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Suppose, gentlemen of the jury, that these
men—never may it so befall, as indeed it never will—made
themselves masters of the State, along with Meidias and others like him; and
suppose that one of you, who are men of the people and friends to popular
government, having offended one of these men,—not so seriously as
Meidias offended me, but in some slighter degree—came before a jury
packed with men of that class; what pardon, what consideration do you think he
would receive? They would be prompt with their favour, would they not? Would
they heed the petition of one of the common folk? Would not their first words
be, “The knave! The sorry rascal! To think that he should insult us
and still draw breath! He ought to be only too happy if he is permitted to
exist”?
Demosthenes. Demosthenes with an English translation by A. T. Murray, Ph.D., LL.D. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1939.
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