DEINARCHUS, last of the "ten" Attic orators, son of Sostratus (or, according to Suidas, Socrates), born at Corinth about 361 B.C. He settled at Athens early in life, and when not more than twenty-five was already active as a writer of speeches for the law courts. In 324 the Areopagus, after inquiry, reported that nine men had taken bribes from Harpalus, the fugitive treas urer of Alexander. Deinarchus wrote, for the prosecution, the three speeches which are still extant—Against Demosthenes, Against Aristogeiton, Against Philocles. The sympathies of Dei narchus were in favour of an Athenian oligarchy under Macedo nian control ; but it should be remembered that he was not an Athenian citizen. In the Harpalus affair, Demosthenes was doubt less innocent, and so, probably, were others of the accused. Yet Hypereides, the most fiery of the patriots, was on the same side as Deinarchus.
Under the regency of his old master, Demetrius Phalereus, Deinarchus exercised much political influence. On the restoration of the democracy by Demetrius Poliorcetes, Deinarchus was con demned to death and withdrew into exile at Chalcis in Euboea. About 292, thanks to his friend Theophrastus, he was able to re turn to Attica. Deinarchus died at Athens about 291.
According to Suidas, Deinarchus wrote 16o speeches; and Dionysius held that, out of 85 extant speeches bearing his name, 58 were genuine-28 relating to public, 3o to private causes. Although the authenticity of the three speeches mentioned above is generally admitted, Demetrius of Magnesia doubted that of the speech Against Demosthenes, while A. Westermann rejected all three. Deinarchus had little individual style and imitated by turns Lysias, Hypereides and Demosthenes. He is called by Hermo genes o rcpLOcvos Oni o a Demosthenes whose strength is rougher, without flavour or sparkle.
Editions: (text and exhaustive commentary) E. Matzner (1842) ; (text) T. Thalheim (1887), F. Blass (1888) ; see L. L. Forman, Index Andocideus, Lycurgeus, Dinarcheus (1897) ; and, in general, F. Blass, Attische Beredsamkeit, iii. There is a valuable treatise on the life and speeches of Deinarchus by Dionysius of Halicarnassus.