nowe called Modon an hauen town in Morea Great is the value of order and foresight to gouerne things well Disorder and want of foreknowledge doe cause confusion * The maner was that if any man being sessed refused to pay that he was sessed at an other offering to chaunge goods with him might do it and take that in hande that he should Tyme taryeth no man. He meaneth king Philip. Pleasant talke vnnecessarie when plaine speach is most needefull Foresight in Magistrates most requisite Lingring is then noysome when necessitie requires haste As Switzers fight fondly so doe many people and nations deale with their enimies vnwisely Cherronesus now Phanâ—â— a port towne in Morea God sendeth oft tymes wicked tormentors to securge and annoy others The carefulnesse of the wicked ought to quicken the Godly to looke about them All passages are open to the stowte and valiant souldiour â–ª As good neuer a whit as neuer the better Daungerous to slaunder souldiours that haue serued and worst of all to condemne them vpon the false report of others Gouernors to be personall and carefull vewers of things to be done Flying tales and flattering newes doe neuer good to any state A short gathering of all that hath bene sayd 1. King Philip enimye to Athens 2. A spoyler of their countrie 3. Prowde and iniurious 4. And their trustie friends by him made trecherous and vntrue persons Best for a man to trust to himselfe Better to fight with the enimie at his owne home than for him to fight with vs in our owne countrie Demosthenes neuer preferred priuate welfare before common weale Words are vnfit weapons to withstande armour Such studie such fruite â–ª Profite to be preferred vnto pleasure The enimie being mightie he is to be feared greatly Demosthenes consideration vpon king Philips doings Pyle certaine narow gates or strayts for passages King Philip findeth the Athenians vnspotted for corruption Thebanes corrupted by giftes and faire promises Great princes seeke amitie of meaner states for their owne welfare and to serue their seuerall turnes the better Athenians neuer corrupted with any fayre promise or offered hope to lose their countries libertie Athenians worthinesse seâ— forth by example of their elders Herodotus reporter of these matters In the warres against the Persians the Argeyans would not meddle but the Thebanes toke part with the Persians An aunswere to an obiection proouing that king Philip neyther for iustise sake nor yet by enforcement was friend to the Thebanes with certaine mocking of those nations The lapping vp of all these matters Wise men being wronged are to be feared of the wrong doers Euill men care for nothing but for the present time onely Part of an oration rehersed here by Demosthenes whereby he did will the Messenians and the Argians not to be in league with king Philip. Olynthians abused by King Philips counterfeyte dealings Thessalians deceyued â—y king Philip vnder colour of friendship offered Mistrustfulnes the chiefest safegarde that may be against the practises of Tyraunts He meaneth bicause he writ himselfe king Carelesse men are euer most nigh their owne harme Ambassadors seeking theyr owne priuate welfare are most daungerous ministers and therefore to be narowly looked vnto Daungerous to grauÌ„t an entry to the enimie Good men maliced for speaking truth Fayre promises makes fooles faine Pickethankes seeke by discrediting others to benefite themselues Good men in greater daunger for saying the truth than euill men are for dooing naughtily Pyla were certaine straytes to stop passages where the town Thermopylae stoode Peloponesus now Morea One inconuenience suffered many mischiefs do follow after Then is forâ—earing to speake most daungerous when necessitie requireth speach Flatterers and slaunderers the very authors of all mischiefe and euill hap that may be Slaunderers Bolde speech vpoÌ„ good cause deserues fauor Free speaking forbidden bringeth daunger to the state Many frame their talke according to the humor of others Through diligence and care those thinges may be redressed that weare by slouth and negligence forlorne He that doth wrong giueth cause of warre not they that seeke the redresse of wrong Councellours speaking for the best doe oftentymes beare the greatest blame Peace better than warre if a man may be sure of it Not king Philips words but his deedes are to be marked and looked vpon King Philip practised stafford law with the people of Athens Olynthians Phoceyans being euill vsed forsâ—oke their countrie by consent neuer to returne and builded Massilia in Prouance Thebe now Thiâ—a in Beotia Phere nowe Ceramidi a towne of Attica betwene Megara and Thebes Oreteynes Sleight and guile fitter for king Philip than euennesse and plaine dealing King Philips deedes rather to be marked than his wordes Diophites generall of the Athenians armie Cherronesus now Phanar Serrium and Doriscum townes in Thracia and in this second towne Xerxes armie was found iust 1000000. men Whatsoeuer swarueâ— an ynch from iusâ—tice the same tendeth streight to iniustice An vndermâ—ner and a fetching practiser worse than an open and plain sworne enimie The intent makes the offence when all things are prepared although the execution do not follow Preuention necessary when purposed mischiefe is foreknowne Hellespontus Megaris Euboia Peloponesus Cherronesus now Phanar Bizance nowe CoÌ„stantinople Aâ—l Greceland in daunger of king Philip. The sodaine rysing and encreased might of king Philip. King Philips libertie to doe what he lyâ—â— without step or let hath beene the cause of all the warres in Grece Grecians ruled by the Athenians 7â— yeares Grecians ruled by the Lacededemonians 29. yeares Grecians ruled by the Thebanes after the battail at Leuctra Such as passed the boundes of moderation among the Grecians heretofore were restrayned of their course brought perforce to liue in order The vnmeasurable harmes and excessâ—ue wrongs done by king Philip in short tyme Olynthus Methona Apollonia 32. townes in Thracia Countryes spoyled by king Philip. Phoceyans Thessalians Quatuorviratus Euboians A prowde bragging maner of writing vsed by king Phillip Hellespontus Ambracia now Larta Elis in Morea now Beluedere Megaris now Megrâ— All the worlde euer little to glut king Philips gredie and bottomlesse ambition Fondly weare the Grecians carelesse and vnquiet among themselues when the enimie was so busie and stirring abroade * King Philip he meaneth Euery man sekes to saue one for a time while others miscary whereas none haue any care of the whole state or country * An apt similitude deriued from the bodie to the mind declaring howe carelesse the GreciaÌ„s were Wrongs done by straungers more daungerous than harmes done by naturall Citizens or home borne men King Philip a barbarous prince mere straunger to the Grecians King Philip contumelius and dispitefuâ—l of his tongue * Pythia certaine games made yerely in the honour of Apollo for killing the mighty and venimous serpent Pytho Oracle of Apollo Amphictyones an assembly of states to come to gither hauing the name of Amphiction who caused the princes of Grece to be summoned to meete at
those things wherein euery man is bounde to serue both with his bodie and goodes surely that is not well no God knowes it is farre wide Howbeit there may be some excuse made for it Marie in that you be not willing to giue eare to that which might be told you should be fitte for you to receyue councell in surely that is altogither worthie of blame in you For it is your custome neuer to heare of the matter till things be come euen vppon you as it is now Neyther will you take coūcel of any matter so long as you be in quietnesse but when Philip maketh preparation against you than do you neglecting to do the same in like maner to prepare against him sit still ydlely And who so euer telleth you of it you thrust him out streight Againe when you heare of any place lost or besieged then you begin to hearken and buckle to armor where as your fittest tyme had béene to haue giuen eare euē then to haue taken councel when you weare most vnwilling And that preparation which you had made to put in practise and execution euen nowe at this present when you make it your tyme of consultation So that by this your maner of dealing you onely amongst all others doe things cleane contrary to all the worlde For all other folkes vse to take councell before thinges be in doing whereas you begin to deale when all is done Nowe therefore that thing which remayneth to be sayde and should haue bene done long before and yet there is no time to late nowe neyther I will shewe the same vnto you Of all things in the worlde our Citie hath néede of none so much for these matters that be euen at hande as of money And fortune of hir selfe hath offered vs good lucke which if we can vse well there may perhappes some méete thing be done First and formost suche as the king of Persia puttes hys trust in and hath taken to be his benefactor sthey do hate Philip and be at warre with him Again he that was all in all and priuie with Philips practises agaynst the Persian the same man is nowe taken away from his charge And the Persian shall heare al his practises not by any of our cōplaints in which case he might suspect vs to speake for our owne profite but by him that was himselfe the aucthor and chiefe minister there in so that our accusasion shal cary the more credite with it and your Ambassadours talke shall be such hereafter as the king will heare it to his very great delyte and pleasure that he who hurteth vs both shall be reuenged of vs both and also that King Philip shall be a much more terrible enimie to the Persian if he first set vpon vs For should we be once forsaken and distressed he would then without feare marche towardes him And for all these causes I thinke it good that you doe dispatch Ambassadors to treate with the king of Persia and lay away these simple and slender reasons of your owne whereby you haue béene so oftentymes hindered as those The Persian he is a Barbarian so he is forsooth and a common enimy to al men and al the lyke talke Nowe surely I for my part when I sée a man stande in great feare of him that dwelles at Susae and Ecbatana and beare vs in hand that he is enimy to this country who both heretofore hath holpen the matters of our City that weare out of frame nowe also hath promised vs his ayde which his offer if you did not receyue but refused it by common decrée he is not to be blamed therfore And yet the same man to report otherwise of that errant rouer of the Gréekes who is risen aloft hard by our noses euen at our owne gates within the verye hart of Greece at him do I much marueile and that man feare I whosoeuer he be bicause he feareth not Philip. There is an other thing plagues this City besides al this which is cast