G R E 
fliould fuffer thofe calamities which their crimes fo 
jriftly deferved. Thus far Pliiiip was fincere; for, io' 
thefc particulars, the views of Thebes were exactly 
conformable to his own. But in his mind he agitated 
other matters, in which the intereft of Thebes inter¬ 
fered with that of Macedon. To accomplifli thofe pur, 
pofes, without offending his allies, it was neceflary to 
gain the ambaffadors. CarelTcs, flattery, and promifes, 
were iavilhed in vain. Money was at length tendered 
with a profufe liberality | but the Theban deputies re¬ 
mained uncorrupted, firmly maintaining their patriotifm 
and their honour. Philon, the chief of the embady, 
anfwered for his colleagues: “We are already per- 
fuaded of your friendfhip for us, independent of your 
prefents. Referve your generofity for our country, on 
wliich it will be more profitably beftowed, fince your 
favours conferred on Thebes, will ever excite the gra¬ 
titude both of that republic and its minifters.” 
Demofthenes extols the dignity of this reply, as be¬ 
coming rather the ambaffadors of Atheps. But thefe 
minifters, though one objedt of their commillion was to 
have the Fhocians, whom the Thebans wiiflied to de- 
iiroy, difeovered neither integrity nor fpirit. All of 
them, except Demolfhenes, accepted the prefents of the 
king of Macedon, who found little difficulty in per. 
fuading men, thus, prepofieffed in his favour, that he 
pitied the Phocians ; that he refpefted Athens ; that 
he detefled the infolence of Thebes ; and that, flmuld he 
ever proceed to tlie firaits of Thermopylae, his expedi¬ 
tion would be more dangerous to that date than to his 
enemies. At prefent, however, he obferved, that he 
had private reafons for managing the friendfhip of a 
people who fet no bounds to their refentment. From 
fuch motives, he had hitherto declined ratifying the 
peace with Athens ; but this meafnre he would no 
longer defer. He only entreated, that to fave appear¬ 
ances with the Thebans, the name of the Phocians 
juight be omitted in the ti'eaty. This arduous work 
was at length brought to a conclufion | and for the 
more fecrecy, tranfiRled in a place which Demofthenes 
calls a tavern, adjoining to the temple of Pollux, in the 
neighbourhood of Phera;. The Athenian-ambalfadors 
took leave, affedting to be perf'uaded of the good inten¬ 
tions of the king of Macedon. The ambaifadors of 
Sparta alfo departed, but with far lefs fatisfadlion. 
They made fuch a report to Archidamus, as convinced 
him that his republic had not any advantage to expedl 
from the preponderance of the Macedonian intereft, and 
the deftrudtion of the Phocians; and that, ftould the 
Spartans perfifl; in tfieir claim to the fuperintendence of 
the Delphic temple, they nuifi aflert it by force of arms. 
Archidamus therefore railed an army for this purpofe, 
and marched towards the firaits. But the intrigues of 
Philip residered his hofiility as impotent as his negocia. 
tions had been fruitlefs. From Theflaly that prince 
had already lent a letter to the Athenians, couched in 
the moft artful terms. He expreffed his profound re- 
fpe 61 for the ftate, and his high efteem for its ambalTa- 
dors ; declaring that he fhould omit no opportunity of 
proving how earnefily lie defired to promote the prof, 
perity and glory of Athens. Of the conditions of the 
peace he was careful to make no mention; but after 
many declarations of his good-will, he entreated tJiem 
not to be offended at his detaining their ambaifadors, 
of whole eloquence and abilities he wiflted to avail him- 
felf in fettling, the affairs of Theffaly.” 
