The four private speeches contained in this collection were functional
artefacts whose object was to persuade a jury numbered in hundreds by
manipulating both the facts of the case and the prejudices, beliefs and
attitudes of the Athenian man-in-the-street. It is as vehicles of
persuasion that Dr Carey and Dr Reid seek primarily to treat the
speeches, using their commentary to shed light on how well the speeches
perform their function. The speeches have also been chosen for their
value as documents of Athenian law, commerce and private life. The
commentary explains as far as possible any obscurities in these fields
and also deals with matters of linguistic interest. While intended
mainly for undergraduates and students in the upper forms of schools,
the book will be of interest to all classical scholars. The
introduction, which provides a brief survey of the Athenian legal system
and the trade of the speechwriter, requires no knowledge of Greek and
should interest students of classical culture and literature in
translation.