abrode vpon a certain vniust slaunder vncomly talke of men and besides that giueth an excuse cloke to such as be not willing to doe their duties within the Citie and of all those things that are wanting when that want shoulde be supplied by anye bodie you shall finde the blame layde on this thing Whereof albeit I am greatly adradde to speake yet for all that I will tell you my mind and I hope I shal haue good matter to speake of for the profite of the Citie aswel on the behalfe of the poore to the rich as for them that haue substaunce to the néedie so that we remooue those slaunderous reports which certaine men do spreade abrode vpon no iust cause touching the theater charges or stage money and also if we woulde cast away this feare that this thing will not be stayed without some great mischiefe than which thing I thinke there can be nothing more for our profit nor generally more for the preseruation and establishment of this Citie Consider the matter thus with your selues Albeit first of all I will speake of them that are the poorer sort The time was and that not long ago neyther when the reuenues of this Citie weare not aboue a hundred thirtie talents and yet there was no man that was able to mainteine a Galley at his owne proper charges or to pay any taxe or tallage that grudged to doe his dutie for want of money But there weare Galleyes set foorth and they made money in good tyme and all things were done as they should be After this by good lucke the common reuenew of the Citie encreased and in stéed of one hundred there came in foure hundred talents and yet was no man pinched in his goodes or lost any thing but rather got by it For why the rich wealthie men came to haue their part of it and good reason Then what ayleth vs that we hit one another in the téeth and vnder a cloke therof resist to do our duties Vnlesse it be so that we doe enuie the offered ayde that fortune sendeth to the poore whome neyther I my selfe doe blame nor yet would haue others to finde fault with them For euen in priuate families and housholdes I cannot sée the yonger sort to be of that disposition towardes their elders nor any so out of order or so foolish that if any bodie doe not so much as himselfe he will therefore say that he will doe nothing neyther Such a fellowe surely should then féele the daunger of the lawes prouided agaynst euill handling of our elders For I think euery man is bound of right to yéeld that dutie willingly of his owne accorde towards his parents which both nature and lawe haue ordeyned And as euery one of vs particularly hath a father so ought we all to thinke that all the Citizens are commō parents of the whole
rewardes are necessarye for well doers so chastisement is meete for offenders He that will blame an other man must first be blamelesse himselfe in the selfe same matter that he blameth others Rewardes due for paynes taking Mercenarie strangers serue chiefly there for gaine where it is most to be had In euery ward of Athens was 300. comâ—â—ers whom the Orator abused aswell in leuying of mony as appoynting offices Libertie of speach necessarie for the Countries welfare Wordes and deedes should be all one After the afflicted confederates are first holpen we may in the necke therof seeke reuengement of our enimy and deuise his annoyaunce and not before Happie is he that can take his tyme. Rather negligence than ignoraunce hath hâ—â—t the Grecians Ten thousande eight hundred pound starling Nine hundred poundes starling It is good dealing with the enâ—miâ— when he is most weake and at the woorst Occasion to be taken nowe or neuer Besides dishonour there is feare of daunger hereafter if ayde be not sent presently for that the Thebanes are very lyke to fall from them and that the Phoceyans are very poore and needie Gentlemen eschewe euill for shame the common people for feare of harme Euill lawes are to be abrogated that hinder good proceedings Those that sought to repeale lawes among the Grecians by decree written and recorded in a table suffered smart for their attempt if they weare not able to proue theyr assertion to be for the Countries welfare The lawe maker and none other should abrogate his own decree and law established Lawes not executed are of no value and as good not made as not practised Execution of lawes a higher thing in nature than is the deuising or bare reporting of them Occasion offered neuer better and therefore not to be foreslowed * king Philip he meaneth Better for euery man to amend one and to doe his duty than euery one to seeke faultes in others without mending his owne Euery one shifteth to excuse his own doings and rather posteth faults ouer to others than takes them vpon him to beare the blame himselfe Publike prayer and supplication vsed to Godwardes Not as men would but as men may and as the nature of things do require so should they deale A good subiect preferreth the welfare of his Countrie before all other things Aristides Nicias Demosthenes Pericles Flatterers people most daungerous to a common weale * A comparison betwixt those that weare and those that are and what oddes there is betwixt the one and the other * One Milion eight hundred thousand poundes starling Perdicca king of Macedonie payde tribute to Athens * Old Councellours what they weare among the Greekes * Zerxes saddle dedicated to Minerua for his victorie had at Salamina Mardonius Semiterra or fawchen hong vp in the temple in honor of his victorie had agaynst the Plateians The temperance of two gouernors Aristides and Miltiades Magistrates what they should be * Old Councellors in Grece 1. Faithfull to their countrie 2. Deuout towards God. 3. Vpright and iust as a beame towardes all When flatterers beares rule all things comes to naught * Two hundred seuentie thousand pounde starling Trifles and vanities highly set foorth in steade of weightie affayres Magistrates and gouernors who they be â–ª that are to be misliked wherfore Demades Phryno Eubulus Philocrates noted to be the euill and corrupt Orators The causes of corrupt gouernement He meaneth the Orators 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was a small peece of money hauing the print vpon it of a small bullâ—cke in value two pence and somwhat more Such is the man and his maners as his delite and studie is He meaneth Ceres who was fayned to be the Goddesse of corne bicause she first taught the maner of manuring and turning vp the earth to cast corne therin By diligence and paynes taking all may be amended that is amisse An apt similitude to perswade that the stage money should be employed vpon the warres Euery man bound to aduaunce for his part the welfare of his countrie The idle should not reape the fruite of the painefull He misliketh that hired souldiours straungers should doe great things for them and they to do nothing for themselues The elders and most auncient weare wont to speake first When things are in extremitie it is good to be of good cheere and rather lustily to amend that in amisse than cowardly to faint and be in dispayre of all Negligence and want of care doe cause much wo. He styrreth the Athenians to be doing by example of their auncient prowes atchieued against the Lacedemonians Pidna a Citie in Macedonie Potidea a towne in Thracia Methona now called Modon a towne in Achaia Countries and states are the rewardes of valiaunt and couragious personages God and nature do set all things to sale for labour King Philips state both fickle and weake King Philip he meaneth The ydle man is soone taken tardie Neuer more neede to bee doing then nowe Necessitie Common askers of newes are no better than common pratlers Vnnecessarie questions asked of king Philips being Good dealing with the enimy when he is at the woorst Great was the desire of the Athenians to recouer their lost townes The maner how the Athenians did prepare themselues to the warres Pyla Chersonesus Olynthus Euboia nowe Negroponte an Island in Achaia Haliaâ—â—â—m a towne in Morea within the territorie of Messeâ—iâ— Citizens alwayes to be readie for annoying the enimie The number of Souldiors fit for the warres The reason why he would so small an armie should be prouided Why he would haue his owne countrymen to be ioyned souldiours with the straungers Corynthus a Citie in Morea Policrates Iphicrates Gabrias Euill trusting straungers alone to serue in the warres by themselues Souldiours must haue their paye Little was the authoritie that the Athenians had in their warres Menelaus a straunger and Capitaine to the Athenians in their warres at home Daungerous 〈◊〉 haue a straunger generall * Sixtene thousand two hundred poundes starling * Seuen thousand two hundred poundes starling * Three score poundes starling * It appeareth by this reckoning the prouision should be for a yeare * Six shillings starling A hundred drachmes made minam which was a pound of xij ounces that is three pound sterling of our standard * Two thousand a hundred sixtie poundes starling * Nine pounds starling To say and doe are two things Etesie certaine Northeast windes so called bicause they came ordinarily at a certain season of the yeare Lemnus nowe Stalimene an Island in the sea Aegeum south from Candia Thasus an Island their likewise not farre from Thracia Sciathus an Iland there also Good heede to be takeÌ„ in time of warre for dispensing of the treasure that euery man may haue his iust pay Gerastus Marathona A sacred Galey The feast of Minerua kept by order The holy day of God Bacchus duely obserued and by order appoynted to be kept Short shooting loseth the game Methona
