Philippic I.
Introduction (προοίμιον). This subject has been so often handled by our more experienced politicians that on the present occasion I may be excused if I venture to speak first. καινοῦ, ‘fresh,’ ‘not previously handled,’ to be distinguished from νέος, ‘young,’ ‘of recent development,’ though their uses overlap to some extent. προὐτίθετο. The Prytanes, having charge of the conduct of business in the Ecclesia, are said προτιθέναι γνώμας, λόγον, ψῆφον, ‘to bring forward a subject for discussion or voting.’ The imperfect implies that their action is regarded as continuing throughout the debate. Cf. Isocr. de Pace 15 παρελήλυθα ἀποφανούμενος...περὶ ὧν οἱ πρυτάνεις προτιθέασιν. For the infinitive replacing the more usual accusative cf. Thuc. III.38 τῶν προθέντων αὖθις περὶ Μυτιληναίων λέγειν. τῶν εἰωθότων, sc. γνώμην ἀποφαίνεσθαι. ἀπεφήναντο. The middle is regularly used with γνώμην in this sense. The constructions following ἕως (except in clauses referring to a definite event in past time) are identical with the constructions of conditional clauses. Hence the past indicative here in dependence on a conditional sentence of an unfulfilled character. ἃ γιγνώσκω. The verb might have been attracted into the imperfect to agree with the clause on which it depends, but the present is more appropriate as suggesting that the orator's opinion is independent of the conditions mentioned. καὶ, with the participial phrase, ‘though I am the first to rise.’ ἐκ τοῦ παρεληλυθότος. We should say ‘in time past.’ The Greek frequently shews a tendency to regard points of time in the past as starting-points and points of future time similarly as points of arrival. So ἀφ᾽ ἑσπέρας (at eventide), ἀπὸ μεσῶν νυκτῶν (at midnight), εἰς αὔριον (to-morrow), εἰς τρίτην ἡμέραν (on the third day). Similarly inf. § 2. ἄν. It is a common practice to omit ἂν with the imperfect indicative of verbs implying obligation and the like, just as debebam is used in Latin with a protasis containing an unfulfilled condition. The reason is that the obligation was, at any rate in early times, regarded as really existing independently of the condition: e.g. in χρῆν δὲ σέ, εἴπερ ἦσθα χρηστός, μηνυτὴν γενέσθαι, it really was the duty of the person addressed to give information, whether he was an honest man or not. (Such, at least, seems to be the origin of this usage.) In the present case the truth of the apodosis does manifestly depend upon that of the protasis, and in such cases ἂν is fairly often inserted.
§ 2-50 Discussion (ἀπόδειξις) including (1) sketch of the situation (διήγησις) §§ 2—12, (2) proposals (πρόθεσις) §§ 13—30, and (3) arguments in their support (πίστεις) §§ 31—50. § 2-6 Do not despair. Remember that your misfortunes have arisen from your own slackness, so that you may hope to retrieve them by diligence (2). Remember again that when Sparta was at the height of her power we were able by dint of diligence to withstand her (3). Remember also the example of Philip. He did not throw up the game because the advantages were on our side; and now through his diligence they are all on his (4—6). ὃ γάρ ἐστι χείριστον. The paradox, repeated in Phil. 3. 5, serves to excite the hearers' curiosity from the outset. ποιούντων ὑμῶν. The genitive absolute, as frequently, contains an idea more important than that of the main clause to which it is attached: ‘the fact that the evil plight of your affairs is due to your neglect of all proper measures.’ πραττόντων. The subject of a participle used absolutely in the genitive is sometimes omitted when (1) it can be supplied easily from the context, or (2) it is indefinite. γενέσθαι refers of course to time which, in relation to ἐλπὶς ἦν, is future. But after verbs and verbal phrases expressing hope the aorist infinitive is sometimes so employed. Cf. Thuc. IV.24 τὸ Ῥήγιον ἤλπιζον ῥᾳδίως χειρώσασθαι. Indeed the aorist, except in the indicative and in the infinitive and participle where these in some sense represent indicatives, carries no significance of time. ἂν must of course be taken with ἦν.
ἀκούουσι and ἀναμιμνῃσκομένοις are syntactically parallel: the former participle seems at first to agree with ὑμῖν understood, but the subdivision of ὑμῖν which appears in the second member with τοῖς εἰδόσιν αὐτοῖς makes it clear that ἀκούουσι is intended to apply only to τοῖς μὴ αὐτοῖς εἰδόσιν ὑμῶν. Cf. Thuc. I.42 ὧν ἐνθυμηθέντες καὶ νεώτερός τις παρὰ πρεσβυτέρων αὐτὰ μαθών. αὐτοῖς, almost ‘by personal experience,’ with εἰδόσιν. ἡλίκην ... ὡς καλῶς . The double question, whether direct or reported, is a regular Greek idiom. Cf. Plato, Rep. 332 D ἡ τίσι τί ἀποδιδοῦσα τέχνη; Soph. El. 751 “οἷ᾽ ἔργα δράσας οἷα λαγχάνει κακά”. In instances like the present there is some doubt whether forms like ἡλίκος and οἷος are to be regarded (1) as used loosely for the dependent interrogative forms (ὁπηλίκος, ὁποῖος, &c.), (2) as dependent exclamations, or (3) as strictly relative. The vagueness of ἐξ οὗ χρόνος οὐ πολὺς allows us to suppose that the speaker alludes to the ‘Corinthian’ war which began in 395 B.C. or the ‘Boeotian’ which began in 378. θεάσησθε is not by any means a mere synonym of ἰδῆτε: Demosthenes wishes his hearers not merely to perceive the fact, but also to contemplate it. φυλαττομένοις. Participle used conditionally, parallel to ἂν ὀλιγωρῆτε. μηδὲν is to be taken adverbially, the regular construction after φροντίζειν being a genitive. Why not οὐδέν?
τὰ χωρία, especially those mentioned just below. τὸν τόπον τοῦτον, the shores of the Thermaic gulf. Notice that οἰκεῖον and κύκλῳ are predicative and belong to εἴχομεν: the position of κύκλῳ in separation from the article prevents us from taking it as attributive, though it may be translated as if it were so (Liddell and Scott's view is untenable). See Introd., §§ 5, 6. ἐθνῶν, especially the Illyrians and Paeonians. ἐλεύθερα is stronger than αὐτονομούμενα, denoting complete independence of any foreign power: the words are often coupled.
τῆς αὑτοῦ χώρας, objective genitive, as representing the dative after ἐπιτειχίζειν: ‘fortified bases for operations against his territory.’ Note the direct reflexive form referring to the subject, not of the nearest verb (ἔχουσι) but of the more remote: the indirect form (οὗ) is not much used in Attic prose and its place is taken either by the direct, as here, or by the simple personal pronoun (αὐτοῦ) according to the amount of emphasis required. ἔπραξεν, almost synonymous with ἐποίησεν, as in sup. § 2, and often. So far as they differ in meaning, ποιεῖν implies complete accomplishment of an act, while πράττειν does not. ἐν μέσῳ, as the prizes for athletic competitions were exposed in the arena.
καὶ γάρ τοι, stronger than καὶ γάρ: in this connexion καὶ means ‘also’ (i.e. ‘in addition to other reasons’). ποιησάμενος. The participle is used in a modal sense, so that it is parallel in sense to the modal clause ὡς ἂν...πολέμῳ, and is therefore treated as parallel in syntax. καὶ προσέχειν κ.τ.ἑ., a hexameter verse, such as is very rarely found in Demosthenes.
§ 7-12 Profit by these lessons and you may still retrieve your losses and punish Philip (7). For his supporters would not all be sorry to see his fall. Only you must rouse yourselves at once (8). Consider his presumptuous and aggressive attitude (9). Is not mere shame enough to rouse you to immediate action? At present you listen eagerly enough to reports unfavourable to his success, but in action you are so slack that even if Philip were dead your attitude would make his successor equally formidable (10, 11). Indeed, unless you shew more vigour, even that favourable opportunity would not enable you to recover one of your lost cities (12). ἐπὶ τῆς τοιαύτης γνώμης, rather a remarkable use: we may suppose that ἐπὶ with the genitive developed meanings in the following order—(1) on or over, (2) in charge of (frequently in the titles of officials, as ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς διοικήσεως), (3) in possession of. The last meaning appears inf. 9 and, with a slight modification, in the present passage. Cf. Dem. 21. 213 τὴν γνώμην ταύτην, ἐφ᾽ ἧς νῦν ἐστέ. Render ‘to adopt a view like this.’ νῦν is sharply emphasised by its position at the end of the clause —‘even now, late as it is.’ Supply ἐγένεσθε with οὐ πρότερον. τὴν εἰρωνείαν, ‘your false modesty,’ the article implies that it does exist. The εἴρων is a man who pretends to have defects which he has not; so Socrates was said εἰρωνεύεσθαι because in discussion he affected complete ignorance. εἰσφέρειν, to bear his share of an εἰσφορά, a property-tax specially levied to meet particular emergencies, especially for the expenses of war. ἐν ἡλικίᾳ. Athenian citizens were liable to military service between the ages of 18 and 60; but unless under exceptional circumstances only those between 20 and 50 were called out for foreign service, and commonly only in part. συνελόντι, apparently a dative due to ellipse. Cf. Isaeus 4. 22 συνελόντι πολὺ τὸ διάφερον. In Xenophon we have a fuller phrase ὡς συνελόντι εἰπεῖν (e.g. An. 3. 1. 38) in which it is easy to supply ἐστί—‘as one summing up the matter may say.’ απλῶς, if retained, is to be taken with γενέσθαι ὑμῶν αὐτῶν; some commentators would omit it. ὑμῶν αὐτῶν, ‘your own men’: we should look at the matter from the other side and say ‘your own masters.’ αὐτὸς μὲν κ.τ.ἑ. Take αὐτὸς with ποιήσειν, ‘imagining that he himself will do nothing.’ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ. Some read αὑτοῦ here, but there is no emphasis to justify it. See on sup. 5. θέλῃ. The regular form of the verb in Attic prose is ἐθέλειν, but θέλειν is found in certain set phrases, such as the present. κατερρᾳθυμημένα, ‘lost by shirking’: for the force of κατὰ cf. κατακυβεύειν ‘to gamble away,’ καταφροντίζειν ‘to lose by taking thought.’
