies to all
other men, and what are his wishes concerning them? Does he wish to see them
enjoying prosperity, happiness and good fame? If so, what becomes of his
livelihood? For he thrives on the misfortunes of others. Therefore he likes to
see everyone involved in trials, lawsuits and vile charges. That is the crop he
sows; that is the trade he plies. Men of Athens, what sort of man deserves to be called the complete
villain, the thrice-accursed, the common foe, the universal enemy, against whom
one prays that the earth may neither yield him fruit nor receive him after
death? Is it not such a man as this? That is my opinion.
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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