Aeschines

(born 390 BC—died c. 314 BC) Athenian orator. He and Demosthenes, who later became his bitter opponent, participated in 346 BC in forging a peace between Athens and Macedonia. Demosthenes later accused Aeschines of treason because he had promoted the Macedonian cause during the negotiations. At a trial (343) Aeschines was acquitted by a narrow majority. In 339 he helped incite the war that led to the Battle of Chaeronea and to Macedonian control of central Greece. In 336 he opposed as illegal a motion to honour Demosthenes; the matter came to trial in 330, and Aeschines suffered an overwhelming defeat.

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