(), one of the ten Attic orators, whose works
were contained in the Alexandrine Canon, was the son of Leogoras, and was born at Athens in
Vit. X. Orat. p. 834b., Alcib. 21 ; comp. Andoc. de Redit. § 26; de Myster. § 141.) Being a noble, he of
course joined the oligarchical party at Athens, and through their influence obtained, in Vit. X. Orat. l.c.) After this he seems to have been
employed on various occasions as ambassador to Thessaly, Macedonia, Molossia, Thesprotia,
Italy, and Sicily (Andoc. c. Alcib. § 41); and, although he was
frequently attacked for his political opinions (c. Alcib. § 8), he
yet maintained his ground, until in ll.
cc. ; Nepos, Alcib. 3; Sluiter, Lec. Andoc.
100.3.) Andocides was accordingly seized and thrown into prison, but after some time recovered
his liberty by a promise that he would reveal the names of the real perpetrators of the crime;
and on the suggestion of one Charmides or Timaeus (de Myst. § 48;
Plut. Alcib. l.c.), he mentioned four, all of whom were put to death. He
is said to have also denounced his own father, but to have rescued him again in the hour of
danger. But as Andocides was unable to clear himself from the charge, he was deprived of his
rights as a citizen, and left Athens. (De Red. § 25.) He now
travelled about in various parts of Greece, and was chiefly engaged in commercial enterprises
and in forming connexions with powerful and illustrious persons. (De
Myst. § 137; Lys. c. Andoc. § 6.) The means he employed
to gain the friendship of powerful men were sometimes of the most disreputable kind ; among
which a service he rendered to a prince in Cyprus is particularly mentioned. (Comp. Plut. l.c.; Phot. Bibl. p. 488, ed. Bekker; Tzetz. Chil. 6.373, &c.) In De Red. §§ 11, 12.) But no sooner were the
oligarchs informed of the return of Andocides, than their leader Peisander had him seized, and
accused him of having supported the party opposed to them at Samos. During his trial,
Andocides, who perceived the exasperation prevailing against him, leaped to the altar which
stood in the court, and there assumed the attitude of a suppliant. This saved his life, but he
was imprisoned. Soon afterwards, however, he was set free, or escaped from prison. (De Red. § 15; Plut. l.c. ; Lysias. c. Andoc. § 29.)
Andocides now went to Cyprus, where for a time he enjoyed the friendship of Evagoras; but,
by some circumstance or other, he exasperated his friend, and was consigned to prison. Here
again he escaped, and after the victory of the democratical party at Athens and the abolition
of the Four Hundred, he ventured once more to return to Athens; but as he was still suffering
under the sentence of civil disfranchisement, he endeavoured by means of bribes to persuade
the prytanes to allow him to attend the assembly of the people. The latter, however, expelled
him from the city. (Lys. c. Andoc. § 29.) It was on this occasion,
Andocides remained in exile till the year de Myst. § 132), that he returned to Athens from Cyprus, from which we
may infer, that although he was settled in Elis, he had gone from thence to Cyprus for
commercial or other purposes; for it appears that he had become reconciled to the princes of
that island, as he had great influence and considerable landed property there. (De Red. § 20, De Myst. § 4.) In consequence
of the general amnesty, he was allowed to remain at Athens, enjoyed peace for the next three
years, and soon recovered an influential position. According to Lysias (c.
Andoc. § 33, comp. § 11), it was scarcely ten days after his return that he
brought an accusation against Archippus or Aristippus, which, however, he dropped on receiving
a sum of money. During this period Andocides became a member of the senate, in which he
appears to have possessed great influence, as well as in the popular assembly. He was
gymnasiarch at the Hephaestaea, was sent as architheorus to the Isthmian and Olympic games,
and was at last even entrusted with the office of keeper of the sacred treasury. But these
distinctions appear to have excited the envy and hatred of his former enemies ; for in the
year De Myst. § 110,
&c.) The orator pleaded his case in the oration still extant,
Andocides appears to have left no issue, since at the age of seventy he had no children (de Myst. §§ 146, 148), though the scholiast on Aristophanes (De Myst. § 100.) The large fortune which he
had inherited from his father, or acquired in his commercial undertakings, was greatly
diminished in the latter years of his life. (De Myst. § 144; Lys.
c. Andoc. § 31.)
Andocides has no claims to the esteem of posterity, either as a man or as a citizen. Besides the three orations already mentioned --
Besides these four orations we possess only a few fragments and some very vague allusions
to other orations. (Sluiter, Lect. And. p. 239, &c.) As an orator
Andocides does not appear to have been held in very high esteem by the ancients, as he is
seldom mentioned, though Valerius Theon is said to have written a commentary on his
orations. (Suidas, s. v.
de Lys. 2, de Thuc. Jud. 51.) Sometimes, however, his style is
diffuse, and becomes tedious and obscure. The best among the orations is that on the
Mysteries; but, for the history of the time, all are of the highest importance.
The orations are printed in the collections of the Greek orators by