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Plutarch · Lives of the Ten Orators §10.1

Life, Exile, and Oratorical Style of Dinarchus

Passage 16 of 19 · Greek

Summary

The passage outlines the life, political activities, exile to Chalcis, and return of the orator Dinarchus, as well as his style and the preservation of his speeches.

§10.1Δείναρχος Σωκράτους ἢ Σωστράτου, ὡς μέν τινες ἐγχώριος, ὡς δέ τισι δοκεῖ Κορίνθιος, ἀφικόμενος εἰς Ἀθήνας ἔτι νέος, καθʼ ὃν χρόνον Ἀλέξανδρος ἐπῄει τὴν Ἀσίαν, κατοικήσας αὐτόθι ἀκροατὴς μὲν ἐγένετο Θεοφράστου τοῦ διαδεξαμένου τὴν Ἀριστοτέλους διατριβήν, ὡμίλησε δὲ καὶ Δημητρίῳ τῷ Φαληρεῖ·
Dinarchus, the son of Socrates or Sostratus, was a native of Athens according to some, but according to others was thought to be a Corinthian. Arriving in Athens while still a youth, at the time when Alexander was invading Asia, and having settled there, he became a pupil of Theophrastus, who had succeeded to Aristotle's school, and he also associated with Demetrius of Phalerum.
μάλιστα δὲ προσῄει τῷ πολιτεύεσθαι μετὰ τὴν Ἀντιπάτρου τελευτήν, τῶν μὲν ἀνῃρημένων ῥητόρων τῶν δὲ πεφευγότων.
But he applied himself most of all to political activity after the death of Antipater, when some of the orators had been put to death and others had fled.
φίλος δὲ Κασάνδρῳ γενόμενος, ὡς ἐπὶ πλεῖστον προέκοψε χρήματα τῶν λόγων εἰσπραττόμενος, οὓς τοῖς δεομένοις συνέγραφεν·
Having become a friend of Cassander, he made the greatest progress in acquiring wealth by charging fees for the speeches which he composed for those who needed them.
ἀντετάξατο δὲ πρὸς τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους τῶν ῥητόρων, οὐκ εἰς δῆμον παριών· οὐ γὰρ οἷὸς τʼ ἦν· ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἐναντιουμένοις λόγους συγγράφων·
And he set himself against the most illustrious of the orators, not by coming forward before the assembly—for he was not permitted to do so—but by composing speeches for those opposed to them.
καὶ ἐπεὶ Ἅρπαλος διέδρα, πλείους λόγους συνέγραψε κατὰ τῶν αἰτίαν λαβόντων δωροδοκῆσαι, καὶ τούτους τοῖς κατηγόροις ἐξέδωκε.
And when Harpalus fled, he composed several speeches against those accused of having accepted bribes, and published these for the accusers.
χρόνῳ δʼ ὕστερον αἰτιαθεὶς εἰς λόγους παραγίνεσθαι Ἀντιπάτρῳ καὶ Κασάνδρῳ περὶ τὴν κατάληψιν τῆς Μουνυχίας, ἡνίκα ὑπʼ Ἀντιγόνου καὶ Δημητρίου ἐφρουρήθη ἐπʼ Ἀναξικράτους ἄρχοντος, ἐξαργυρισάμενος τὰ πλεῖστα τῆς οὐσίας ἔφυγεν εἰς Χαλκίδα.
Sometime later, having been accused of entering into negotiations with Antipater and Cassander regarding the seizure of Munychia, when it was garrisoned by Antigonus and Demetrius in the archonship of Anaxicrates, he converted most of his property into money and fled to Chalcis.
διατρίψας δʼ ἐπὶ τῆς φυγῆς ὡς πεντεκαίδεκα ἔτη, καὶ πολλὴν οὐσίαν κτησάμενος κατῆλθε, πραξάντων αὐτῷ τὴν κάθοδον τῶν περὶ Θεόφραστον ἅμα τοῖς ἄλλοις φυγάσι.
Having spent about fifteen years in exile and acquired a large fortune, he returned, when Theophrastus and his associates, along with the other exiles, secured his return.
καταλύσας δὲ παρὰ Προξένῳ ἑταίρῳ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ χρυσίον ἀπολέσας, ἤδη γηραιὸς ὢν καὶ τὰς ὁράσεις ἀσθενής, οὐ βουλομένου τοῦ Προξένου ἀναζητεῖν, λαγχάνει αὐτῷ δίκην καὶ τότε πρῶτον εἶπεν ἐν δικαστηρίῳ.
Having lodged at the house of Proxenus, a companion of his, and having lost his gold, since he was already old and weak in his sight, and Proxenus was unwilling to search for it, he brought a suit against him and then for the first time spoke in a court of law.
σῴζεται δʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ ὁ λόγος.
And this speech of his is preserved.
φέρονται δʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ λόγοι γνήσιοι ἑξήκοντα τέσσαρες· τούτων ἔνιοι παραλαμβάνονται ὡς Ἀριστογείτονος.
Sixty-four of his genuine speeches are current; some of these are ascribed to Aristogeiton.
ζηλωτὴς δʼ ἐγένετο Ὑπερείδου ἢ ὥς τινες διὰ τὸ παθητικὸν Δημοσθένους καὶ τὸ σφοδρόν· τῶν σχημάτων δʼ αὐτοῦ μιμητὴς ὑπάρχει.
He was an emulator of Hyperides, or, as some say, of Demosthenes, because of his emotional appeal and vehemence; and he is an imitator of his rhetorical figures.

Notes

  1. 850cἀκροατὴς μὲν ἐγένετο Θεοφράστου τοῦ διαδεξαμένου τὴν Ἀριστοτέλους διατριβήν — The expression 'Theophrastus who succeeded to Aristotle's school'. Here διατριβή refers to Aristotle's school (the Lyceum) or lectures, and διαδεξαμένου is the aorist participle meaning 'having succeeded', modifying the genitive noun Θεοφράστου.
  2. 850cτῶν μὲν ἀνῃρημένων ῥητόρων τῶν δὲ πεφευγότων — A genitive absolute construction supplying the time or circumstance: 'while some of the orators had been put to death and others had fled'. It explains the historical background following μετὰ τὴν Ἀντιπάτρου τελευτήν ('after the death of Antipater').
  3. 850cοὐ γὰρ οἷὸς τʼ ἦν — The imperfect of οἷός τ' εἰμί ('to be able'). The infinitive (such as παριέναι, 'to come forward') is omitted here. It refers to the fact that Dinarchus, as a resident alien (metoic), did not have the legal capacity or right to speak in the Athenian assembly.
  4. 850dαἰτιαθεὶς εἰς λόγους παραγίνεσθαι Ἀντιπάτρῳ καὶ Κασάνδρῳ — αἰτιαθείς is the aorist passive participle of αἰτιάομαι ('having been accused'). The phrase εἰς λόγους παραγίνεσθαι (with dative) is an idiomatic expression meaning 'to enter into talks / hold negotiations with', referring to his suspected communication with Antipater and Cassander.
  5. 850dτῶν περὶ Θεόφραστον — An idiomatic expression where οἱ περί followed by an accusative proper name denotes 'Theophrastus and his associates' or 'the circle of Theophrastus'. It refers to a group including Theophrastus himself and his friends or philosophical companions.

Cite this passage

Plutarch, Lives of the Ten Orators §10.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0007.tlg121.humanitext-grc2:10.1

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