to the fucceffion, but actually appointed my brother heir to the whole eftate.

Now, to convince you, that our uncle neither gave a nuptial feaft, nor thought proper to admit the girl, whom they call his legitimate daughter, to his ward, according to the ancient cuftom, the teftimony of those, who belong to the fame ward, fhall be read to you-Read: and do you ftop the water-glass. DEPOSITION. Read now the proofs of my brother's adoption. EVIDENCE. Can you then give credit to the testimony of Nicodemus, in preference to the fuperior evidence of my uncle's own condu&‣ Will any man endeavour to persuade you, that Pyrrhus really married a common harlot? You will not be perfuaded, unless Nicodemus inform you, as I faid in the beginning of my speech, with what portion he betrothed his fifter to Pyrrhus; before what magistrate she declared, that she had left her husband or his houfe; by whom her fortune was returned to him, after the death of my uncle; or, if he could not obtain a restitution of it in the course of twenty years, what action he brought for her alimony or for her portion against the occupier of the eftate: let him alfo declare, whether he had betrothed her to any one else, either before or af ter her pretended marriage with Pyrrhus, or whether he had children by any other man.

Interrogate him to these points, and do not forget to examine him concerning the marriagefeast supposed to be given to the members of his ward: this is no light argument against the teftimony of Nicodemus; for, could they have prevailed with him to marry the woman, he might furely have been induced to give an entertainment to the men of his ward, and to prefent this girl to them as his legitimate child, who, if he had been really married, was heiress to a fortune of three talents. He would have been obliged also to entertain the wives of his companions at the festival of Ceres, and to have borne fuch offices in his borough on account of his wife, as are required from a man of his poffeffions: yet nothing of this kind will appear to have been done. The members of his ward have given their evidence: I fhall, therefore, conclude with the teftimony of his fellow-burgeffes. DEPOSITIONS.

SPEECH THE THIRD.

ON THE ESTATE OF NICOSTRATUS.

THE ARGUMENT.

NICOSTRATUS dying in a foreign country, Hagnon and Hagnotheus, his first cousins, contend for the right of succession to his estate against Chariades, who claims under a will. This speech is by some supposed to have been delivered by Isæus in his own person as next friend to the young men, whose cause he supported; but Reiske well observes, that no argument in favour of this opinion can be drawm conclusively from the opening.of the speech; since the words my intimate friends might have been used by any other speaker.