Letter 279: I displayed both speeches -- both of them in full: the recent combative one and the older laudatory one.
Δημητρίῳ. (359/60)
Ἄμφω μὲν ἔδειξα τὼ λόγω καὶ ὅλω γε ἄμφω τὼ λόγω,
τὸν μὲν νῦν τὸν μαχόμενον, τὸν δὲ πάλαι τὸν ἐπαινοῦντα·
σὺ δὲ ᾤου με δείσαντα κολοιοῦ τινος θόρυβον ᾑρῆσθαι σιγᾶν
καὶ γεγενῆσθαι κακὸν περὶ τὸν ἐμαυτοῦ θεῖον.
τὸ δὲ οὐχ
οὕτως ἔχει, ἀλλ’ ἃ μὲν οὐκ εἶχε κίνδυνον εἰς πολλοὺς ἐκφέ-
ρειν, ἐν πολλοῖς εἴρηται· τοῦ λόγου δὲ ἡ τρίτη μοῖρα φίλων
ἐδεῖτο σαφῶν, οὓς ὀλίγοις δεξάμενος τοῖς βάθροις κλείσας
τὰς θύρας ἀνέγνων δεόμενος αὐτῶν, εἴ τι φαίνοιτο καλόν,
σιγῇ θαυμάζειν μηδὲ τῇ βοῇ πολλοὺς ἐγείρειν. καὶ μέχρι γε
τοῦ παρόντος, προσκυνῶ δὲ Ἀδράστειαν, φόβος οὐδεὶς ἐξέφυ.
τί τὸ φοβοῦν, ἀκοῦσαι ποθεῖς; ἐξήρπασε τοῦ τότε κρα-
τοῦντος θασγάνιος τὴν πόλιν οἶσθ’ ὅπως ζέοντος. οὐκ ἦν
οὖν τὴν τοῦδε βοήθειαν δεῖξαι μεγάλην μὴ τὴν ὠμότητα δεί-
ξαντα τὴν ἐκείνου μεγάλην. δέδεικται δή, καὶ ὁ λόγος ὧν
εἰκὸς τετύχηκεν.
ἀλλ’ ἔστι δέος μὴ τῷ μὲν λόγῳ τὸ μέρος
ἔχῃ καλῶς, τὸ καλὸν δὲ τοῦτο κακὸν τέκῃ τῷ ποιητῇ δύναται
γὰρ καὶ τεθνεὼς ἐκεῖνος διὰ τοῦ ζῶντος. ὅστις οὖν οὐκ ἐπι-
θυμεῖ βαράθρου, κρύψαι λόγον αἱρήσεται μᾶλλον ἢ διδοὺς
τρέμειν.
τουτὶ μὲν οὖν ἀναβολῇ δεδόσθω, τὸν δὲ ἕτερον
δέξῃ δι’ ἀνδρὸς ἀρίστου τῶν παρ’ ἡμῖν, οὗ πρότερος οὐδεὶς
ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὸ βουληθῆναι λαβεῖν. ταυτὶ δέ σοι, δι’ ὧν ἡμιλ-
λησάμην πρός τι τῶν Δημοσθένους, καὶ προάγωνε δύο, ὁ
μὲν ὃν ᾔτεις, ὁ δὲ ἴσως οὐκ ἀνιάσων.
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