prove of the terms of the
agreement." Inquiries are made in a full meeting of the People, and
should any of these things be disapproved of, it can at once discover
ten thousand excuses to avoid doing whatever they do not wish. And if
any mischief should spring out of any resolutions which the People has
passed in council, the People can readily shift the blame from its own
shoulders. "A handful of oligarchs (22) acting against the interests
of the People have ruined us." But if any good result ensue, they, the
People, at once take the credit of that to themselves.

(21) Reading {uph otououn adikeitai onomati upo ton oligon}, which I
suggest as a less violent emendation of this corrupt passage than
any I have seen; or, reading with Sauppe, {uph otou adikei
anomeitai apo ton oligon}, "the illegality lies at the door of."

(22) Or, "a few insignificant fellows."

In the same spirit it is not allowed to caricature on the comic stage
(23) or otherwise libel the People, because (24) they do not care to
hear themselves ill spoken of. But if any one has a desire to satirise
his neighbour he has full leave to do so. And this because they are well
aware that, as a general rule, this person caricatured (25) does not
belong to the People, or the masses. He is more likely to be some
wealthy or well-born person, or man of means and influence. In fact,
but few poor people and of the popular stamp incur the comic lash, or if
they do they have brought it on themselves by excessive love of meddling
or some covetous self-seeking at the expense of the People, so that no
particular annoyance is felt at seeing such folk satirised.

(23) See Grote, "H. G." viii. 446, especially p. 449, "growth and
development of comedy at Athens"; Curtius, "H. G." iii. pp. 242,
243; Thirlwall, "H. G." ch. xviii. vol. iii. p. 42.

(24) Or, more lit. "it would not do for the People to hear," etc.

(25) Or, "the butt of comedy."

What, then, I venture to assert is, that the People of Athens has no
difficulty in recognising which of its citizens are of the better
sort and which the opposite. (26) And so recognising those who are
serviceable and advantageous (27) to itself, even though they be base,
the People loves them; but the good folk they are disposed rather to
hate. This virtue of theirs, the People holds, is not engrained in their
nature for any good to itself, but rather for its injury. In direct
opposition to this, there a