imony.

This may seem to us to have been a great misfortune. It was, on the
contrary, the greatest good fortune. It forced Demosthenes to become an
orator. Though he never recovered his estate, he gained a fame that was
of infinitely greater value. The law of Athens required that every
plaintiff should plead his own cause, either in person or by a deputy
speaking his words. Demosthenes felt that he must bring suit or consent
to be robbed. That art of oratory, towards which he had so strong an
inclination, now became doubly important. He must learn how to plead
eloquently before the courts, or remain the poor victim of a party of
rogues. This determined the young student of rhetoric. He would make
himself an orator.

He at once began an energetic course of study. There were then two
famous teachers of oratory in Athens, Isocrates and Isaeus. The school of
Isocrates was famous, and his prices very high. The young man, with whom
money was scarce, offered him a fifth of his price for a fifth of his
course, but Isocrates replied that his art, like a good fish, must be
sold entire. He then turned to Isaeus, who was the greatest legal pleader
of the period, and studied under him until he felt competent to plead
his own case before the courts.

Demosthenes soon found that he had mistaken his powers. His argument was
formal and long-winded. His uncouth style roused the ridicule of his
hearers. His voice was weak, his breath short, his manner disconnected,
his utterance confused. His pronunciation was stammering and
ineffective, and in the end he withdrew from the court, hopeless and
disheartened.

Fortunately, his feeble effort had been heard by a friend who was a
distinguished actor, and was able to tell Demosthenes what he lacked.
"You must study the art of graceful gesture and clear and distinct
utterance," he said. In illustration, he asked the would-be orator to
speak some passages from the poets Sophocles and Euripides, and then
recited them himself, to show how they should be spoken. He succeeded in
this way in arousing the boy to new and greater efforts. Nature,
Demosthenes felt, had not meant him for an orator. But art can sometimes
overcome nature. Energy, perseverance, determination, were necessary.
These he had. He went earnestly to work; and the story of how he worked
and what he achieved should be a lesson for all future students of art
or science.

There were two things to do. He must both write well and spe