A source-book of ancient history - The Search For Mecca

The Advice of Demosthenes 269
state, even this may be useful; as were the embassies last
year to Peloponnesus, and the remonstrances with which
I and Polyeuctus, that excellent man, and Hegesippus
and Clitomachus and Lycurgus and the other envoys went
around, and arrested Philip's progress; so that he neither
attacked Ambracia nor started for Peloponnesus. I say
not however that you should invite the rest without
adopting measures to protect yourselves; it would be folly,
while you sacrifice your own interest,
to profess a regard
for that of strangers, or to alarm others about the future,
whilst for the present you are unconcerned.
I advise not
this: I bid you send supplies to the troops in Chersonesus,
and do what else they require; prepare yourselves and
make every effort first, then summon, gather, instruct the
rest of the Greeks.
That is the duty of a state possessing a dignity such f^l^f^^^
as yours. If you imagine that Chalcidians or Megarians stir a finger
, ., J- iV. + ! unless you
will save Greece, while you run away from the contest, ^^y.^ ^^^
you imagine wrong. Well for any of those people, if lead,
they are safe themselves. This work belongs to you:
this privilege your ancestors bequeathed to you, the
prize of many perilous exertions. But if every one
will sit seeking his pleasure, and studying to be idle
himself, never will he find others to do his work, and
more than this, I fear we shall be under the necessity
doing at one time all that we like not. Were proxies to
be had, our inactivity would have found them long ago;
but they are not.
Such are the measures which I advise, which I propose:
adopt them, and even yet, I believe, our prosperity may cess,
be reestabUshed.
If any man has better advice to offer,
let him communicate it openly. Whatever you determine,
I pray to all the gods for a happy result.
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