ἀθάνατα, predicatively with πεπηγέναι. μισεῖ τις. The singular τις is here used in a sort of collective sense, ‘many a one.’ Similarly Thuc. III.111 καί τινας αὐτῶν τῶν στρατηγῶν ἠκόντισε τις. Not infrequently τις is used with active verbs, like on in French, in substitution for a passive construction. πάνυ, with οἰκείως rather than with δοκούντων. ἅπαντα, ‘all the characteristics,’ ‘feelings’ or ‘impulses.’ ἀποστροφήν , ὅποι ἀποστραφῶσι, ‘rallying-centre’—apparently a metaphor from tactics. The alternative rendering ‘refuge’ does not suit the general sense so well. Cf. Thuc. IV.76 οὔσης ἑκάστοις διὰ βραχέος ἀποστροφῆς. ἤδη, placed at the end for emphasis.
ὁρᾶτε, indicative or imperative? οἷ, with ἀσελγείας, ‘to what lengths of outrage.’ Cf. Soph. El. 1035 “οἷ μ᾽ ἀτιμίας ἄγεις”. So ἐνταῦθ᾽ ἀφικόμην κακοῦ, Aesch. Cho. 691, but the demonstrative form is generally εἰς τοῦτο or τοσοῦτο: cf. Dem. 18. 22 εἰς τοῦθ᾽ ἧκεν ἀναιδείας. The clause introduced by οἷ is epexegetic of τὸ πρᾶγμα. ὅς, quippe qui, introducing a clause of causal character. οὐχ οἷός ἐστι, ‘is not the man to’: the use of the infinitive after a relative is curious, though it is common in the case of οἷος and ὅσος; it may perhaps have had its origin in the construction of τοιοῦτος (τοσοῦτος) ὥστε. προσπεριβάλλεται, ‘is striving further to acquire.’ The metaphor was either from putting on a robe or from surrounding a quarry in the chase (cf. Dem. 304. 25 τὰ λοιπὰ περιβαλλόμενος): the latter view is supported by περιστοιχίζεται. καθημένους, ‘sitting idle’; cf. Dem. 25. 10 τὰ δ᾽ ὑμέτερ᾽ αὐτῶν ἀπολωλεκότες καθῆσθε.
ἐπειδὰν τί γένηται; Greek freely employs interrogatives in subordinate clauses and with participles. So ἵνα τί; (sc. γένηται) ‘with what object?’ τί μαθών; ‘on the ground of what knowledge?’ νὴ Δία, frequently used, as here, in phrases put in the mouth of an imaginary interlocutor. ἀνάγκη, sc. γένηται. The best MS. authority favours ἀνάγκη ᾖ, but the hiatus seems too harsh for Demosthenes, and we are left to choose between omitting ᾖ (which may have arisen (1) from accidental duplication of the last letter of ἀνάγκη or (2) from deliberate insertion by a copyist who desiderated a complete construction) and reading ἀνάγκη τις ᾖ with inferior MSS. νῦν, ‘as things are,’ with χρή, rather than with γιγνόμενα. ὑπὲρ is omitted by Blass, in which case τῶν πραγμάτων is objective genitive, representing accusative after αἰσχύνεσθαι ‘to be ashamed at,’ as in Dem. 1. 27. The thought is repeated in much the same form in 8. 51. εἰπέ μοι, a ‘petrified’ phrase, used not infrequently in addressing a plurality of persons: cf. Dem. 8. 74. αὑτῶν, for ἀλλήλων, as fairly often; cf. Phil. 3. 21 ἀπίστως καὶ στασιαστικῶς ἔχουσι πρὸς αὑτοὺς οἱ Ἕλληνες. For its use in reference to the second person, cf. Aeschines 3. 163 βούλει σε θῶ φοβηθῆναι καὶ χρήσασθαι τῷ αὑτοῦ τρόπῳ. The orator is girding at the well-known curiosity of his countrymen, mentioned frequently in their literature, and in Acts 17. 21. γένοιτ᾽ ἄν. The question is pointed by the abruptness of asyndeton. διοικῶν, referring especially to Philip's intervention in the Sacred War.
οὐ μὰ Δἴ, ἀλλ᾽ ἀσθενεῖ is the reply of a second imaginary Athenian. Each is seeking an excuse for putting off action. τὶ πάθῃ, euphemistically for ἀποθάνῃ, as commonly. οὐδὲ ... οὖτος , ‘not the present Philip either’ (any more than his possible successor). παρά, in a causal sense, ‘by reason of’ (vulgarly ‘along of’), as in Dem. 18. 232 παρὰ τοῦτο γέγονεν τὰ τῶν Ἑλλήνων.
καὶ τοῦτο, sc. ἐστί, ‘there is also this fact’: τοῦτο is explained by the whole of the following sentence. Some prefer to render ‘suppose even this to be the case’; but it is not easy to arrive at this sense. βέλτιον, sc. ἡμῶν ἐπιμελεῖται. When a verb serves as predicate to more than one subject, it frequently agrees with the nearest subject only. This occurs sometimes even when the subjects are, as here, not co-ordinate; cf. Thuc. 1. 82 ὅσοι ὥσπερ καὶ ἡμεῖς ὑπ᾽ Ἀθηναίων ἐπιβουλευόμεθα (sc. ἐπιβουλεύονται). For the thought, cf. Aristoph. Clouds 587 sqq., and compare the modern Briton's pride in ‘muddling through’ difficulties in public affairs. ὄντες, equivalent to εἰ εἴητε, antithetic, verbally to ὡς νῦν ἔχετε, and in sense to ἀπηρτημένοι. ἐπιστάντες, as well as διοικήσαισθε, is modified by the ἄν; the sense is that of ἐπισταῖτε καὶ διοικ. Render ‘intervening’ as in Isocr. 167 D ἐξαίφνης ἐπιστὰς τοῖς γιγνομένοις. In this sense the word connotes suddenness or unexpectedness. ὅπως βούλεσθε. We might rather expect βούλοισθε, as it seems more natural in this case that the speaker should conceive the wish as part of the imaginary conjuncture. δέξασθαι, as denoting mere passive acceptance, gives a stronger force to the assertion than λαβεῖν. Amphipolis is selected as the most important and most deeply regretted of former Athenian possessions in that quarter. ἀπηρτημένοι, sc. τῶν πραγμάτων (Liddell and Scott appear to supply ἀλλήλων, with which it is impossible to give a proper sense to ταῖς παρασκευαῖς), ‘far removed as you are from the field of action.’ Cf. Dem. 18. 59 ἀπαρτᾶν τὸν λόγον τῆς γραφῆς. Those who would give the word a different sense fail to produce any parallel from Attic prose.
§ 13-15 I will now proceed to explain the size and character of the force which I think is needed to oppose Philip, and the best method of providing funds (13). But first I must ask you to suspend judgment till you have heard all, and not to charge me with a dilatory policy. It is not so necessary to insist on haste as to lay down a clear line of action which will enable us to hold on till the end. Of my success in so doing you shall judge for yourselves (14, 15). ὡς μὲν οὖν κ.τ.ἑ. The clause belongs both to the genitives absolute and to λέγων. The somewhat intricate order is partly due, as Weil observes, to the desire to emphasise ὲτοίμως. Construe ὡς δεῖ ἅπαντας ὑπάρχειν ἐθέλοντας ποιεῖν ἑτοίμως τὰ προσήκοντα. τὸ πλῆθος, because the principal idea in παρασκευὴ is that of troops. After ὅσον and οὕστινας we may supply ἀπαλλάξαι...οἴομαι again. Why is not the article used with πόρους? ὡς ἄν μοι δοκεῖ παρασκευασθῆναι . ἂν belongs to the infinitive, which represents an optative in oratio recta. καὶ δή, ‘straightway,’ an emphasised form (just as ἤδη is) of δή, the original meaning of which was temporal. Again in Dem. 5. 9. δεηθείς. The time-significance of the aorist participle is prominent—‘when I have first requested.’ τοσοῦτον, ‘only so much.’
