William Watson Goodwin, Commentary on Demosthenes: On the Crown

3. ἡ προαίρεσις αὕτη: αὕτη: (so Σ) is much more expressive than αὐτή (with no stop), pointing vividly to the following statement of the true purpose of Aeschines. It also gives τῶν μέντοι κατηγοριῶν κ.τ.λ. (6) its proper relation to ἐχθροῦ μέν. The Schol. charges this passage with ἀσάφεια πολλή. The thought is as follows:— The charges include some of the gravest known to the law, which provides the severest penalties for the offences; but this suit was never brought to punish anybody for these. I will tell you what its object is (αὕτη): it is to give a personal enemy an opportunity to vent his spite and malice, while it gives the state no means of properly punishing my crimes if I am guilty. The first clause, τὰ μὲν... τιμωρίας (1—3), states the gravity of the actual charges, and is opposed to the following τοῦ δὲ...αὕτη. The latter introduces the double construction, (a) ἐχθροῦ μὲν...τοιαῦτα and (b) τῶν μέντοι...οὐδ᾽ ἐγγύς, in which the motive of Aeschines and the inadequacy of this suit to deal with the alleged crimes are declared. The last two clauses are confirmed, (a) by οὐ γὰρ... δίκαιόν ἐστιν (§ 13.1-4), (b) by ἀλλ᾽ ἐφ̓ οἷς...γραφόμενον (§ 13.5-11). Finally, οὐ γὰρ δήπου...ἐγράψατο (§ 13.11-13) shows that Aeschines, by his present action, virtually admits that the course just pointed out (ἐφ᾽ οἷς...γραφόμενον) is the only consistent one.

4. ἐπήρειαν, malice (cf. § 13.2): see ἐπηρεάζω, maliciously insult, §§ 138.4, 320.6.—ἔχει, involves, contains.

7. εἴπερ ἦσαν ἀληθεῖς, si verae erant (not essent), a simple supposition, with nothing implied as to its truth: there is no need of reading οὐκ ἐνῆν in the apodosis.—οὐκ ἔνι, it is not possible, i.e. by this suit.

8. οὐδ᾽ ἐγγύς (sc. ἀξίαν), nor any- thing like it.