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Was it not for lack of money, nay, for lack of five talents, that the mercenaries failed to deliver up the citadel to the Thebans?After Thebes revolted from Alexander, her citadel was still held by a garrison of his mercenaries. And when all the Arcadians were mobilized and their leaders were ready to bring aid, did not the negotiations fail for want of nine talents of silver?This accusation is elaborated in Deinarchus’ speech against Demosthenes (Dein. 1.18-21). He says that the Arcadians came up as far as the Isthmus, and that their general offered their services for ten talents, but that Demosthenes refused to furnish the money to the Thebans, who were conducting the negotiations, and so the Arcadian general sold out to the Macedonians and led his troops home. But you are a rich man, you serve as choregusThe rich Athenian took his turn in serving the city as choregus, contributing to meet the expenses of some state festival. Demosthenes, too, is a rich man of the choregus class, but all his contributions are to serve his own lusts.—to your own lusts. In a word, the king’s gold stays with Demosthenes, the dangers, fellow citizens, with you.
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But we may well consider their lack of good breeding also. For if Ctesiphon shall have the effrontery to call Demosthenes to the platform to speak to you,Although each party to a suit was required to plead his own cause, he might call on friends to supplement his plea. In some cases this supporting plea was in reality the main plea in the case, as it certainly was on this occasion. See on Aeschin. 3.201. and he to come forward and praise himself, that will be even harder for you to hear than his deeds were to bear. We refuse to listen even to honest men when they speak their own praises, though we know full well how many noble deeds they have done; who, then, could endure to listen when a man who has made himself a disgrace to the city lauds himself?
