ens would raise the standard of liberation.[1] To many Athenian patriots, more ardent than long-sighted, such appeals inspired bothsympathy and confidence. Moreover Harpalus would of course purchase every influential partisan who would accept a bribe ; in addition to men like Charikles, who were already in his interest.
His cause was espoused by Hyperides,[2] an earnest anti-Macedonian citizen, and an orator second only to Demosthenes. There seems good reason for believing that at first, a strong feeling was excited in favor of taking part with the exile; the people not being daunted even by the idea of war with Alexander.[3] Phokion, whom Harpalus vainly endeavored to corrupt, resisted of course the proposition of espousing his cause. And Demosthenes also resisted it, not less decidedly, from the very out-
- ↑ See the new and interesting, though unfortunately scanty, fragments of the oration of Hyperides against Demosthenes, published and elucidated by Mr. Churchill Babington from a recently discovered Egyptian papyrus (Cambridge, 1850). From Fragm. 14 (p. 38 of Mr. Babington's edition) we may see that the promises mentioned in the text were actually held out by Harpalus—indeed we might almost have presumed it without positive
evidence. Hyperides addresses Demosthenes—(
Greek characters)From the language thus used by Hyperides in his accusation, we are made to perceive what prospects he (and of course Harpalus, upon whose authority he must have spoken) had held out to the people when the case was first under discussion.
The fragment here cited is complete as to the main sense, not requiring very great help from conjecture. In some of the other fragments, the conjectural restorations of Mr. Babington, though highly probable and judicious, form too large a proportion of the whole to admit of our citing them with confidence as testimony.
- ↑ Pollux, X. 159.
- ↑ Plutarch, De Vitioso Pudore, p. 531. (Greek characters)
