to 
TVI A C E D O N. 
fiegeof Methone in Pieria. This city he likewifereduced; 
but the king loft an eye at the fiege in the following ex¬ 
traordinary manner, if we may give credit to fome anci¬ 
ent hiltorians. A celebrated archer, named After, had, 
it feems, offered his f'ervices to Philip, being represented 
as fuch an excellent markfman, that he could hit the 
fwifteft bird on the wing. Philip replied, that he would 
be of excellent life if they were to make war with ftarlings. 
After, difgufted with this reception, went over to the 
enemy, and with an arrow wounded the king in the eye. 
When the weapon was extracted, it was found to have on 
it the following infcription : “For the right eye of Phi¬ 
lip.” The king ordered the arrow to be fhot back again, 
with another infcription, importing that he would caufe 
After to be hanged when the town was taken. A report 
was r3ifed after Philip’s death, that he had loft his eye by 
prying too narrowly into the amours of Olympias and Ju¬ 
piter Ammon ; which the vanity of his fucceflor prompted 
him to cherifh, as his flatterers had probably been the in¬ 
ventors of it. 
All this time the Phocian war raged with the greateft 
fury, and involved in it all the ftates of Greece. Lyco- 
phron, one of the Theffalian tyrants, whom Philip had 
formerly deprived of his authority, had again found 
means to re-eftablifh himfelf; and, his countrymen having 
taken part with the Phocians, Lycophron called in Onor- 
marchus the Phocian general to protect him againft the 
power of Philip, by whom he was fenfible that he lhould 
foon be attacked. The .king accordingly marched into 
Theffaly with a confiderable army, defeated Phyallus the 
brother of.Onomarchus, whom the latter had fent into the 
country with a detachment of 7000 men. After this he 
defeated and killed Onomarchus himfelf, as already re¬ 
lated, vol. viii. p. 922. The fate of the prifoners is not 
known, by reafon of an ambiguity in a fentence of Dio¬ 
dorus Siculus, which may imply that they were drowned, 
though it does not exprefsly fay fo„. 
After this viftory, Philip fet about the fettlement of 
Theffaly, waiting only for an opportunity to put in exe¬ 
cution his favourite fcheme of invading Greece. In the 
mean time, lie rejoiced to fee the ftates weakening each 
other by their mutual diffenfions; of which he.never failed 
to take advantage as far as poflible. The Athenians ap¬ 
pear, at this time, to .have been defperately funk in effe¬ 
minacy and diflipationj which difpofition Philip took care 
to encourage to the utmoft of his power. There was an af- 
fembly in the city called the Sixty , from their confifting ori¬ 
ginally of that number, who met exprefsly for the purpofe 
of extinguifhing all care about public affairs, and to in¬ 
toxicate themfelves with every kind of pleafure they had in 
their power. With this affembly Philip was fo well pleafed; 
that he fent them money to fupport their extravagancies ; 
and fo effeftually did .they anfwer his purpofes, that all 
the eloquence of Demofthenes could not counteract the 
fpeeches of orators much his inferiors when backed by 
Macedonian gold. 
Philip himfelf was exceflively debauched in his private 
character; and themoft fhameful ftories are related of him 
by the ancient writers, particularly by Demofthenes. 
Theopompus, too, an author who ilourifhed in the time 
of Alexander, and was rewarded and honoured by that 
monarch, alfo fpeaks of him in fuch terms as we cannot 
with decency relate; but thefeaccounts, qoming from the 
avowed enemies of the king, are fcarcely to be credited; 
and perhaps policy, as well as inclination, might contri¬ 
bute, fomewhat to this fcandalous behaviour, that he 
might thereby recommend himfelf to the libertines of 
Athens, and prevent even many of the more thinking part 
of the people from fufpedling his defigns. But, in what¬ 
ever exceffes he might at times indulge himfelf, he never 
loft fight of his main objeCf, the lubjugation of the Greek 
ftates. On pretence of being in want of money to defray 
the expen fe of his buildings, he borrowed money at a very 
high rate throughout the whole country ; and this he 
.found an eafy matter to do, as the diflipation of tire Del¬ 
phic treafures had rendered cafti very plentiful in Greece. 