κρίνατε, the aorist of the definite act, whereas προλαμβάνετε refers to the continual intrusion of prejudice. πρότερον is pleonastic. The asyndeton gives weight. ἐξ ἀρχῆς should be taken with καινήν, ‘an armament of a radically new character,’ which for that reason might be expected to require lengthy preparation. ἀναβάλλειν, ‘to delay,’ oftener in the middle voice. A distinction has been drawn on the ground that the active has a causal force, ‘to hinder others,’ but is hardly borne out by the examples. ταχὺ and τήμερον are of course quoted from supposed speakers, and serve as objects to εἰπόντες. εἰς δέον, ‘to the purpose,’ as inf. § 40 and elsewhere. τῇ νυνὶ βοηθείᾳ, ‘by despatching levies now.’ The force of the article is rather obscure: perhaps ‘the levy implied by those who cry ταχύ.’ βοήθεια, a mere expedition, is contrasted with παρασκευὴ συνεχὴς in § 32.
ὃς ἂν δείξῃ, sc. εἰς δέον λέγει, or perhaps rather λέξει in view of what follows. As the sentence proceeds, the thought slips insensibly from the general to the particular. Take πόση and πόθεν as well as τίς (direct interrogatives for indirect, as often) with πορισθεῖσα; the three points are those noted above in § 13 τίς : τρόπος :: πόση : πλῆθος :: πόθεν : πόρους χρημάτων. Demosthenes seems to underrate Philip's powers of resistance. ἕως. Blass reads τέως with some MS. support. But the use of τέως as a relative is not proved. τοῦ λοιποῦ, gen. of ‘time within which,’ most frequently dependent on an adverb, as here on οὐκέτι, but also in direct connexion with a verb. μὴ not οὐ, because the participle is to be construed with the infinitive λέγειν (not ἔχειν, which, being simply reported, would require οὐ). ἐπαγγέλλεται, ‘volunteers,’ regularly of a spontaneous offer or promise. τὸ πρᾶγμα, i.e. my fulfilment of my promise, the detailed proposals which follow.
§ 16-18 We must have in readiness a fleet of 50 triremes, with transports for 500 cavalry and all needful cargo-boats, and we must be ready to embark ourselves (16). This will enable us to check Philip's frequent expeditions. We must make him understand that Athens can still rouse herself on occasion (17). Either this knowledge will keep him from aggressive acts, or we shall be able to catch him off his guard (18). πεντήκοντα. The whole fleet at the disposal of Athens was reckoned by Demosthenes (14. 13 and elsewhere, in 354 B.C.) at 300. But the present suggestion refers only to ships to be actually ready for immediate service and manned wholly by citizens. εἶτα without δὲ after πρῶτον μέν; δὲ is inserted or omitted indifferently in such cases after εἶτα and, as in § 3, after ἔπειτα. αὐτοὺς first suggests the necessity for personal activity, which is enforced and defined in αὐτοῖς ἐμβᾶσιν. The following phrase is an amplification of ἐγνωκέναι ὅτι πλευστέον ἐστίν. Do not however take ὡς as equivalent to ὅτι and supply ἐστί: the οὕτω shews that ὡς is to be taken as its correlative, and with πλευστέον we must supply ὄν (acc. absol.). The phrase is of a fairly common type; cf. Thuc. VII.15 ὡς καὶ τῶν στρατιωτῶν καὶ τῶν ἡγεμόνων μὴ μεμπτῶν γεγενημένων, οὕτω τὴν γνώμην ἔχετε, Plato, Rep. 327 C ὡς τοίνυν μὴ ἀκουσομένων οὕτως διανοεῖσθε. τοῖς ἡμίσεσι, assimilated in gender and number to the substantive which depends on it: cf. ὁ ἥμισυς τοῦ χρόνου (Dem. 20. 8), αἱ ἡμίσειαι τῶν νεῶν (Thuc. VIII.8): also the neuter is used as in Thuc. IV.83 τὸ ἥμισυ τοῦ στράτου. The total of the knights being normally 1000, the number meant here is 500. Inscriptions prove beyond doubt that triremes were used for the transport of horses. πλοῖα, ‘tenders’ for the transport of provisions &c.
ἐπί, ‘to meet.’ τὰς ... στρατείας . Note (1) that the demonstrative pronoun ταύτας is inserted between the article and its substantive: this, though contrary to the usual rule, may be done when a word or phrase attributive to the substantive follows the article and precedes the demonstrative (if another attribute follows the demonstrative, as here, the article is not repeated); cf. § 19 τὰς ἐπιστολιμαίους ταύτας δυνάμεις: and (2) that the words εἰς Πύλας κ.τ.ἑ. which are attributive to στρατείας have not the article repeated before them though they follow the substantive: this is admissible (a) when the words following the substantive are so closely connected with words preceding it that they form practically a single attribute, and (b) when the substantive has a distinctly verbal character and the attribute is adverbial in form. αὐτοῦ, i.e. Φιλίππου, with στρατείας. The allusions are to Philip's operations in 352—351 B.C.: see Introd. §§ 6, 9. παραστῆσαι, ‘to put a thing beside,’ and so ‘before’ a person; hence ‘to suggest’ a thought. The inferior MSS. have παραστῆναι, ‘this thought must enter his mind.’ εἰς Εὔβοιαν, sc. ὡρμήσατε, alluding to the successful expedition under Timotheus in 357 B.C. εἰς Ἁλίαρτον, sc. ὑμᾶς ὁρμῆσαι (or φασὶν may be placed between commas and treated as parenthetic), in reference to the assistance given by Athens to Thebes in 395, when the latter, with Argive and Corinthian allies, defeated Lysander. φασὶν, because the occurrence was of too remote a date to be treated as a matter of common knowledge. εἰς Πύλας, in 352 B.C.; see Introd. § 6.
οὔτοι παντελῶς...εὐκαταφρόνητόν ἐστιν, sc. τὸ τοῦτο παραστῆσαι αὐτῷ: ποιήσαιτ᾽ ἂν τοῦτο, i.e. ὁρμήσαιτ᾽ ἄν. It is no contemptible gain to inspire Philip with this fear, even if you would not actually (if occasion required) carry out my suggestion. The expression is, however, decidedly obscure, and the opinion of commentators as to the exact meaning is far from harmonious. The use of the optative with ἂν in the protasis of a conditional sentence is rare: it can only occur when the condition itself is regarded as contingent upon some further condition: it is here equivalent to εἰ οὕτω διακεῖσθε ὥστε οὐκ ἂν ποιήσαιτε (sc. εἰ δέοι). The selection of this form is probably due to the influence of ἂν ὁρμήσαιτε, the sense of which is here repeated. Cf. Dem. 24. 154 οὐδὲ σπέρμα δεῖ καταβάλλειν, οὐδ᾽ εἰ μή πω ἂν ἐκφύοι, ‘even if (supposing you did so) it would not grow yet’ (Goodwin, M.T. 506—7). It is certainly best to understand the sentence as a parenthesis, as the following ἵνα-clause depends most satisfactorily on δεῖ... παραστῆσαι. εὐτρεπεῖς, sc. ὄντας; the participle is not often omitted after verbs of knowing and perceiving, but cf. inf. § 41 ἂν ἐν Χερρονήσῳ πύθησθε Φίλιππον. παριδών, ‘overlooking,’ looking past, instead of at a thing, somewhat like περιιδεῖν. μηδενός, neuter; not οὐδενός, because of the dependence on ἵνα and the conditional character of the whole sentence. ἂν ἐνδῷ καιρόν, ‘if he offers us a chance’; so Aristoph. Knights 847 “λαβὴν γὰρ ἐνδέδωκας”. The inferior MSS. give καιρός, ‘if opportunity allows.’
§ 19-22 Before we prepare the force I have mentioned, we must establish an offensive force to maintain the war continuously. It must not be a mere paper army of mercenaries, but must contain citizens (19). I will go into detail. Only do not make your usual mistake of passing decrees on a vast scale and leaving them wholly inoperative: better to make small plans and carry them out (20). I suggest a force of 2000 footmen and 200 horse, of whom a quarter must be citizens (21); also ten ships of war. I will explain why that will suffice (22). δεδόχθαι...παρεσκευάσθαι. The resolution must be maintained and the preparations kept up: that is the force of the perfect. πρὸ δὲ τούτων, in spite of the πρῶτον in § 16. The latter refers to order of importance, the present words to priority in immediate urgency. συνεχῶς, cf. § 32 παρασκευῇ συνεχεῖ. The orator insists on this point, because the usual method of conducting warfare in Greece was simply to despatch troops (βοήθειαι) for a particular purpose and allow them to return on the completion of the immediate operations. μή μοι, supply a transitive imperative (e.g. εἴπητε or εἰπάτω τις) to govern the accusative; cf. Aristoph. Ach. 345 “μή μοι πρόφασιν”. ἐπιστολιμαίους, ‘paper armies,’ properly ‘existing (only) in letters or despatches to our allies or to our generals.’ For the order of the words see on § 17. τῆς πόλεως ἔσται, ‘shall really belong to the city’ in contrast with the armies of mercenaries, which easily got out of control and sought their own profit more readily than that of their employers: see § 24. κἂν ὑμεῖς. The καὶ is needed both as a copula to connect πείσεται with ἔσται, and with ἂν to balance the following clauses (κἂν being equivalent to ἐάν τε). We may say then that the first κἂν stands for καὶ κἄν, which is avoided for euphony.
