Aeschines was a fourth century BC Athenian statesman and contemporary of Demosthenes. Despite initially opposing the incursions of Philip II of Macedon into Greece, he later defended the king and argued for peace in opposition to Demosthenes' staunch advocacy to fight. This position ensured that the two men formed the great rivalry of fourth century Athenian politics.
This book contains three of Aeschines' surviving speeches. These were made in Athens in the 340s and 330s BC and are regarded as some of the best examples of ancient Greek rhetoric. These speeches were: Against Timarchus, an attack on another of his rivals that is notable for its dense use of Athenian law; On the False Embassy, a speech made in response to Demosthenes' attack of the same name and Against Ctesiphon, which resulted in Aeschines' failure to prevent Demosthenes from being rewarded for his services to Athens.