Orators -- Greece; Oratory, Ancient; Speeches, addresses, etc., Greek -- History and criticism
§§ 177-195. Epilogue, announced beforehand (§ 117) as an ‘exhortation to
a virtuous life.’ § 196, a short conclusion—‘I have instructed you in the
laws, I have examined the life of the defendant; I now retire, leaving
the matter in your hands.’
2. _On the Embassy._
Demosthenes had accused Aeschines of treason; his speech, it is to be
noted, dealt really with the second embassy only, and the events in
Athens subsequent to it, though he makes some reference to the third
embassy, and implies that Aeschines was corrupt even before the second.
He follows no chronological order, so that his story is hard to follow.
Aeschines, on the other hand, has a great appearance of lucidity,
treating all events in chronological order; but this is misleading, for,
in order to divert attention from the period in which his conduct was
questionable, he spends a disproportionate time in describing the first
embassy, in connection with which no accusation is made by Demosthenes.
The exordium (§§ 1-11) contains a strong appeal for an impartial hearing.
The events of the first embassy to Philip are the subject of an amusing
narrative at the expense of Demosthenes (§§ 12-39); the return of the
envoys and their reports, etc., occupy §§ 40-55. The same clearness does
not appear in the rest of the speech. Aeschines has to make a defence
on various charges brought against himself, so a plain narrative is not
enough. The chief charges were that Aeschines was in the pay of Philip,
and that he deceived the people as to Philip’s intentions, thus leading
them into actions which proved disastrous. The former charge could not
be proved by Demosthenes, however strong his suspicions were; the facts
relating to the peace of Philocrates and the delay in the ratification of
the agreement with Philip were matters of common knowledge; it was only
a question of intention. The defence of Aeschines is that he deceived
the people because he was himself deceived—a confession of credulity and
incompetence. The narrative is not continuous; details about the embassy
to Philip, the embassy to the Arcadians, and the fate of Cersobleptes,
are to some extent mixed together. Reference is also made to some
specific charges, _e.g._ the case of the Olynthian woman, the speech
before the Amphictyons, the singing of the paean, etc. In the two latter
cases there is no defence, but an attempt at justification (§§ 55-170).
The epilogue begins with an historical survey of Athenian affairs, which
is stolen either from Andocides or from some popular commonplace book,
and contains the usual appeal to the judges to save the speaker from his
adversaries’ malice.
He ends by calling on Eubulus and Phocion to speak for him. (§§ 171-178.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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