καθ᾽ ἕκαστον τούτων, for ταῦτα καθ᾽ ἕκαστον or ἕκαστον τούτων. It is common to find καθ᾽ ἕκαστον thus treated as a single word and serving as object to a verb. Similarly in Phil. 3. 22 καθ᾽ ἕν̓ οὑτωσὶ περικόπτειν καὶ λωποδυτεῖν τῶν Ἑλλήνων. The promise made in χωρὶς is not strictly fulfilled, as the answers to τίς and πόση are combined in §§ 21, 22; πῶς ἐθελήσει is dealt with in §§ 24—27, and the matter of τροφὴ in §§ 28, 29. ξένους μὲν λέγω. We may suppose that the sentence was intended to proceed πεντακοσίους καὶ χιλίους, πολίτας δὲ πεντακοσίους; but the speaker interrupts himself to insert a parenthesis forestalling objections based on the smallness of the force suggested, and does not resume the construction. The ξένοι are mentioned first as connecting this sentence with what precedes—‘I do propose mercenaries’ (though what I have just said might lead you to think otherwise). ποιήσετε. All the manuscripts here give the subjunctive ποιήσητε; but editors are for the most part agreed that the future indic. is necessary. See Goodwin, M.T. 283. On the whole the best view seems to be that the subjunctive in independent clauses introduced by ὅπως μὴ is admissible, if at all, only when the sense to be given is that of cautious assertion or fear, not, as here, of exhortation. Note that in positive independent clauses introduced by ὅπως the subjunctive is never found. πάντ᾽ ἐλάττω, with asyndeton, as fairly often in explanatory sentences. ἐπὶ τῷ πράττειν, ‘when it comes to action’; ἐπὶ has its local significance. ἐλάττω, sc. τοῦ δέοντος. With φαίνηται supply ὄντα, not εἶναι (‘proves’ not ‘seems’).
τοὺς πάντας, ‘in all.’ ἧς ἄν τινος, for ἥστινος ἄν, forming with the subjunctive a conditional relative clause. ἡλικίας, see on § 7. The lists of citizens kept for military purposes were identical with the lists made annually of youths admitted to citizenship in each deme at the age of 18. Each year was kept separate under the name of its ἄρχων ἐπώνυμος, and when troops were required it was usual to call out certain years (e.g. Dem. 3. 4 τοὺς μέχρι πέντε καὶ τετταράκοντ᾽ ἐτῶν), though sometimes given years were only called out in part. The first three Solonian classes served as hoplites, the Thetes as light troops. τακτόν, instead of the usual practice in βοήθειαι. ἀλλήλοις, as διαδέχεσθαι ‘to succeed’ is followed by a dative. ἱππέας, governed by λέγω, as are ἱππαγωγοὺς and τριήρεις. τοὐλάχιστον, ‘at least,’ adverbial, as frequently. ὥσπερ, correlative to τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον, i.e. χρόνον τακτὸν ἐκ διαδοχῆς.
ταχείας, i.e. fighting vessels, distinguished by this epithet from the transports which might also (see § 16) be τριήρεις. They are to convoy the latter. The transports, except the ἱππαγωγοί, are not mentioned, but their necessity is assumed. Philip's fleet was of recent origin and not powerful, but the exploits of his cruisers had already caused some alarm: see § 34. τηλικαύτην, ‘only so large,’ ‘so small.’ τοὺς στρατευομένους ought to include the whole force. Either Demosthenes is speaking very loosely, or the MSS. are wrong and we should read τοὺς στρατευσομένους (the article being used idiomatically, as in § 23 τὴν παραταξομένην) or συστρατευομένους (without τούς).
§ 23-24 I think this force sufficient because for the present we cannot meet Philip in regular warfare but must content ourselves with harassing him (23). And citizens must serve, because in the past mixed forces of citizens and mercenaries have done good service, whereas now that mercenaries are employed alone they devote their attention to their own interests (24). τοσάυτην takes its construction from the preceding sentence (sc. ἀποχρῆν οἶμαι). τὴν used, as frequently, with the future participle expressing purpose, where definiteness seems to us to be out of the question. The idiom seems to be due originally to the speaker's having a definite conception of what is required to fulfil the purpose. Cf. Xen. An. II. 4. 5 ὁ ἡγησόμενος οὐδεὶς ἔσται. παραταξομένην, of regular fighting, or pitched battles; so παράταξις in Phil. III. 49. λῃστεύειν, ‘make forays,’ like pirates by sea or freebooters on land; so λῃστεία of guerilla warfare in Thuc. IV.41, VIII. 40. τὴν πρώτην, indistinguishable from τὸ πρῶτον in meaning. There is ellipse of some feminine substantive which cannot be recovered, as in many similar phrases, e.g. τὴν ταχίστην, διὰ κενῆς, ἀπὸ τῆς ἴσης.
τρέφειν, infinitive of the imperfect=ὅτι ἔτρεφε; so also συστρατεύεσθαι. The allusion is to the ‘Corinthian’ war of 394 to 387 B.C. Polystratus is only otherwise known as having received a public honour on the request of Iphicrates (Dem. 20. 84). Iphicrates was one of the most distinguished of Athenian generals and a man of original talent. He dealt the first blow to the traditional supremacy of heavy-armed troops by organising a force of mercenaries with an equipment intermediate between that of hoplites and that of peltasts; and with his light troops in 390 B.C. he cut to pieces a Lacedaemonian μόρα (600 hoplites), an exploit loudly applauded by his countrymen. Chabrias superseded Iphicrates as Athenian general in the Corinthian war, but was more famous for his defeat of the Lacedaemonian fleet at Naxos in 376. He was killed in the siege of Chios (357 B.C.). ἀκούων, ‘by hearsay’; the sense does not allow us to regard the participle as taking the place of an object-clause. ἐνίκων may refer only to the defeat of the μόρα, as the imperfect of νικᾶν is often used of a single battle where we might have expected the aorist. ὑμῖν. The dative (of persons) is frequently used where a possessive genitive would stand and give almost the same sense. The difference is that the dative brings the person into relation with the verb instead of with the substantive—‘you have your mercenaries serving.’ τοὺς φίλους. Isocrates, speaking in 356 B.C. (8. 46), makes the same complaint. Such bodies of mercenaries used to plunder friendly territory as readily as hostile. ἐχθροὶ makes the hostility of Macedon a more fundamental matter than πολέμιοι, which simply implies the existence of war at the moment. παρακύψαντα, ‘after a mere glance.’ The word is almost confined to comedy (especially of peeping through a window), and suits the satirical character of the passage. πρὸς Ἀρτάβαζον, referring to Chares, who, when despatched by Athens against the rebellious allies in 356 B.C., enrolled himself and his mercenaries under A., then in rebellion against Artaxerxes, in order to secure pay, which Athens did not provide with regularity. It was perhaps the importance of Chares to Athens which led Demosthenes to throw the blame more on the men than on their commander in this passage. μᾶλλον, sc. ἢ πρὸς τὸν τῆς πόλεως πόλεμον. εἰκότως is frequently placed at the end of a sentence when a sentence in explanation of it follows.
§ 25-27 You must provide pay for your mercenaries and send citizens with them to see that they do their duty. At present you say you are at war with Philip (25), but of your elected military officers only one goes to the front, while the rest are busy with ceremonies at home (26). Your principal officers in the field ought all to be Athenians (27). πορίσαντας and παρακαταστήσαντας are participles indicating the means by which the action of the verb (ἀφελεῖν) to which they are attached is to be brought about. οἰκείους, ‘of your own,’ i.e., as the preceding context determines, ‘of your own number.’ ἐπόπτας, ‘overseers,’ the word is used in a sense derived immediately from its most literal meaning, and without reference to its technical use in connexion with the Eleusinian mysteries. γέλως, ‘ridiculous’ (γελοῖον). Cf. Dem. 19. 332 κομιδῇ γέλως ἐστὶ κατηγορεῖν ἐκείνου τοῦτον. οὐχ ἡμεῖς γε, ‘not we.’ The primary function of γὲ is to emphasise ἡμεῖς: at the same time γὲ is regularly employed in a reply in which something is supplied from the words of the previous speaker (as here εἰρήνην ἄγομεν) to complete the construction. War had been going on more or less since 357 B.C.
