GREECE. 
tlie frontier of Pliocis. The fear of lofing his newly- 
acqiiircd intereft among the Theffalians, made Onomar- 
clnis evacuate Boeotia, and advance againft Pliilip. 
The Macedonians, though lefs numerous, did not de¬ 
cline the engagement. At the firft charge the Pho- 
cians gave way, and retreated towards the neighbour¬ 
ing mountains. Philip ordered his men to purfue in 
their ranks. It was then that the Phocians really be¬ 
gan the battle. Oiiomarchus forefeeing that the Mace¬ 
donians would follow in clofe order, had ported a de¬ 
tachment on the fummit of the precipice, who were 
ready, on a given fignal, to roll down fragments of rock, 
and rtones of an enormous fize, on the embattled pha¬ 
lanx, This was the only mode of attack for which the 
Macedonians were not prepared. The line of march, 
in which the moment before they proceeded with fuch 
firmnefs and confidence, was converted into a dreadful 
fcene of carnage and ruin. Before they recovered from 
their conrternation, the flying Phocians, who had de¬ 
coyed them into this ambufli, returned to the charge, 
Philip, however, rallied his men ; and while Onomar- 
chus hefitated to advance,, he drew them off in good 
order, with a view to rtrike w-ith more impetuous vi¬ 
gour in the next rencounter. This was finally jurtified ; 
although the PJiocians firft enjoyed a fhort triumph. 
Philip having recruited his army, returned into Thef- 
I'aly ; and a confiderable portion of the Theflalians re¬ 
ceived the king of Macedon as their deliverer. Ono- 
marchus was thus obliged to withdraw his forces from 
Bceotia. At the head of twenty thoufand foot and five 
hundred horfe, he was met by the Macedonians, ftill 
more numerous, on the coaft of Magnerta. To remind 
his foldiers that tliey fought in the caufe of Delphi and 
of Heaven, Philip crowned their heads with the laurel 
confecrated to Apollo, and adorrted his rtandards with 
the attributes of that divinity. Their onfet was impe¬ 
tuous and fierce, and their valour, animated by enthu- 
fiafm, rendered them irrefiftible, though the Phocians, 
confcious of guilt, fought with the fury of defpair. 
Three thoufand Theffalian ^cavalry, who had fignally 
contributed to the viftory of Philip, rendered the pur- 
fuit bloody and dertruftive; while the Phocians, hav¬ 
ing thrown away their armour, fled towards the fea, al¬ 
lured by the fight of the Athenian fleet under Chares, 
■which was returning from the Cherfonefus. That com¬ 
mander feems not to have made any attempt to i'ave 
them. Above fix thoufand perifhed in the battle, or 
in the purfuit. The body of Onomarchus W'as found 
among the flain ; Philip ordered it to be hung on a gib¬ 
ber, as a mark of peculiar infamy ; the reft were thrown 
into the fea, as unworthy, by their impious facrilege, of 
the rites of burial. 
It might be expefted that fuch a decifive blow rtiould 
have proved fatal to the Phocians. But Philip, who 
had conquered them in Theflaly, durft not purfue his 
advantages by invading Phocis. It was his intereft to 
perpetuate diflenfions in Greece. For that reafon he 
fomented the difeord that reigned among the ftates 
of Peloponnefus; and though he had purfued the 
obnoxious Phocians, he was unwilling to terminate a 
war, which diverted the public attention from pene¬ 
trating his own ambitious defigns. He had long de¬ 
luded the Olynthians by good offices and promifes, but 
now began to throw oft the mafk, and to fhow that he 
meant to be their ruler. He ailually applied to Kerfo- 
bleptes, whom he fubtilly detached from the intereft of 
Athens ; and having railed him on the ruins of the 
neighbouring chieftains of Thrace, thereby obtained his 
confidence, and waited an occafion to deltroy him with 
fecurity. The dominions of that prince opened the 
way to Byzantium, his defigns againft which were mani- 
felted by attacking the fortrefs of HeraeUm, which ferved 
as an outwork and defence to that rich and populous city. 
