Moerocles

(Μοιροκλῆς), an Athenian orator, a native of Salamis. He was a contemporary of Demosthenes, and like him an opponent of Philip and Alexander, and was one of the anti-Macedonian orators whom Alexander demanded to have given up to him after the destruction of Thebes, though he subsequently withdrew his demand on the mediation of Demades. (Arrian, 1.10.7.) We find mention of him as the advocate of Theocrines [THEOCRINES], and in the oration against Theocrines, which is usually placed among those of Demosthenes (p. 1339, ed. Reiske), he is spoken of as the author of a decree in accordance with which the Athenians and their allies joined their forces for the suppression of piracy. On one occasion he was prosecuted by Eubulus for an act of extortion practised upon those who rented the silver mines (Dem. de Falsa Leg. 81, p. 435), and Timocles, the comic poet (ap. Athen. 8.341 ) speaks of him as having received bribes from Harpalus. At one period of his life he had been imprisoned, though we do not know on what charge. He was afterwards the accuser of the sons of Lycurgus, according to Demosthenes (Epist. 3, p. 1478). According to Plutarch, however, it was Menesaechmus oin whose charge they were imprisoned (Vit. X. Orat. p. 8428). Moerocles is mentioned by Aristotle (Aristot. Rh. 3.10).

[C.P.M]