"them, without exception, Argives, Thebans, Corinthians, "Lacedæmonians, Arcadians, and ourselves no less than oth "ers: all, all, I say, form a separate interest; and this it "is that renders the common enemy so powerful. "The safety of Greece consits therefore in uniting to"gether against this common enemy, if that be possible. "But at least, as to what concerns each of us in particular, "this incontestible maxim it is absolutely necessary to hold, "that Philip attacks you actually at this time; that he has "infringed the peace; that by seizing upon all the fortresses "around you he opens and prepares the way for attacking 60 you yourselves; and that he considers us as his mortal enemies, because he knows that we only are able to oppose "the ambitious designs he entertains of grasping universal power. 66 "These consequently we must oppose with all imagina"ble vigour; and for that purpose must ship off, without loss "of time, the necessary aids for Chersonesus and Byzantium; 66 you must provide instantly whatever necessaries your gen"erals may require; In fine, you must concert together on "such means as are most proper to save Greece, which is "now threatened with the utmost danger. Though all the "rest of the Greeks, O Athenians, should bow their necks "to the yoke, yet you ought to persist in fighting always for "the cause of liberty. After such preparations, made in presence of all Greece, let us excite all other states to sec"ond us; let us acquaint every people with our resolutions, "and send ambassadors to Peloponnesus, Rhodes, Chio, and especially to the king of Persia; for it is his interest, as "well as our's, to check the career of that man." The sequel will show that Demosthenes' advice was followed almost exactly. At the time he was declaiming in this manner, Philip was marching towards Chersonesus. He opened the campaign with the siege of Perinthus, a considerable city of Thrace. The Athenians having prepared a body of troops to succour that place, the orators prevailed so far by their speeches, that Chares was appointed commander of the fleet. This general was universally despised, for his manners, oppressions, and mean capacity; but interest and credit supplied the place of merit on this occasion, and faction prevailed against the counsels of the most prudent and virtuous men, as happens but too often. The success answered the rashnes of the choice which had been made : [But what could be expected from a general, whose abilities Ibid. p. 94, 95, * Philippic iii, p. 97. + Ibid, iii, p. 88. § Plutarch in Phoc, p. 747. were as small as his voluptuousness was great; who took along with him, in his military expeditions, a band of musicians, both vocal and instrumental, who were in his pay, which was levied out of the monies appointed for the service of the fleet! In short, the cities themselves, to whose succour he was sent, would not suffer him to come into their harbours; so that his fidelity being universally suspected, he was obliged to sail from coast to coast, buying the allies, and contemned by the enemy. *In the mean time Philip was carrying on the siege of Perinthus with great vigour. He had 30,000 chosen troops, and military engines of all kinds without number. He had raised towers 80 cubits high, which far out-topped those of the Perinthians. He therefore had a great advantage in battering their walls. On one side he shook the foundations of them by subterraneous mines; and on the other, he beat down whole angles of it, with his battering rams: nor did the besieged make a less vigorous resistance; for as soon as one breach was made, Philip was surprised to see another wall behind it, just raised. The inhabitants of Byzantium sent them all the succours necessary. The Asiatic satrapæ, or governors, by the king of Persia's order, whose assistance we observed the Athenians had requested, likewise threw forces into the place. Philip, in order to deprive the besieged of the succours the Byzantines gave them, went in person to form the siege of that important city, leaving half his army to carry on that of Perinthus. He was desirous to appear, in outward show, very tender of giving umbrage to the Athenians, whose power he dreaded, and whom he endeavoured to amuse with fine words. At the times we now speak of, Philip, by way of precaution against their disgust of his measures, wrote a letter to them, in which he endeavours to take off the edge of their resentments, by reproaching then in the strongest terms for their infraction of the several treaties, which he boasts he had ob served very religiously. This piece he interspersed very artfully (for he was a great master of eloquence) with such complaints and menaces as are best calculated to restrain mankind, either from a principle of fear or shame. This letter is a master-piece in the original. A majestic and per, suasive vivacity shines in every part of it; a strength and justness of reasoning sustained throughout; a plain and unaf, fected declaration of facts, each of which is followed by its natural consequence; a delicate irony; in fine, that noble and concise style so proper for crowned heads. We might • Diod, 1. xvi, p, 466–468. here very justly apply to Philip what was said of Cæsar,* "that he handled the pen as well as he did the sword." This letter is so long, and besides is filled with so great a number of private facts, though each of these are important, that it will not admit of being reduced to extracts, or to have a connected abridgment made of it. I shall therefore cite but one passage, by which the reader may form a judgment of the rest. "At the time of our most open ruptures," says Philip to the Athenians, "you went no further than to fit out priva"teers against me; to seize and sell the merchants that came ❝to trade in my dominions; to favour any party that oppos"ed my measures; and to infest the places subject to me by your hostilities: but now you carry hatred and injustice to "such prodigious lengths as even to send ambassadours to "the Persian, in order to excite him to declare war against "me. This must appear a most astonishing circumstance; "for before he had made himself master of Egypt and "Phoenicia, you had resolved, in the most solemn manner, "that in case he should attempt any new enterprise, you "then would invite me, in common with the rest of the "Greeks, to unite our forces against him. And neverthe"less, at this time you carry your hatred to such an height as to negociate an