the hils Thermopylae which hils were so named of the hote baynes nighe vnto theÌ„ And those states were twelue in number Oreâ—m How Lorio A notable similitude declaring the nature of lyther carelesse people Ambracia now Larta Leucas nowe saint Meura Nanpactum now Lepontus Etolia a countrie betwixt Acarnania and Phocis Echinus in the geulfe of Dollo in Macedonie Bizance nowe CoÌ„stantinople in Romania Cardia in Thracia Cherronesus Where couetousnesse reigneth and licencicus liuing is vsed there is destruction one of another and small care had of the common weale The soundnes and vpright dealing of the auncient Grecians in times past Bribe takers and corrupt receyuers of gifts hated among the Grecians and sharpely punished Councellours vncorrupted The corruption and naughtinesse in bribe takers Acropolis the name of the Tower or Castle of Athens A seuere and auncient vsage of vanishing a traytor by the example of one Arthmius a Zelite not much vnlike to baffeling vsed in the Scottish borders Reade Graftons Cronicle 5. Hen. 8. This Aâ—thenius was employed to win men with briberie corruption and so he brought great summes of golde from Medea to Peloponesus a part of Grece and yet not vnder Athens Bribes brought to Peloponesus offended the Athenians as muche as though they themselues had bene offered bribes and touched with corruption The auncient Grecians thought themselues bound in conscience to tender the preseruation of all Greceland not onely of their owne seuerall state or couÌ„try In time of dauÌ„ger and especially wheÌ„ neighbors and friendes are negligent and carelesse it weare good for men to looke well and circumspectly to themselues The lesse one feareth his enimie the nigher he is to his own harme The order of warfare cleane altered and in stede of plaine dealing deceyte vsed and all sleyghts that may be both deuised and practised King Philip most painfull sparing for no weather to doe his indeuour Daungerous to fight with out enimye at our owne doores Better to begin warres than to abide warres Home enimies the worst people liuing and an euill cherishing it is of a Serpent in a mans bosome Euill men gouerne with better safetie than good men Olynthians Examples of practised treasons Apollonides banished being a faythfull subiect Eretria Plutarchus a Capitaine Porthmus a Creeke or Goulfe of the Sea that may easily be passed Hipponicus being sent by king Philip to ayde the Gretrians tooke their town and countrie afterwardes for his maysters vse Hipparchus Automedon Clytarchus Eurilocus Parmenion Oreum nowe called Loreo Philistides Menippus Socrates Thoas Agapeus Philistides accused of treason by Euphreus Enphreus suffered to be caried to prison by theÌ„ that weare for king Philip and despited euen then of hys owne countrimen The sharpe punishing euill handling of one good man makes many other good men afrayde Erphreus â—emented the euil of his countrie and beeing in prison not able to redresse things amisse did kil himself The reason why traytours and flatterers are better lyked than are the iust and true meaning Counsellors The demaund of good men for their countries weale the deniall vsed by flatterers to the hurt thereof Aduice and councell to go before mens actions God graunt vnto England many such true faythfull stowte and wise counsellors as was Demosthenes to Athens Oriteynes abvsed and pitifulâ—y tormented by king Philip. Clytarchus Olynthians deceyued by king Philip of their hope and promised pardon Take heede of Had I wyst Olynthians wise a day after the fayre Oriteynes beaten wyth their owne rodde Phoceyans come to had I wist An apt similitude to warne men to be wise in time and to take paines when neede requires The summe of Demosthenes aduice councell for warres to be had and the preparation thereof Athenians being the chiefest and worthiest GreciaÌ„s aboue all others neuer yeelded to any seuerall subiection or bondage Ambassadors needefull to be sent abrode in tyme of warre to all parts * Winning of time and delayes are profitable sometimes Demosthenes Polieuctus Hegesippus Clytomachus Lycurgus with others sent Ambassadors to Morea and the good that they did therby in staying of king Philip from thence and other places beside * Ambracia nâ—w Lacta Good for the Athenians as chiefest among the Grecians to beginne first their warres and then to call others to ioyne in league and felowship of war with them Such as are careles in their owne causes hardily finde others to bee carefull for them Negligence lost Athens Not wordes but armor must kepe king Philip vnder Ambicious persons cherished by king Philip. Corrupt officers neuer want matter to satisfie theyr corrupt myndes Mandragora of two sortes black and white bearing apples low vpon the grouÌ„d hauing no such roote as is fondlye ymagined but of vertue to cast one into so heauie a sleepe that being lauÌ„ced or burned he shall not fele the griefe Athenians contemned for their slouthfulnesse As a Feuer Hectyke is sonâ— cured at the first and hardly knowne but being growne is hardly cured easily perceyued so it fareth in the affayres of this world that things may sonâ— be remedied at the beginning if they weare espied whereas afterwards being suffered and knowne they do waxe incurable Elis now Beluedere in Morea He meaneth for that they had peace such questioning there was as though it had beene nedelesse to speake when all things were well and quiet King Philip hateth euen the verie religion of Athens Such as liue in libertie cannot brooke tiranny Athenians apt by nature to helpe the afflicted King Philip myndeth nothing more than the destruction of Athens * Panyke a kind of pulses not vnlike to Millet with a long stalke full of ioyntes in the top whereof groweth an ear full of little yellow seedes as small as Mustard seede but not so rounde being of little nourishment for man yet verye good for small birdes to feede vpon and to faâ— them withall King Philips chiefe drift to get Athens * High time for the Athenians to proclayme warre with one consent and to go also to the warres themselues in person Daungerous for any one man to subscribe to the Table for making of warre if the people did not allowe of it and therefore euery one forbare for feare of vndooing to enact or vnder-write to the Table but woulde rather it should be the whole peoples decere and act King Philip findeth the Athenians to be as he woulde haue them for his purpose Athenians carelesse of their doings till daunger appeared The Treasure must be looked vnto and kept in safetie Nothing well done that is not willingly done Our neighbours harme should be our griefe and carefull ought we to be ouer them God graunt England many such Counsellours The greater our enimy groweth the more we decay They that will not so muche as heare councell giuen them are persons inexcusable and nighest their last vndoing To prouide before hande is most wisedome that things being in a readinesse the same may be put in execution vpon the
and how gladly he did reade to me and others certaine Orations of Demosthenes in Greeke the interpretation wherof I and they had then froÌ„ his mouth And so remembring the rather this world by the very argument of those actions I did then seeke out amongest my other writings for the translation of them and happily finding some although not all I was caried streightways I trust by Gods good motion to make certaine of them to be acquainted so nigh as I coulde with our Englishe tongue aswell for the aptnesse of the matter and needefull knowledge now at this time to be had as also for the right notable and most excellent handling of the same And here must I saye confessing mine owne weakenesse and imperfection that I neuer founde in my life any thing so harde for me to doe Yea the more that I looke vpon this Orator to bring his sentences and wordes knowne to our common speach and language the more doe I finde him harde and vnable to be translated according to the excellencie of his tongue And manye times I haue bene ashamed of my selfe when I compared his Greeke and my English togither And no marueyle neyther For the Latine translatours being otherwise most excellent men haue not alwayes satisfied themselues much lesse aunswered to their charge and enterprise in the opinion of others that compared their doings and the Greeke togither Hyeronymus Wolfius hath translated all Demosthenes the like thing neuer yet done by anye other and herein he is very carefull to keepe himselfe to the Greeke and doth as it shoulde seeme better vnderstande Demosthenes than any other and yet sometimes either he is not well vnderstoode or else he fayleth of Demosthenes meaning And beeing thus very curious in his translation to followe his Author as nigh as may be his Latine is now and than somwhat harsh and more harde than is the Greeke it selfe Christopherus Hegendorphius a notable learned man vndoubtedlye makes himselfe ouerbolde with Demosthenes enlarging his speach after the maner of a Paraphrasis where as Demosthenes prayse was chiefly his short knitting vppe of his matters togither Philip Melanchthon misliketh himselfe and yet he hath done very well but compared to the Greeke he is to seeke Ioachimus Camerarius for that which he hath taken in hande deserueth great prayse with the best and yet he doth not fully satisfie all men for his doings Petrus Clobardus hath very learnedly translated the three first Orations made in fauour of the Olynthians and varieth from others in sense not without their misliking and perhaps not alwayes expressing the verie force and pyth of the Greeke phrase Nicholas Carre our Countrieman one notably learned in the Greeke tongue when he liued as it is well knowne hath done all these Orations passing well in eloquent Latine that I haue done in English who varieth from all others euen in the very sense sometimes and vnderstanding of the Author seemes to haue reason with him Maister Cheeke whome I dare match with anye one before named for his knowledge in the Greeke tongue hauing traueyled in Demosthenes as much as any one of them all and famous for his learning throughout Europe yet was he neuer so passing in his translations that no exception coulde be made against him And then what shall I thinke of my selfe after the naming of so manye excellent learned men but onely submit my doings to the fauour of others and desire men to beare with my weakenesse For this must I needes confesse that I am altogither vnable to doe so in Englishe as the excellencie of this Orator deserueth in Greeke And yet the cunning is no lesse and the prayse as great in my iudgement to translate any thing excellently into Englishe as into any other language And I thinke although there be many doers yet scant one is to be found worthie amongst vs for translating into our Countrie speach Such a hard thing it is to bring matter out of any one language into another And perhaps it may be that euen those who take themselues to bee much better learned than I am as what is he that is not hauing any name for learning at all will finde it an harder peece of woorke than they thinke euen to make Greeke speake Englishe if they will make proofe thereof as I haue done Whose labor and trauayle I woulde as gladly see as they are lyke now to see mine that such an Orator as this is might bee so framed to speake our tongue as none were able to amende him and that he might be founde to be most like himselfe The which enterprise if any might haue bene most bolde to haue taken vpon him Sir Iohn Cheeke was the man of all that euer I knew or doe yet know in Englande Such acquaintance had he with this notable Orator so gladly did he reade him and so often that I thinke there was neuer olde Priest more perfite in his Porâ—eise nor supersticious Monke in our Ladies Psalter as they call it nor yet good Preacher in the Bible or testament thaÌ„ this maÌ„ was in Demosthenes And great cause moued him so to be for that he sawe him to be the perfitest Orator that euer wrate for these two thousand yeares almost by past for so long it is since he was and also for that he perceyued him to haue before his eyes in all his Orations the aduauncement of vertue as a thing chiefly to be sought for togither with the honor and welfare of his countrie Besides this maister Cheekes iudgement was great in translating out of one tongue into an other and better skill he had in our English speach to iudge of the Phrases and properties of wordes and to diuide sentences than any else had that I haue knowne And often he woulde englyshe his matters out of the Latine or Greeke vpon the sodeyne by looking of the booke onely without reading or construing any thing at all An vsage right worthie and verie profitable for all men aswell for the vnderstanding of the booke as also for the aptnesse of framing the Authors meaning and bettering thereby their iudgement and therewithall perfiting their tongue and vtterance of speach Moreouer he was moued greatly to like Demosthenes aboue all others for that he sawe him so familiarly applying himselfe to the sense and vnderstanding of the common people that he sticked not to say that none euer was more fitte to make an English man tell his tale praise worthily in any open hearing either in Parlament or in Pulpit or otherwise than this onely Orator was But seeing maister Cheeke is gone from vs to God after whom we must all seeke to follow and that this thing is not done by him the which I woulde with all my hart had bene done for that he was best able it can not be counted now I trust any fault in me if I endeuour to doe that the which I neuer sawe done before me And in dede my labor can be no hurt
