Page:History of Greece Vol XI.djvu/337

 FIRST PHILIPPIC. 311 their recommendations. " Had their recommendations been good, you need not have been now debating the same topic over again "' says Demostnenes, as an apology for standing forward out of Us turn to produce his own views. His views indeed were so new, so independent of party-sympa- thies or antipathies, and so plain-spoken in comments on the past us well as in demands for the future that they would hardly have been proposed except by a speaker instinct with the ideal of the Periklean foretime, familiar to him from his study of Thucy elides. In explicit language, Demosthenes throws the blame of the public misfortunes, not simply on the past advisers and gen- erals of the people, but also on the people themselves. 2 It is from this proclaimed fact that he starts, as his main ground of hope for future improvement. Athens contended formerly with honor against the Lacedaemonians ; and now also, she will ex- change disgrace for victory in her war against Philip, if her citi- zens individually will shake off their past inertness and negli- gence, each of them henceforward becoming ready to undertake his full share of personal duty hi the common cause. Athens had undergone enough humiliation, and more than enough, to teach her this lesson. She might learn it farther from her enemy Philip himself, who had raised himself from small beginnings, and heaped losses as well as shame upon her, mainly by his own per- sonal energy, perseverance, and ability ; while the Athenian citizens had been hitherto so backward as individuals, and so un- prepared as a public, that even if a lucky turn of fortune were to hand over to them Amphipolis, they would be in no condition to 1 Dcmosthen. Philipp. i. init ..... Ei fj.ev irepi KO.IVOV rivbf TrpovrideTO Mysiv, ETTLOX^V av ewf ol TrAeZarcu TUV elu&oruv yvu- UTIV yi'avTO. . . .ETTEuSq 6e Ttspl uv TroA/la/ctf elp^Kaaiv OVTOL Ttporepov ovfipaivei Kal vvvl (TKOTrelv, ijyovfiai Kal irptJTOC avaffTuQ e/Korwf av avyyvu/j.rie rvyxuvetv el yup en TOV 7rapeA7?/U>$6rof yjiavov TO. deovra ov- TOI avve(3oi>hvaav, ovdev av vua<; vvv sdei jBovheiiea&ai. 8 Demosthenes, Philippic i. p. 40,41. "On ovdev TUV deovruv noioiivTuv ifiuv /ca/cwf ra -Kpuyfiara enei rot, el -rtavd' 1 a Trpoa^Kt irpaTTovruv ovruf fl%v, oi>6' uv e%Trlf TJV avra /JeArtw yeviedai. etc. Again, p. 42. "Av Toivvv nal v/ietf enl rr/( Toiavrrif ei9e/l?/(7^re yev<r&Ol yvupij( vvv, kirei6T)TTp ov irporepov, ....KOI navar]a-&e avrbf p.sv iKaaroc Troiijasiv e^Tri^uv, rbv <5e Trhi/aiov navd' virep avrov Trpa^eiv, etc. Compare Vhc previous harangue, De Symmoriis, p. 182. s. 18.