Soon afterwards thefe ambaffadors returned home ; 
and having given an account of their negociation to the 
fenate of Five Hundred, they next appeared before the 
popular affembly ; when a motion was made, and agreed 
to, for thanking Philip for his equitable and friendly in¬ 
tentions, as well as for ratifying a perpetual peace and 
alliance between Athens and Macedon, In the fame 
decree it was determined that the Phocians fhould fub- 
jait to the Amphiftyonic councj]| under pain of incur- 
E C E. 927 ' 
ring the difpleafure of the republic. Thefe articles, 
together with the fecret motives which produced them, 
were, by the emiffaries of Philip, immediately commu¬ 
nicated to the Phocian ambaffadors then refiding at 
Athens ; who, tranfported with joy at the profpeft of 
averting the calamities which long threatened their 
country, loft no time in tranfmitting the agreeable in. 
telligence to their fellow-citizens. They concluded, 
W'ith a high degree of probability, that, however Philip 
might deceive the Phocians, the minifters of Athens 
could never be fo bold as publicly to deceive the Athe¬ 
nians; and that, therefore, they could no longer enter¬ 
tain any donbt of the favourable difpofition of the king 
of Macedon. This belief was fo firmly cftabliffied, 
that when Archidamus marched into Phocis at the head 
of an army in order to defend the temple again!! Philip, 
the Phocians rejefted his affiftance, obferving, that they 
feared tor Sparta much more than for themfelves ; upon 
wliich the Lacedfemonians returned into Peloponnefus. 
Pliiiip was now prepared for ftriking a decifive blow. 
Tlie Athenians were appealed; the Lacedaemonians had 
retired; the Pliociaiis were oft'their guard; Thelfa- 
lians, Thebans, and Locrians, were devoted to his 
ftandard. One obftacle only remained, and that eafy to 
be furniounted. Phaleucus, who commanded eight 
thoufand mercenaries, ftiil kept pofl'elTion of Nicaea. 
But a man who had betrayed the intereft of his own re¬ 
public, could not be very delicate in defending the 
caiife of Greece, Philip entered into a negociation 
with him, in order to get polTcffion of Nicasa, without 
which it would have been inipofiible to pafs the ftraits 
of Tlierniopylae ; and, while this tranfaftion was going' 
forward, he wrote letters to the Athenians, full of cor¬ 
diality and affefition. He by this means not only kept 
the Athenians from liftening to the remonftrances of De¬ 
mofthenes, blit prevailed on them to depute that ora¬ 
tor, together with Aifehines, and feveral others, whofe 
advice and affiftance he affected to want, in order to fet¬ 
tle the arduous bufinefs in which he was engaged. De¬ 
mofthenes law through the artifice, and abfolutely re¬ 
filled the commillion. Aifehines, on pretence of fick- 
nefs, ftaid at home to counteract the meafures of his ri¬ 
val. The other ambaifadors departed, in compliance 
with the reqi'.elt of Philip, and the orders of their re¬ 
public, in hopes of feeing a treaty fulfilled, which, 
they had been taught to believe, would be attended with 
confequences equally advantageous and honourable. 
V/hile the ambaffadors travelled through Euboea, in 
their way to join the king of Macedon, they firft learned 
that Phaleucus had been perfiiaded to evacuate Niciea. 
He retired towards Peloponnefus, and embarked at Co¬ 
rinth, with a view to fail to Italy, where he expected 
to form an eftablifhment. But the capricious temper 
of his followers compelled him to make a defeent on 
the coaft of Elis. After this they re-embarked, and 
failed to Crete, where their invalion proved fatal to 
their general. Having returned to tlie Peloponnefus, 
they were defeated by the Elians and Arcadians. The 
greater part of thofe who farvived the battle fell into 
the liands of the enemy, by whom they were lliot with 
arrows, or precipitated from rocks. A feeble remnant 
efcaped to their Ihips, but periflied foon afterwards in 
an infurreftion which they had excited in the ille of Si¬ 
cily. PJiilip, meanwhile, having paffed the ftraits of 
Thermopylte, was received by the PJiocians as their 
deliverer. He had promil'ed to plead their caiife be¬ 
fore the AmphiCtyonic council, to tlie decifions of 
which that credulous people confented to fubmit, well 
knowing that a prince who entered Greece at the head, 
of a numerous army, might eafily Controul the refolu- 
tions of the Amphiftyons, and fondly believing tliat 
prince to be their friend. The deputies of Athens had 
not yet arrived; thofe of the fouthern republics had 
not even been fummoned. The Locrians, ThebanSj 
and Theffaiians^ alone compofed the affembly that was 
