ATHENS. 



35 



Athens, having enabled himself, on his return, to give a splen- 

 * v ^ did feast to the people, was hailed with acclamation. 

 New ambassadors, however, soon came from Olyn- 

 thus, to remonstrate on the inefEcacy of this expedi- 

 tion. Another was then fitted out, and a small body 

 of mercenaries at last thrown into Olynthus. This, 

 however, proved but a feeble barrier to the progress of 

 Philip. Having successively reduced city after city, 

 he was now pressing the siege of the capital, which, 

 after a long and obstinate resistance, was reduced to 

 the last extremity. The Athenians, on learning 

 this distress of their ally, began at last to set a formi- 

 dable expedition on foot ; but just as it was on the 

 point of sailing, intelligence arrived, that its object 

 was no more, and that Philip was now master of 

 Olynthus. 

 A. C. 348. Philip having obtained this extent of sea coast, was 

 His farther no t long in equipping a formidable navy, which ena- 

 succcsses. ^led jjjjjj to ma e t he Athenians feel the hardships 

 of war, even in their own country. He ravaged the 

 coasts of Attica ; he landed a body of troops in Eu- 

 boea, which, joined to the party that still adhered 

 to him among the inhabitants, enabled him to regain 

 the ascendency in that island. The spirit of the 

 Athenians was broken by such a succession of cala- 

 mities ; and Philip having, in conformity to his usual 

 system, been the first to make pacific advances, all 

 parties seem to have agreed in the propriety of send- 

 ing an embassy to him. Among the ambassadors 

 were Demosthenes and ^Eschines, both hostile to 

 that monarch. Demosthenes, in this new charac- 

 ter, did not maintain his former reputation, while 

 all admired the politeness and eloquence of Philip. 

 Through the arts of that monarch, aided by the vo- 

 latility of the A tnen 'an people, the negociation was 

 protracted ; successive embassies were sent ; while 

 Philip, availing himself of these delays, was crushing 

 Kersableptes, the ally of Athens, and maturing his 

 designs against the liberties of Greece. At length, 

 having gained a body of mercenaries, who defended 

 Nicaea, he obtained possession of that important for- 

 tress, and through it of the pass of Thermopylae. 

 He then lost no time in entering Greece, where, 

 supported by the Thebans, Thessalians, and Lo- 

 crians, he soon crushed the Phocians, and gave them 

 a prey to the unrelenting vengeance of their enemies, 

 which, however, he interfered to mitigate. He then 

 procured his appointment as general of the Amphic- 

 tyons, which afforded him a pious pretence for inter- 

 posing whenever he thought fit, in the affairs of 

 Greece. In this new character, he left a garrison in 

 the citadel of Thebes ; and supporting his affected 

 character of moderation, withdrew his army, for the 

 present, out of Greece. 



The Athenians were struck with mortal alarm, 

 when they received intelligence, that Philip was 

 establishing himself in the heart of the Grecian 

 states. Demosthenes, who had long warned them 

 of this issue, now acquired additional influence. This 

 advantage, joined to the growing fame of his elo- 

 quence, enabled him for some time to exert an al- 

 most undivided sway over their councils, and to com- 

 municate to them an expiring energy, to which they 

 had long been strangers. Yet it was conceived ne- 

 cessary, under present circumstances, to admit Phi- 



Vigorous 

 efforts of 

 the Athe- 

 nians. 



lip's title of general of the Amphictyons, and not, by 

 denying it, to provoke an immediate war. They 

 held themselves, however, in a state of preparation 

 to resist any farther encroachments. 



The first object to which Demosthenes directed 

 the attention of the Athenians, was Eubcea. The. 

 Macedonian party had already lost considerable 

 ground in that island by their violence and oppression. 

 When Phocion, therefore, was sent with an arma- 

 ment, accompanied by Demosthenes, the eloquence of 

 the one, and the military skill of the other, soon 

 brought back the island to the dominion of Athens. 



Philip was soon after foiled in a still more sensible 

 point. He had long cast an eager eye on Byzan- 

 tium, Perinthus, and Selymbria, cities great and 

 opulent in themselves, and important from their com- 

 mand of the Thracian Bosphorus, the key of the 

 Euxine. Thinking this a favourable opportunity, 

 he had commenced operations against them, but met 

 with a vigorous resistance. Demosthenes urged the 

 Athenians to a vigorous support of these cities ; ar- 

 maments were accordingly fitted out ; and though 

 the first was rendered fruitless by the ill-conduct of 

 Chares, yet the second, being entrusted to Phocion, 

 was effectual in relieving the Thracian cities, and in 

 forcing Philip to relinquish his designs in that quar- 

 ter. 



Philip, finding himself thwarted in this point, di- 

 rected his attention to another, which appeared more 

 promising. His emissaries in Greece succeeded in 

 kindling a new sacred war against the Amphissans, 

 a people of Phocis, and in procuring an invitation for 

 Philip, as general of the Amphictyons, to take the 

 chief command. Philip eagerly grasped at the offer ;. 

 escaped, by a stratagem, the Athenian fleet, and 

 landed a strong body of troops on the coast of Lo- 

 cris. The Athenians were excited by Demosthenes 

 to send an army of ten thousand mercenaries to the 

 assistance of Amphissa. This force, however, pro- 

 ved too feeble to resist the powerful army of Philip ; 

 Amphissa was subdued, and suffered a severe punish- 

 ment for its alleged impiety. 



All the cities of Greece, Thebes itself not except- 

 ed, were struck with the deepest alarm at this rapid 

 progress of Philip. The Athenians, obedient to the 

 call of Demosthenes, summoned all their strength, and 

 marched it to the frontiers. The orator himself went 

 from city to city, rousing every where the hatred of the 

 people against the Macedonian power. An extensive 

 confederacy was'formed, consisting, besides Athetis,of 

 Megara, Corinth, Achaia, Leucas, Corcyra, and Eu- 

 bcea ; while Thebes itself evidently wavered. Alarm- 

 ed by this formidable combination, Philip seized 

 Elatea, an important post, which at once secured his. 

 communication with Thessaly, and opened an en- 

 trance into Bceotia. This step at once roused Athens 

 to action, and fixed the wavering councils of Thebes. 

 The latter city took now a decided part in the con- 

 federacy against Macedon. Demosthenes acquired 

 the Bame ascendant in its councils as in those of 

 Athens ; the armies of the two states united, and 

 prepared to commence operations against the com- 

 mon enemy. 



It is impossible to deny to Demosthenes the praise 

 of activity and vigour in bringing affairs to this cri- 



Atlien*. 



A. C. 33D. 



Progress of 

 Philip in 

 Greece. 



A.C.33J. 



League 

 formed 

 against 

 him. 



