οἷς πρόθεσίς ἐστιν ἀδικεῖν, παρ' αὐτοῖς οὐδὲ δικαία ἀπολογία ἰσχύει → not even a just excuse means anything to those bent on injustice | the tyrant will always find a pretext for his tyranny | any excuse will serve a tyrant
ἠέρος: the lower, denser atmosphere, distinguished from αἰθήρ, ‘sky’; hence ‘vapor,’ ‘mist,’ ‘cloud,’ esp. as means of rendering invisible, Il. 3.381.
