travel books: attended the classes of Secundus of Athens, and he was a pupil of Theagenes of Cnidus and of Munatius of Tralles among the grammarians, and, for Platonic philosophy, of Taurus of Tyre., The construction of his speeches is sufficiently restrained, their cleverness persuasive rather than emphatic, a combination of sonority and simplicity, a music recalling Critias,2 original epigrams, an eloquence of wit that was not artificial but drawn from life, a pleasant style, rich in figures of speech, graceful, cleverly varied, a vigour never excessive but smooth and steady, the general character of his oratory being like grains of gold shining through a river's silvery eddies. He was a close student of all the classics, but was a special devotee of Critias, a writer previously ignored and neglected, whom he popularized. Greece was loud in the praise of Herodes and called him one of the Ten,s but instead of being overcome by this high praise he replied to his admirers, ` I am better than Andocides'. Though the quickest of learners, he never neglected hard work, but studied over his wine and at night in the intervals of sleep. For this reason careless and superficial writers used to call him 'the stuffed speaker'. Different men excel in different ways and have their different superiorities. One is admirable at improvising, another at elaborating a speech. But Herodes was supreme among the sophists in all branches, and drew his pathos not merely from tragedy but from human life. He wrote very many letters, discourses, diaries, and handbooks which contain in compact form the flower of ancient learning. Those who bring against him the fact that while a young man he broke down in a speech in Pannonia before the emperor, seem to me not to have known that Demosthenes when speaking before Philip had the same experience. But while Demosthenes on his return to Athens demanded honours books

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THE SOPHISTS : POLEMON AND HERODES ATTICUS

attended the classes of Secundus of Athens, and he was a pupil of Theagenes of Cnidus and of Munatius of Tralles among the grammarians, and, for Platonic philosophy, of Taurus of Tyre. The construction of his speeches is sufficiently restrained, their cleverness persuasive rather than emphatic, a combination of sonority and simplicity, a music recalling Critias, original epigrams, an eloquence of wit that was not artificial but drawn from life, a pleasant style, rich in figures of speech, graceful, cleverly varied, a vigour never excessive but smooth and steady, the general character of his oratory being like grains of gold shining through a river's silvery eddies.
He was a close student of all the classics, but was a special devotee of Critias, a writer previously ignored and neglected, whom he popularized.
Greece was loud in the praise of Herodes and called him one of the Ten, but instead of being overcome by this high praise he replied to his admirers, ` I am better than Andocides'. Though the quickest of learners, he never neglected hard work, but studied over his wine and at night in the intervals of sleep. For this reason careless and superficial writers used to call him 'the stuffed speaker'. Different men excel in different ways and have their different superiorities. One is admirable at improvising, another at elaborating a speech. But Herodes was supreme among the sophists in all branches, and drew his pathos not merely from tragedy but from human life.
He wrote very many letters, discourses, diaries, and handbooks which contain in compact form the flower of ancient learning. Those who bring against him the fact that while a young man he broke down in a speech in Pannonia before the emperor, seem to me not to have known that Demosthenes when speaking before Philip had the same experience. But while Demosthenes on his return to Athens demanded honours