be present with them at their doings For this is greatly to be feared least king Philip being a subtile man and beaten with practise of doings partly by yéelding and giuing ouer his owne right if néede so require partly by threatning which if he doe it is likely that he shall be beléeued partly by blaming vs and our absence and the delaying of our matters do quite and cleane ouerturne and dashe some thing wherein the force of all our dooings lyeth Howbeit this falleth out very well O Athenians that wherein king Philip séemeth most inuincible therein haue you most aduauntage of him For that he being but one man is Lorde of all as well secrete as open matters and withall chiefe Capitaine Maister and Treasurer and that he is present euery where with his army himselfe these be poyntes in déede that for the doing of his Marciall affayres with spéede and in good tyme make verie much with him But as to those attonementes which he would gladly make with the Olynthians they make cleane against him For it is manifest to the Olynthians howe that they are not now at warre with him for Honour or parcell of theyr lande but for the safegarde of theyr Countrie from destruction and thraldome Neyther are they to learne how he hath vsed himselfe towardes the Amphipolitanes who gaue ouer their towne vnto him And likewise howe he handled them of Pydna that receyued him into them And altogither as I take it the gouernment of tyranny is a thing to be mistrusted of frée states especially when they are neighbours and border togither Now these things O Athenians being knowne to you and all other things that be requisite well considered me thinkes you ought to sette to your good willes your heartes and your mindes wholy vpon the warres and if at anye tyme else nowe especially as well in making a chearefull contribution of money as in setting forth in your own persons leauing nothing vndone Neyther haue you any thing to pretende or alleage to the contrarie why you should not doe your dutyfull endeuour For why the thing that you all talked so much of how it should be requisite to make the Olynthians enimies to king Philip you sée it is now come to passe of it selfe and that in such sort as better it could not haue fallen out for your purpose For had they taken the warre in hande through your perswasion there had bene no great holde to bée taken of their league and they woulde haue tarryed but a while in that minde perhappes but nowe séeing they be enimies for these quarrelles that he hath to them it is likely that they will cōtinue this enmitie still as well for those iniuries which he hath alredy done them as for those which they feare he wil do And therfore ye ought not O Athenians to let go such an occasiō now happened vnto you besides your expectatiō neither to suffer those inconueniences the smart whereof you haue oftentymes heretofore felt For if when we went to ayde the Euboians at which tyme Hierax and Stratocles Ambassadors for the Amphipolitanes weare with vs and here in this verye place requested you to sende a power by Sea to take theyr Citie into your protection we had shewed the same forwardnesse in vs for our owne selues as we did for the Euboians safetie ye had both gotten Amphipolis at that tyme and might haue béene ridde of all such troubles as afterwardes ensued Againe when you heard that Pydna Potydea Methona Pegase and diuers other Cities to long to be rehearsed weare besieged had we our selues then couragiouslye and as it was our partes to doe ayded and succoured any one of them at the first wée shoulde haue founde king Philip by this tyme more lowely and more easie to be dealt withall by a great deale than he is But nowe that we doe alwayes let slippe things present and hope that the worlde will fall out better of it selfe hereafter we our selues haue by this meanes O Athenians both encreased the might of King Philippe and made him so great a Prince as neuer yet was king of Macedonie before him But nowe is there an occasion offered what is that Euen this same of the Olynthians which offereth it selfe vnto this Citie and is nothing inferior to any of those that haue béene made heretofore and verily as I think O Athenians if one weare appoynted as it weare an Auditour truely to examine and to take a iust accompt of those benifites which GOD hath bestowed vppon vs hée shall finde when all is done although many thinges bée not with vs in so good state as they should be yet that we are bounde to giue him verie great thankes and good reason too For why where as we haue lost many things by the warres a man maye iustly impute it to our owne negligence but whereas we haue neyther felt the same long agoe and that certaine haue offered to ioyne wyth vs in these warres who if we will accept them are able to counteruayle and recompence our former losses that benifite surely woulde I impute to procéede of his goodnesse towards vs. But herein mée thinkes I espie the lyke māner in you as men vse in getting of money For so a man can kéepe as much as he hath gotten he thankes Fortune highly for it but if it go awaye he wotes néere howe then awaye goes the remembraunce of any thankes to Fortune at all And euen so in mens doings they that doe not vse their tyme well doe not so much as call to remembraunce if anye good thing hath happened to them by the goodnesse of god For according to that which last happened euery thing that went before is commonly iudged Wherefore we haue great néede O Athenians to be carefull of the rest hereafter to the intent that by the amending of these things we may wype away the reproche of our former doings For if we shall forsake these men O Athenians and that yonder man ouerthrow Olynthus tel me some body what shall let him when that is done to runne his course where he list I beséech you Athenians is there none of you that doth consider and sée by what meanes king Philip who was of small force at the beginning is now growne become thus mightie great First when he had taken Amphipolis after that Pidna then Potidea and by by Methona then he inuaded Thessalia after that when he had ordered Pheres Pegase Magnesia and all as he woulde haue it hée tooke his iourney to Thracia and there hauing displaced some out of theyr Kingdomes and established others he fell sicke and being somewhat amended did not giue himselfe to slouthfulnesse but by and by went in hand with the Olynthians I will not speake of his iourneyes and exploytes made vpon the Illirians Peonians and against king Arymba his Vncle and euery where else But some will say
Gréekishe townes to him for our owne profite but rather he sées that wée haue regarde to iustice to vpright doings and to the eschewing of dishonour alwayes foreséeing things fit for vs with great warynesse by which he doth perceiue that we will consequently withstande him if he take any such matter in hande as though wée had open warre with him But as for the Thebanes he thought as it fell out in déede that for the pleasure he had done them they would suffer him to vse the rest as he listed who not onely would so much as once offer to withstande and hinder his purposes but woulde also bée readie to take part with him in the fielde if hée required them And so hoping to finde the like in others he sheweth himselfe verye curteous and fauourable to the Messenians and Argians for the same cause also A matter O Athenians verie highly to your honour For hereby you alone are of all the world iudged to be the onely men aboue all others that will not be corrupted with any promise or rewarde to forsake the common libertie of Grece nor yet to chaunge for any mans fauour or profite whatsoeuer amitie or good will you do beare their countrie And surely king Philip hath rightly iudged thus of you and farre otherwise of the Thebanes and Argians considering not onelye your present state but also the doings of your Auncestours for he findeth perceiueth as I beleue that your predecessors although they might haue bene Lordes ouer all Grece so as they woulde haue bowed to the deuotion of the Persians and their king would not onely not heare Alexander of whom these men weare come being then Ambassador to perswade them therevnto but did determine rather to forsake their countrie and to suffer all miserie that might be Wherein they so worthily acquited themselues that all men since haue longed much to talke of them but no man yet could worthily set them forth as they haue deserued And therefore I will stay my tongue and good reason too For why their worthy exploites and renowme haue bene greater than any man hath béene able to vtter by word of mouth Whereas the Auncestours of the Thebanes and Argians haue some of them ioyned their power with the Barbarian and straunger marching vnder his banner and other some of them would neuer set out foote agaynst him And therefore he knoweth that both they doe more estéeme their owne priuate estates than they doe regarde the common profite of all Grece besides And well he saw that if he shoulde haue sought your friendships he must néedes haue chosen you for iustice sake where hauing the others to bée of his side he was assured to haue their maintenance in his vniust and couetous desires And that is the cause why he hath