Aristides

Good men wage no savage and relentless war against the gifts of friends, but while they look upon gifts taken to be stored away and increase the receiver’s wealth as ignoble and mean, they refuse none which promote an unselfish and splendid munificence. However, as regards the tripods, Panaetius tries to show that Demetrius was deceived by identity of name.

From the Persian wars, he says, down to the end of the Peloponnesian war, only two Aristides are recorded as victorious choregi, and neither of them is identical with the son of Lysimachus. One was the son of Xenophilus, and the other lived long afterwards, as is proved by the inscription itself, which is written in the character used after Eucleides,[*]( In 403-402 B.C., when Eucleides was Archon Eponymous, the Ionian alphabet was officially adopted at Athens.) as well as by the last name, Archestratus, of whom there is no record during the Persian wars, while during the time of the Peloponnesian war his name often appears as that of a choral poet.

This argument of Panaetius should be more closely examined as to its validity; but to banishment in ostracism every one was liable who was superior to the common run of men in reputation, or lineage, or eloquence. And so it was that Damon, the teacher of Pericles, was ostracized because he was thought to be rather extraordinary in his wisdom.[*](Plut. Per. 4.2)

Furthermore, Idomeneus says that Aristides obtained the office of archon, not by lot, but by the election of the Athenians.[*]( From 508 B.C. to 487 B.C. the archons were elected by the Assembly; after 487, they were once more chosen by lot.) And if he was made archon after the battle of Plataea, as Demetrius himself has written, it is certainly very credible that in view of such a reputation and such successes as he there won, he should be deemed worthy, for his valor, of an office which men who drew lots for it obtained for their wealth.

In fact, Demetrius is clearly ambitious to rescue not only Aristides, but also Socrates from what he deems the great evil of poverty, for he says that Socrates owned not only his house, but also seventy minas out at interest with Crito.