The Athenians had fufficient penetration to dilcern 
Ibe drift of Philip. They formed an alliance"with the 
4 
923 
republic ofOlynthus; they warned Kerfobleptes of his 
danger; they voted a numerous fleet to fail to the de¬ 
fence of Byzantium, with which, though rendered in¬ 
dependent of Athens by the focial war, they ftill car¬ 
ried on a lucrative commerce. But thefe fpirited exer¬ 
tions were not of long continuance. Philip’s woun^ at 
Methone, together -with the continual labour and fa¬ 
tigue to which he had afterwards fubmitted, threw him 
into a dangerous malady. The report of his ficknefs 
was, before it reached Athens, magnified into his death., 
The Athenians rejoiced in fo feafonable a deliver¬ 
ance, and, laying afide their naval preparations, bent 
their principal attention to the facred war. That un¬ 
happy conteft was renewed by Phayllus, the laft fur- 
viving brother of Philomelus and Onomarchus. As 
his caufe became more defperate, Phayllus availed 
himfelf to the utmoft of the only refource which was 
left him. Having converted into ready money the moft 
precious dedications of Delphi, he doubled the pay of 
his mercenaries. This extraordinary encouragement 
brought new adventurers to his ftandurd, and foon ren¬ 
dered his army equal to that of either of his predecef- 
fors. The fugitive ThelTalians, aft'embled by their ge¬ 
neral Lycophron, entered into his pay. By means of 
the Delphic treafure, he acquired, likewife, the aflift- 
ance of a thoufand Lacedaemonians, two thoufand 
Achaeans, five thoufand Athenian foot, with four hun¬ 
dred cavalry. Thefe powerful reinforcements, in the 
year before Chrift 352, enabled the Phocians again ta 
become moft formidable to their enemies. 
Philip, meanwhile, recovered from his indifpofition. 
The preparations of the Athenians had taught him that 
his defigns could no longer be concealed. The occa¬ 
fion required that he fliould appear in favour of his al¬ 
lies, and in defence of the pious caufe which he had for- 
tnerly maintained with fo much glory. While his ene¬ 
mies admired his piety and trembled at his valour; 
they would now view with religious awe his unexpefted 
appearance at Thermopyim, to aflert the violated rights 
of the Delphian temple. Such were the hopes and mo¬ 
tives Oil which Philip, at the head of a numerous army, 
direfled his march towards thofe celebrated ftraits, 
which had been immortalized by the fame of Leonidas. 
But the event (hewed, that on this occafion he had made 
a falfe eftimate of the valour and fuperftition of the 
Athenians. That people penetrated his defigns, and 
determined to oppofe them. With an alacrity and ar. 
dour, of which thero was no recent example in their 
councils, they flew to arms, launched their fleet, failed 
to Ther.mopyl.'fi, and firft took pofTeffion of the ftraits. 
Never did Philip meet with a more fenfible difappoint- 
ment, than in being anticipated by a people whom he 
had fo often deceived. He retired wfith regret, leaving 
the Phocian war to be carried on by the Thebans and 
their allies. Meanwhile, the Athenians placed a guard 
at Thermopylae; and, elated by the firft inftance of their 
I'uccefs againft the Macedonian, called an affembly to 
deliberate on meafures proper to reftrain his ambition. 
This aifembly is rendered memorable by the firft ap¬ 
pearance of Demofthenes againft Philip, whofe meafures 
from this moment he ceafed not to watch and to coun¬ 
teract. The Athenians were then involved in the fa¬ 
cred war; their northern polTeflions were continually 
infulted by Philip ; yet in this fituation of affairs, the 
partifans of that prince^ in order to divert the public 
attention from his too afpiring defigns, affedted to ex¬ 
tend their views to Afia, and to be alarmed by the mo¬ 
tions of Artaxerxes Ochus, who was preparing to re¬ 
duce the rebels of Cyprus, Egypt, and Phoenicia, lii 
every affembly of the people, the creatures of Philip, 
dwelt, with exaggerated terror, on the naval and mili¬ 
tary preparations of the great king, which they repre- 
fented as deftined to revenge the injuries committed by 
the Athenian troops, under Chares, on the coaft of Afia. 
In this popular argument joined liberates the orator, 
togethe.r 