alwayes estéemed and still doth estéeme their friendship more than yours not bicause he séeth they haue more Galleys than you or bicause hauing found good footing or any great superioritie within the maine lande he neglecteth to be Lorde of the Seas and their marchant Townes Neyther hath he yet forgotten these condicions and promises by which he trayned them to be at peace with him But sayth one it was none of all this that moued him to doe as he hath done neyther yet his ambition nor couetousnesse or any other thing wherof he is accused that made him to encline more to the Thebanes than to vs but the only cause was bicause he knew them to be more faithfull than we are This reason vnboubtedly of all other reasons he can not well alledge for he that craftily forced the Lacedemonians to giue vp the towne of Messena at the selfe same time notwithstanding set the Thebanes in possession of Orchomene Choronea how can he be sayd to haue delt iustly and vprightly But some will say he was enforced for else there is none excuse remayning for the defence of king Philip to surrender giue vp those places much against his will as being than enuironed and surprised by the horsemen of the Thessalians and the Souldiours of Thebes A good tale on foorth a Gods name And therefore saye they hée hath the Thebanes in great ielousie yea and they go vp and downe deuising further tittle tattle how he mindes to fortifie Elateia but he will doe a Dog as soone He will neuer deale that way at all as I thinke and forsooth he will neuer ioyne with the Messenians and the Argians as he doth to set vpon the Lacedemonians and yet he hath sent a supply of straungers and money and is looked for to be there in person himselfe with a mightie power so that he séeketh the destruction of the Lacedemonians as enimies to the Thebanes And those Phoceyans whom heretofore he did ouerthrow and destroy he mindeth now to succor and to defend yea forsooth that he will. And I pray you what mad man would beleue these things For surely I can not think for any thing that I can sée that king Philip will continue to be an enimie to the enimies of the Thebanes if eyther perforce or against his will he graunted heretofore those matters before named or else if he now mistrusted their good will towardes him but rather it is euident by his present doings that he hath sought their fauours for a purpose and wrought this pollicie to serue his owne turne withall And whosoeuer looketh narowly vpon this matter he cannot but plainely sée that all these his practises are wholye bent against oure countrie to take an aduauntage when he séeth his time And this hée doth in a maner for méere necessitie For I pray you wey the matter with your selues and thinke thus of it he will néedes rule and be souereigne ouer all and he knoweth well that none can withstande him but you who haue bene so lōg time molested by him through the iniuries and wronges that he hath done and dayly doth against you as his owne conscience can best witnesse against him for by meanes of possessing those places which sometime were yours and now are his he kéepeth the reast of his dominions in safetie but and if he should lose once Amphipolis and Potidea he should hardly sit sure in his chayre at home And therefore full well is he guyltie to himselfe both that he lyeth in wayte for you and that you also do vnderstand it And bicause he hath found you a wise and a sage people he gathereth by iust consequence and good reason that you are his enimies that makes him so sharpe set to preuent your doings as one looking for a scouring at your hands whensoeuer any occasions shall be offered This is it that he watches for this is the cause of his close lying in waite against the Citie And why he holdeth in somuch with certaine of the Thebanes and with some Peloponesians also that are of the same minde with them whom he accountes to be so gréedie
and extréeme daunger as he doth that his longing is not rather to the hauens of Athens their Arsenales their Galleies their workes of siluer mynes their huge reuenewes their territorie and honour wherof God graunt that neither he nor any other may at any time be Lord Maister after that he hath brought our Citie into subiection or that he would suffer you to enioy all these things and he himselfe be contented to winter in a Dungeon for the getting of Tares Fatches and Panyke that are in the Caues of Thracia It can not be so but it is the getting of these things into his handes for which both those and all other his practises be And thus much it is reason euerye man should know and be resolued of in himselfe and not to require him in good fayth that should giue you the best councell in all rightfull causes to subscribe to the decrée for making of warre For that weare the part of them that would faine find one to whom they might picke a quarrell and not of them that mynded the thing that should bée for the wealth of this Citie For marke you well whereas Philip hath broken the peace concluded once twise thrise for many a time one after another hath he so done if for these so often breaches a man had decréed to make warre vpon him and he had ayded the Cardians in lyke maner as he nowe doth when none of the Athenians decréeth warre thinke you that he which had made this decrée should not haue bene pulled out by the eares and would not all men haue quarreled that Philip had ayded the Cardians for this cause Therefore séeke you not whome to hate for King Philips faultes and to deliuer vp into the handes of his brybed hirelings to be pulled in péeces Neyther is it méete when you shall haue once agréed vpon warre to call the matter againe in question and to be at contention among your selues whether it weare néedefull for you to haue done this thing or no. But in like maner as he doth make warre vpon you so make you your defence by giuing your money and other thinges necessarie to them that be nowe at warres with him and your selues by contributing and preparing of an armie swift Galleyes horses and vesselles for transporting of them and all other thinges belonging to the warres For as we nowe vse thinges it is a plaine mockerie and I beléeue verily so God helpe me that king Philip himselfe would neuer wishe of God that ye should doe otherwise than ye now doe you come euer to short in your businesse you spende money you séeke out whome to giue the charge of your businesse vnto you brawle you chafe you accuse one another And whereof all these thinges doe ryse you shall heare of me and I will shew you againe how to remedie all that is amisse I must tell you plaine O Athenians you did neuer looke well to your dooings from the beginning neyther did prouide any thing rightfully and orderly as you ought to doe but are guided alwayes by the euent and falling out of thinges and when you sée your selues ouer taken or come to late than you take your rest Againe if any other thing doe happen you prepare your selues and make a great styrre whereas you should not so doe For it can not be that you shall euer doe any thing well by sending of supplies and ayde But when you haue prepared an armie and gotten sufficient prouision of vittayles for the same and appointed common officers ouer your treasure and as much as may be séene that your money bée in safe kéeping when I say you haue this done then must you take an account of the Treasurers howe they haue bestowed their money and of your Generall for matters of warre and leaue him no occasion or pretence to sayle any other where or to take any other matters in hande And thus dooing and shewing your selues willing then shall you in déede compell king Philip to kéepe the peace vprightly and tarie at his owne home or else you shall be sure to deale with him vpon euen hande And peraduenture it may so come to passe that euen as you nowe are woont to aske what doth king Philip which way goeth he with his armie euen so will he be carefull which way your armie is gone where you will make your entrie and discouer your selues Now if any man thinke it very chargeable and painfull to bring these matters to passe surely he thinketh right well and with good reason But and he will consider what will become of this Citie hereafter if in case wée will not so doe he shall then finde and sée how profitable a thing it is when a man must néedes doe a thing to doe it with a good will. For although God himselfe would be our suretie and warrant vs as in déede it passeth mans power sufficieÌ„tly to assure vs in such a matter as this is that though we would liue at rest let all things alone as men carelesse which way the worlde went and that king Philip for all that would not inuade vs himselfe yet notwithstanding it weare a fowle rebuke to vs before God and a dishonourable dealing for this Citie and a thing vnfit for the renowne of the noble actes of our predecessors that all other Grecians should through the lythernesse and negligence of vs be brought into extréeme bondage and slauerie and for my part I had rather die the death outright then I would once say the worde or giue â—ny consent therevnto Howbeit if any other man will so councell you and perswade you to it be it for me defende not your selues let all things go to wracke and spoyle But for as much as there is no bodie of that minde and we all know the contrary alreadie howe that we shall haue king Philip so much the harder and mightier enimie the greater Prince that we suffer him to be why be we so backwardes wherevpon linger we and when will we dispose our selues O Athenians to do that which in reason we ought to doe shall it bée on Gods name when very néede shall driue vs therevnto well and you meane such néede as any frée borne man would terme to be néede the same not onely is nowe present but it is also gone and past a great while since But such as bonde men and slaues terme néede I pray God blesse vs from that And what difference is betwéene them I pray you mary thus much Shame and rebuke of euill dooings is the greatest necessitie that can be layde vppon those that be frée men than the which I knowe none greater But the greatest inforcement to a slaue that can bée is stripes and scotching or mangling of his bodie the which God kéepe vs from and let vs not so much as once speake of it And nowe O Athenians for you to shewe your selues so slowe in
