ISAEUS

The fifth of the Ten Attic Orators, a pupil of Isocrates; born before B.C. 400 at Chalcis in Euboea. He lived to the middle of the 4th century at Athens, probably as a resident alien (metoikos), writing forensic speeches for other people and giving instruction in rhetoric. Demosthenes was for several years his pupil. Of the sixty-four speeches attributed to him by antiquity, we have (besides some not unimportant fragments) eleven speeches dealing with matters relating to inheritance, and therefore of great importance as throwing light upon Attic private, law. In his style he most closely resembles Lysias, to whom he is inferior in natural elegance, while he surpasses him in oratorical skill.