DEMOSTHENES. 
714 
fant labour and attention. ‘He declaimed in a fivbterra- 
neotis apartment, that he might not be heard or dilturbed, 
and fotnetimes never quitted it for two or three months 
together. He likewil'e exercifed his voice on the fea- 
Ihore, or walking up hill, and, as it is faid, with pebbles 
in his mouth ; though this would feeman indifferent cure 
for thick fpeaking. He praCtifed geftu’re before a mirror, 
and took lelfons from an eminent aCtor. By tliefe means 
lie fo far overcame his natural deficiencies as to attain 
diftinguifhed excellence both in aCtion and elocution. 
At the fame time he did not neglect the ftndy of lan¬ 
guage and the art of compofition, by which alone, in¬ 
deed, the real genius of an orator is difplayed, and his 
fame tranfmitted to after-ages. Extempore fpeaking 
was not his talent, at lead at the beginning of his career, 
and his orations were faid to “ finell of the lamp;” yet 
there are infhmces of his fpeaking unpremeditatedly with 
great force upon fome important occafions. In 'nis man¬ 
ner lie chiefly imitated Pericles, as he did likewife in his 
.general attention to come well prepared when he was to 
fpealc in public. The tone he afTumed in bis addrefi’es 
to the people was that of a man of virtue and patriotifm, 
who in a manly way cenfurcd them for their prevailing 
follies and vices, and inculcated vigour in action, and 
independence in principle. At this time the growing- 
power of Philip king of Macedon was an objeCt of ap- 
prehenfion to the neighbouring Greek ftates; and De- 
mofthenes took the lead among thofe who were ntofl 
earneft in roofing the Athenians to a fenfe of the com¬ 
mon danger. Their corruption and degeneracy, howe¬ 
ver, rendered them little fitted for the arduous talk of 
protecting the liberties of Greece, and fome of the wifeft 
citizens thought it more for the intcreft of Athens to cul¬ 
tivate that friendly difpofition which Philip always dif¬ 
played towards the city. At the head of thefe was Pho- 
cion, who, on all occafions, oppofed the violence of the 
people; and when Demofthenes once told him that the 
Athenians would fome day murder him in a mad fit, he 
anfwered, “ And you too, perhaps, in a fober fit.” 
He began to engage in the public concerns of the ftate 
in the Phocian or facred war, when he was in his twenty- 
feventh year; hut it was fuppofed that, in addition to 
purely patriotic motives, he was fwayed in the counfels 
he gave by the influence of Perfiangold. The Olynthic 
war called forth all the eloquence of Demofthenes in op- 
potition to the ambitious fchemes of Philip. Three ora¬ 
tions which lie delivered on this topic are extant, and 
are admirable fpecimens of that clear ftatement of argu¬ 
ments by which he carried political points with his coun¬ 
trymen. When Philip had affembled an army for the 
invafion of Attica, Demofthenes was deputed to perfuade 
the Boeotians to take part againft him ; and, by the mere 
force of eloquence, he fucceeded, notvvithftanding the 
efforts of Python, an orator of great fame, who was Phi¬ 
lip’s advocate on the occafion. His triumph, however, 
met with a fevere check from Philip’s fubfequent vic¬ 
tory over the combined forces at Cheronaea ; and the ora¬ 
tor, who was prefent in the engagement, betrayed a want 
of perfonal courage which ftigmatifed his character in 
that refpeCt for life. He deferted his poll, threw down 
his arms, and fled with fuch -terror and precipitation, 
that, entangling his robe on a flake, he thought an ene¬ 
my had l'eized him, and cried “Spare my life!” In 
confequence of this defeat, the oppolite party at Athens 
brought various accufations againft him ; but he was ac¬ 
quitted by tiie people, and fo far recovered their efteem, 
as to be appointed to pronounce the funeral harangue of 
thofe who fell at Cheronsea. At the death of Philip he 
appeared in public with a garland on his head, though he 
had a few days before loft a daughter. For this action 
he was cenlured as deficient in natural affection; but 
Plutarch well defends him for making private feelings 
yield to public, yet juftly blames his indecent triumph 
over a fallen foe. Defpiling' the young Alexander, De¬ 
mofthenes jrovv thought the opportunity favourable for 
cruftiirig the Macedonian power; and chiefly through 
his influence a new league was formed among the ftates 
of Greece, and tire Perfians were folicited to commence 
hoftilities againft Macedon. But the vigorous proceed¬ 
ings of the young king, and the dreadful chaftifement he 
inflicted upon Thebes, foon broke the fpirits of this con¬ 
federacy. The Athenians found it expedient to divert 
the anger of the victor by an embaffy, of which De¬ 
mofthenes himfelf was to make a part; but his appre- 
henfions caufed him to turn back upon the road. He was 
one of tire orators whom Alexander required to be deli¬ 
vered up; but Denrades pacified the king without this 
facrifice. Demofthenes had difplayed his patriotifm by 
rebuilding the walls of Athens at his own expence, and 
a crown of gold had been decreed him for this fervice. 