Citie And that it is not fit or conuenient to take that from them which the Citie hath giuen to them but rather if the Citie weare not able to giue them anye thing we ought to prouide for them otherwise and to sée that they shoulde not want That if the riche men had this considerate care with them they would not onely deale as I beléeue vprightly and iustly but also be profitable and benificiall to others And it can not be otherwise but that when men are commonly voyde of thinges necessary for their liuing it makes a number of men euil minded to the dispatch of things Againe on the other side I would wish that the poorer sort would cleare themselues and leaue to deale in that matter for which the riche men are iustly grieued and haue good cause to be offended with them And now likewise as I haue done alreadie to the poore so will I speake of the riche and will not shrinke to say the truth Neyther is there anye man be he of Athens or of any other countrie so miserable and of so cruell a heart as I thinke that will grudge to sée the poore haue it and them that are in necessitie But whereat sticke we then and what is it that angers vs Marie this when they sée some men turne the custome of the common treasurye to their owne priuate vse and the worker hereof so quickly to come aloft among you and to liue in so great securitie as though he were safe for euer And then sée the voyce secretly giuen farre different from the shoute and reioycing that was openly made This is it that bréedeth mistrustfulnesse this is that that causeth all this anger For why it is méete O Athenians that one man liue by another according to right and equitie And that the riche men may thinke themselues in safetie of those thinges that are for maintenaunce of their life and without feare to inioy them And when tyme of daunger is to yéeld vp to their countrie all their goodes in common for their safegarde and welfare and as for the rest that i◠the poorer sort to estéeme things common that are common and euery one to haue his share and that which is euery mans in priuate to remayne still to the owners And by this meanes a small Citie waxeth great and a great Citie is preserued for euer This is in a maner all that may be sayde on both sides aswell for the riche as for the poore but how these thinges may be lawfully done I must open the matter more plainely Of these present businesse and troubles there are many by past causes to be alledged which I will open vnto you if it will please you to giue me the hearing You are much swarued O Athenians from that State and maner of liuing which your fore elders left you in and are perswaded by such as rule all in these matters and thinke it a superfluous a néedelesse charge to be chiefe ouer all the State of Grece or to haue alwayes an armie in a readinesse for the reliefe of all those that are wronged and oppressed and are giuen to thinke that it is a wonderfull happinesse and great safetie to liue at rest and to doe nothing as you ought to do but rather neglecting euerye thing perticularly to giue other men leaue to take all and by this meanes an other man is stept vp to that degrée which had béene fitte for you to haue béene in he is become both happie and mightie and Lorde ouer a great number and good reason For why that feate which was so honourable so great and so goodly a matter and such as the mightiest Cities haue alwayes striued for among themselues what thorowe the Lacedemonians vntowarde lucke and the Thebanes that coulde not intende it by reason of theyr warres with the Phoceians what through our negligence that thing I say hath king Philip taken vp as a thing forsaken and giuen ouer of all men Whervpon others of the Grecians were in great feare but king Philip he got thereby great allyes and mighty power And such and so great stirres and troubles haue nowe compassed round about all the Grecians that it is no very easie matter to giue such councell as is requisite And where as O Athenians all Grece stands in a very dreadfull case as I take it yet is there none in greater perill than you are not onely bicause king Philip doth chiefely minde confusion vnto you aboue all others but especially bicause you your selues are the most carelesse and ydlelest of all But if bicause you sée great store and good cheape of things to be solde and plentie of vittayles in the Market place you are delyted so much therein as though the Citie weare out of all daunger no doubt you do not iudge well of the matter nor as you ought to doe For in déede they weare it good matter for a man to iudge a Market or assēbly by whether it weare well or euill serued or no. But as for a City which he whosoeuer alwayes coueteth to be a ruler ouer the Gréekes hath thought only able to withstand his purpose to defend the liberty of al the reast we ought not forsooth to iudge of things that are to be bought solde whether that Citie be in good state or no but rather if it haue affiance in the good will of confederates and be strong in furniture of armour These be the things that ought to be considered in the state of this Citie which with you are altogither euill vsed and not well appoynted And this you may well perceyue if you will consider with your selues by the time when Gréeceland was chiefly in trouble as no man can say that euer it was at any time so much as at this present For in times past all Gréeceland was deuided into two factions that is to say betwixt the Lacedemonians and vs The rest of the Grecians weare part at our deuotion and part at theirs As for the king so long as he was by himselfe he was mistrusted of all men alike But ioyning to him the weaker side that was conquered in battaile so long was he trusted vntill he had made them equall with the other side Afterwarde they whome he had saued did no lesse hate him then those did that had béene his enimies from the beginning And at this present tyme to beginne withall the king vseth friendly all the rest of the Gréekes but vs least of all except we now play the men Moreouer there are diuers Lieutenaunt shippes appoynted euerye where and euery one séekes to be chiefe Some reuolts from others some disdaynes and enuies one another and not one trustes his neighbour contrary to that they ought to doe And euerie one holdes of himselfe the Argeynes the Thebanes the Corinthians the Lacedemonians the Arcadians and we And all be it that Greece is deuided into so many
partes and seigniories as they are yet if any man should boldly say the truth ye shall sée none amongst them all haue theyr Courts and consistories more naked and lesse frequented than they are with you And by good reason for no man that eyther loueth vs or crediteth or feareth vs commoneth with vs of any matters And there is not one cause onely of these thinges O Athenians for then it weare easie for vs to redresse it but there is full many a fault yea of all sortes and at all times committed whereof I leaue to speake particularly onely one I wil moue you in wherevnto all the reast doe tende beséeching you if I be bolde to tell you the truth not to be offended with me for it Your commodities haue béene solde out of your hand from time to time and you haue taken out your part in laysinesse and rest the pleasure whereof so caries you away that you are nothing offended with them that doe you wrong And by that meanes other men robbe you of your honour As for other poyntes it is no fitte tyme nowe to rippe them vp But so soone as we fall in any talke of king Philip by and by startes vp one and sayes it is nowe no tyme for vs to dallye nor passe a decrée for the making of warre adding streight way in the necke of that what a goodly thing it is to be at peace how sore a thing it is to maintaine a great armie and howe there be that goe about to spoile vs of our treasure many other tales do they tell you as they take them to be verie true But verily they should not perswade peace vnto you that sit so still béeing already perswaded but vnto him rather that doth things belonging to warre But if Philippe weare once perswaded to peace than for your partes it is done alreadie Neither should we thinke those charges burdenous vnto vs that we spende and employe for our owne safegard but rather those burdenous which we are sure to abide if we shall neglect this and omit to deuise the meanes to kéepe our treasure from robbing not by foreslowing our profit but by assigning a good gard for the safe kéeping therof And surely this may well vexe me to the heart to sée howe it would gréeue some of you you were robbed of your money which is in your owne powers to haue kept to punish the robbers and yet that king Philip who raunges thus a spoyling of all Grece one péece after another gréeueth you nothing at all specially whereas he robbeth and spoyleth to your hurt and vndooing And what is the cause O Athenians that he dooing vs thys apparant wrong and taking our townes from vs yet there is no man will say he doth vs wrong or makes warre vpon vs but rather will beare you in hand that they which councell you not to suffer him neither negligently to cast away these things are they that make the warre The cause is for that of all these euils and miseries that may happē to come by the warres as in déede it must néedes bée yea it can not be otherwise but that great troubles and vexations will arise by the warre they will with one voyce lay the whole fault vpon them that gaue you best councell for your owne welfare For they thinke verily that if you would all with one mind and consent defend your selues against king Philip both you should haue the better hand of him and they also should no more haue the meanes to serue him for his bribes as they do But if assoone as you sée any troubles you turne your selues by and by to accusing and condemning of men they thinke that they themselues by accusing these men shall get both these things that is thanks at your hands and money at his And that for those thinges for which you should haue punished them before ye shall nowe punishe them that haue spoken for your profite And this is the hope of these bribe takers and the fetch of all their accusations in charging some men to be the authors of the warres where as I my selfe knowe this very well that when no man of all Athens did decrée any warre at al king Philip both kéepes many things that belongs to this Citie and euen nowe hath sent in an ayde to Cardia Nowe if we will not be acknowne that he warreth agaynst vs surely he weare the veryest foole in the worlde if he would finde out this fault himselfe For when the wronged man denyeth that any man hath done him harme what would you haue him to say that doth the wrong But when he shal set vpon vs our selues what will we say then For certainly hée will plainly say that he hath no warre with vs as he sayde to the Oreteynes hauing his men of warre within their country No more did he to the Pheriens till he began to batter theyr walles Nor yet to the Olynthians at the first till he was readie with his armie within their Countrie And shall we say that they that had them then defende themselues were the authors of the warre Why then there is none other waye for vs but to liue in slauerie for there is no way else that we can take And as farre as I can sée the daunger that we are in is farre different from other folkes For king Philip meanes not to haue our Citie vnder his obeysance no that is not his meaning but altogither to destroy it For he knowes well ynough you are men that neyther will liue in bondage nor yet if ye would could tell howe to doe it For you haue béene alwayes accustomed to rule and he knoweth well ynough that you are able to worke him more trouble if you will watche your time than all others are able to doe what so euer they be And therefore hée will not spare you if he once get the vpper hand of you Wherfore you must be of that minde to fight lyke men that are at the vttermost and very last cast of all and to shew your selues manifest foes vnto them and to put them to the racke and torture that be the apparaunt hirelings and bought and solde men of king Philip for you shall neuer you shall neuer preuaile against the outwarde enimie vnlesse you roote out first and destroy these home foes within the towne but like men driuen vppon a sight of rockes so you méeting with these felowes shall come short of all Moreouer whence commes it thinke you that he is so spitefull towardes you For I can not sée what he meanes by his dooings else For he is good to all others and thereby though he getteth nothing else yet he is sure to deceyue them but as for you he threatneth alreadie The lyke he hath done by the Thessalians whom he hath nowe towled in by his number of gifts to this their present slauerie And it weare a verie hard matter
