since they could not convert you to their way of thinking until they have first made clear what is for your advantage. But, apart from these considerations, how can men wisely pass judgement on the past or take counsel for the future unless they examine and compare the arguments of opposing speakers, themselves giving an unbiased hearingCf. Isoc. 15.21; Dem. 18.6. to both sides?

But I marvel that the older men no longer recall and that the younger have not been told by anyone that the orators who exhort us to cling fast to peace have never caused us to suffer any misfortune whatsoever, whereas those who lightly espouse war have already plunged us into many great disasters. However, we have no memory for these facts but are always ready, without in the least advancing our own welfare, to man triremes, to levy war-taxes, and to lend aid to the campaigns of others or wage war against them, as chance may determine, as if imperilling the interests, not of our own, but of a foreign state.

And the cause of this condition of affairs is that, although you ought to be as much concerned about the business of the commonwealth as about your own, you do not feel the same interest in the one as in the other; on the contrary, whenever you take counsel regarding your private business you seek out as counsellors men who are your superiors in intelligence, but whenever you deliberate on the business of the state you distrust and dislike men of that character and cultivate, instead, the most depravedThe private morals of men like Eubulus, Callistratus (see Theopompus in Athen. 4.166e), and Philocrates (see Aeschin. 2.52) apparently left much to be desired. of the orators who come before you on this platform; and you prefer as being better friends of the people those who are drunkAristotle (Aristot. Ath. Pol. 34) states that when, after the battle of Arginusae, 406 B.C., the Spartans made overtures of peace the demagogue Cleophon came before the Assembly drunk and prevented the Athenians from accepting the terms. With this paragraph should be compared Isoc. 15.316 and note. to those who are sober, those who are witless to those who are wise, and those who dole out the public moneyThe reference is particularly to Eubulus, who caused to be set aside a portion of the public revenues (the “surplus” mentioned in Isoc. 8.82) as a “theoric” fund to be distributed to the people at the public festivals. to those who perform public servicesSee Isoc. 8.128, note. at their own expense. So that we may well marvel that anyone can expect a state which employs such counsellors to advance to better things.

But I know that it is hazardous to oppose your viewsCf. Socrates in Plat. Apol. 31e: “No man in the world can preserve his life if he honestly opposes himself to you or to any other people and attempts to prevent many unjust and lawless things from being done by the state.” and that, although this is a free government, there exists no ‘freedom of speech’The pride of Athens. See Hdt. 5.78; Eur. Hipp. 422. except that which is enjoyed in this Assembly by the most reckless orators, who care nothing for your welfare, and in the theater by the comic poets.The poets of the old comedy exercised an incredible degree of license in ridiculing everything, divine or human, particularly the foibles of the state. These comedies were given at the festival of Dionysus, when many visitors from other states were in Athens. Aristophanes himself says (Aristoph. Ach. 500 ff.) that he was attacked by Cleon for “abusing Athens in the presence of strangers.” And, what is most outrageous of all, you show greater favor to those who publish the failings of Athens to the rest of the Hellenes than you show even to those who benefit the city, while you are as ill-disposed to those who rebuke and admonish youIsocrates resents their attitude towards himself in the opening remarks of the (Isoc. 15). as you are to men who work injury to the state.

Nevertheless, in spite of these conditions, I shall not desist from what I had in mind to say. For I have come before you, not to seek your favor nor to solicit your votes, but to make known the views I hold, first, regarding the proposals which have been put before you by the Prytaneis,The Senate of the Five Hundred was divided into ten committees of 50, each serving a tenth part of the year. Such a committee was called a prytany and its members prytaneis. The prytany formulated measures to be brought before the General Assembly. and, second, regarding the other interests of the state; for no good will come of the resolutions which have now been made regarding the peaceSee Introduction, p. 2, note c. unless we are well advised also with regard to what remains to be done.