ÆSCHINES, a Socratic philosopher, the son of Charinus a sausage-maker. He was continually with Socrates; which occasioned this philosopher to say, that the sausage-maker's son was the only person who knew how to pay a due regard to him. It is said that poverty obliged him to go Sicily, to Dionysius the Tyrant; and that he met with great contempt from Plato, but was extremely well received by Aristippus; to whom he shewed some of his dialogues, and received from him
a handsome reward. He would not venture to profess philosophy at Athens, Plato and Aristippus being in such high esteem; but he set up a school to maintain himself. He afterwards wrote orations for the Forum. Phrynicus, in Photius, ranks him amongst the best orators, and mentions his orations as the standard of the pure Attic style. Hermogenes has also spoken very highly of him.—He also wrote several dialogues, of which there are only three extant: 1. Concerning Virtue, whether it can be taught. 2. Eryxias, or Erasistratus; concerning riches, whether they are good. 3. Axiochus; concerning death, whether it is to be feared. Mr Le Clerc has given a Latin translation of them, with notes, and several dissertations, intitled Sylloge Philologicæ. Eschines, Eschylus.