alliance with him against me. "been told, that formerly your fathers imputed to Pisistra❝tus, as an unpardonable crime, his having requested the succour of the Persians against the Greeks, and yet you ❝ do not blush to commit a thing which you were perpetual"ly condemning in the person of your tyrants.” I have Philip's letter did him as much service as a good mani. festo, and gave his pensioners in Athens a fine opportunity of justifying him to the people, who were very desirous of easing themselves of political inquietudes, and greater ene. mies to expence and labour than to usurpation and tyranny. The boundless ambition of Philip, and the eloquent zeal of Demosthenes, were perpetually clashing. There was neither a peace nor a truce between them. The one covered very industriously with a specious pretence his enterprises and infractions of treaty; and the other endeavoured as strongly to reveal the true motives of them to a people whose resolutions had a great influence with respect to the fate of Greece. On this occasion Demosthenes was sensible how vastly necessary it was to erase, as soon as possible, the first impressions which the perusal of this letter might make on the minds of the Athenians. Accordingly, that zealous pat. * Eodem animo dixit, quo bellavit. Quintil. 1. x. c. 16 riot immediately ascends the tribunal. He at first speaks in an affirmative tone of voice, which is often more than half, and sometimes the whole proof in the eyes of the multitude. He affixes to the heavy complaints of Philip the idea of an express declaration of war; then, to animate his fellow citizens, to fill them with confidence in the resolution with which he inspires them, he assures them that all things por tend the ruin of Philip; gods, Greeks, Persians, Macedonians, and even Philip himself. Demosthenes does not observe in this harangue the exact rules of refutation; he avoids contesting facts, which might have been disadvantageous, so happily had Philip disposed them, and so well had he sup ported them by proofs that seemed unanswerable. *The conclusion which this orator draws from all his arguments is this: "Convinced by these truths, O Athenians, "and strongly persuaded, that we can no longer be allowed "to affirm that we enjoy peace (for Philip has now declar"ed war against us by his letter, and has long done the same "by his conduct,) you ought not to spare either the public "treasure, or the possessions of private persons; but when "occasion shall require, haste to your respective standards, "and set abler generals at your head than those you have "hitherto employed. For no one among you ought to im"agine that the same men who have ruined your affairs, "will have abilities to restore them to their former happy situation. Think how infamous it is, that a man from Ma"cedon should contemn dangers to such a degree, that, "merely to aggrandize his empire, he should rush into the "midst of combats, and return from battle covered with "wounds; and that Athenians, whose hereditary right it is to obey no man, but to impose laws on others sword in hand; "that Athenians, Isay, merely through dejection of spirit and ❝indolence, should degenerate from the glory of their ance “tors, and abandon the interest of their country!" At the very time they were examining this affair, news was brought of the shameful reception Chares had met with from the allies, which raised a general murmur among the people, who now, fired with indignation, greatly repented their having sent aid to the Byzantines. Phocion then rose, up and told the people, "that they ought not to be exasperat "ed at the diffidence of the allies, but at the conduct of the 66 generals who had occasioned it. For it is these," continued he, "who render you odious, and formidable even to "those who cannot save themselves from, destruction withfout your assistance.” And indeed Chares, as we have al • Plut. in Phoc. p. 748.` E ready observed, was a general without valour or military knowledge. His whole merit consisted in having gained a great ascendant over the people by the haughty and bold air he assumed. His presumption concealed his incapacity from himself; and a sordid principle of avarice made him commit as many blunders as enterprises. *The people, struck with this discourse, immediately changed their opinion, and appointed Phocion himself to command a body of fresh troops, in order to succour the allies in the Hellespont. This choice contributed chiefly to the preservation of Byzantium. Phocion had already acquired great reputation, not only for his valour and ability in the art of war, bnt much more for his probity and disinterestedness, The Byzantines on his arrival opened their gates to him with joy, and lodged his soldiers in their houses, as their own bro. thers and children. The Athenian officers and soldiers, struck with the confidence reposed in them, behaved with the utmost prudence and modesty, and were entirely irreproachable in their conduct. Nor were they less admired for their courage; and in all the attacks they sustained, discovered the utmost intrepidity, which danger seemed only to improve. † Phocion's prudence, seconded by the bravery of his troops, soon forced Philip to abandon his design upon Byzantium and Perinthus. He was beat out of the Hellespont, which diminished very much his fame and glory, for he hitherto had been thought invincible, and nothing been able to oppose him. Phocion took some of his ships, recovered many fortresses which he had garrisoned; and having made several descents into different parts of his territories, he plundered all the open country, till a body of forces assembling to check his progress, he was obliged to retire, after having been wounded. The Byzantines and Perinthians testified their gratitude to the people of Athens by a very honourable decree, preserved by Demosthenes in one of his orations, the substance of which I shall repeat here: "Under Bosphorices the pon"tiff, Damagetus, after having desired leave of the senate "to speak, said, in a full assembly: Inasmuch as in times " past the continual benevolence of the people of Athens to"wards the Byzantines and Perinthians, united by alliance "and their common origin, has never failed upon any occa"sion; that this benevolence, so often signalised, has lately “displayed itself, when Philip of Macedon, who had taken + Diod. 1. xvi, p. 468, A. M. 3665. Ant. J, C, 339. Demosth. pro Cres, p. 487, 488. $ He probably was the chief magistrate. |