Page:A new and general biographical dictionary; containing an historical and critical account of the lives and writings of the most eminent persons in every nation v1.djvu/132

 IE S C H I N E S. Come fay that Socrates, fome that Gorgias, was his Being overcome byDemofthenes,he went to Rhodes, and open- ed a fchool there ; and afterwards removed to Samos, where he died at the age of fevcnty-five. There are only three of his ora- tions extant, which however are fo very beautiful, that Fabriciua compares them to the three graces. One is againft: Timarchus his accufer, whom he treated fo feverely, as to make him weary of life ; and fome have faid, that he did actually lay violent hands upon himfelf. : Anofher is an " Apology" for himfelf againft: Demofthenes, who had accufed him of perfidy in an " Em- " bafly" to Philip. The third " againft Ctefiphon," who had decreed the golden crov/n to Demofthenes. This excel- lent oration, together with that of Demofthenes againft it, was tranflated by Cicero into Latin, as St. Jerome and Sido- nius inform us. The three orations were publifhed by Aldus, 1513, and by Henry Stephens among other orators 1575) in Greek, Wolfius has given them, in his edition of Demofthe- nes, with a Latin verfion and notes. /ESCHYLUS, the tragic* poet, was born at Athens. Au- thors differ in regard to the time of his birth, fome placing it mtheCfth, others in the yoth Olympiad ; but according to Stanley, who relies on the Arundelian marble?, he was born in the b%d Olympiad, He was the fon of Euphorion, and brother to Cynegirus and Aminias, who diftinguifhed them- felves in the battle of Marathon, and the fea-h'ght of Salamis, in Vita^Ef- a t which engagements JEfchvlus was likewile prefent. In this laft aclion, according to Diodorus Siculus, Aminias, the i. 11.0.27, y 0un g er o f the three brothers, commanded a fquadron of fhips, and behaved withfo much conduct and bravery, that he fuolc the admiral of the Perlian fleet, and fignalized himfelf above all the Athenians. To this brother our poet was, upon a Var. Hift. particular occafion, obliged for faving his life ; JElian relates, hb.v. c. 19- that /Efchylus being charged by the Athenians with certain blafphemous exprelfions in fome of his pieces, was accufed of impiety, and condemned to be ftoned to death : they vverejuft going to put the fentence in execution, when Aminias, with a happy prefenceofmind, throwing afide his cloak, (hewed his arm without a hand, which he had loft at the battle of Salamis, in defence of his country. This fight made fuch an impref- fion on the judges, thar, touched with the remembrance of his valour, and the friendfhip he {hewed for his brother, they pardoned ^Efchylus. Our poet however refented the indig- nity of this profecution, and refolved to leave a place where his life had been in danger. He became >more determined in this