An Athenian, son of Demosthenes and Cleobule; rhetor, of the deme Paeania. [He was] painstaking rather than naturally gifted, Hermippus[1] says; and he lacked self-control with regard to pleasures (the same source says this too). Hence as a young man he was called Batalus[2] (because he often wore women's clothing), and after he was an adult, Argas[3] (that is the name of a snake). He became ambitious to be an orator through hearing the orator Callistratus speaking on behalf of Oropus.[4] He studied with Isaeus,[5] the pupil of Isocrates,and conversed with Zoilus of Amphipolis[6] when he was a sophist in Athens, and of Polycrates[7] and Alcidamas,[8] the pupil of Gorgias, and of Isocrates himself.[9] He engaged in literary studies along with Aesion of Athens[10] and the philosopher Theopompus of Chios.[11] He also studied with Eubulides the dialectician and Plato. He died as an exile in Calauria,[12] in the temple of Poseidon, because of Antipater of Macedon; he took the poison he carried in his ring, aged 62.

The orator; he was a man of outstanding ability in reflection and in the expression of his thoughts; hence, too, he was regarded as the most eloquent among his contemporaries, since he was most competent in inferring what was not apparent[1] and in explaining what he had understood. In all that he tried to say or do in defence of the public interest, although he did not live at a time propitious for the reputation of political leaders, he alone among Athenians of his own time spoke out freely against the Macedonian tyrants; they saw him as someone impossible to bribe, at a time when it so happened that those in the other cities who, because they desired enrichment more than the public good, were bought by gifts of money, for the sake of their own gain placed what they saw as their own immediate interest before what was in the common interest. Hence, even the things for which they later blamed him were forgiven by the Athenians, and they welcomed him back again and relied on his advice in everything. And the nobility of his death most of all caused them to regret openly their decisions. Not long after the news came of Demosthenes' death, they went back on decisions they had taken more for fear of Macedon than with full integrity of judgement, and they voted to grant immunity from taxation to the eldest member of Demosthenes' family, and to set up a bronze image of him in the agora;[2] and they inscribed an elegy on the base of the statue: 'If your power had been equal to your judgement, Demosthenes, never would the Ares of Macedon have ruled the Greeks.'

A knife-maker, of the [sc. Athenian] deme Paeania; Demosthenes the rhetor was his son.[1] When he was orphaned he had 3 guardians, Aphobus, Demophon and Therippides; they neglected him and his property, so he put himself into the hands of Isaeus as his teacher. He was so dedicated to work that they say he shut himself in house and shaved part of his head, to stop himself going out or receiving visitors. When he had finished his education, he brought a successful guardianship action against his guardians. He wanted to be a sophist, but gave this up because he was slandered in connection with Moschus, a young man of good family. He began to act as a speech-writer, but was again slandered as having disclosed the opposing speeches to Apollodorus and Phormio. So he gave this up as well, and entered politics. He had a speech impediment, and moved his shoulder in an undignified way; his hearing was weak, and his breath inadequate. He corrected all these faults by practice. Because he was not good at delivery he was coached in this as well by Andronicus. He served as khoregos and trierarch, ransomed prisoners and helped people provide for their daughters' marriage. When he was serving as khoregos he was struck by Meidias, but (they say) took a 3000 drachma bribe to drop the case. He brought a case for wounding against his cousin Demaenetus, and (they say) agreed to a reconciliation. He proposed to the wife of the general Chabrias after Chabrias' death, and married the daughter of Ctesippus. In politics he opposed Philip. When Philip attacked Thebes, he successfully argued for an alliance; they were defeated at Chaeronea, losing 1000 dead and 2000 captured. He had a much-loved daughter, and was grieved by her death; but when the sorrow was a week old, news came that Philip had been killed by Pausanias, and he changed his clothes and sacrificed to the gods. He was also opposed politically to Alexander, Philip's son. When Harpalus stole a large sum of money from Alexander and took refuge in Athens, Demosthenes was thought to have received a share; he went into exile in Troezen. After Alexander's death in Babylon, Demosthenes was recalled and returned home. Antipater, as ruler of Greece, sent to demand the surrender of the ten orators;[2] the Athenians agreed to their surrender, and Demosthenes went into exile in Sicily. The actor Archias, sent against him by Antipater, dragged him from the temple of Poseidon, which was an asylum; but he had poison under the seal on his ring, and he sucked on it and died.[3]

This man wrote a Paraphrase of the Iliad in prose; an Epitome of the works of Damagetus of Heraclea;[1] On Dithyrambic Poets; Paraphrase of Hesiod's Theogony.