40 



ATHENS. 



Alliens. 



Subsequent 

 fortunes of 

 Athens. 



rhasius as painters, is still unrivalled in their respective 

 departments. All these indeed were not born in 

 Alliens, but it was there that their talents were 

 chiefly formed and exerted. With the masterpieces 

 of these artists Pericles lavishly adorned the public 

 buildings and temples of Athens, and thus gratified 

 at once the taste and vanity of his countrymen. All 

 the works of Grecian painting have been swallowed 

 up by time ; but the ruins of Athens present remains 

 uf sculpture and architecture, which still astonish the 

 world. The termination of Athenian liberty involved 

 also that of the line arts : in the age of Alexander, the 

 school of Sicyon had already attained the pre-emi- 

 nence. 



The political superiority of Athens ceased after 

 the battle of Cheronea ; yet gleams of her ancient 

 spirit still occasionally broke forth. The death of 

 Philip, which occurred soon after, appeared to pre- 

 sent, a favourable opportunity of throwing off the 

 yoke ; and it was embraced at once by Athens, by 

 Thebes, and by the tribes of Thrace and Illyricum. 

 But the young hero, having crushed his barbarous 

 enemies, returned with the rapidity of lightning into 

 Greece. Thebes suffered a dreadful punishment for 

 her daring attempt ; and a similar fate seemed to im- 

 pend over Athens. With a magnanimity, however, 

 worthy of her best days, she braved the prohibition 

 issued by the conqueror against giving shelter to the 

 exiles from Thebes. Yet Alexander, notwithstand- 

 ing this additional provocation, consulted his fame, 

 by extending clemency to so renowned a city. . , 

 During the victorious career of Alexander, Athens 

 remained without any movement, even while Sparta, 

 under the command of Agis, was making a vigorous, 

 though unsuccessful, attempt at emancipation. A 

 remnant of independence, however, appeared, by her 

 deciding in- favour of Demosthenes, the celebrated 

 contest concerning the crown, (See Demosthenes,) 

 though she banished him two years afterwards, on a 

 somewhat doubtful accusation of bribery. Alexan- 

 der appears always to have shewn a peculiar favour 

 to this city. Devoted to the pursuit of glory, he 

 viewed Athens as the dispenser of it. The speech is 

 well known which he made in passing the Hydaspes : 

 " What dangers am I encountering, O Athenians, in 

 order to be praised by you !" The decree, however, 

 which he passed for the restoration of all the Grecian 

 exiles to their respective cities, though humanity, as 

 well as policy, might have prompted it, excitid high 

 indignation among a people so torn by party contests ; 

 and when it was immediately followed by the news 

 of his death, the popular party easily gained the 

 ascendency. Demosthenes, restored to his country, 

 became again the soul of the Athenian councils. A 

 confederacy was formed, with Athens at its head ; 

 and a numerous army was raised, to make head against 

 ' that under the command of Antipater. Leosthenes, 

 being appointed general, attacked the Macedonian 

 commander, defeated and drove him into Lamia, a 

 town of Thessaly, to which he immediately laid 

 siege. Leosthenes fell before the town ; but his suc- 

 cessor Antiphilus routed a body of troops which 

 had advanced to relieve it. Alarmed by these 

 checks, Craterus hastened over with a band of those 

 2 



veterans who had conquered under Alexander. This 

 was too hard a trial for the Athenian levies; they 

 were vanquished; and at this single disaster, the whole 

 confederacy fell immediately to pieces. Antipater 

 marched directly to Athens, which submitted with- 

 out resistance. Demosthenes was the victim of this 

 revolution. Having fled to the island of Calauria, 

 and taken refuge in a temple, he was surrounded by 

 Macedonian olhcers, and, to save himself fro,m tailing 

 into their hands, swallowed poison. Phocion, who 

 had always resisted this rash ebullition, now sought 

 in vain to save Athens from the ignominy of a Ma- 

 cedonian garrison. Twelve thousand citizens were 

 disfranchised; the popular form of government was 

 suppressed ; and every measure was taken to hold her 

 in the most strict and absolute subjection. 



Thus Athens lost all that remained of her liberty ; 

 and she became from this period, as distinguished for 

 the meanness of her adulation, as she had formerly 

 been for the fierceness of her independence. Never 

 did people run into such excesses of flattery. Every 

 successive master who was imposed upon them, from 

 the moment that he came into power, was fawned 

 upon with the same abject servility. Antipater, on 

 his death-bed, left the government of Macedon to 

 Polysperehon, who acting, in every respect, contrary 

 to his predecessor, espoused the popular interest 

 among the states of Greece, and particularly ill 

 Athens. Phocion, who had been attached to An- 

 tipater and the opposite interest, became then the 

 object of hostility to the new governor, who procu- 

 red from the Athenians his condemnation and death. 

 Thus Athens lost her last great man, in the same 

 manner as she had lost so many of his predecessors. 



Polysperehon was not long of being driven out 

 by Cassander, the son of Antipater, who re-esta- 

 blished the old system, and set Demetrius Pha- 

 lereus at the head of the government. The choice 

 waB excellent ; and under this accomplished person, 

 Athens enjoyed more quiet, and perhaps more real 

 happiness, than during the days of her glory. Every- 

 species of honour was profusely lavished on him ; in- 

 somuch, that while Miltiades, the deliverer of the 

 state, was honoured only by a place in an historical 

 painting, three hundred and sixty statues were de- 

 creed to Demetrius Phalereus. Yet when, after a sway 

 of twelve years, he was dispossessed by Demetrius, 

 the son of Antigonus, these statues were instantly 

 thrown down, and all their adulation transferred to 

 this new master. Demetrius here abandoned himself 

 to every species of debauchery ; and the Athenians 

 dishonoured themselves completely by their servile 

 compliance even with his most shameful propensities. 

 Yet when, fortune changing, he soon afterwards 

 sought refuge in their city, he found the gates shut 

 against him. By another turn of affairs, he soon af- 

 ter became again master of the city, and, according to 

 every appearance, the Athenians had to dread the se- 

 verest effects of his vengeance. But Demetrius, 'an 

 accomplished person, and ambitious of fame, sought 

 rather t,o attach them by an ostentatious clemency. 

 Yet when adverse fortune compelled him once more 

 to seek refuge within her walls, he failed not to ex- 

 perience a second repidse. 

 . Athens now, amid the struggle of contending po- 



Atlift. 



Death of 



Dcmosthe* 



net. 



A. C 322. 



Of Pho- 

 cion. 

 A. C. S10. 



Demetrius 



Phalereus. 



A. C. 30G. 

 Demetrius 

 Poliorcetes. 



