alutary
criticism of his audience. Without doubt, these conflicts and rebuffs of
his earlier years served to strengthen and deepen the moral character of
Demosthenes, as well as to improve his art. They contributed to form a
man capable of spending his whole life in unflagging devotion to a high
purpose, and that in the face of the greatest difficulties and dangers.
The dominant purpose of his life was the preservation of the freedom of
the Greek States from the control of any foreign power, and the
maintenance of the pre-eminent position of Athens among these States. In
this combination of a splendid intellect, an indomitable will, and a
great purpose, we find the true basis of Demosthenes's greatness.

When at the age of eighteen he came into the wreck of his patrimony, he
at once began suit against Aphobos, one of his unfaithful guardians. He
conducted his case himself. So well did he plead his cause that he
received a verdict for a large amount. He seems, however, owing to the
trickery of his opponent, never to have recovered the money. He became
now a professional writer of speeches for clients in private suits of
every kind, sometimes appearing in court himself as advocate.

In 355-354 B.C. he entered upon his career as public orator and
statesman. He had now found his field of action, and till the end of his
eventful life he was a most prominent figure in the great issues that
concerned the welfare of Athens and of Greece. He was long
unquestionably the leading man among the Athenians. By splendid ability
as orator and statesman he was repeatedly able to thwart the plans of
the traitors in the pay of Philip, even though they were led by the
adept and eloquent AEschines. His influence was powerful in the
Peloponnesus, and he succeeded, in 338 B.C., in even uniting the bitter
hereditary enemies Thebes and Athens for one final, desperate, but
unsuccessful struggle against the Macedonian power.

Demosthenes soon awoke to the danger threatening his country from the
barbarian kingdom in the north, though not even he understood at first
how grave was the danger. The series of great speeches relating to
Philip--the First Philippic; the three Olynthiacs, 'On the Peace,' 'On
the Embassy,' 'On the Chersonese'; the Second and Third
Philippics--show an increasing intensity and fire as the danger became
more and more imminent. These orations were delivered in the period
351-341 B.C.

When the cause of Greek freedom had bee