voked by any passion or quarrel between them, but only because, in a frolic, he had agreed with his companions to do it. People were justly offended at this insolence, when it became known through the city; but early the next morning Alcibiades went to Hipponicus's house, and knocking at the door went in to him, took off his outer garment, and presenting his naked body, desired him to scourge and chastise him as he pleased. Upon this Hipponicus forgot all his resentment, and not only pardoned him, but afterwards gave him his daughter Hipparete in marriage. Some say that it was not Hipponicus, but his son Callias, who gave Hipparete to Alcibiades, together with a portion of ten talents, and that after, when she had a child, Alcibiades forced him to give ten talents more, upon pretence that such was the agreement if she brought him children. Afterwards Callias, for fear of coming to his death by his means, declared, in a full assembly of the people, that if he should happen to die without children, the state would inherit his house and all his goods. Hipparete was a virtuous and dutiful wife, but at last growing impatient of the outrages done to her by her husband's continual entertaining of courtesans, as well strangers as Athenians, she left him and went to her brother's house. Alcibiades seemed not at all concerned at this, and lived on still in the same luxury; but the law requiring that she should deliver to the archon in person, and not by proxy, the instrument by which she claimed a divorce, when, in obedience to the law, she presented herself before him to perform this, Alcibiades came in, caught her up, and carried her home through the market-place, no one daring to oppose him, nor to take her from him. She 9 10 continued with him till her death, which happened not long after, when Alcibiades had gone to Ephesus. Nor was this violence thought so very scandalous or unmanly. For the law, in making her who desires to be divorced appear in public, seems to design to give her husband an opportunity of treating with her, and of endeavouring to retain her. Alcibiades had a dog which cost him seventy minas, and was a very large one, and very handsome. His tail, which was his principal ornament, he caused to be cut off; and his acquaintance exclaiming at him for it, and telling him that all Athens was sorry for the dog, and cried out upon him for this action, he laughed and said, "Just what I wanted has happened, then. wished the Athenians to talk about this, that they might not say something worse of me." It is said that, on the first occasion of his appearing in the assembly, he made a contribution of money for the public use; not however by design; but as he passed along he heard a shout, and inquiring the cause, and having heard there was a donative making, he went in amongst them and gave money also. And the multitude thereupon applauding him and shouting, he was so transported at it that he forgot a quail which he had under his robe, and the bird, being frightened with the noise, flew off; upon which the people made louder acclamations than before, and many of them started up to pursue the bird; and Antiochus, the pilot, caught it and restored it to him, for which he was ever after a favourite with Alcibiades. But with all his advantages for entering public life (his noble birth, his riches, the personal courage he had shown in divers battles, and the multi tude of his friends and relations throwing open, so to say, folding-doors for his admittance), he did not consent to let his power with the people rest on anything rather than on his own gift of eloquence. That he was a master in the art of speaking, the comic poets bear him witness; and the greatest of public speakers, in his oration against Midias*, allows that Alcibiades, among other perfections, was a most accomplished orator. If, however, we give credit to Theophrastus, who of all philosophers was the most curious inquirer, and the greatest lover of history, we are to understand that Alcibiades had the highest capacity for inventing†, for discerning what was the right thing to be said for any purpose and on any occasion; but aiming not only at saying what was required, but also at saying it well, in respect, that is, of words and phrases, when these did not readily occur, he would often stop short in the middle of his speech for want of the apt word, and would be silent and leave off till he could recollect himself, and find what he was seeking for. His expenses in horses kept for the public games, and 11 in the number of his chariots, were matter of great observation; never did any one but he, either private person or king, send seven chariots to the Olympic * Demosthenes prosecuted Midias for an assault on himself, and has a long passage in his speech about the way in which Alcibiades, in former times, in spite of his great pretensions, birth and wealth, capacity as a general, and skill as a speaker, had not been tolerated in his insolence to private persons. Invention in this sense is one of the five divisions of rhetoric, or the art of speaking: the other four being arrangement, diction, memory, delivery; inventio, dispositio, elocutio, memoria, pronuntiatio, as Cicero says in his "De Inventione.” The 90th games. And to have carried away at once the first, the Olym- second, and the fourth prize, as Thucydides says, or the piad. July, third, as Euripides relates it, outdoes far away every B. C. 420. distinction that ever was known or thought of in that 12 kind. Euripides celebrates his success in this manner : - But the song to you, Son of Clinias, is due; And three times* bid the herald claim The emulation displayed by the deputations of various states, in the presents which they made to him, rendered this success yet more illustrious. The Ephesians erected a tent for him, adorned magnificently; the city of Chios furnished him with provender for his horses, and with great numbers of beasts for sacrifice; and the Lesbians sent him wine and other provisions, for the many great entertainments which he made. Yet in the midst of all this he escaped not without censure, occasioned either by the ill-nature of his enemies, or by his own misconduct. For, it is said that one Diomedes, an Athenian, a worthy man and a friend to Alcibiades, passionately desiring to obtain the victory at the Olympic games, and having heard much of a chariot which belonged to the state at Argos, where he knew that Alcibiades had great power and many friends, prevailed with him to undertake to buy the chariot. Alcibiades did indeed buy it, but then claimed it for his own, leaving Dio * Perhaps more correctly, twice: for tris read dis. medes to rage at him, and to call upon gods and men to bear witness to the injustice. It would seem there was a suit at law about it, and there is an oration extant Concerning the Chariot, written by Isocrates in defence of the son of Alcibiades, but the plaintiff here is named Tisias, and not Diomedes. But as soon as he threw himself into politics, which 13 was when he was still very young, he quickly brought down the credit of all the advisers of the people, except Phæax the son of Erasistratus, and Nicias the son of Niceratus, who alone could contest it with him. Nicias was arrived at a mature age, and was esteemed their first general. Phæax was but a rising statesman, like Alcibiades; he was descended from noble ancestors, but was his inferior, as in many other things, so principally in eloquence. He possessed rather the art of persuading in private conversation, than of debate before the people; and was, as Eupolis said of him, The best of talkers and of speakers worst. An oration against Alcibiades exists, said to be by Phæax,* in which, amongst other things, it is told, that Alcibiades made daily use at his table of the many gold and silver vessels which belonged to the commonwealth, as if they had been his own. There was, however, a certain Hyperbolus of the township of Perithodæ, whom Thucydides also speaks of as a man of bad character, and who on the stage was the general butt for the mockery of all the comic writers of the time, but was quite unconcerned at the worst they could say, indiffe * Perhaps the same as one now extant, ascribed to Andocides, Isocrates's speech is also still extant, De Bigis. K |