ORDER OF THE OLYNTHIACS. 35J words, but places them in a different chronological order from chat in which they stand edited. He gives the second as being first in the sc- ries ; the third, as second ; and the first, as third. It will l understood that I always speak of and describe these speeches by the order in which they stand edited ; though, as far as I can judge, that order is not the true one. Edited Order I. II. III. Order of Dionysius II. III. I. The greater number of modern critics defend the edited order ; the main arguments for which have been ably stated in a dissertation pub- lished by Petrenz in 1833. Dindorf, in his edition of Demosthenes, places this Dissertation in front of his notes to the Olynthiacs ; affirm- ing that it is conclusive, and sets the question at rest. Bohnecke also. (Forschungen, p. 151,) treats the question as no longer open to doubt- On the other hand, Flathe (Geschichte Makedoniens, p. 183-187) expresses himself with equal confidence in favor of the order stated by Dionysius. A much higher authority, Dr. Thirlwall, agrees in the same opinion ; though with less confidence, and with a juster appreciation of our inadequate means for settling the question. See the Appendix iii. to the 5th volume of his History of Greece, p. 512. Though I have not come to the same conclusion as Dr. Thirlwall, I agree with him, that unqualified confidence, in any conclusion as to the order of these harangues, is unsuitable and not warranted by the amount of evidence. We have nothing to proceed upon except the internal evidence of the speeches, taken in conjunction with the contempora- neous history ; of which we know little or nothing from information in detail. On the best judgment that I can form, I cannot adopt wholly eithei the edited order or that of Dionysius, though agreeing in part with both I concur with Dionysius and Dr. Thirlwall in placing the second Olyn- thiac first of the three. I concur with the edited order in placing the third last. I observe, in Dr. ThirlwalTs Appendix, that this arrange- ment has been vindicated in a Dissertation by Stueve. I have not seen this Dissertation ; and my own conclusion was deduced (even before I knew that it had ever been advocated elsewhere ) only from an atten- live study of the speeches. Edited Order I. II III. Order of Dionysius II. IH. I. Order of Stueve (which I think the ) -p- T TTT i 1 I f* 1 * * ' 111. most probable) ) To consider, first, the proper place of the second Olynthiac (I mean that which stands second in the edited order). The most remarkable characteristic of this oration is, that scarcely anything is said in it about Olynthus. It is, in fact, a Philippic rather than an Olynthiac. This characteristic is not merely admitted, but strong-
