DINARCHUS (Aster:sexes), ono of the Greek orators, for the explanation of whose orations Herpocration compiled hie lexicon.
Dinarchus was a Corinthian by birth, who settled in Athens and became intimate with Theophrastus and Demetrius the Phalerian, a circumstance which, combined with others, enables us to determine his age with tolerable precision. Dionysius of Halicarnassus fixes his birth about the archonsbip of Nicophemus, B.C. 361. The time of his highest reputation was after the death of Alexander, when Demos thenes and other great orators were dead or banished. He seems to have got his living by writing speeches for those who were in want of them, and he carried on apparently a profitable business this way. After the garrison which Cassander had placed in Munychia had been driven out by Antigonus and Demetrius in the archonship of Anaxi crates, B.C. 307, Dinarchus, though a foreigner, being involved in a charge of conspiring against the democracy, and having always been attached to the aristocratical party, and perhaps also fearing that his wealth might be a temptation to his enemies, withdrew to Chalcis iu Eubcea. Demetrius afterwards allowed him to return to Athens with other exiles, in the archonship of Philippus, B.C. 292, after an absence of fifteen years. On his return, Dinarchus, who had brought all his money back with him, lodged with one Proxenus, an Athenian, a friend of his, who however (if the story is true) proved to be a knave, and robbed the old man of his money, or at least colluded with the thieves. Dinarchus brought an action against him, and for the first
time in his life made his appearance in a court of justice. The charge against Proxenns, which is drawn up with a kind of legal formality, is preserved by Dionysius of Halicarnassus. How the suit ended is unknown. Of the numerous orations of Dinarchus only three remain, and they are not entitled to very high praise. One of them is against Demosthenes touching the affair of Harpalus. [Dsmosrussiss.] Dionysius has taken great pains to distinguish the spurious from the genuine orations of Dinarchus. Of his genuine orations, he enume rates 23 public orations and 31 private. This critic has passed rather a severe judgment on Dinarchus. He considered him merely as an imitator of Lysias, Hyperides, and Demosthenes, and though suc ceeding to a certain extent in copying the several styles and excellences of these three great orators, yet failing, as all copiers from models must fail, in that natural expression and charm which are the characteristics of originality.
The few facts that we know about Dinarchus are derived from the Commentary of Dionysius on the Attic orators and the extracts which he gives from i'hilochorus. The three extant orations of Dinarchus are printed in the usual collections of the Attic orators. The beat separate edition is that of Schmidt, Leipz., 1826.