Moreover, Demosthenes's banishment was infamous, upon conviction for
bribery; Cicero's very honorable, for ridding his country of a set of
villains. Therefore, when Demosthenes fled from his country, no man
regarded it; for Cicero's sake the senate changed their habit, and put
on mourning, and would not be persuaded to make any act before Cicero's
return was decreed. Cicero, however, passed his exile idly in Macedonia.
But the very exile of Demosthenes made up a great part of the services
he did for his country; for he went through the cities of Greece, and
everywhere, as we have said, joined in the conflict on behalf of the
Greeks, driving out the Macedonian ambassadors, and approving himself
a much better citizen than Themistocles and Alcibiades did in a similar
fortune. And, after his return, he again devoted himself to the same
public service, and continued firm in his opposition to Antipater and
the Macedonians. Whereas Laelius reproached Cicero in the senate for
sitting silent when Caesar, a beardless youth, asked leave to come
forward, contrary to the law, as a candidate for the consulship; and
Brutus, in his epistles, charges him with nursing and rearing a greater
and more heavy tyranny than that they had removed.
Finally, Cicero's death excites our pity; for an old man to be miserably
carried up and down by his servants, flying and hiding himself from that
death which was, in the course of nature, so near at hand; and yet
at last to be murdered. Demosthenes, though he seemed to supplicate a
little at first, yet, by his preparing and keeping the poison by him,
demands our admiration; and still more admirable was his using it.
When the temple of the god no longer afforded him a sanctuary, he took
refuge, as it were, at a mightier altar, freeing himself from arms and
soldiers, and laughing to scorn the cruelty of Antipater.
ALCIBAIDES
Alcibiades, it is supposed, was descended from Ajax, by his father's
side; and by his mother's side from Alcmaeon. Dinomache, his mother,
was the daughter of Megacles. His father (Clinias) having fitted out
a galley at his own expense, gained great honor in the seafight at
Artemisium, and was afterwards slain in the battle of Coronea, fighting
against the Boeotians. The friendship which Socrates felt for him has
much contributed to his fame; and though we have no account from any
writer concerning the mother of Nicias or Demosthenes, of Lamachus or
Phormion, of Thrasybulus or Theramenes, notwithstanding these were
all illustrious men of the same period, yet we know even the nurse of
Alcibiades, that her country was Lacedaemon, and her name Amycla; and
that Zopyrus was his teacher and attendant; the one being recorded by
Antisthenes, and the other by Plato.
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