My friend, just hear what I'm about to say. Man is an animal by nature miserable; And life has many grievous things in it. Therefore he has invented these reliefs To ease his cares; for oft the mind forgets Its own discomforts while it soothes itself In contemplation of another's woes, And e'en derives some pleasure and instruction. For first, I'd have you notice the tragedians; What good they do to every one. The poor man Sees Telephus was poorer still than he, And bears his own distress more easily. The madman thinks upon Alcmæon's case. Has a man weak sore eyes? The sons of Phineus Are blind as bats. Has a man lost his child? Let him remember childless Niobe. He's hurt his leg; and so had Philoctetes. Is he unfortunate in his old age? Œneus was more so. So that every one, Seeing that others have been more unfortunate, Learns his own griefs to hear with more content. 3. And we accordingly, O Timocrates, will _restore_ to you the relics of the feast of the Deipnosophists, and will not _give_ them, as Cothocides the orator said, meaning to ridicule Demosthenes, who, when Philip gave Halonnesus to the Athenians, advised them "not to take it if he _gave_ it, but only if he _restored_ it." And this sentence Antiphanes jested upon in his Neottis, where he ridicules it in this manner-- My master has received (ἀπέλαβεν) as he took (ἔλαβεν) His patrimonial inheritance. How would these words have pleased Demosthenes! And Alexis says, in his Soldier-- _A._ Receive this thing. _B._ What is it? _A._ Why the child Which I had from you, which I now bring back. _B._ Why? will you no more keep him? _A._ He's not mine. _B._ Nor mine. _A._ But you it was who gave him me. _B._ I gave him not. _A._ How so? _B._ I but restored him. _A._ You gave me what I never need have taken. And in his Brothers he says-- _A._ For did I give them anything? Tell me that. _B._ No, you restored it, holding a deposit. And Anaxilas, in his Evandria, says-- . . . . Give it not, Only restore it. _B._ Here I now have brought it. And Timocles says in his Heroes-- _A._ You bid me now to speak of everything Rather than what is to the purpose; well, I'll gratify you so far. _B._ You shall find As the first fruits that you have pacified The great Demosthenes. _A._ But who is he?