Demosthenes

Plutarch

Plutarch. Plutarch's Lives, Vol. VII. Perrin, Bernadotte, translator. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1919.

But although Demosthenes, as it would appear, did not regard the other characteristics of Pericles as suitable for himself, he admired and sought to imitate the formality of his speech and bearing, as well as his refusal to speak suddenly or on every subject that might present itself, as if his greatness was due to these things; but he by no means sought the reputation which is won in a sudden emergency, nor did he often of his own free will stake his influence upon chance.

However, those orations which were spoken off-hand by him had more courage and boldness than those which he wrote out, if we are to put any confidence in Eratosthenes, Demetrius the Phalerian, and the comic poets. Of these, Eratosthenes says that often in his speeches Demosthenes was like one frenzied, and the Phalerean says that once, as if under inspiration, he swore the famous metrical oath to the people:—

  1. By earth, by springs, by rivers, and by streams.
[*](Kock, Com. Att. Frag. ii. p. 128. From Plutarch’s Morals, p. 845b, it is to be inferred rather that this was a verse of Antiphanes ridiculing the perceived manner of Demosthenes.)

Of the comic poets, one calls him a rhopoperperethras, or trumpery-braggart,[*](Kock, op.cit., iii. p. 461.) and another, ridiculing his use of the antithesis, says this:—

  1. (First slave) My master, as he took, retook.
  2. (Second slave (?)) Demosthenes would have been delighted to take over this phrase.
[*](Kock, op. cit., ii. p. 80. A verse precedes which may be translated: My master on receiving all his patrimony, and the point apparently is that the heir took what was a gift as his rightful due.) Unless, indeed, this, too, was a jest of Antiphanes upon the speech of Demosthenes concerning Halonnesus,[*](Or. vii., wrongly attributed to Demosthenes. There is in § 5 a phrase similar to the one under comment.) in which the orator counselled the Athenians not to take the island from Philip, but to retake it.

Still, all men used to agree that Demades, in the exercise of his natural gifts, was invincible, and that when he spoke on the spur of the moment he surpassed the studied preparations of Demosthenes. And Ariston the Chian records an opinion which Theophrastus also passed upon the two orators. When he was asked, namely, what sort of an orator he thought Demosthenes was, he replied: Worthy of the city;

and what Demades, Too good for the city. And the same philosopher tells us that Polyeuctus the Sphettian, one of the political leaders of that time at Athens, declared that Demosthenes was the greatest orator, but Phocion the most influential speaker; since he expressed most sense in fewest words. Indeed, we are told that even Demosthenes himself, whenever Phocion mounted the bema to reply to him, would say to his intimates: Here comes the chopper of my speeches.

Now, it is not clear whether Demosthenes had this feeling towards Phocion because of his oratory, or because of his life and reputation, believing that a single word or nod from a man who is trusted has more power than very many long periods.