DINARCHUS, the son of Socrates or Sostratus,—born, as some think, at
Athens, but according to others, at Corinth,—came to Athens very young,
and there took up his dwelling, at that time when Alexander made his
expedition into Asia. He used to hear Theophrastus, who succeeded
Aristotle in his school. He was frequently conversant with Demetrius
the Phalerian too. He betook himself more especially to the affairs of
the commonwealth after the death of Antipater, when some of the orators
were killed and others banished. Having contracted friendship with
Cassander, he became in a short time vastly rich, by exacting great
rates for his orations of those for whom he wrote them. He opposed
himself to the greatest and most noble orators of his time, not by
being overforward to declaim publicly,—for his faculty did not lie that
way,—but by composing orations for their adversaries. And when Harpalus
had broken out of prison, he wrote several orations, which he gave to
their accusers to pronounce against those that were suspected to have
taken bribes of him.
Some time after, being accused of a conspiracy with Antipater and
Cassander about the matter of Munychia, when it was surprised by
Antigonus and Demetrius, who put a garrison into it, in the year of
Anaxicrates,[27] he turned the greatest part of his estate into money,
and fled to Chalcis, where he lived in exile about fifteen years, and
increased his stock; but afterwards, by the mediation of Theophrastus,
he and some other banished persons returned to Athens. Then he took up
his abode in the house of one Proxenus, his intimate friend; where,
being very aged and withal dim-sighted, he lost his gold. And because
Proxenus refused to make inquiry after the thief, he apprehended him;
and this was the first time that ever he appeared in court. That
oration against Proxenus is extant; and there are sixty-four that bear
his name, whereof some are believed to be Aristogiton’s. He imitated
Hyperides; or, as some incline to judge, rather Demosthenes, because
of that vigor and force to move the affections, and the rhetorical
ornaments that are evident in his style.