=Æschĭnes=, an Athenian orator, who flourished about 342 B.C., and distinguished himself by his rivalship with Demosthenes. His father’s name was Atrometus, and he boasted of his descent from a noble family, though Demosthenes reproached him as being the son of a courtesan. The first open signs of enmity between the rival orators appeared at the court of Philip, where they were sent as ambassadors; but the character of Æschines was tarnished by the acceptance of a bribe from the Macedonian prince, whose tyranny had hitherto been the general subject of his declamation. When the Athenians wished to reward the patriotic labours of Demosthenes with a golden crown, Æschines impeached Ctesiphon, who proposed it; and to their subsequent dispute we are indebted for the two celebrated orations _de coronâ_. Æschines was defeated by his rival’s superior eloquence, and banished to Rhodes; but as he retired from Athens, Demosthenes ran after him, and nobly forced him to accept a present of silver. In his banishment, the orator repeated to the Rhodians what he had delivered against Demosthenes; and after receiving much applause, he was desired to read the answer of his antagonist. It was received with greater marks of approbation; but, exclaimed Æschines, how much more would your admiration have been raised, had you heard Demosthenes himself speak it! Æschines died in the 75th year of his age, at Rhodes, or, as some suppose, at Samos. He wrote three orations, and nine epistles, which, from their number, received the name, the first of the graces, and the last of the muses. The orations alone are extant, generally found collected with those of Lysias. An oration which bears the name of _Deliaca lex_, is said not to be his production, but that of Æschines, another orator of that age. _Cicero_, _On Oratory_, bk. 1, ch. 24; bk. 2, ch. 53; _Brutus_, ch. 17.――_Plutarch_, _Demosthenes_.――_Diogenes Laërtius_, bks. 2 & 3.――_Pliny_, bk. 7, ch. 30. Diogenes Laërtius mentions seven more of the same name.――――A philosopher, disciple of Socrates, who wrote several dialogues, some of which bore the following titles: Aspasia, Phædon, Alcibiades, Draco, Erycia, Polyænus, Telauges, &c. The dialogue entitled Axiochus, and ascribed to Plato, is supposed to be his composition. The best editions are that of Leovard, 1718, with the notes of Horræus, in 8vo, and that of Fischer, 8vo, Lipscomb, 1766.――――A man who wrote on oratory. ――――An Arcadian.――――A Mitylenean.――――A disciple of Melanthius.――――A Milesian writer.――――A statuary. =Æschrion=, a Mitylenean poet, intimate with Aristotle. He accompanied Alexander in his Asiatic expedition.――――An Iambic poet of Samos. _Athenæus._――――A physician commended by Galen. A treatise of his own husbandry has been quoted by _Pliny_.――――A lieutenant of Archagathus, killed by Hanno. _Diodorus_, bk. 20.