ἐχειροτονεῖτε. The tense is curious; either it ‘implies a retrospect over the whole duration of the war’ (Sandys) or the imperfect of ‘narrative giving place to description,’ as Rutherford expresses it. For the latter, cf. Dem. 19. 25 εἶτα τότ᾽ οὐκ ἔλεγες παραχρῆμα ταῦτ̓ οὐδ̓ ἐδίδασκες ἡμᾶς. Neither seems to me satisfactory, and I suspect that Demosthenes really used the present. Military officers at Athens, unlike most officials, were appointed by election, not by lot. There was one ταξίαρχος (infantry) and one φύλαρχος (cavalry) for each tribe. The supervision of the στρατηγοὶ and (for cavalry) the ἵππαρχοι was in earlier times exercised jointly, but recently separate provinces had been assigned to the several στρατηγοί, so that here we find one only in charge of the war. πέμπουσι, ‘marshal’; the play on words between this and ἐκπέμψητε is obvious enough. ἱεροποιῶν, a board appointed by lot to supervise the quadrennial festivals (except the Panathenaea); see Aristotle, Ἀθ. Πολ. 54. 6. The ἵππαρχοι were in charge of the cavalry who took part in the Panathenaic procession, as shewn on the frieze of the Parthenon. Probably the hoplites who also marched in that procession were similarly under the direction of their own officers. A ceremonial inscription of 340 B.C. associates the generals and taxiarchs with the ἱεροποιοί. τοὺς πηλίνους, sc. ἀνθρώπους or ἀνδρίαντας or, less probably, ταξιάρχους καὶ φυλάρχους; referring to the terra-cotta figurines of which so many have been discovered in recent years. εἰς τὴν ἀγοράν, i.e. in the case of the figures, for sale, in the case of the officers, for mere display on ceremonial occasions, the ἀγορὰ being the principal scene of these pageants.
ἐχρῆν, like προσῆκεν, ἔδει, of an obligation in present time not fulfilled. ἵππαρχον, singular, in the view of most authorities, because one of the two ἵππαρχοι necessarily remained at Athens to take part in ceremonies. But (1) it is not clear that this was the case; on the contrary it is probable à priori that in the case of important campaigns both hipparchs would serve abroad, each commanding his five tribes; (2) even if that was the case, the singular is not necessary, as the plural might quite naturally be used of successive officers, and (3) all MSS. except S give the plural. (Voemel's contention that the plural would require the article is untenable.) ἄρχοντας resumes ταξιάρχους and ἱππάρχους under a more general term, οἰκείους (used predicatively) being parallel to and practically synonymous with παρ᾽ ὑμῶν. This seems better than to take ἄρχ. οἰκ. in apposition to the preceding substantives. ἵν᾽ ἦν. In final clauses introduced by ἵνα, ὅπως, or ὡς a past tense of the indicative is regularly used when the main clause contains a past indicative expressing what is not the case (an unfulfilled wish, the protasis or the apodosis of a conditional sentence): sometimes also when the main verb is not a past indicative but the significance is of a similar character (e.g. Eur. Hec. 814 “τί...πειθὼ... οὐδὲν...σπουδάζομεν...μανθάνειν, ἵν᾽ ἦν ποτε πείθειν ἅ τις βούλοιτο”, where τί οὐδὲν σπουδάζομεν is nearly equivalent in meaning to ἐχρῆν σπουδάζειν). ὡς ἀληθῶς: so ὡς ἑτέρως, ὡσαύτως; so far as meaning goes, the ὡς may be ignored. Three explanations of the origin of this idiom have been suggested: (1) ὡς is exclamatory; (2) ὡς is relative with an ellipse ὡς ἂν ἀληθῶς ἔχοι or εἴποι τις; (3) ὡς is a survival of a declension of the article without τ, agreeing with ἀληθῶς, it being probable that adverbs in -ῶς were originally cases of adjectives. The last explanation is probably the best. The suggestion clearly implied here, though Demosthenes refrains from making a definite proposal, is that all the superior officers of forces employed by Athens should be appointed by the state. We infer that at present the στρατηγὸς in charge of operations organised his command according to his own pleasure. εἰς Λῆμνον. This hipparch is distinct from the two regular officers mentioned above. He was a comparatively unimportant officer who commanded a cavalry corps stationed in that island (Aristotle, Ἀθ. Πολ. 61. 6). Μενέλαον, reasonably identified with a certain Pelagonian from Upper Macedonia, who assisted Timotheus in his campaigns. ἱππαρχεῖν, not in its special sense, but simply ‘to be in command of the cavalry.’ τὸν ἄνδρα. The accusative and the dative seem to be used indifferently after μέμφομαι of the person blamed. ὅστις ἂν ᾖ, after ἔδει, where one might expect ὅστις εἴη. The form appropriate to primary sequence is preferred because the significance of the sentence is that of a general statement in present time.
§ 28-29 Now for the financial question. This force will require an annual expenditure of ninety odd talents, allowing no pay beyond mere rations for the men (28). They will be able to obtain from their campaign sufficient to render further pay unnecessary: I am ready to guarantee this (29). καὶ περαίνω. The καὶ marks the parallel between the desire of the audience and the procedure of the speaker—ὥσπερ ποθεῖτ᾽ ἀκοῦσαι, οὕτω καὶ περαίνω. The present is used, as often, of an intention to be fulfilled immediately. δὴ simply emphasises the demonstrative. χρήματα, nominative used absolutely; or perhaps rather with τροφὴ in apposition, the latter word determining the construction of the sentence. ἔστιν, ‘amounts to,’ more usually γίγνεται. τροφὴ properly includes σιτηρέσιον (rations) and μισθός; here it is explicitly confined to the former, and the soldiers are expected to find their own pay in the shape of plunder: a somewhat dangerous plan, in spite of Demosthenes' readiness to guarantee that only hostile territory will be plundered. μὲν marks the first of the two topics (τροφὴ and μισθός), the latter being dealt with in § 29. πρός, adverbial, ‘in addition,’ ‘over,’ as often. The μικρόν τι is exactly two talents, as may be seen by adding together the following totals, which of course give the annual expenditure. The amount is calculated on the basis of 2 obols a head per diem; the horseman receives more (a drachma per diem) in consideration of the feed of his horse. τοσαῦθ᾽ ἕτερα, ‘the same amount’ (40 talents): the same words are sometimes used also with the meaning ‘twice as much.’
ἀφορμήν, ‘provision’ (not as Liddell and Scott). The construction is either (1) εἴ τις οἴεται (τὸ) σιτηρέσιον ὑπάρχειν (εἶναι) μικρὰν ἀφ., ‘that the supplying of rations only is but a small provision,’ or (2) εἴ τις οἴεται σιτηρέσιον ὑπάρχειν μικρὰν ἀφ., ‘that rations are but a small provision.’ (1) is preferable, as with (2) it is difficult to find a reason for the choice of ὑπάρχειν in preference to εἶναι. τοῦτο, the provision of rations. προσποριεῖται, ‘will provide for itself in addition.’ The best MSS. give the active, which may be defended on the ground that such ‘provision’ is in effect for the state, inasmuch as the state is thereby relieved of the necessity for finding μισθός. ἕτοιμος without εἰμί, a form of expression which is curiously frequent (of course εἰμὶ is freely omitted when ἐγὼ is present). πόθεν. Some place a comma only after γενέσθαι, regarding πόθεν as used here for ὁπόθεν (cf. § 15). The doubt is one which often arises, and which can only be solved by considering whether the direct or indirect question better suits the passage in hand. Perhaps the safest way is to treat the question as independent wherever possible. It is unfortunate that the financial proposals have not been preserved. Dionysius of Halicarnassus makes the speech end here and treats the following sections as a separate speech. His view is completely refuted by the absence of any peroration for the first speech or exordium for the second. Also he provides no antecedent for ταῦτα in the next sentence, leaving it meaningless. Without entering into the origin of his mistake, it is enough to say here that the great majority of scholars have maintained the unity of the whole speech as we have it.
Such are my proposals, for which I hope you will vote. ἡμεῖς includes friends or public officials, or both: it is noted that Demosthenes never uses the plural of himself alone. ἐπιχειροτονῆτε, ‘you put to the vote,’ attributing to the ἐκκλησία what is properly the act of its officer, the ἐπιστάτης. For this reason, and because the aorist is the regular tense after ἐπειδὴ and ἐπειδάν, I am inclined to follow Tournier in reading ἐπιχειροτονήσῃ (sc. ὁ ἐπιστάτης). The force of ἐπὶ is to give a transitive sense to an intransitive verb, as in ἐπαληθεύειν. There is no sound support for Liddell and Scott's rendering ‘sanction by vote’: also τὰς γνώμας means ‘all the proposals before you,’ i.e. my own and others which may be made; and they cannot all be sanctioned. The MSS. all support ἃν (ἃ ἂν) ὑμῖν ἀρέσκῃ; but the necessity of Dobree's emendation is shewn by the following final clause. The object of χειροτονήσετε must be τὴν ἐμὴν γνώμην, as Demosthenes would not admit the same purpose in a vote given for another proposal which might be of a very different character. ἐν ταῖς ἐπιστολαῖς. Cf. Livy XXXI. 44 Athenienses quidem litteris verbisque, quibus solis valent, bellum adversus Philippum (i.e. Philip V.) gerebant.
