Page:Philological Museum v2.djvu/421

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411
HEADERTEXT.
411

071 the Birth-Year of Demosthenes. 411 against him (^//ci/ KaKtjyopias). In this action the defendant suffered judgement to go against him by default (^iKrjv tovtw ayjJov varepov rrj^ KaKrjyopias elXov eprj/urjv' ov yap aTrayi/ra.) The plaintiff then proceeded to bring another action upon the judgement (SiKfjv e^ovXt]^) ; but he complains that^ up to the time at which he is speaking, he had been prevented by his adversary's chicanery from bringing this cause into court, and he brings witnesses to prove that he had been thus put off for eight years (oi^afxev /^rjjuLoaOevr] Kpiaiv XeXoy^ora M.eidia e^ovXrj^ Kal rjotj tt} Kpiaei eKeivrj ciayeyovora errj oKTw). If Dionysius had been right in his calculation, it would have followed that the second action was brouscht 01. 105. 4. But after making every reasonable allowance for legal delays, it seems utterly impossible to account for the interval which would on this supposition have intervened between the decision of the first cause and the institution of the second. This difficulty is not indeed so great on Mr Clinton's computation, which makes the interval two years shorter : but still there remains enough to throw great doubt on the date he adopts for the engagement of Tamynae, even setting all other considerations aside. Such then appears to be the present state of this some- what intricate question. We cannot conclude this review of its history without expressing a hope, that the English and the German author, to whose industry and sagacity we are chiefly indebted for the light that has been hitherto thrown upon it, may investigate it still further, and that their combined researches may finally bring it to a solution, which will remove all doubt as to the many interesting sub- jects which, we have seen, are so intimately connected with it. C. T.