Page:History of Greece Vol XI.djvu/389

 ORDER OF THE OLYNTHIACS. 3GJj to the tnircL The third was delivered immediately after news received of success near Olynthus ; Olynthian affairs did really prosper for the moment and to a certain extent though the amount of prosperity was greatly exaggerated by the public. Demosthenes sets himself to combat this exaggeration ; he passes as lightly as he can over the re- cent good news, but he cannot avoid allowing something for them, and throwing the danger of Olynthus a little back into more distant con- tingency. At the same time he states it in the strongest manner, both section 2 and sections 9, 10. Without being insensible, therefore, to the fallibility of all opiniona founded upon such imperfect evidence, I think that the true chrono- logical order of the Olynthiacs is that proposed by Stueve, II. I. III. With Dionysius I agree so far as to put the second first ; and with the common order, in putting the third last.