§ 31-32 Consider the geography of the Aegean. Philip undertakes enterprises in the North at seasons when natural causes prevent our moving thither (31). We must therefore have a permanent force in the North to reach him easily (32). τὸν τόπον, ‘the geographical position.’ πνεύμασιν and ὥραις are instrumental with προλαμβάνων. ‘Philip generally effects his object by making use of the winds and the seasons to get the start of you.’ The following clause coupled to this by καὶ (almost=‘that is’) gives the same sense in a more definite form. φυλάξας, ‘watching (and waiting) for’ (like τηρεῖν in Thuc. III.22 and elsewhere). Cf. Antiphon 145. 48. τοὺς ἐτησίας, sc. ἀνέμους, ‘the annual winds’ or ‘trade-winds’ which blew from the North over the Aegean from the end of July to the end of September, and would therefore impede the Athenians in any attempt to reach Macedonia or their possessions near Macedonia. In winter the use of ships, and indeed almost any warlike operation, was practically suspended in Greece. ἂν, with δυναίμεθα, a condition (e.g. εἰ δέοι) being implied. (See on § 18 εἰ μὴ ποιήσαιτ᾽ ἄν.) The negative is μὴ because of the idea of purpose in the clause: in a relative clause expressing purpose, as in many other cases, the optative with ἂν is almost equivalent to the future indicative.
βοηθείαις, see on § 19 for the contrast between this and the συνεχὴς (permanent) παρασκευή. Παρασκευή and δύναμις are partial synonyms denoting the same thing, but with different connotations: the army is a παρασκευή in relation to Athens, a δύναμις in regard of its operations. χειμαδίῳ. Of the datives, Λήμνῳ and the following are objects of χρῆσθαι, χειμαδίῳ is predicative, in apposition to them, and τῇ δυνάμει is dativus commodi: χειμαδίῳ, singular, because only one of the places mentioned would actually be used (καὶ is frequently employed in Greek where we should prefer a disjunctive form). The islands mentioned were given up by Athens at the end of the Peloponnesian War, but recovered before the peace of Antalcidas (387 B.C.). The other islands are e.g. Skiathos and Peparethos. τούτῳ, chosen in preference to ἐκείνῳ, because the region, though geographically ‘remote,’ is ‘near’ in discourse, as mention of it is implied in the mention of the three islands named. χρή, sc. ὑπάρχειν. τὴν ὥραν, ‘the seasonable period’ for sailing etc.; i.e. the summer: compare the use of ‘the season’ which is arising in English. πρός, ‘close to.’ The object is to make descents on the seaboard of Macedonia, and to harass the commerce of Philip's ports.
§ 33-34 If you establish such a force, leaving sufficient discretion to the commander (33), you will prevent Philip from plundering your allies on the sea and avoid any repetition of the recent aggressions of his fleet (34). ἅ, cognate accusative, used practically as an adverb; cf. Phil. 3. 74 τί χρήσεσθε (Θηβαίοις); notice that the relative is here put parallel with a direct (for indirect) interrogative, πότε. παρὰ τὸν καιρόν, ‘alongside of the right moment,’ so ‘when occasion arises.’ Cf. Dem. 18. 13 ταῖς ἐκ τῶν νόμων τιμωρίαις παρ᾽ αὐτὰ τάδικήματα χρῆσθαι. κύριος, predicative (the article belongs to the participle); ‘the man who is made responsible for this by you.’ γέγραφα, ‘have put down in my proposal.’ ἐντελῆ, best taken with τὴν δύναμιν (in apposition to the preceding accusatives), ‘the whole force in its entirety’: some prefer to regard it as agreeing with the preceding words, and make πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν the object of κατακλείσητε. For the infinitive after this verb in this sense cf. Andoc. 3. 7 χίλια τάλαντα...νόμῳ κατεκλείσαμεν ἐξαίρετα εἶναι τῷ δήμῳ. ταμίαι καὶ πορισταί, both are official designations, though not here used in their official sense. Most of the more important public offices at Athens had their special ταμίαι (treasurers); πορισταὶ seem only to have been appointed occasionally to raise extraordinary revenue. As πορισταὶ the Athenians are to raise the money required, as ταμίαι to keep control of it and disburse it as required. παύσεσθε begins the apodosis. λόγον ζητοῦντες, a less technical expression for the εὔθυναι. πλέον οὐδὲν ποιοῦντες, ‘attaining nothing’; the phrase is a causative counterpart to πλέον ἔχειν.
ἀπό, ‘with resources drawn from’: cf. Thuc. I.99 ηὔξετο τὸ ναυτικὸν ἀπὸ τῆς δαπάνης ἣν ἐκεῖνοι ξυμφέροιεν. ἄγων καὶ φέρων, ‘plundering,’ either with personal object (cf. Dem. 18. 230 ἀντὶ τοῦ τοὺς λῃστὰς ἡμᾶς φέρειν καὶ ἄγειν) or with accusative of the district ravaged. Originally ἄγειν was probably used of driving off cattle, φέρειν of removing portable property. ἔξω, ‘free from,’ ‘beyond the reach of.’ οὐχ ὥσπερ, a curious idiomatic construction, originating probably in ellipse. The history of the usage may be somewhat as follows:— in such a phrase as κακῶς πάσχω οὐχ ὥσπερ τὸ πρότερον ἔπασχον the second verb could easily be left to the understanding of the hearer. An ellipse arose in this way, and this ellipse not being distinctly realised the relative ὥσπερ might be provided with a construction giving the same sense, but not corresponding exactly to the main clause, e.g. κακῶς πάσχω οὐχ ὥσπερ τὸ πρότερον ηὐδαιμόνουν. This practice would then be extended, until, as we find often in classical Attic, οὐχ ὥσπερ could be used almost anywhere with a force which may be rendered by ‘whereas on the contrary.’ If we must supply a construction (which Demosthenes would not have been conscious of omitting) it would run somewhat like this— οὐκ (ἐν τῷ κακῶς πάσχειν) ὥσπερ (ἦτε) τὸν παρελθόντα χρόνον (ὅτε). Cf. Plato, Symp. 179 E ἐποίησαν τὸν θάνατον αὐτοῦ ὑπὸ γυναικῶν γενέσθαι, οὐχ ὥσπερ (=οὐ ποιοῦντες ὥσπερ ἐποίησαν ὅτε) Ἀχιλλέα... ἐτίμησαν. The events alluded to in the following words are not otherwise known, though Aeschines speaks (2. 72) of Philip as making efforts for Lemnos and Imbros before 353 B.C. The πολῖται would be citizens holding cleruchies in the islands. πλοῖα, evidently merchant-ships, probably corn-ships carrying cargoes to the Athenian market. τριήρη, the Paralos, which was apparently seized when touching at Marathon, as the sacred trireme regularly did on the way to Delos with the θεωρία. This vessel and the Salaminia were used for state purposes as despatch-boats and in particular for religious occasions. The asyndeton marks emotion, as does the rhythm (the words τὰ τελευταῖ（α)...χώρας form two anapaestic dimeters). εἰς, of future time; see on § 2.
§ 35-37 Your public festivals are punctually held. Why then are your expeditions always too late (35)? Because all arrangements for the former are properly made in good time, but in military matters there is no ready-made organisation: everything has to be done at the last moment, and the consequent delay involves failure (36). Procrastination means final loss of opportunity. Your existing troops are useless in an emergency. And to Philip can write contemplucuily of us as he does to the Euboean: (37). καίτοι with μέν. This method of bringing out an inconsistency by the coordination of clauses with μὲν and δὲ is very commonly employed: in most cases the corresponding English exhibits subordination of the μὲν-clause, which may be introduced by ‘though,’ ‘whereas,’ or ‘while.’ Παναθηναίων . τὰ μεγάλα Π. were held in the third year of each Olympiad, early in August; τὰ μικρὰ at the same season in each of the intervening years. Διονυσίων . τὰ μεγάλα Δ. were held yearly at the end of March, with the most important of the dramatic exhibitions; τὰ κατ᾽ ἀγροὺς in December; τὰ ἐν Λίμναις (more commonly known as τὰ Λήναια) in January. The Anthesteria, also held in honour of Dionysus, may be included. τοῦ καθήκοντος χρόνου. The genitive of time is used rather loosely; for indicating a date the dative is the usual form. δεινοί, ‘experts,’ contrasted with ἰδιῶται, ‘persons without special knowledge or experience’: both words are complementary to the predicate. οἱ ... ἐπιμελούμενοι , i.e. in the case of the Dionysia the ἄρχων ἐπώνυμος, in that of the Panathenaea the ten specially appointed ἀθλόθεται. Taking these words as subject, λάχωσι is used absolutely—‘are appointed by lot to be such.’ It seems quite needless to depart from the reading of S. οὐδ᾽ εἰς ἕνα, a more emphatic expression than εἰς οὐδένα. ὄχλον, colloquially ‘fuss.’ ἔχει, ‘bring with them’: as subject to this verb we may supply ἃ from εἰς ἅ; but note that when in English we have a relative clause containing two or more members in which the syntactic function of the relative is not the same, Greek idiom does not repeat the relative, but if for any reason it is desired to repeat the thing signified by the relative, the personal (or sometimes demonstrative) pronoun is used instead. Cf. Phil. III. 47 Λακεδαιμόνιοι, οἳ θαλάττης μὲν ἦρχον καὶ γῆς ἁπάσης...ὑφίστατο δ᾽ οὐδὲν αὐτούς. In reality such a member is an independent clause. Considering what we know of the elaborateness of some of the Athenian festivals, the statement in this sentence is probably little, if at all, exaggerated. For Philip's capture of the towns mentioned see Introd. §§ 5, 6. Potidaea is mentioned last as most important.