Thus he attached his creditors firmly to his own intereft ; 
and, on pretence of paying debts, was enabled without 
fufpicion to beftow a number of penfions and gratuities 
upon the Athenian orators, who by their treacherous ha¬ 
rangues contributed greatly to the ruin of their country ; 
at leaft as far as it could be ruined by fubjedion to a prince 
who would have obliged them to remain at peace, and ap- 
ply themfelves to ufeful arts. Thefe he himfelf encou¬ 
raged in a very eminent degree. The greateft part of his 
time was employed at Pella, which-city he adorned in the 
molt magnificent manner with temples, theatres, and por¬ 
ticoes. He invited, by liberal rewards, the molt ingenious 
artifts in Greece.; and, as many of thefe met with very lit¬ 
tle encouragement in their own country, great numbers 
flocked to him from all quarters. In the government of 
his people, alfo, Philip behaved with the utmoft imparti¬ 
ality ; iiftening with condefcenfion to the complaints of 
the meaneft of his fubjedls. 
The fate of Olynthus was now foon determined. This 
city, which held the balance of power betwixt Athens 
and Macedon, was taken and plundered, and the inhabit¬ 
ants fold for flaves; but the chief hope of Philip was in 
putting an end to the Phocian war. For this purpofe 
he affedted a neutrality, that he might thereby become the 
arbiter of Greece. His hopes were well founded ; for the 
Thebans, who were at the head of the league againft the 
Phocians, folicited him on the one fide; and the ftates 
confederate with the Phocians did the like on the other. 
He anfwered neither, yet held both in dependence. In 
his heart he favoured the Thebans, or rather placed his 
hopes of favouring his own caufe in that ftate; for he well 
knew, that the Athenians, Spartans, and other ftates al¬ 
lied with Phocis, would never allow him to pafs Thermo¬ 
pylae, and lead an army into their territories. So much 
refpeft, however, did he fhow to the ambafladors from 
thefe ftates, particularly Ctefiphon and Phrynon, who 
came from Athens, that they believed him to be in their 
intereft, and reported as much to their mafters. The 
Athenians, who were now difi'olved in eafe and luxury, 
received this news with great fatisfaflion; and named im¬ 
mediately ten plenipotentiaries to go and treat of a full 
and lading peace with Philip. Among thefe plenipoten¬ 
tiaries were Demofthenes and iEfchines, the molt cele¬ 
brated orators in Athens. Philip gave diredtions that thefe 
ambafladors fhould be treated with the utmoft civility; 
naming, at the fame time, three of his minifters to confer 
with them, viz. Antipater, Parmenio, and Eurylochus. 
Demofthenes, being obliged to return to Athens, recom¬ 
mended it to his colleagues not to carry on their negocia- 
tions with Philip’s deputies ; but to proceed with all dili¬ 
gence to court, there to confer with the king himfelf. 
The ambafladors, however, were fo far from following his 
inftrudtions, that they fuffered themfelves to be put off 
for three months by the arts of Philip and his minifters. 
In the mean time, the king took from the Athenians 
fuch places in Thrace as might beft cover his frontiers; 
giving their plenipotentiaries, in their ftead, abundance of 
fair promifes, and the ftrongeft affurances that his good 
will fhould be as beneficial to them as ever their colonies 
bad been. At laft a peace was concluded; but then the 
ratification of it was deferred till Philip had poffeffed him¬ 
felf of Pherasa in Theffaly, and faw himfelf at the head of 
a numerous army ; then he ratified the treaty; and diC- 
milled the plenipotentiaries with affurances, that he would 
be ready at all times to give the Athenians proofs of his 
friendfhip. On their return to Athens, when this matter 
came to be debated before the people, Demofthenes plainly 
told them, that, in his opinion, the promifes of Philip 
ought not to be relied on, becaufe they appeared to be of 
little fignificance in themfelves, and came from a prince 
of fo much art, and fo little fidelity, .that they could derive 
no authority from their maker. Ail'chines, on the other 
hand, gave it as his fentiment, that the king of Macedon’s 
affurances ought to give them full latisfadtion. He faj.d 
1 that e 
