Harpalus (Greek: Ἅρπαλος), son of Machatas, was a Macedonian aristocrat and childhood friend of Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC.
Lame in one leg and therefore exempt from military service, Harpalus did not follow Alexander into the Persian Empire, but was nevertheless given a post in Asia Minor.
[4] Demosthenes was found guilty, fined 50 talents and imprisoned, as he was unable to pay such a huge sum, but after a few days, thanks to the carelessness or connivance of some citizens,[5] he escaped and travelled around Calauria, Aegina and Troezen.
It remains unclear whether the charges against him were justified or not, but such a reception, the circumstances of the case, the Athenians' need to appease Alexander, the urgency of accounting for the missing funds, Demosthenes' patriotism and desire to free Greece from Macedonian rule, all support George Grote's view that Demosthenes was innocent, that the charges were politically motivated, and that he "was neither paid nor bought by Harpalus".
[7] The geographer also tells the following story: "The steward of his money fled to Rhodes, and was arrested by a Macedonian, Philoxenus, who also had demanded Harpalus from the Athenians.