{219} You have had, as you know, many great and famous orators, men of
Athens, before my time--Callistratus himself, Aristophon, Cephalus,
Thrasybulus, and a vast number of others. Yet not one of these ever gave
himself up entirely to the State for any purpose: the mover of a decree
would not serve as ambassador, the ambassador would not move the decree.
Each left himself, at one and the same time, some respite from work, and
somewhere to lay the blame,[n] in case of accidents. {220} 'Well,' some
one may say, 'did _you_ so excel them in force and boldness, as to do
everything yourself?' I do not say that. But so strong was my conviction
of the seriousness of the danger that had overtaken the city, that I felt
that I ought not to give my personal safety any place whatever in my
thoughts; it was enough for a man to do his duty and to leave nothing
undone. {221} And I was convinced with regard to myself--foolishly
perhaps, but still convinced--that no mover would make a better proposal,
no agent would execute it better, no ambassador would be more eager or
more honest in his mission, than I. For these reasons, I assigned every
one of these offices to myself. (_To the clerk_.) Read Philip's letters.

[_Philip's letters are read_.]

{222} To this condition, Aeschines, was Philip reduced by my
statesmanship. This was the tone of his utterances, though before this he
used to threaten the city with many a bold word. For this I was deservedly
crowned by those here assembled, and though you were present, you offered
no opposition; while Diondas, who indicted the proposer, did not obtain
the necessary fraction of the votes. (_To the clerk_.) Read me these
decrees, (_to the jury)_ which escaped condemnation, and which Aeschines
did not even indict.

[_The decrees are read_.]

{223} These decrees, men of Athens, contain the very same syllables, the
very same words, as those which Aristonicus previously employed in his
proposal, and which Ctesiphon, the defendant, has employed now; and
Aeschines neither prosecuted the proposer of them himself, nor supported
the person who indicted him. Yet surely, if the charges which he is
bringing against me to-day are true, he would have had better reason then
for prosecuting Demomeles (the proposer of the decree) and Hypereides,
than he has for prosecuting Ctesiphon. And why? {224} Because Ctesiphon
can refer you to them--to the decision of the courts, to the fact that
Aeschines himself did not accuse them, though they had moved exactly what
he has moved now, to the prohibition by law of further prosecution in such
cases, and to many other facts: whereas then the case would have been
tried on its merits, before the defendant had got the advantage of any
such precedent. {225} But of course it was impossible then for Aeschines
to act as he has acted now--to select out of many periods of time long
past, and many decrees, matters which no one either knew or thought would
be mentioned to-day; to misrepresent them, to change the dates, to put
false reasons for the actions taken in place of the true, and so appear to
have a case. {226} At the time this was impossible. Every word spoken then
must have been spoken with the truth in view, at no distance of time from
the events, while you still remembered all the facts and had them
practically at your fingers' ends. For that reason he evaded all
investigation at the time; and he has come before you now, in the belief
(I fancy) that you will make this a contest of oratory, instead of an
inquiry into our political careers, and that it is upon our eloquence, not
upon the interests of the city, that you will decide.

{227} Yes, and he ingeniously suggests that you ought to disregard the
opinion which you had of each of us when you left your homes and came into
court; and that just as, when you draw up an account in the belief that
some one has a balance, you nevertheless give way when you find that the
counters all disappear[n] and leave nothing over, so now you should give