Compare Athenæ. iv. p. 166, 167; vi. p. 260, 261. Demosthen. Olynth. ii. p. 23.
Polybius (viii. 11) censures Theopompus for self-contradiction, in ascribing to Philip both unprincipled means and intemperate habits, and yet extolling his ability and energy as a king. But I see no contradiction between the two. The love of enjoyment was not suffered to stand in the way of Philip’s military and political schemes, either in himself or his officers. The master-passion overpowered all appetites; but when that passion did not require effort, intemperance was the habitual relaxation. Polybius neither produces any sufficient facts, nor cites any contemporary authority, to refute Theopompus.
It is to be observed that the statements of Theopompus, respecting both the public and private conduct of Philip, are as disparaging as anything in Demosthenes.
[1167] Satyrus ap. Athenæ. xiii. p. 557. Ὁ δὲ Φίλιππος ἀεὶ κατὰ πόλεμον ἐγάμει, etc.
[1168] Æschines cont. Timarchum, p. 26. εἶτα τί θαυμάζομεν τὴν κοινὴν ἀπραξίαν, τοιούτων ῥητόρων ἐπὶ τὰς τοῦ δήμου γνώμας ἐπιγραφομένων;
Æschines would ascribe this public inefficiency—which many admitted and deplored, though few except Demosthenes persevered in contending against it—to the fact that men of scandalous private lives (like Timarchus) were permitted, against the law, to move decrees in the public assembly. Compare Æschines, Fals. Leg. p. 37.
Transcriber's note
- The book cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.
- Footnotes have been renumbered and moved to the end of the book.
- Blank pages have been skipped.
- Obvious printer errors have been silently corrected, after comparison with a later edition of this work. Greek text has also been corrected after checking with this later edition and with Perseus, when the reference was found.
- Original spelling, hyphenation and punctuation have been kept, but variant spellings were made consistent when a predominant usage was found.
- Nevetherless, no attempt has been made at normalizing proper names (i.e. Abdera and Abdêra, Alkibiades and Alkibiadês, Apollokrates and Apollokratês, Athenis and Athênis, Demeter and Dêmêtêr, Diokles and Dioklês, Euktemon and Euktêmon, Europe and Eurôpê, Here and Hêrê, Iatrokles and Iatroklês, Isokrates and Isokratês, Leptines and Leptinês, Mausolus and Mausôlus, Oropus and Orôpus, Pallenê and Pallênê, Pammenes and Pammenês, Philomelus and Philomêlus, Phenicians and Phœnicians, etc.). The author established at the beginning of the first volume of this work some rules of transcription for proper names, but neither he nor his publisher follows them consistently.