Selected Speeches

'Even if everyone else succumbs to slavery, we must still fight for our freedom.'

Admired by many in the ancient world as the greatest of the classic Athenian orators, Demosthenes was intimately involved in the political events of his day. As well as showing a master orator at work, his speeches are a prime source for the history of the period, when Athens was engaged in a doomed struggle against the rising power of Macedon under the brilliant father and son, Philip and Alexander. Demosthenes wrote for the courts, both for political trials in which he was involved and for other cases in which he acted as ghost-writer for plaintiff or defendant, and his lawcourt speeches give an unrivalled glimpse of the daily life of ancient Athens. He also played a central role in education in Greece and Rome from the Hellenistic period onward, and was imitated by the greatest of Roman orators, Cicero.

About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Robin Waterfield was a university lecturer and publisher before becoming a full time writer. His translations for Oxford World's Classics include Plato's Republic and five other editions of Plato's dialogues, Herodotus, Plutarch, two volumes of Euripides' plays, Xenophon's The Expedition of Cyrus and The First Philosophers: The Presocratics and the Sophists. His other books include Dividing the Spoils: the War for Alexander the Great's Empire (OUP, 2011). He lives in Greece.

Chris Carey has previously taught at Cambridge, St Andrews, and Royal Holloway before moving to UCL. He has published widely Greek oratory and law, including Democracy in classical Athens (Bristol Classical Press, 2000) and Trials from classical Athens (Routledge, 2/e 2011).

Introduction
Translator's Note
Select Bibliography
Chronology
Deliberative Speeches
1. First Olynthiac
2. Second Olynthiac
3. Third Olynthiac
4. First Philippic
5. On the Peace
8. On the situation in the Chersonese
9. Third Philippic
Trials in Public Cases
18. On the Crown
19. A Case of Ambassadorial Misconduct
21. Against Meidias, on the Punch
23. Against Aristocrates
59. Apollodorus, Against Neaera
Private and Ghost-written Speeches
27. First Speech against Aphobus, on Trusteeship
28. Second Speech against Aphobus, on Trusteeship
35. Against Lacritus
36. For Phormion, a Counter-Plea
39. First Speech against Boeotus, on the Name
54. Against Conon
55. Against Callicles
Explanatory Notes
Textual Notes
Glossary
Index of Proper Names