Indeed no one may rely on the honesty of his life as a guarantee that he will be able to
live securely in Athens; for the men who have chosen to neglect what is their own and to
plot against what belongs to others do not keep their hands off citizens who live soberly
and bring before you only those who do evil; on the contrary, they advertise their powers
in their attacks upon men who are entirely innocent, and so get more money from those who
are clearly guilty.
This is exactly what Lysimachus had in mind when he subjected me to this trial; for he thought that this suit against me would bring him profit from other sources, and he expected that if he won in the debate with me, whom he calls the teacher of other men, everyone would regard his power as irresistible.
He is confident that he will win easily; for he sees that you are over-ready to accept
slanders and calumnies, while I, because of my age and my lack of experience in contests
of this kind,