THE

SPEECHES OF ISÆUS.

SPEECH THE FIRST.

ON THE ESTATE OF CLEONYMUS.

THE ARGUMENT.

POLYARCHUS left three sons, Cleonymus, Di

nias, and the father of those, for whom Isæus

composed the following speech. The third son dying, his children were committed to the guardianship of Dinias. These young men were heirs to Cleonymus by the laws of Athens, and their grandfather had appointed them successors to their uncle, if he should die childless. Cleonymus had, however, a power to dispose of his property; and, in a fit of anger against his brother Dinias, for some real or imagined wrong, had made a will in favour of two remoter kinsmen, Diocles and Posidippus; which,

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according to the custom of the Athenians, he had deposited with one of the magistrates; but, after the death of Dinias, he took his nephews under his care, and determined to cancel the will, by which they were disinherited. With this intent he sent for the magistrate, who kept the testament, but died unexpectedly before an actual revocation of it. His nephews then entered upon his estate, as heirs at law; and the other claimants produced the will; which, as Isæus contends in the person of his clients, was virtually revoked by Cleonymus.