Page:History of Greece Vol XI.djvu/356

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330 HISTORY OF CJREECE. is moreover certain to his honor that he described and mea- sured foreign dangers before they were recognized by ordinary politicians ; that he advised a course, energetic and salutary itv deed, but painful for the people to act upon, and disagreeable for recognized leaders to propose ; that these leaders, such as Eubu- lus and others, were accordingly adverse to him. The tone of Demosthenes in these speeches is- that of one who feels that he is contending against heavy odds combating an habitual and deep- seated reluctance. He is an earnest remonstrant an opposition speaker contributing to raise up gradually a body of public sentiment and- conviction which ultimately may pass into act. His rival Eubulus is the ministerial spokesman, whom the major- ity, both rich and poor, followed ; a man not at all corrupt (so far as we know), but of simple conservative routine, evading all painful necessities and extraordinary precautions ; conciliating the rich by resisting a property-tax, and the general body of citi- zens by refusing to meddle with the Theoric expenditure. The Athenians did not follow the counsel of Demosthenes They accepted the Olynthian alliance, but took no active step to cooperate with Olynthus in the war against Philip. 1 Such un- happily was their usual habit. The habit of Philip was the op- posite. We need no witness to satisfy us, that he would not Blacken in his attack and that in the course of a month or two, he would master more than one of the Chalkidic cities, perhaps defeating the Olynthian forces also. The Olynthians would dis- cover that they had gained nothing by their new allies ; while the Vo put the like sneers into the mouth of a client speaking before the Dikas- tery against Lakritus "this very clever man, who has paid ten mince to Isokrates for a course of rhetoric, and thinks himself able to talk yon over as he pleases," etc. (Demosth. adv. Lakrit. p. 938). 1 An orator of the next generation (Deinarchus cont. Demosthen. p. 102, a. 99) taunts Demosthenes as a mere opposition-talker, in contrast with the excellent administration of the finances and marine under Eubulus TTOLOI y&p rpiTjpeif elal KareaKevaafievai 6id TOVTOV (Demosthenes) uairsp lirl Ev- 8oi>%ov, ry iroAet ; fj iroloi veuaoiicoi TOVTOV iroTiireva/Aevov yeyovaai ; The administration of Eubulus must have left a creditable remembrance, to be thus cited afterwards. See Theopompus ap. Harpokr. v. Ei/3ovAof ; Plutarch, Reipubl. Gerend. Praecept. p. 812. Compare also Demosth. Fals. Leg. p. 435 ; and TEschinoa adv. Ktesiph, p. 57. c. 11.