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He is one of the ten orators; pupil of Isocrates;[1] teacher of Demosthenes;[2] Athenian by birth. But Demetrius[3] says he was from Chalcis.
This man is praised both as an orator and because he advanced Demosthenes for no fee.
The orator Isaeus[4] was dissolute as a young man, but later on was moderate. Someone asked him, 'What is the best fish and the best bird to eat?'. Isaeus said, 'I have stopped taking those things seriously; I realised that I was picking fruit in Tantalus' garden.' He was, I suppose, showing the questioner that all pleasures are shadows and dreams.

*)isai=os: ei(=s me/n e)sti tw=n de/ka r(hto/rwn, maqhth\s de\ *)isokra/tous, dida/skalos de\ *dhmosqe/nous, *)aqhnai=os to\ ge/nos. *dhmh/trios de\ *xalkide/a fhsi\n au)to\n ei)=nai. ou(=tos e)painei=tai kai\ w(s r(h/twr kai\ w(s *dhmosqe/nhn a)misqi\ proagagw/n. o(/ti *)isai/ou tou= r(h/toros newte/rou a)swteuome/nou, u(/steron de\ swfronh/santos, h)/reto au)to/n tis: ti/s a)/ristos tw=n i)xqu/wn kai\ tw=n o)rne/wn ei)s brw=sin; pe/paumai, e)/fh o( *)isai=os, tau=ta spouda/zwn: cunh=ka ga\r tou\s *tanta/lou kh/pous trugw=n: e)ndeiknu/menos dh/pou tw=| e)rome/nw| tau=ta, o(/ti skia\ kai\ o)nei/rata ai( h(donai\ pa=sai.

c.420-340s BC. See generally RE Isaios(1); OCD4 Isaeus(1).
The first paragraph here abridges Harpokration (and Photius) s.v.
[1] See iota 652 (Isocrates).
[2] See delta 454 (Demosthenes).
[3] Demetrius Magnes (RE Demetrios[80]; NP Demetrios[57]; OCD4 Demetrius[16]) fr. 6b Mejer (Hermes 109 [1981] 456).
[4] This anecdote (from Philostratus, Lives of the Sophists 1.20; again at tau 80) is in fact about the first century AD sophist of the same name (RE Isaios[2]; OCD4 Isaeus[2]).

David Whitehead (added note; cosmetics) on 25 August 2001@11:30:57.
David Whitehead (another keyword) on 2 October 2005@08:43:40.
David Whitehead (another note; more keywords; cosmetics) on 10 July 2011@06:16:00.
David Whitehead (updated some refs) on 2 August 2014@06:59:38.

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