“But when Aristarchus came with his ships of war and hindered our passage across, you will hardly quarrel with me for the step I then took in calling you together that we might advisedly consider our best course.  Having heard both sides—­first Aristarchus, who ordered you to march to the Chersonese, then Seuthes, who pleaded with you to undertake a campaign with himself—­you all proposed to go with Seuthes; and you all gave your votes to that effect.  What wrong did I commit in bringing you, whither you were eager to go?  If, indeed, since the time when Seuthes began to tell lies and cheat us about the pay, I have supported him in this, you may justly find fault with me and hate me.  But if I, who at first was most of all his friend, to-day am more than any one else at variance with him, how can I, who have chosen you and rejected Seuthes, in fairness be blamed by you for the very thing which has been the ground of quarrel between him and me?  But you will tell me, perhaps, that I get from Seuthes what is by right yours, and that I deal subtly by you?  But is it not clear that, if Seuthes has paid me anything, he has at any rate not done so with 16 the intention of losing by what he gives me, whilst he is still your debtor?  If he gave to me, he gave in order that, by a small gift to me, he might escape a larger payment to yourselves.  But if that is what you really think has happened, you can render this whole scheme of ours null and void in an instant by exacting from him the money which is your due.  It is clear, Seuthes will demand back from me whatever I have got from him, and he will have all the more right to do so, if I have failed to secure for him what he bargained for when I took his gifts.  But indeed, I am far removed from enjoying what is yours, and I swear to you by all the gods and goddesses that I have not taken even what Seuthes promised me in private.  He is present himself and listening, and he is aware in his own heart whether I swear falsely.  And what will surprise you the more, I can swear besides, that I have not received even what the other generals have received, no, nor yet what some of the officers have received.  But how so? why have I managed my affairs no better?  I thought, sirs, the more I helped him to bear his poverty at the time, the more I should make him my friend in the day of his power.  Whereas, it is just when I see the star of his good fortune rising, that I have come to divine the secret of his character.

“Some one may say, are you not ashamed to be so taken in like a fool?  Yes, I should be ashamed, if it had been an open enemy who had so deceived me.  But, to my mind, when friend cheats friend, a deeper stain attaches to the perpetrator than to the victim of deceit.  Whatever precaution a man may take against his friend, that we took in full.  We certainly gave him no pretext for refusing to pay us what he promised.  We were perfectly upright in our dealings with him.  We did not dawdle over his affairs, nor did we shrink from any work to which he challenged us.