"educated in Pella (then a contemptible and obfcuse "place) could poffibly poffefs a foul haughty enough "to defire and undertake the conqueft of the Greeks: "But for you, though Athenians, for you, who every "day hear the virtue of your ancestors difplayed either by your orators in the Roftra, or by your actors upon the ftage; for you, I fay, to carry meanness of "foul and cowardice fo far as to abandon and make "a voluntary furrender of the liberties of Greece to “Philip; no man living will ever be fo audacious as "to make fuch a ftrange propofal.

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"Cenfure me, Æfchines, for the advice I gave; do "not afperfe me for the event: for the Supreme Be"ing unravels and terminates every thing at pleafure; "whereas we muft judge from the nature of the advice "or opinions themselves, of him who gives them. If "therefore Philip has been a conqueror, do not impute "it to me as a crime, fince God disposed of the victory, << and not I. But fhew me what it is that I did not "pursue with an integrity, a vigilance, and an indefa"tigable activity, fuperior to my ftrength; fhew me, "that I did not practife all the expedients which hu"man prudence could employ; that I did not in"fpire noble and neceffary refolutions, and fuch as "were worthy of Athens and after this give a full "fcope to your accufations. But if a fudden thunder"bolt, or a tempest, should strike you to the ground, "gentlemen, and not only you, but all the rest of "the Grecians, how can this be helped? Muft the "innocent be facrificed? If the owner of a veffel “had fitted it out with every thing neceffary, and "provided to the utmost of his power against the "dangers of the fea; and that a form fhould after“wards arife, and break the masts; would any one"in that cafe accufe him with being the cause of the "fhipwreck? But he would fay, I did not command "the veffel! Nor did I command the army: I did "not difpofe of fortune; on the contrary, it was "fortune difpofed of every thing.

"Since therefore he infifts fo ftrenuously upon events, "I am not afraid of advancing a kind of paradox. "Let none of us, in the name of Jupiter and the "other Gods, be startled at the apparent hyperbole ; "but let him examine equitably what I am going "to fay. For if all the Athenians had difcovered "future events by a prophetic spirit; that all had fore"feen them; and that you, fchines, who did not

fpeak a fingle word, had foretold and certified them' "with your thunder-like voice; Athens, even in that "cafe, ought not to have changed its measures, had "it ever so little regard to its glory, its ancestors, or "the judgment of pofterity. For now Athens feems, "at moft, to be fallen from its greatnefs; a misfor"tune common to all mortals, whenever it fo pleafes "the Supreme Being. But a commonwealth, that "thought itself at that time worthy of a fuperiority "over all the reft of the Greeks, could not part with "fuch a right, without incurring the juft reproach "of delivering them all up to Philip: fince in café "Athens had quitted, without a blow, a prerogative "which our ancestors had purchased at all hazards; "how would you, Æfchines, have been covered with "fhame for, moft certainly, that fhame could not "have reflected either upon the commonwealth, or

66

upon me. Great God! with what eyes could we "look upon this innumerable multitude which come "from all parts to Athens, if things had been brought "to the low ebb we now fee them at, by our fault, or "wrong management; had we chofen Philip as the "chief and arbiter of all Greece; had we fuffered "others to hazard a battle without us, in order to "prevent fuch a calamity; efpecially fince we call "ourselves inhabitants of a city, which chofe, at all "times, rather to brave glorious dangers, than enjoy

an ignominious fecurity! For what Greeks, what "Barbarian, does not know, that the Thebans, and 4 before them the Lacedæmonians, when arrived at "the meridian of power, and, laftly, the Perfian,

"King,

"King, would have willingly granted the common"wealth, not only the enjoyment of its own poffeffions, but likewife every thing it could defire, pro "vided it could have defcended to fubmit, and suffer 66 any other to govern Greece? But fuch fentiments "could not be admitted by Athenians (as appeared "on thofe occafions) either as hereditary, fupportable, 66 or natural. And, fince the firft foundation of A"thens, none could ever force it to make any abject "fubmiffions to tyrannical power, though fuperior in 66 strength; nor to gain a base security by fervile con"ceffions. On the contrary as Athens was in imme"morial poffeffion of fighting for fovereignty, for hoἐσ nour, and for glory; foit has at all times braved the "greatest dangers.... If therefore I fhould attempt "to infinuate, that my counfels determined you to "think like worthy defcendents of your predeceffors,

every one might tax me juftly with arrogance. But "I declare in this place, that, if you formed fuch re. "folutions, the glory of them is yours; and own,

that the commonwealth had great and magnani

mous fentiments long before my time. The only "thing I can boaft of is, that I co-operated in every "thing that fell to my fhare in the ministry.

