11
You also maintain that no one should even help him or be his advocate, and you exhort the jury to refuse a hearing to those who come up to speak. And yet, of the many good institutions of the city, what is better or more democraticCompare Hyp. 1.10. than our custom, when some private person is facing the danger of a trial and cannot conduct his own defence, of allowing any citizen who wishes to come forward to help him and give the jury a fair statement of the case?
12
You will claim, no doubt, that you have never worked on such a principle. Yet when you were prosecuted by Alexander of Oeon,Nothing further is known of this trial. For other occasions on which Hyperides opposed Polyeuctus compare Hyp. Fr. 24 andHyp. Fr. 25. you asked for ten advocates from the tribe Aegeis, and I was one of them, chosen by yourself. You also summoned men from other tribes into the court to help you. But why should I mention other instances? Take your handling of the present trial. Did you not make as many accusations as you wished? Did you not call Lycurgus to join you in the prosecution, a speaker who is the equal of any in the city and who has the reputation among these gentlemen of being sound and honorable?
