34 



ATHENS. 



A.C.358. 

 The Social 

 War. 



Athens, vice to Greece, by barring the pass of Thcrmopyhe 

 against Philip, ivlio, having already established his 

 influence in Thcssaly, had eagerly embraced the im- 

 prudent invitation or the Amphictyons to place him- 

 self at their head. 



Another and a more interesting ovent now excited 

 the attention of Athens. We have already adverted 

 to the oppressive sway which she exercised over her 

 subject allies. This was carried to a much greater 

 height, when the command fell into hands equally 

 weak and profligate. Till now, the Athenians had 

 always, with little distinction of party, placed the 

 most able officers at the head of their armaments. Of 

 these, they still possessed abundance ; and Chabrias, 

 Timotheus, and Iphicrates, were well calculated to 

 support the reputation of the Athenian name. To 

 them, however, the populace now preferred Chares, 

 a partizan of some activity and enterprize, but total- 

 ly unfit for the management of great affairs, and who 

 conciliated the favour of the people, by flattering 

 their passions, and by distributing among them his 

 ill-gotten plunder. Being repeatedly vested with 

 the command of the fleet, his exactions became at 

 length so enormous, that several of the principal de- 

 pendencies, Rhodes, Chios, Cos, and Byzantium, 

 threw off the yoke, and openly asserted their inde- 

 pendence. Hence arose what is called the Social 

 War. 



This intelligence struck Athens like a thunder- 

 bolt. The people were so far roused to activity, 

 that they immediately equipped a powerful fleet, and 

 sent it against Chios. Chares had the chief com- 

 mand, with Chabrias under hira. He was repulsed, 

 however, in his attack on the harbour, and Chabrias, 

 who alone entered, refusing to retreat, was slain ; an 

 irreparable loss to his country. The confederates, 

 encouraged by this success, attacked the important 

 islands of Samos and Lemnos. The Athenians, re- 

 called to some measure of wisdom, sent a new arma- 

 ment under Timotheus and Iphicrates. These com- 

 manders forced the enemy to relinquish their enter- 

 prize ; but having declined to fight in a disadvanta- 

 geous situation, were denounced to the people by 

 Chares. Their trial was instituted ; and though 

 they escaped the punishment of death, yet such a fine 

 was imposed upon both, as amounted to banishment. 

 The object of the accusation, however, was attained. 

 The sole command of the fleets and armies of the re- 

 public devolved upon Chares, by whom they were so 

 completely mismanaged, that no progress whatever 

 was made in the reduction of the revolted states. 

 Chares, too, having for a sum of money assisted Ar- 

 tabazus, satrap of Ionia, against the king of Persia, 

 drew upon Athens the resentment of that monarch. 

 In addition to this, the increasing pressure from Ma- 

 cedon and other quarters at length reduced her to 

 the humiliating necessity of agreeing to a peace, by 

 which she acknowledged the entire independence of 

 the revolted states. 

 1'a.rtitt in We return now to the affairs of Macedon. Two 

 Athens. parties then divided the Athenian councils. One. 

 perpetually recommended peace and friendship with 

 that power ; while the other breathed only war and 

 hostility. The former consisted partly of the de- 

 voted adherents of Philip ; and partly also of a de- 



scription of men, by far the most respectable in Athens, Athens, 

 who were abundantly sensible of the danger arising > 



from this quarter. Seeing, however, that the state was 

 now totally unable to contend with the power of that 

 monarchy, the preponderance of which was increased 

 by every new war, they advised a moderate and con- 

 ciliating system as the only means of preserving to 

 Athens what still remained. Isocrates and Phocion 

 were the heads of this party. In the other, the lead 

 was now taken by Demosthenes. His ardent and 

 glowing mind, conceived the idea of reviving the 

 glory of Athens, and making her all that she had 

 formerly been. While, therefore, he impelled his 

 countrymen to the most daring enterprizes, he at the 

 same time pointed out the means by which these 

 could be brought to a prosperous issue. He urged 

 the necessity of no longer wasting the public trea- 

 sure on theatrical representations, and of taking up 

 arms themselves, instead of filling their armies with 

 mercenaries. The Athenians, in the decline of their 

 valour, still retained all their ambition, so that he 

 commonly succeeded in his first object, of engaging 

 them in bold and adventurous undertakings ; but he in 

 vain endeavoured to make them submit to those pri- 

 vations, which were indispensably necessary for their 

 prosecution. Thus the influence of this party was 

 injurious, both from what it did, and from what 

 it did not accomplish. On the other hand, the 

 party of Phocion, without being able to check the 

 rash schemes of their adversaries, seem only to 

 have embarrassed the execution of them. Thus 

 every thing conspired to the fall of Athenian great- 

 ness. 



On one occasion, the people discovered some marks 

 of their former activity. Philip had contrived to 

 gain a powerful party in Eubcea, which, availing it- 

 self of the small number of Athenian troops kept 

 there, succeeded in gaining an ascendency, and thus 

 threatened to deprive Athens of that important 

 island. This danger was too imminent to be ne- 

 glected. An armament was immediately equipped 

 and committed to Phocion, now the only great com- 

 mander remaining to Athens. Phocion, acting with 

 his usual skill and judgment, was not long of defeating 

 the Macedonians and Eubcean malcontents, and of 

 compelling the former to evacuate the island. 



The alliance "between the Olynthians and Philip Philip re- 

 was not likely to last long. The possession of the ducesOlyu- 

 Thracian coast was a primary object of ambition to tnu,# 

 that monarch ; and when he had disengaged himself 

 from other objects, the restless character of this state, 

 full of Athenian partizans, soon afforded him a pre- 

 tence. The interest of Athens could not be mis- 

 taken. A strict alliance was immediately concluded 

 between the two republics, and the Athenians, in 

 compliance with the urgent intreaties of Demost- 

 henes, seriously resolved on a prosecution of the war. 

 As they were in vain entreated, however, to retrench 

 in their expensive amusements, or to submit to the 

 hardships of personal service, every thing went on 

 slowly and languidly. A few mercenary troops 

 were hired, and put under the command of Chares. 

 That general, however, instead of aiding the Olyn- 

 thians, employed himself in his usual occupation of 

 ravaging the coasts, and plundering the allies ; and, 



