35- THE PEOPLE AND THE STATE XIII
great influence over the people, as Penkles did who3 it is said,
4 carried a thunderbolt in his tongue* and outpaced all other
speakers by many lengths.1 He lived on in public memory as
the orator even more clearly than as the statesman and active
politician.2 'Is there any other orator worth mentioning^ is a
question asked in Eupolis' Demot3 The critics saw him from
the same angle when the construction of the Long Walls pro-
ceeded only slowly, Penkles was said 'to be carrying on with
words, but not to be moving anything by deeds'.4 The 'fiery'
Kleon also was a vigorous speaker, he could be compared to
a storm, the fire-spitting Typhon, the hell-hound Kerberos or
a scalded pig — all that because of his loud and unpleasant
voice and his excited behaviour 5 Similar descriptions are
given of other demagogues.6 The more uneducated and rustic
the assembly, the more easily was it a prey to blandishment
and flattery, and the less able to contest any of the speakers'
arguments 7 The 'orators' were responsible for the motions
accepted by the assembly, and they could be regarded as
standing on a level with the officials who propounded new
laws, the nomothetatS In the decree on Brea penalties to pro-
tect its contents against alterations are imposed on anybody
(that is to say any official) who puts to the vote a motion against
the decree, and on any rhetor who speaks against it or tries to
induce others to alter it9 The fact that there were many
speakers and that many views could be put forward, provided,
it is true, a certain control Nevertheless it was considered
especially bad that the orators continually sprang up like the
heads of the Hydra 10 The proverb that under every stone a
scorpion might be hidden was used of the orators 1X There are
many examples in Euripides of denunciation of orators and
demagogues as a bad lot12 Odysseus in particular becomes a
1 adesp. 10, Eupolis 94
2 Cf. Kratmos 293, 20 D (= adesp 37), Hermipp 46, Eupolis 94
3 Eupolis 96 4 Kratmos 300
5 Hermipp 46 — K 256, 274^ 285^", 304, 430^ 511, 626ff, 1030, P 313^
Plat. 216 ~K 137, 218, 311, 487, 1018, W 36, 596, 1034, P 7157, frg 636,
Kratmosi86,Plierekr 51 -Thuc 111,36,6
8 £..956, P 637, Eupolis 207, cf also Eur./r^ 597
7 A.37off, 636$ K 13405; cf Thuc III, 37, 4f
* Lyslas XXXI, 27 9 7G. Ia, 45 (= Tod, 44 Syll \ 67), 2off
*°Plat 186 11Th.528ff
iaeg Med 582, Htk z$ifi, Ipi 4 wjil, Ba