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--- text:aeschines_orations [2013/08/22 19:25] – created fredmond
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 Aeschines. Aeschines with an English translation by Charles Darwin Adams, Ph.D. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1919.
-====== Orations: Aeschines ======
+====== Aeschines: Orations ======
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-I have never, fellow citizens, brought indictment against any Athenian, nor vexed any man when he was rendering account of his office1; but in all such matters I have, as I believe, shown myself a quiet and modest man.2 But when I saw that the city was being seriously injured by the defendant, Timarchus, who, though disqualified by law, was speaking in your assemblies,3 and when I myself was made a victim of his blackmailing attack—the nature of the attack I will show in the course of my speech—
+I have never, fellow citizens, brought indictment against any Athenian, nor vexed any man when he was rendering account of his office((The Athenian Constitution provided for rigid auditing of the accounts of all officials at the close of their year of office, and gave full opportunity to any citizen to bring charges against any act of their administration. Such opportunity might easily be used for malicious or blackmailing attack)); but in all such matters I have, as I believe, shown myself a quiet and modest man.((A quiet citizen, as distinguished from the professional political blackmailer, συκοφάντης)) But when I saw that the city was being seriously injured by the defendant, Timarchus, who, though disqualified by law, was speaking in your assemblies,((As the speech proceeds we shall see that Aeschines declares that Timarchus was guilty of immoral practices that disqualified him from speaking before the people.)) and when I myself was made a victim of his blackmailing attack—the nature of the attack I will show in the course of my speech—
 I decided that it would be a most shameful thing if I failed to come to the defence of the whole city and its laws, and to your defence and my own; and knowing that he was liable to the accusations that you heard read a moment ago by the clerk of the court, I instituted this suit, challenging him to official scrutiny. Thus it appears,fellow citizens, that what is so frequently said of public suits is no mistake, namely, that very often private enmities correct public abuses.