thought to haue had some familiaritie which Courtisan asked him for the reward of hir loue 300. pound starling whervpō he being amazed at hir shameles demaund was cooled and sayd Ladie I doe not minde to buye my repentance so deare as for the pleasure of a little bulbiting to haue a pinching and sharpe displeasure for the same Meaning that all such as follow vnhonest pleasures in such sort doe repent themselues afterwards almost to their graue A certaine Damosell receyued certaine money to kéepe for two straungers that went out of towne with this condition that shée shoulde deliuer the same money to them both ioyntly Afterwards it happened that one of them came home colourably as a mourner for his fellowe that was deade and brought as it should séeme a false testimoniall thereof and so deceyuing the yong woman got all the money to himselfe Now when this money was payde the other fellow commes in the necke thereof and demaundes the money that he left with hir in trust The poore woman was out of hir wittes and coulde not tell in the world what aunswere to make wherevpon Demosthenes séeing hir in dispayre tooke the matter in hand and thus he began to saye for hir This woman is readie sirha to pay you the money that you put hir in trust withall but except you bring your fellow she cannot pay it bicause as you know your selfe the agréement was betwixt you that the money should not be payd to the one without the other And therefore bring your fellow and you shall haue it otherwise you are lyke to haue none at hir handes And by this wise sleightie deuise he saued the poore woman from vndoing and auoided the falsehoode of those varlets that betwixt themselues had packed to haue this money twise payde them Being asked what was the chiefe thing in eloquence hée aunswered pronunciation and asked what was the seconde he sayde pronunciation and further asked what was the third he made none other aunswere but still pronunciation signifying hereby that none can euer be an excellent Orator that hath not the gift of vtteraunce by nature or at the leastwise attayned therevnto by industrie and trauaile and that all other skill in the profession of eloquence is but vaine if this one thing bée wanting On a time when one scoulded with him maruellously and vsed vnséemely spéech he sayd thus I am entered into a match with one wherein he that preuayleth hath the worste and hée that is ouercome hath the best signifying that it is better yéelding to a rayling verlet than to contend with him in babling and fowle language Thus I haue giuen you a tast of certaine his aunsweres whereby both his myrth and pleasauntnesse haue somewhat appeared and the quicknesse of his witte made notorious Nowe will I shew howe good a man he was towards his Countrie and how faythfully he defended the libertie thereof deuising the assurance of it euen to his ende And therefore not onely did he speake most boldly to the people in rebuking their disorders and withstanding their vnlawfull desires but also in denying flatly vnto them that which he was charged to do for as Theopompus wryteth when he was chosen to be an accuser of one and to burthen him with surmises he would not do it for any thing they could doe and when the people were in a hurly burly for it he sayde thus O you people of Athens you shall haue me to be your Counsellor and to aduise you the best I can whether you will or no but to be an accuser or slaunderer of men that shall you not haue mée to bée althoughe you would neuer so faine Whom he knew to be faultie he spared not to charge them to their faces whatsoeuer they weare and namelye Antiphon a man of great aucthoritie whome he caused to be taken and to be arreyned of high treason in spite of the people amongest whom he was very well estéemed And he layde so hard to his charge before the Iudges of the Areopagus to haue promised vnto king Philip to sette their nauie on fire as he was thervpon found guiltie and so suffered death for it with others that were of his conspiracie Yea he was so iealous of the state not only agaynst some of his owne country but also agaynst forreyners that he was neuer at rest but euer busie in charging one or other when good cause mooued him Especially he did so much mistrust king Philip of Macedonie that although there was peace betwixt him and Athens yet would he euer be harping at him for euery matter and thrust diuers things into their heads to warne them still to take héede of him Which king Philip did know very well and therefore hated him aboue all others and yet sought to winne him if it weare possible to be on his side as he did Aeschines and others but he could neuer by any meanes in the worlde get him to like well of him And therefore when the breach of peace was lyke to be bicause that neyther king Philip could be at rest and the people of Athens were maruellously encensed by Demosthenes agaynst him he did stirre the Athenians to attempt Euboia which was gouerned by king Philips Tyraunts And so they making thither by sea vpon Demosthenes decrée did expell from thence all king Philips officers and subiects Again he caused those of Constantinople to be holpen and the Perinthians also agaynst the force of king Philip perswading the people to loue one another and to helpe their allies and confederates by whome they haue béene heretofore preserued Moreouer what with sending Ambassages and calling the Gréekes into societie of warre with them and styrring them to be doyng he brought the matter to this poynt that all the Gréekes a fewe excepted were in confederacie agaynst king Philip. And now when all these were in league that is to wit the Euboians the Achaians the Corinthians Megarensians Leucadians and those of Corfu there remayned onely for Demosthenes this matter in hande to bring the Thebanes to be in league also with Athens who had lande nigh to Atticke and sufficient power and weare counted the valiauntest warriours amongest all the Gréekes Neyther was it a matter easy for him to doe bicause the Thebanes had freshly then receyued great pleasure from king Philip in the warres agaynst the Phoceians and weare still like to stande in néede of him for that there was euer like to be controuersie and debate betwixt the Phoceians and them the landes and territories adioyning so nighe the one to the other as they did Yet for all that when king Philip being puffed vp with the successe of Amphissa had gotten Phocis and had vpon the sodaine set vpon Eliteum wherwith the Athenians weare maruellously astonied and that no man durst steppe forth to speake his minde as people in dispaire and not knowing what to do onely Demosthenes when
it was supposed and so to yéelde himselfe to their protection the rest of the Orators perceyuing him a fat clyent weare readie to further him al that they could and perswaded altogither the Athenians to receiue him and to take tuition of him onely Demosthenes woulde none of it but rather caused that he shoulde be sent backe againe and â—adde them take héede that they did not bring warre vpoÌ„ their necks without nede vpoÌ„ vniust cause Within a while after commaundement being giuen that hys money and treasure should be séene and Harpalus perceyuing by Demosthenes eye that he was in loue with a cup of golde of the kinges at the excellent workemanship whereof he sawe him take great maruell he willed Demosthenes to pâ—yse the cup in his hande and to estéeme the weight of it Nowe when Demosthâ—â—â—s had wondered at the massinesse thereof and therefore asâ—ed him what it might way Harpalus smiling vppon him sayd it weigheth vnto you sir xx talents and in déede as soone as it was night he sent him the cup of golde with .xx. talents of money Good was the skil and insight of Harpalus in good sooth to iudge by a mans countenance casting of his eies vpon a cup what his chiefe desire was Neyther did Demosthenes forbeare to take it but being ouercome with that offer as a man would say caught in the net of temptation bare with Harpalus and would not gainsay that he required And therefore gettes him the next day certaine wooll and rollers to fasten handsomely about his necke and so comes into the Counsell house where being desired to stande vp and to saye his minde in this matter he aunswered that he had lost his voyce with a paine in his throte but some merrie conceyted fellowe that smelled the matter sayd that he was not sick of Angina but he was taken the last night with Argentangina that is not with simple Angina but with siluer angina meaning that he was not troubled with the Vvula being a swelling in the throte and called in Gréeke Angina but was corrupted with Argentangina that is his mouth was stopped with money for so the word signifieth vpon the allusion of Angina Now afterwards when euerie bodie perceyued plaine corruption and therefore would not heare him speake for himselfe but weare very angrie with him and in an vprore and murmure for the matter one starts me vp and like a good friendly furtherer of Demosthenes sayde thus what meane you my Maysters will you not heare him speake that hath the golden cup in his throte herevpon they banished Harpalus out of the Citie and fearing least that money should be demaunded of them the which certaine of the Orators had spoyled him of and finely fléeced to themselues they did make diligent search in euery one of their