Demosthenes

I never advise we should give to idlers the wages of the diligent, or sit at leisure, passive and helpless, to hear that such a one's mercenaries are victorious; as we now do.

Not that I blame any one who does you a service: I only call upon you, Athenians, to perform on your own account those duties for which you honor strangers, and not to surrender that post of dignity which, won through many glorious…

First I say, you must not despond, Athenians, under your present circumstances, wretched as they are; for that which is worst in them as regards the past, is best for the future.

That our affairs are amiss, men of Athens, because you do nothing which is needful; if, notwithstanding you performed your duties, it were the same, there would be no hope of amendment.

To show and convince you, Athenians, that nothing, if you take precaution, is to be feared, nothing, if you are negligent, goes as you desire.

Take for examples the strength of the Lacedaemonians then, which you overcame by attention to your duties, and the insolence of this man now, by which through neglect of our interests we are confounded.

But he saw well, Athenians, that all these places are the open prizes of war, that the possessions of the absent naturally belong to the present, those of the remiss to them that will venture and toil.

Acting on such principle, he has won every thing and keeps it, either by way of conquest, or by friendly attachment and alliance; for all men will side with and respect those, whom they see prepared and willing to make proper exertion.

But now they are all cowed, having no refuge through your tardiness and indolence, which I say you must abandon forthwith.

When then, Athenians, when will ye act as becomes you?

Methinks, to freemen the strongest necessity is the disgrace of their condition.

Should any thing befall this man, you will soon create another Philip, if you attend to business thus.

For even he has been exalted not so much by his own strength, as by our negligence.

My promise indeed is large; it shall be tested by the performance; and you shall be my judges.

Mercenaries I recommend--and beware of doing what has often been injurious--thinking all measures below the occasion, adopting the strongest in your decrees, you fail to accomplish the least--rather, I say, perform and procure a little…

But ever since your hirelings have served by themselves, they have been vanquishing your friends and allies, while your enemies have become unduly great.

Like puppet-makers, you elect your infantry and cavalry officers for the market-place, not for war.

Consider, Athenians, should there not be native captains, a native general of horse, your own commanders, that the force might really be the state's?

Of that which has been read, Athenians, most is true, unhappily true; perhaps not agreeable to hear.

Yet you, Athenians, with larger means than any people--ships, infantry, cavalry, and revenue--have never up to this day made proper use of any of them; and your war with Philip differs in no respect from the boxing of barbarians.

And it seems, men of Athens, as if some god, ashamed for us at our proceedings, has put this activity into Philip.

For had he been willing to remain quiet in possession of his conquests and prizes, and attempted nothing further, some of you, I think, would be satisfied with a state of things, which brands our nation with the shame of cowardice and the…

But by continually encroaching and grasping after more, he may possibly rouse you, if you have not altogether despaired.

I marvel, indeed, that none of you, Athenians, notices with concern and anger, that the beginning of this war was to chastise Philip, the end is to protect ourselves against his attacks.

As a house, a ship, or the like, ought to have the lower parts firmest, so in human conduct, I ween, the principle and foundation should be just and true.