926 ORE 
patched to confirm the hofiile vefolutions of the Arca¬ 
dians, and tlie Atlienian youth were afiembled in the 
temple of Agraulos to I'wear irreconcilable hatred 
againft Philip and the Macedonians. But that confum- 
mate politician thought nothing done while any thing 
was negledted ; and, as he allowed not the llighteft op¬ 
portunity to pafs unimproved, fo he often derived im¬ 
portant benefits from inconfiderable caufes. 
A wealthy Athenian named Phrynon, had been rob¬ 
bed and confined by fome Rdacedonian i'oldiers, who 
compelled him to purchafe his liberty at a very conii- 
derable ranfom. As this violence had been committed 
during the fifteen days of truce that followed the Olym¬ 
pic games, Phrynon judicioufiy fuppofed that the king 
of Macedon, who had long been ambitious of obtaining 
a place in the Grecian confederacy, would not abet this 
a6l of injuftice. lie therefore requefted his country¬ 
men, who were about to negociate with Philip for an 
exchange of prifoners, to join him in comniillion with 
Ctefiphon, who had already been named to that em- 
bafly. Having arrived in Macedon, the ambalfadors 
were treated by Philip with the greateft relpeft ; their 
demands were molt cordially granted; the king apolo- 
gifed to Phrynon for the ignorance or violence ol his 
foldiers, which had led them to act fo unwarrantably ; 
and he lamented, both to Phrynon and Ctefiphon, the 
Ivoftile nature of their million, fincc he had nothing 
more fincerely at heart than to cultivate the beft under- 
Itanding with their republic. At their return to Alliens, 
the reprelentations of thefe ambalfadors could not be 
without weight; nor could they fail of being extremely 
favourable to the king of Macedon. But another inci¬ 
dent followed, which was improved with no lefs dexte- 
xny. At the fack of Olynthus, Stratocles and Eu- 
crates, two Athenians of difiimftion, had been feized 
and carried into Macedon; and had not been releafed 
with the other prifoners. Their relations were anxious 
for their fafety, and therefore applied to the Athenians, 
that a proper perfon might be fent to treat for their 
ranfom, Arillodemus was employed in this commillion ; 
but Philip, who well knew the lioltile refolutions in 
agitation again!! him at Athens, releafed the prifoners 
•without ranfom, and difmilfcd them with the highefi; 
expreflions of regard. Moved by gratitude, Stratocles 
and his friends' appeared in the alfembly, and exerted 
every nerve in praile of the king of Macedon. This 
artificial generolity of Philip, blazoned forth in the 
public affembly, fixed the wavering irrefolution of the 
multitude, and the military preparations were fufpend- 
ed. Even Demofthenes and .^fehines yielded to the 
•torrent; and imagining that a bad peace was better than 
a bad war, fupported a decree of Philocrates for fend¬ 
ing a licrald and ambalfadors back to Philip, to fix the 
terms of accommodation with which he had fo long 
amufed them. 
In the fliort fpace of one year, three embafiics were 
fent to Pliilip ; the firfi; to propofe a peace, the lecond 
to ratify it, the tliird to fee the conditions of it ob- 
ferved ; and, during that time Kerfobleptes, being 
s'lripped of his dominions, was reduced into captivity, 
and Philip having feized Thermopylae, invaded Phccis, 
and dellroyed the twenty-tw'O cities of that province in 
Jefs than twenty-two days. The Athenians, tlierefore, 
law the neceliity of immediately ratifying tlic peace 
with that prince, who had adhially taken the field in 
Thrace, along the coafi: of which the Athenians Hill 
polfelTed Serrium, Dorilcus, and feveral other tribu¬ 
tary cities. Thefe cities were now attacked by Philip, 
and readily fubmitted to his arms. Upon intelligence 
of the latter event, the Athenians dllpatched Kuclides 
to inform the king of Macedon, that tlie places which 
he had taken belonged to Athens; to which he coldly 
replied, that he had not been fo infirudled by his am- 
bailadors, nor was there any mention of thole cities in 
E C E. 
the treaty recently figned, but not yet ratified, between 
the two powers. 
