Athenian envoys

And of bearing false witness against allies, and of taking bribes.

Demosthenes thanked us, and entertained the ambassadors himself —without marking the distinction of time.

Well, if the present defendants have omitted any single one of the misdeeds for which those persons were sentenced to death, execute me on the spot.

But you must make sure, men of Athens, that our envoys do not confine themselves to words;

To the Thessalians you must send an embassy to inform some of them of our intentions and to stir up the others;

and they heard many other speeches from the envoys, both in my presence and again later, as it seems;

It would indeed have been fair, men of Athens, to call upon those who conveyed to you Philip’s promises, on the strength of which you were induced to conclude the Peace.

Yes, I am afraid that, since the ambassadors have kept silence about the services for which they know they have been bribed, those who are trying to repair some of the losses that these men have caused may chance to fall under your displeasure;

Demochares, surnamed Parrhesiastes for his too free and saucy tongue, had come among the other Athenian envoys.

"But you," he said, "the rest of the envoys, report to the Athenians that those who say such things are far prouder than he who hears them said and lets them go unpunished.