[139]
Again, we must not deviate from this principle, that it
was fair to investigate their merits at the time of conferring the reward, when
none of these men opposed the vote, but after that to let the reward stand,
unless you have received any subsequent wrong at their hands. If they allege
that （for they cannot prove it）, it must be shown that the men
were punished at the time of the alleged wrongs. But if you ratify this law,
though no such wrong was committed, it will seem that you have taken away their
reward because you were envious, not because you found them rascals.
Demosthenes. Demosthenes with an English translation by C. A. Vince, M. A. and J. H. Vince, M.A. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1926.
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