On the decline of his influence, TEfchines, the orator, 
brought an accufation againft him on this fubjeCt, which 
occaftoned a folemn trial, and the delivery of the cele¬ 
brated oration of D.mofthenes “ On the Crown.” To 
his honour, and that of his judges, he was acquitted by 
a great majority, and his adverlary was obliged for ever 
to quit Athens. 
Not long after, a circumftance happened which irre¬ 
trievably injured this orator’s reputation. Harpalus, one 
of Alexander’s officers in Alia, confcious of having abuf- 
ed his truft, fled with all his ill-gotten fpoils, and came 
for refuge to Athens. The venal orators of the city 
flocked round him, offering their fcrvices ; but Demof- 
thenes, under the firft impreffions of honefty and pru¬ 
dence, advifed the people againft expoling themfelves to 
danger in the protection of a notorious peculator. Being 
prefent, however, at the examination of Harpalus’s trea- 
fures, he could not help calling an eye of cupidity upon 
one of the king’s golden cups, of rich workmanfhip. He 
poifed it in his hand, and afked the weight of it. “To 
you,” faid Hsrpalus, “it lhall weigh twenty talents;” 
accordingly at night he fent the orator the cup with that 
fum. On tlie next day, Demofthenes entered the affera- 
bly with his throat wrapt up in wool, as if he had a 
quinfey, and upon being called upon to fpeak, he made 
ligns that lie had loft his voice. Several jells were palled 
on the occafion, but more ferious confequences enfued. 
In order to appear innocent, he provoked an enquiry into 
the affair, which ended in his conviction. He was con¬ 
demned in a fine of fifty talents, and to be imprifoned till 
it was paid ; but to avoid his difgrace and confinement, 
lie made his efcape, and fled to HSgina. It is faid, that 
on quitting the city, he was followed by fome perfons- 
who had been his adverfaries, but whofe purpofe was to 
prefs upon him fome money for a fupply of his prefent 
necefiities; and that when they exhorted him to take 
courage, and bear his fate with relignation, he replied ; 
“ How can I forbear forrow on leaving a place, where 
my enemies are more generous than any friends I can 
meet with elfewhere ?” He was much difpirited during 
his whole exile, and blamed himfelf for having engaged 
in thole Itormy feenes of politics which had fo much in¬ 
jured his peace. On the death of Alexander, however, 
when a new confederacy was planned by the Greek Hates, 
Demofthenes affilled the Athenian deputies in their ef¬ 
forts for the common caufe, and rendered himfelf fo po¬ 
pular that a decree palled for his recal. A public galley 
was lent to bring him from zEgina, and on the road from 
the Piraeus to Athens he was met by the whole body of 
citizens, who conducted’.him home in triumph. As his 
fine could not legally be remitted, lie was relieved from 
the burden of it, by the aflignmeat of an equal fum, under 
the pretext of paying his charges, as conductor of the iacri- 
fices to Jupiter the Preferver. But the victory of An¬ 
tipater foon changed tire fortune of Greece, and Athens 
was obliged to procure its.pardon by theffacrifice of De¬ 
mofthenes and the orators of the fame party. On the 
motion of Denrades, a decree palled condemning them to 
death. Demofthenes took fanCtuary in the temple of 
Neptune at Calauria. He was. followed thither by one 
Archias, 
