LYCURGUS, one of the most celebrated orators of Greece, was born at Athens about the year B. C. 400, and died about B. C. 323. He was son of Lycophron, and grandson of Lycurgus, one or other of whom was put to death by the Thirty Tyrants, B. C. 404 (Phot. Cod. cclxviii. p. 1483). In his early years he studied philosophy under Plato, and the political constitution of his country under Isocrates. At what period he entered upon public life is nowhere recorded, but we find him, B. C. 348, appointed,
along with Demosthenes, one of the ambassadors to counteract the proceedings of Philip in different parts of Greece (Demosth. Philipp. iii. p. 129). So much confidence had his fellow-citizens in his integrity, that he continued to preside over the collection of the public revenue for twelve or fifteen years. After the defeat of the Greeks at the battle of Chæronea, B. C. 338, he brought Lysicles, the general of the Athenians on that occasion, to trial before the people, and procured his condemnation (Diodor. Sicul. xvi. 68). He restored the credit of comic exhibitions at the Lenæan festival, and enacted honours for the three great tragic poets (Vit. x. Or. p. 841). Lycurgus was one of the orators demanded by Alexander, after the destruction of Thebes, B. C. 335; but the Athenians refused to give him up (Plat. Demosth. c. 23; Arrian, Exp. i. 10). It would appear that Lycurgus died about the time of the exile of Demosthenes, B. C. 323, the year before that orator's death (Vit. x. Or. p. 842). There were fifteen orations of Lycurgus extant in the time of Plutarch and Photius, but only one has been preserved (against Leocrates), which was delivered B. C. 330. It is published by Hauptmann (Lips. 1751), by Schulze (Brunswick. 1789), by Osann (Jena, 1821), and, along with other fragments, by Bekker (Magdeburg. 1821).