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3 54 LITERATURE OF ANCIENT GREECE that Athens demanded of her rich citizens ; then he settled down to poverty as a speech-writer, and perhaps as a teacher. He succeeded at once in his profession, though his hesitatini^ and awkward dehvery interfered with his own speaking. His. practice was of the high- est kind. He did not deal with 'hetaira' suits like Hyperides, and he steadily avoided ' sykophantic ' pro- secutions, though he both wrote and spoke for the Opposition in cases of political interest. His first personal appearance was perhaps in 355, Against Leptines, who had proposed to abolish public grants of immunity from taxation. It was a prudent financial step, and hard to attack ; but these grants were generally rewards for exceptional diplomatic ser- vices, and formed an important element in the forward policy advocated by the Opposition. Eubulus had taken office after the Social War in 357, when the time called for retrenchment and retreat. His financial policy was an unexampled success ; but it meant the resignation of the Empire, and perhaps worse. He had inherited a desultory war with Philip, in which Athens had everything against her. Philip was step by step seizing the Athenian possessions on the shores of Thrace. Eubulus, since public opinion did not allow him to make peace, replied by a weak blockade of the Macedonian coast and occasional incursions. The hotter heads among the Opposition demanded an army of 30,000 mercenaries to march upon Pella forthwith. This was folly. Demosthenes's own policy was to press the war vigorously until some marked advantage could be gained on which to make a favourable treaty. But Philip did not yet fill the whole horizon. In the speech For the Rhodians (? 351 or 353 B.C.) Demosthenes