The difliradfed fituation of Thebes now promifed a 
fpeedy ilfue to the Sacred War, which, for more than 
two years, had been feebly carried on between the Pho- 
cians on one lide, and the Thebans and Locrians on the 
other, by Inch petty incurfions and ravages, as indi¬ 
cated the inveterate rancour of combatants, who Hill re¬ 
tained the defire of inflifting devaftation and death, af¬ 
ter they had !o!i the power. During the greater part 
of that time, the Athenians, amufed by tliis negociation 
with Philip, alforded no afliliance to their difbelfed al¬ 
lies. '1 lie irealures of Delphi, immenfe as they were, 
at length began to fail. The Phocians, abandoned and 
exhaiified on all lides, relie^fed with terror and remorfe 
on their part conduct; and, in order to make atone¬ 
ment tor their facrilegious violations of the. temple, in- 
Hituted a judicial enquiry againlf Phaleuctis their gene- 
ral, and his accomplices, in plundering the dedications 
to Apollo. Several were condemned to deatJi; Pha- 
leucus was depoled; and the Phocians, having per- 
foimed thefe lublfantial atfs of Juffice, folicited with 
better hopes tlie alliltance of Sparta and Atlicns. But 
the crafty Archidanuis, who had long dire^ed the 
Spartan councils, conlidered the diftrefs of the Phocians 
as a favourable opportunity to urge the claim of his 
own republic to the fuperintendence of the Delphic 
temple; and aftiially fent ambafladors into Theffaly, 
to confer with the king of Macedon on tliat fubjedf. 
The Athenians paid more attention to the requefi; of 
their allies, who, as an inducement to excite their ac¬ 
tivity, offered to put them in poffeflion of the towns of 
Nicasa, Alpenus, and Throniiim, which commanded 
the llraits of Tliermopylas. But this falutary plan, 
which might have retarded the fate of Greece, was de¬ 
feated by Phaleucus, who commanding eight thoufand 
mercenaries, that acknowledged no authority but that 
of their general, eftablilhed his head-quarters at Nica;a, 
and defpifed the menaces both of Phocis and of Athens. 
Mortifying as this difappointment mult have been, it 
was followed by a difalfer in another quarter Hill more 
terrible. The Phocians had fortified the city of Ab^, 
to defend their northern frontier again!! the depreda¬ 
tions of the Locrians. The Thebans, reinforced by 
fome auxiliaries ot Macedon, marched again!! that 
place. The Phocians met them in the field ; but wera 
defeated witli great llaughter, and purfued through th-e 
furrounding territory. A party of above five hundred 
took refuge in the temple of Abaean Apollo, where 
they remained for feveral days, lleeping under the por¬ 
ticoes, on beds ot dried herbs, draw, and other com- 
buftible materials. An accidental fire, that began in 
the night, was communicated to the whole edifice, part 
of wliicli was conlumed, wliile the unhappy Phocians 
were either ftifled, or burnt to aihes. Tlie Thebans 
failed not to reprefent this calamity as a judgment of 
heaven, again!! the daring impiety of wretches, who 
had ventured to take refuge in tiie temple of a god 
whom their facrilege had long olfended. They en¬ 
treated PJiilip to aful! them in deftroying the remnant 
ot that guilty race. This was the chief purpofe of their 
emball'y to that prince, whom the Athenians entreated 
to Ipare tlie nation, while the Lacedaemonians, regard- 
lefs of the fate ot Piiocis, thought only of making good 
their ancient claim to the guardianfliip of the Delphic 
temple. 
Philip treated the deputies of the three republics 
with apparent franknefs and cordiality. He afl'iired the 
Tiiebans, that his arms fiiould be employed to recover 
for them the towns of Orchomenus, Coronasa, and Til- 
pholfeum, which had fubmitted to the Phocians during 
their invalion of Bceotia. The Phocians, he faid, had 
rendered themfelves the objedfs of divine difpleafure j 
and he was deteraiined that both they and their allies 
fliould 