χορηγός. The χορηγία and γυμνασιαρχία belonged to the class of ἐγκύκλιοι (regular) λῃτουργίαι, distinguished from those which were only imposed as occasion required. They were discharged in rotation by members of the several tribes. The χορηγὸς had to bear the expense of providing and training choruses for the drama and for other choral competitions; the γυμνασίαρχος was responsible for the cost of athletic contests. τί λαβόντα (sc. ἕκαστον) τί δεῖ ποιεῖν. For two interrogatives in one clause cf. § 3; note that those interrogatives which are connected with the same verb are coupled by a copula. A striking effect of rapidity is obtained as we approach the climax of this part of the speech by the free use of asyndeton and by the multiplication of short coordinate clauses. ἀνεξέταστον and ἀόριστον are predicative. ἅμ᾽ ἀκηκόαμέν τι καί, ‘it is only when we have received news that.’ Coincidence in time is frequently expressed by means of coordinate clauses. τριηράρχους. These were appointed both in earlier and in later times in regular succession, whether their services were required at the time or not. It appears that before the time of this speech there had arisen (whether by deliberate change of policy or by mere laxity) a practice of leaving the appointment of trierarchs until it had been decided to employ ships on active service. If any citizen called upon to act as trierarch claimed that a wealthier citizen had been passed over he might demand that the latter should either undertake the duty in his place or exchange properties with him (ἀντίδοσις). The στρατηγοὶ were responsible for the appointment of trierarchs and for the supervision of ἀντιδόσεις. ποιούμεθα, ‘cause.’ τοὺς μετοίκους. Resident aliens at Athens were liable to military service, the wealthier as hoplites, the rest as seamen. Freedmen were politically in the same position as μέτοικοι, and were known as χωρὶς οἰκοῦντες because they no longer dwelt with their masters. αὐτοὺς πάλιν, sc. ἐμβαίνειν. ἀντεμβιβάζειν, ‘to put substitutes on board.’ These substitutes, it seems, would be either slaves or hirelings, provided by the citizens liable for service.
προαπώλετο, gnomic aorist. The reading of S is προαπόλωλε τὸ ἐφ᾽ ὃ ἂν, of the other MSS. προαπόλωλεν ἐφ᾽ ἃ ἂν. τῶν πραγμάτων, either subjective, ‘opportunities offered by events,’ or objective, ‘opportunities for action.’ εἰρωνείαν, ‘feigned incapacity’; cf. § 7. ἃς ... δυνάμεις , as usually, for αἱ δυνάμεις ἃς. The allusion is to the forces of mercenary soldiers spoken of in § 24. οἷαί τε, sc. οὖσαι, the regular participial construction with verbs of proving. εἰς τοῦθ᾽ ὕβρεως, see on § 9 οἷ ἀσελγείας. The letter here read was presumably addressed to one or more of the principal towns of Euboea, and its drift was probably to encourage anti-Athenian feelings and hopes.
§ 38-41 Philip's strictures are well deserved, and, though they may not be pleasant hearing, we must put up with what is unpleasant (38) and learn the lesson that wise policy aims at guiding events and not following them (39). Till now you have used your great resources like clumsy boxers, always guarding where the last blow fell instead of watching the next (40). Thus you allow Philip to direct all your movements. But now times are too critical for such dallying (41). οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ here answers μέν, and is much more strongly adversative than δὲ or μέντοι. The use seems to have been originally elliptical; note that the οὐ is not simply repeated by the following οὐχ. τὰ πράγματα, ‘the actual course of events.’ The sense is, ‘if we can prevent things from happening by not mentioning them.’ ἡ τῶν λόγων χάρις, ‘complaisance in language.’ ἀναβαλλομένους, see on § 14.
μηδὲ τοῦτο, ‘not even this simple lesson.’ οὐκ ἀκολουθεῖν. The negative belongs grammatically to the governing δεῖ; the infinitive would require μή. The construction is δεῖ τοὺς...χρωμένους οὐκ ἀκολουθεῖν...ἀλλ᾽...ἔμπροσθεν εἶναι...καὶ (δεῖ) τοὺς βουλευομένους (ἡγεῖσθαι) τῶν πραγμάτων, ὥσπερ κτλ. It is also possible to supply ἀξιοῦν from ἀξιώσειεν, making the supplied ἡγεῖσθαι depend on it (‘one ought to require counsellors to guide’): this however is not so suitable. τὸν στρατηγόν: we might have expected a plural corresponding to τῶν στρατευμάτων; but numbers are not infrequently interchanged in this way. The singular is here used with the universal force. ἐκείνοις refers to the subject (τοὺς βουλευομένους); it is preferred to σφίσιν or αὐτοῖς (1) for emphasis, (2) because the final clause is felt as dependent rather on δεῖ than on ἡγεῖσθαι; preferred to τούτοις, because ταῦτα is to follow. τὰ συμβάντα διώκειν, ‘to keep chasing events,’ i.e. to mould their policy according to the dictation of each event as it occurs.
εἰς δέον τι. Cf. § 14. οὐδὲν ἀπολείπετε ... πολεμεῖν , lit. ‘you leave out nothing so as to carry on war’; so ‘you conduct your warfare exactly as barbarians box.’ Cf. Plato Phaedo 69 D ὧν δὴ καὶ ἐγὼ...οὐδὲν ἀπέλιπον... γενέσθαι (not quite a certain example), Thuc. VII.70 βραχὺ γὰρ ἀπέλιπον ξυναμφότεραι διακόσιαι γενέσθαι. τῆς πληγῆς ἔχεται, ‘clings to the blow,’ i.e. ‘keeps his hands where the last blow fell.’ Note that in Attic prose πληγὴ is the substantive, as ἐπλήγην is the passive aorist and ἐπάταξα the active aorist regularly used to correspond to the present τύπτω in the sense of ‘to strike’ or ‘to wound.’ κἄν . καὶ is here the simple copula. ἐκεῖσε used pregnantly with εἰσίν; ‘go thither and are there’ (i.e. where the second blow has fallen): cf. a line quoted by Plutarch de garrulitate 513 E ὅπου τις ἀλγεῖ, κεῖσε καὶ τὴν χεῖρ᾽ ἔχει. προβάλλεσθαι, ‘to put before oneself for one's defence’: understand τὰς χεῖρας. So also in battle, with similar ellipse of τὴν ἀσπίδα. The infinitive after οἶδα or ἐπίσταμαι meaning ‘to know how’ is regular.
Φίλιππον, sc. ὄντα. συμπαραθεῖτε, ‘you run about at his heels.’ στρατηγεῖσθε, a bold exaggeration. The Athenians allow Philip to direct their movements as completely as if he were their own general. πρὸ τῶν πραγμάτων is pleonastic, the sense being more fully given in the clause πρὶν ἂν...πύθησθε. Note the alliteration. αὐτὴν τὴν ἀκμήν, ‘the very crisis.’ ἥκει, sc. ταῦτα. οὐκέτ᾽ ἐγχωρεῖ, ‘there is no longer room’ for such a weak policy.
§ 42-44 Perhaps Providence has made Philip so active in order to rouse you from your sloth (42). Is there not enough already to stir you? Are we to trust to luck and wait to be crushed (43)? Do not make difficulties. Active policy will find the way, but slackness is fatal (44). μηδὲν ἔπραττεν ἔτι, ‘he were meddling with no further projects.’ ἀποχρῆν (with ἄν), oblique after δοκεῖ, representing the imperfect indicative of the direct. The subject of ἀποχρῆν is to be gathered from the protasis, ‘such a state of things.’ ἐξ ὧν, ‘though in consequence of it.’ ὠφληκότες is used in different senses with its two objects, (1) ‘to incur,’ (2) ‘to incur the reproach of.’ Both are fairly common. The periphrastic pluperfect indicates the lasting result of the action, ‘we should be saddled with.’ τινί, neuter. τοῦ πλείονος, ‘more’ than he already has; not (as in πλέον ἔχειν) more than his neighbours. Cf. Thuc. IV.17 ἀεὶ τοῦ πλέονος ἐλπίδι ὀρέγονται. ἀπεγνώκατε, ‘have abandoned hope,’ used absolutely as in Dem. 3. 33. It is also found with an object, ‘to despair of.’
