Source edition
Aristides. Vol. 2. Dindorf, Wilhelm, editor. Leipzig: Reimer, 1829.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This oration is a self-defense and counter-criticism by a rhetorician addressing an audience that condemns him for his inactivity and refusal to deliver public declamations. Employing analogies of various craftsmen and barbers, the speaker argues that those who flatter the audience degrade the art of rhetoric, while emphasizing his own sincere and upright dedication to the craft of words. He declares his lifelong devotion to rhetorical study under divine protection, while sharply rebuking his pupils and the public who neglect his lectures to indulge in the idle pleasures of baths and entertainment. Finally, contrasting the luxury of his critics with the simple life of Homer, he denounces sophistic deceptions and urges his listeners to abandon vanity and embrace a genuine commitment to the true power of speech.