"By the way, gentlemen, a citizen naturally vir"tuous (for, when I fpeak of myself, I make use of 66 no other word, to avoid envy) poffeffes these two "qualities: A steady and unfhaken courage in the "exercife of authority, to fupport the common"wealth in its fuperiority; and a zcal that has been "proof against every thing, in every conjuncture and "particular action. For these sentiments depend f up"on us, being the gift of nature; but, as to force and power, those we derive from other caufes. Now certainly, that this zeal was never fatisfied in me, judge of it by my actions. My zeal for you was "never leffened on any occafion, no, not when my head was demanded; nor when I was delivered up f That was the doctrine of the Stoics.

46

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"to the Amphictyons, nor when the greatest efforts were made to stagger me with threats; nor when "endeavours were used to allure me with promises; 66 nor when these curfed wretches, like fo many wild beafts, were let loofe upon me. As to the government, no fooner had I a fhare in it, than I followed "the direct and juft methods of preferving the ftrength, "glory, and prerogatives of my country; augmenting, them, and devoting myself intirely to that ftudy. Thus, when I find other powers profper, I am ne"ver feen walking in the Forum, with a ferene and contented afpect, faluting people with my hand, "and telling good news with a congratulating voice to thofe, who, I believe, will afterwards fend it to "Macedonia; nor am I feen trembling, fighing, and with down-caft eyes, upon hearing the fuccefs of "the Athenians, like thofe impious wretches who defame the commonwealth; as though they did not "defame themselves by fuch courfes. They have al"ways their eye abroad, and, when they fee any po

tentate taking advantage of our misfortunes, they "magnify his fucceffes, and give out, that all endeavours fhould be used to enternife his victories.

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ས་

"Immortal Gods! let none of you hear fuch vows as thefe; but rather rectify the minds and hearts of fuch perverfe men. But, if their inveterate malice is incurable, purfue them both by fea and land, and extirpate them totally. As to us Athenians, avert, as foon as poffible, the calamities which threaten us, and grant us intire fecurity."

The fuccefs of the two orations.

Æfchines loft his caufe, and was banifhed for his rash accufation. He fettled at Rhodes, and fet up a fchool of eloquence, which maintained its glory for feveral ages. He began his lectures with the two orations which had cccafioned his banishment. Great acclamations were given to his; but, when that of Demofthenes was read, the acclamations were redoubled.

I

And

And it was upon this occafion he faid (fo laudable in an enemy and a rival) But how wonderful would you have found it, had you heard it from his own mouth?

I did not pretend, that the paffages I have now borrowed from the harangues of Efchines and Demofthenes could alone give a juft idea of thofe two great orators; for the most effential part of eloquence, and, as it were, the foul of it, must neceffarily be wanting in extracts taken from the body of the intire work. We neither fee the plan, defign, order, or feries of the oration in thofe extracts; nor the ftrength," connexion, or difpofition of the proofs; the marvellous art by which the orator fometimes infinuates himself gently into people's hearts; and fometimes enters with a kind of violence, and makes himfelf abfolute mafter" over them. Befides, no tranflation can give the At-' tic purity, eloquence, and delicacy, of which the ́ Greek language only is fufceptible, and which Demofthenes had carried to the higheft perfection. I had no other view in copying thefe extracts, but to inable' fuch readers as have not ftudied Greek to form fome idea of the ftyle of those two orators. The advantageous judgments, which the best writers in all ages have given us of it, will likewife contribute to fhew their character, and may perhaps inspire us with the desire of taking a nearer view of perfons of such uncom- ́ mon merit, of whom fo many wonders are related. M. de Tourreil has collected feveral, fome of which I fhall relate in this place.

I.

The Judgments of the Antients on Efchines and De

mofthenes.

h Quintilian, whose opinion is no less clear than equitable, fpeaks of them in this manner: "A croud

g Valer. Max. lib. 8, c. 20. Lib. 10. c. I.

of

i Sequitur oratorum ingens manus.... quorum longe princeps Demofthenes