houses sauing where Calâ—cles dwelt into whose house onelye they did forbeare to enter bicause he was lately maryed and had his yong spouse within the house with him Thus when Demosthenes sawe this matter so hotely taken and stomacked in such sort he appealed from them and desired that his matter shoulde be determined by the high Court of the States of Grece called Areopagus that if he weare found faultie he might be punished thereafter Now the Court found him guiltie and condemned him for an offender after he had appeared in open iudgement fined him to pay fiftie talents and to lye in prison also till the money weare payd who for very shame of this offence as it was sayde and for the infirmity of his body being not able to endure emprisonment made an escape whereof partly the kéepers were ignorant and partly they wincked at it And as he was running away not farre from the Citie he met certaine of his contrarie faction whome he woulde gladly haue auoyded but they followed a pace and calling him by name willed him to be of good chéere for that they ment him no harme offering to giue him money to beare his charges Whervpon Demosthenes fetched a great sigh as a man wounded at the verie heart but they comforted him and asked what he ment so to sigh he aunswered and said thus alas my Maysters what other countenaunce maye I shewe than heauinesse that sée my self constrained to leaue that Citie which nourisheth suche good enimies of mine in it as I shall hardly be able to finde the lyke good friendes anye where else And so going his waies he tooke this his banishment very heauily and impaciently casting his eyes manye times vpon Athens And as he went he looked backe verie often vppon the Castell of Pallas in Athens and holding vp his handes sayde with a lowde voyce O holy Pallas souereigne and Ladye of cities why hast thou so great pleasure in thrée such infortunate and vnluckie beastes the night Owle the Dragon and the people The night Owle or the scriche Owle as some call hir being thought the birde of death was dedicated to Pallas for a birde of hir chiefe delight the Dragon also was set vpon hir crest the people weare Pallas dearlings ouer whom she tooke great care who are compared to a monstruous beast with many heades euill fauoredly acquiting those that haue done them most good as they did Socrates Phocion Scipio Demosthenes Tullie and diuers others And this man being wearyed with the malice and vnkinde dealing of the people woulde say many tymes to his familiers that came to sée him I knowe sayes he that he who séekes to beare office and to carie authoritie in his Countrie is euer readie to be enuied threatned maliced slauÌ„dered and to be put in great hazard to lose both goods and life for his labour That if I weare put to choyse whether to dye or to take the aucthoritie of a Counsellor vpon me as I haue done I had rather clearely giue away my life for euer then once to touch the burthen of the state or to open my minde in open audience to the people And good cause he had to be greatly grieued with the people that weare so vnkinde towardes him who loued them so dearely and did so much for them For not onely did he with his councell wisedome and courage aduaunce the welfare of his Countrie but also he was at great charges diuers wayes with them For he made diuers publike feastes to the people of his owne cost a custome vsed amoÌ„g them by such as were able to beare the charges desirous therby to winne fauor He tooke vpon him besides to sée to the maintenaunce of the Temples and priuate buildings in the Citie and therefore was Aedilis as who should say the Guardian of Churches and buildings in the Citie he also looked to the shippes that they wanted nothing but had all their tackell and furniture accordingly He repayred also the walles and ditches of the Citie to his great charge and cost he redéemed captiues and prisoners with his owne proper
euill vsed by his owne Countrymen not onely by his enimies 76 Euphreus seeing the destruction of his countrie would not liue 77 Examples of foreslowing things and the losse of occasion offered 3 Execution of lawes a higher thing in nature than is the deuising or bare reporting of them 24 Executors carelesse of their charge 106 F FAults rather shyfted off to others than acknowledged of any 25 Fayre promises make fooles fayne 58 Falshoode in fellowship and common enuying one another 96 Falshode fayleth 13 Flatterers most daungerous people to a common weale 26 Flatterers bearing authoritie all things go to ruine 28 Flatterers suffered to speake in Athens in fauour of the enimie contrary to the maner of all other Countries 100 Flying tales and flattering newes doe neuer good to any state 47 Folly to die without doing any good when a man maye by escaping doe very much good 118 Fonde tales sooner heards than graue matters 117 Fortune so called otherwise in very deede is the grace of God which giueth successe to all our actions 16 Free speaking forbidden bringeth daunger to the state 63 G GEntlemen eschew euill for shame the common people for feare of harme 23 Gods goodnesse worketh all in all 16 God and nature set all things to sale for labor 34 Godly men to be stirred through carefulnesse of the wicked 46 Good men made afrayde when they see a good man euill vsed 77 Good men and euill men are of diuers opinions 77 Goodes wrongfully gotten haue small assurance 13 Good men maliced for speaking truth 58 Good men in greater daunger for saying the truth than euill men are for doing naughtily 59 Good subiects beloued euen of the enimy 126 Good vtterance the best thing for an Orator 120 Gouernors passing measure excedingly were restrained of their course 68 Gouernors ouer Gallies the best estemed men amōg the Athenians 106 Greecelande altogither in daunger of king Philip. 67 Greecelande ruled by the Athenians .73 yeares 67 Greecelande ruled by the Lacedemonians .29 yeares 68 Greecelande ruled by the Thebanes after the battayle of Leuctra 68 Grecians fondlye vnquiet among themselues when the enimie abrode was so busie and stirring agaynst them 69 Grecians aunciently most sounde in their dealings 71. Grecians in olde tyme carefull ouer Greecelande not onely ouer that Countrie wheare they weare borne 73 H HAbilitie in dealing rather to be followed than will. 26 Haliartum a towne in Morea 38 Happy who learneth wyt by anothers myshap 21 Happy is he that can take his tyme. 21 Home foes the worst people liuing 99 Honors chaunge maners especially in those that rise frō the dunghil 102 Honor got by vertue hath perpetuall assurance 103 H IDle men vnfit to reape the paynefull mans labor 30 Idle men soone taken tardie 36 Inconstancie not to bee feared of them that can not reuolt without their vndoing 31 Intent makes the offence being notoriously prooued although the deede be not done 66 Iseus an excellent Orator and teacher of eloquence 108 Isocrates the sweetest Orator aboue all others ibidem Iustice neuer so little broken iniustice is streyghtwayes commited 66 Iustice maintayneth estates 94 K KIngs being good and mighty therewithall are to be dread for feare of their authoritie 12 King Philips force what it is 12 his nature 1◠his state both fickle and weake 35 his properties rehearsed in a beade rowle 48 his wordes not so much to be marked as hys deedes 64 He practised Stafforde lawe with the people of Athens 64 fitter for sleyght and guyle than for euennesse and playne dealing 65 his deedes rather to be noted than his wordes 65 his libertie to doe what he lyst hath bene the cause of all the warres in Greece 67 his vnmeasurable wrong doing in short time 68 his prowde maner of wryting 69 his bottomlesse ambicion 69 barbarous and contumelious of his tongue 70 most painfull to doe his endeuour 74 to be kept vnder by armor not by wordes 83 a cherisher of ambicious persons 84 he hateth euen the very religion of Athens 86 he mindeth wholy the destruction of Athens 87 his prayse is ouerthwarted 118 L LAbor and paynes taking bring all thyngs to passe 113 Laysinesse lost Athens 96 Lawes to be abrogated that hinder good proceedings 23 Lawe makers and none others ought to abrogate their owne decree and lawe established 24 Lawes needelesse if either feare or loue could driue men to be honest 104 Lawes are the lynkes of vertue 104 Libertie sweete and desired of all men 13 Lewde doyngs shorten good dayes 16 Lythernesse to be redeemed by diligence 17 M MAgistrates what they shoulde bee 27 Magistrates that are to be mislyked and wherfore 28 Magistrates compared to Mastrifes that defende sheepe against the Wolfe 119 Mans minde is man himselfe 103 Mardonius fauchen hoong vp in the temple for hys victorie agaynst the Plateyans 27 Mandragora what it is 85 Menelaus a straunger and Captayne to the Athenians in their warres at home 41 Men in authoritie seeke rather their owne aduauncement than the welfare of their countrie 101 Miltiades a temperate gouernor 27 Monye to be well heeded in time of warre for dysposing of it that euery one may haue his pay 42 Monye taking destroyed Olynthus 100 Monye taking the ruyne of Thebes ibid. Monye taking vndid Thessalia ibid. Mistrustfulnesse the chiefest safegarde that may be agaynst the practises of tyrants 57 Mercenary souldiers serue there where they may haue the most gaine 18 N NAughtypackes make euill men the more bolde and flatterers make fooles the more fonde 15 Necessitie and neede neuer more than now 36 Neglecting euen of priuate causes very daungerous to a state 5 Negligence not ignorance hurted the Grecians 21 Negligence and want of care haue caused much wo. 33 Negligence lost Athens 83 Neighbours adioyning vnto vs should carefully be looked vnto 89 Nothing well done that is not willingly done 89 O OCcasion giuen is a warning sent from god not to be omitted without great daunger 1 Occasion presently offered and vnlooked for ◠Occasions newly offered vpon rehersall of occasions lost 4 Occasion not to be omitted without great perill 11 Occasions to be taken nowe or neuer 22 Occasions offered neuer better 25 Offers made that may be receyued as much to be esteemed as the present and absolute possession of things 4 Olynthians deceyued by king Philip. 78 Olynthians abused by King Philips counterfeyte dealings 56 One inconuenience suffered many mischiefes follow after 59 Order of great value to gouerne things well 43 Oriteynes abused and pittifully tormented by King Philip. 78 Orchomenius Laomedon by exercising of his body cured himselfe of a great disease 109 Ouermuch medling and ouerlittle both hurtfull to man and Citie 101 P PAinefull men weare the Garlands 17 Panyke what it is 87 Pardoning offences very often destroyeth a state 103 Peoples cōmon hatred prognosticateth destruction to the partie hated 15 Peace better than warre if a man may be sure of it 64 Peny well spent that