[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 are some persons who, being[28] born
of the People, are yet by natural instinct not commoners. For my part
I pardon the People its own democracy, as, indeed, it is pardonable in
any one to do good to himself.[29] But the man who, not being himself
one of the People, prefers to live in a state democratically governed
rather than in an oligarchical state may be said to smooth his own
path towards iniquity. He knows that a bad man has a better chance of
slipping through the fingers of justice in a democratic than in an
oligarchical state.

[26] Or, "and which are good for nothing."

[27] Or,"its own friends and supporters."