Dinarchus, Against Demosthenes, ed. J. O. Burtt, 81

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[81] That is the character of your adviser. Demosthenes has made only these two journeys abroad in his life¹: one after the battle when he ran away from the city, and another just recently to Olympia when he wanted to use the presidency of the sacred embassy as a means of meeting Nicanor .² A right thing indeed to entrust the city to this man's charge, when danger confronts us! When it was time to fight against the enemy, side by side with his fellows, he left his post and made for home; yet when he should have stayed at home to face danger with them, he offered himself as an envoy and ran away and left the city.

Against Demosthenes. Dinarchus. ed. J. O. Burtt. London. 1954.

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Current edition Perseus

Against Demosthenes (English) (Dinarchus. Minor Attic Orators, Vol. 2. Burtt, J. O., translator. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1954 (printing).)

Editions (1)

Κατὰ Δημοσθένους Perseus (Dinarchus. Minor Attic Orators, Vol. 2. Burtt, J. O., editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1954 (printing).) — 81 focus

[81] τοιοῦτος ὑμῖν ὁ σύμβουλος, καὶ δύο ταύτας μόνας ἐν τῷ βίῳ¹ Δημοσθένης πεποίηται ἀποδημίας, μετὰ τὴν μάχην ὅτʼ ἀπεδίδρασκεν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως, καὶ νῦν εἰς Ὀλυμπίαν, ἐπεὶ Νικάνορι διὰ τῆς ἀρχεθεωρίας ἐντυχεῖν ἐβούλετο. ἄξιόν γε τούτῳ παρακαταθέσθαι τὴν πόλιν καὶ ἐπιτρέψαι² κινδυνεύειν μέλλοντας, ὃς ὅτε μὲν ἔδει μάχεσθαι μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων τοῖς πολεμίοις, λιπὼν τὴν τάξιν ᾤχετο ἀπιὼν οἴκαδε, ἐπειδὴ δὲ προσῆκεν οἴκοι κινδυνεύειν μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων, πρεσβευτὴν αὐτὸς αὑτὸν προβαλόμενος³ ᾤχετο ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἀποδρὰς,

Notes on the current edition

Against Demosthenes

1. This statement is wholly incorrect and Dinarchus appears to be contradicting himself, since in Din. 1.12 of this speech he does not attempt to refute Demosthenes' claim to have served on many embassies. By excluding the words “in his life” and placing a colon after “battle” Maetzner would alter the sense to: “Demosthenes has made only these two journeys abroad since the battle of Chaeronea .”

2. Demosthenes was the chief Athenian religious envoy at the Olympic games in 324 B.C. when Nicanor presented Alexander's decree demanding that exiles should be allowed to return to all Greek cities except Thebes. Cf. Dio. Sic. 18.8 ; Hyp. 5 col. 18 .

Dinarchus Against Demosthenes 81

ed. J. O. Burtt

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