θαυμάζω with εἰ, ‘I wonder if,’ tends to acquire the meaning ‘I am surprised that,’ implying no doubt as to the fulfilment of the dependent clause. ἀλλὰ μὴν κ.τ.ἑ. This sentence cannot be in place where it stands; if it is to fit into its place, it must mean ‘but this is clearly what we now have to fight against’—δῆλον ὅτι κίνδυνός ἐστι μὴ κακῶς πάθωμεν: and οὐ στήσεται does not imply this with sufficient clearness. Any other interpretation however will break the connexion of the period; for in the next sentence τοῦτο must mean τὸ παθεῖν κακῶς ὑπὸ Φιλίππου. It seems best either to remove the sentence and place it at the beginning of the section (so Blass), or to read ὅτι τοῦτ᾽ ἔσται for ὅτι γ᾽ οὐ στήσεται. To suppose that τοῦτο in the next sentence means τὸ κωλύειν τιν᾽ αὐτόν is to ignore the fact that τις is here indefinite only in form and really means Athens. κενάς, ‘without men.’ παρὰ τοῦ δεῖνος, either (1) ‘derived from so-and-so,’ i.e. based on the promises of some politician, like τὰς ἀπὸ τοῦ βήματος ἐλπίδας in § 45, or (2) brachylogically ‘hopes of assistance from so-and-so,’ e.g. from some Thracian or Persian potentate. πάντ᾽ ἔχειν, ‘that you have all that you need.’ Cf. Arist. Birds, 1543 “ἥν γ᾽ ἢν σὺ παρ᾽ ἐκείνου παραλάβῃς, πάντ᾽ ἔχεις”.
μέρει γέ τινι. Either (1) ‘with a force consisting in part at least of citizen soldiers’ or (2) ‘with some part at least of our citizen army.’ The former is supported by the fact that the genitive has no article. ἤρετό τις, more graphic than the usual ἔροιτ᾽ ἄν τις. τὰ σαθρά, ‘the weak spots.’ A similar thought appears in an expanded form in Dem. 2. 21. οὐδέποτ᾽ οὐδὲν μὴ γένηται, simply a stronger form of οὐ μὴ γένηταί ποτέ τι, the sense being that of a strong denial in future time. In such cases either the οὐ or the μὴ or both may be compounded, and the οὐ (not the μὴ) may be repeated for greater emphasis, as here, provided that the uncompounded οὐ must not follow any of its compounds.
A citizen force carries with it the star of Athens; but these paper armies do harm only to our allies. ὅποι ... ἂν ... συναποσταλῇ must be taken together, οἶμαι being merely parenthetic. τὸ τῆς τύχης, almost equivalent to ἡ τύχη, as in § 12: do not supply εὐμενές. κενόν, ‘unsupported by any practical steps’: the phraseology of § 43 is intentionally echoed here. βήματος. When the ἐκκλησία was assembled in the Pnyx, those who wished to speak did not simply rise in their places but made their way (παρῆλθον) to the platform (βῆμα) reserved for speakers (cf. the tribune of the French Assembly). ἀποστόλους, governed through implication by τεθνᾶσι τῷ δέει, which contains the sense of δεδίασι; cf. Dem. 19. 81 τεθνάναι τῷ φόβῳ Θηβαίους. Accusatives thus loosely governed are not uncommon.
The general has no power; his mercenaries are not paid; we receive no trustworthy report of his actions; and what then can we expect? ἕν᾽ ἄνδρα, i.e. the general, despatched without troops. φῆσαι, ‘say “oh yes.”’ The ‘promises of Chares’ became a proverb. ἀπομίσθων, ‘without pay,’ here only in this sense. Elsewhere the word means ‘paid off,’ ‘discharged.’ ῥᾳδίως, either with ψευδόμενοι, ‘the orators who lightly spread false reports,’ or with ἐνθάδ᾽ ὦσιν ‘can be in Athens without any trouble.’ For the latter, which is somewhat favoured by the rhythm, cf. § 32 πρὸς αὐτῇ τῇ χώρᾳ...ῥᾳδίως ἔσται. ὅ τι ἂν τύχητε, sc. ψηφιζόμενοι, ‘at haphazard.’ The personal construction is generally preferred. Cf. Thuc. III.43 πρὸς ὀργὴν ἥντιν᾽ ἂν τύχητε ἔστιν ὅτε σφαλέντες, Phil. 3. 54. καὶ is frequently placed, as here, immediately after an interrogative word, with a force which may best be given in English by throwing stress upon an auxiliary verb, ‘what must we expect?’
§ 47-50 You must establish a direct connexion with your troops by sending out citizens among them. At present your generals face death in the law-court more often than in the field (47). Meanwhile we repeat to one another the latest rumours about Philip's intentions (48). Now however ambitious his projects, he is not so mad as to reveal them to the greatest fools in Athens (49). Neglect such tales and bear in mind simply that he is our successful enemy, that our policy has failed, and that we must fight him at once or suffer for it (50). ἀποδείξητε, ‘shew to be,’ here as often means little more than ‘make’; the object is τοὺς αὐτοὺς and the following substantives are predicative. οἴκαδ᾽ ἐλθόντας, ‘after their return,’ with δικαστὰς only. εὐθυνῶν, the regular examination to which Athenian magistrates had to submit at the end of their year of office. Charges brought in connexion with this examination were tried before a heliastic court, which might contain members of the army and would in any case be representative of the whole people. εἰς τοῦθ᾽ ἥκει. Cf. § 9 οἷ προελήλυθ᾽ ἀσελγείας. κρίνεται is usually accompanied by the simple genitive: here περὶ is added to emphasise by repetition the contrast between κρίνεσθαι περὶ θ. and ἀγωνίσασθαι περὶ θ. Cases of such trials are those of Autocles and Cephisodotus (Dem. 23. 104, 153), Callisthenes and Chares (Aeschin. 2. 30, 71) and Leosthenes (Diod. XV. 95).
μετὰ Λακεδαιμονίων must be taken with πράττειν, ‘making arrangements with the L. for.’ τὰς πολιτείας, ‘the free states’ under constitutional government, especially in Arcadia, where they had been supported by Thebes in opposition to Sparta. As the rise of Thebes had brought about a rapprochement between Athens and Sparta, a report that Philip was assisting Sparta and trying to humiliate Thebes would be popular. ὡς πέπομφεν. Any construction other than the infinitive after φάναι is very unusual. It is suggested that this departure from common usage is due to the hiatus which would be involved in πεπομφέναι ὡς. Some prefer to leave out the first ὡς and read πεπομφέναι. The exact bearing of this report, which seems to have had some truth in it, on the policy of Athens is not very clear. ἐν Ἰλλυριοῖς, so that as Philip has his hands full in the North, there can be no need for immediate action on the part of Athens. πλάττοντες ἕκαστος. When a plural subject is distributed by a singular in apposition to it, predicates may agree with either. Instead of continuing the construction (e.g. with οἱ δὲ ὃ ἂν ἕκαστος τύχῃ φάσκουσι) the orator breaks off abruptly and sums up the sense of the whole sentence in a single clause, inverting the construction (περιιόντες φασὶ—πλάττοντες περιερχόμεθα).
τῶν κωλυσόντων. For the article cf. § 23 τὴν...παραταξομένην. μέντοι answers to the μὲν of the preceding clause: μέντοι may be substituted for δὲ in most cases, and is regularly so substituted when the clause which it introduces begins with οὐ or μή.
ἀποστερεῖ, ‘is keeping us out of,’ the usual meaning. εὕρηται, sc. πραχθέντα, taking ἅπαντα as the subject. It seems less desirable on grounds of sense to take ἅπαντα as the object and supply πράξας. In either case the ellipse is so awkward that I am inclined to think that the participle has fallen out of the text. ἐν αὐτοῖς ἡμῖν ἐστί, ‘depends on ourselves.’ ὅτι φαῦλα, sc. ἔσται.
Peroration (ἐπίλογος). I have explained without shirking the policy which I am convinced is best, though I know that I may suffer for it. May your decision be guided aright. ὅ τι ἂν μὴ ... ὦ , ‘save in so far as I have been convinced that it would serve your best interests as well’ (as afford gratification). The primary form is employed, as often, in the subordinate clause, after the historic εἱλόμην. Here perhaps it is intended to imply that the speaker's conviction still holds. οὐδὲν ὑποστειλάμενος, ‘without reserve.’ The metaphor is from shortening sail. ἥδιον εἶχον, ‘I should have been better pleased.’ Elsewhere ἡδέως ἔχειν is found with the dative or πρὸς and the accusative (of a person). The reading is not quite certain. All MSS. except S give εἶπον, to which the objection is that the imperfect would be more natural here than the aorist. ἐπ᾽ ἀδήλοις οὖσι. For this use of ἐπὶ with the dative of attendant circumstances or conditions (‘with the results to myself uncertain’) and a predicative adjective, cf. Dem. 21. 30 ἐπ᾽ ἀδήλοις μὲν τοῖς ἀδικήσουσιν, Soph. Ant. 556 “ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ ἐπ̓ ἀρρήτοις γε τοῖς ἐμοῖς λόγοις”. In the following clause ἐπὶ has not quite the same force: ἐπὶ τῷ πεπεῖσθαι=‘on the strength of my conviction.’ Demosthenes is not perhaps thinking of any evil consequences more definite than unpopularity, but the fear of a γραφὴ παρανόμων can never have been far from the mind of an Athenian who had to propose any measure likely to give offence.