Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/334

 302 HISTORY OF GREECE. pagitic report. Demosthenes was brought to trial, first of all the persons accused, before a numerous Dikastery of 1500 citizens,^ who confirmed the report of the Areopagites, found him guilty, and condemned him to pay fifty talents to- the state. Not being able to discharge this large fine, he was put in prison ; but after some days he found means to escape, and fled to Trcezen in Pelo- ponnesus, where he passed some months as a dispirited and sor- rowing exile, until the death of Alexander.-^ What was done with the other citizens included in the Areopagitic report, we do not know. It appears that Demades ^ — who was among those comprised, and who is especially attacked, along with Demos- thenes, by both Hyperides and Deinarchus — did not appear to take his trial, and therefore must have been driven into exile ; yet if so, he must have speedily returned, since he seems to have been at Athens when Alexander died. Philokles and Aris- togeiton were also brought to trial as Ijeing included by the Areopagus in the list of delinquents ; but how their trial ended, does not appear.* This condemnation and banishment of Demosthenes — un- questionably the greatest orator, and one of the greatest citizens, in Athenian antiquity, — is the most painful result of the de- bates respecting the exile Harpalus. Demosthenes himself denied the charge ; but unfortunately we possess neither his defence, nor the facts alleged in evidence against him ; so that our means of forming a positive conclusion are imperfect. At the same time, judging from the circumstances as far as we 1 Deinarchus atlv. Dcmosih. s. 108, 109. '■' Plutarch, Demostli. 26. '^ I)cinarchu.s adv. Deinostli. s. 104. Aristogeiton. In the second and third Epistles ascribed to Demosthenes (p. 1470, 1483, 1485), he is made to state, that he alone had been condemned by the Dy- kastery, because his trial had come on first — that Aristogeiton and all the others tried were acquitted, though the charge against all was the same, and the evidence against all was the same also — viz. nothing more than the simple report of the Areopagus. As I agree with those who hold these epistles to be probably spurious, I cannot believe, on such auihority alone, that all the other persons tried were acquitted — a fact highly improbable in itself.
 * See the two orations composed by Deinarchus, against Pliiloklcs and