glorious enterprize, the plan of which he had laid before him. He reduces the coufel he gave to three heads: That this prince fhould govern his own empire with wisdom and juftice; thould heal the divifions between the neighbouring nations and all Greece, without defiring to poffefs any part of it himself; and this being done, that he fhould turn his victorious arms against a country, which from all ages had been the enemy of Greece, and had often vowed their destruction. It must be confeffed, that this is a most noble plan, and highly worthy a great prince. But Ifocrates had a very falfe idea of Philip, if he thought this monarch would ever put it in execution. Philip did not poffefs the equity, moderation or difinterestedness, which fuch a project required. He really intended to attack Perfia, but was perfuaded, that it was his bufinefs to fecure himself first of Greece, which indeed he was determined to do, not by fervices but by force. He did not endeavour either to win over or perfuade nations, but to fubject and reduce them. As on his fide he had no manner of regard for alliances and treaties, he judged of others by himfelf, and was for affuring himfelf of them by much stronger ties than thofe of friendship, gratitude, and fincerity.

As Demofthenes was better acquainted with the state of affairs than Ifocrates, fo he formed a truer judgment of Philip's defigns. Upon his return from his embaffy, he declares exprefsly, that he does not approve either of the difcourfe or the conduct of the Macedonian king, but that every thing is to be dreaded from him. On the contrary, Efchines, who had been bribed, affures the Athenians, that he had difcovered the geateft candor and fincerity in the promises and proceedings of this king. He had engaged that Thefpie and Platea fhould be repeopled, in fpite of the oppofition of the Thebans; that in cafe he fhould proceed fo far as to fubject the Phocæans, he would preferve them, and not do them the leaft injury; that he would reftore Thebes to the good order which had before been obferved in it; that Oropus fhould be given up abfolutely to the Athenians; and, that in lieu of Amphipolis, they fhould be put in poffeffion of Euboea. It was to no purpose that Demofthenes remonftrated to his fellow-citizens, that Philip, notwithstanding all thefe glorious promifes, endeavoured to poffefs himself, in an abfolute manner, of Phocis; and that by abandoning it to him they would betray the commonwealth, and give up all Greece into his hands. He was not heard, and the oration of Efchines, who engaged that Philip would make good his feveral promifes, prevailed over that of De

mofthenes.

Thefe

() Thefe deliberations gave that prince an opportunity to poffefs himfelf of Thermopyla, and to enter Phocis. Hitherto there had been no poffibility of reducing the Phocæans; but Philip needed but appear, for the bare found of his name filled them with terror. Upon the fuppofition that he was marching against a herd of facrilegious wretches, not against common enemies, he ordered all his foldiers to wear crowns of laurel, and led them to battle as under the conduct of the god himself whose honour they revenged. The inftant they appeared, the Phocæans believed themselves overcome. Accordingly they fue for peace, and yield to Philip's mercy, who gives Phalecus their leader leave to retire into Peloponnefus, with the eight thoufand men in his fervice. In this manner Philip, with very little trouble, engroffed all the honour of a long and bloody war, which had exhaufted the forces of both parties. This victory gained him incredible honour throughout all Greece, and his glorious expedition was the topick of all converfations in that country. He was confidered as the avenger of facrilege and the protector of religion; and they almoft ranked in the number of the gods the man who had defended their majefty with fo much courage and fuccefs.

Philip, that he might not feem to do any thing by his own private authority, in an affair which concerned all Greece, affembles the council of the Amphyctions, and appoints them, for form fake, fupreme judges of the pains and penalties to which the Phocæans had rendered themselves obnoxious. Under the name of thefe judges, who were entirely at his devotion, he decrees that the cities of Phocis fhall be deftroyed, that they fhall all be reduced to fmall towns of fixty houfes each, and that thofe towns fhall be at a certain distance one from the other; that thofe wretches, who have committed facrilege, fhall be abfolutely profcribed; and that the reft fhall not enjy their poffeffions, but upon condition of paying an annual triBute, which fhall continue to be levied till fuch time as the whole fums taken out of the temple of Delphos fhall be repaid. Philip did not forget himself on this occafion. After he had

fubjected the rebellious Phocæans, he demanded that their feat in the council of the Amphyctions, which they had been declared to have forfeited, fhould be transferred to him. The Amphyctions, the inftrument of whofe vengeance he had now been, were afraid of refufing him, and accordingly admitted VOL. IV.

him

(1) A. M. 3658. Ant. J. C. 346. Diod. J. xvi. p. 455. Incredibile quantum ea res apud rem religionum. Itaque Diis pr xi. omnes nationes Philippo gloriæ dedit. mus habetur, per quem Deorum maIllum vindicem facrilegii, illum ulto- jeftus vindicata fit, Juftin. 1. viii. c. 2.

him a member of their body; a circumftance of the highest importance to him, as we fhall fee in the fequel, and of very dangerous confequence to all the reft of Greece. They allo gave him the fuperintendance of the Pythian games, in conjunction with the Bocotians and Theffalians; because the Corinthians, who poffeffed this privilege hitherto, had rendered themfelves unworthy of it, by fharing in the facrilege of the Phocæaps.

When news was brought to Athens of the treatment which the Phocæans had met with, the former perceived, but too late, the wrong ftep they had taken in refufing to comply with the counfels of Demofthenes; and in abandoning themselves blindly to the vain and idle promifes of a traitor, who had fold his country. Befides the fhame and grief with which they were feized, for having failed in the cbligations of the confederacy, they found that they had betrayed their own interefts in abandoning their allies. For Philip, by poffeffing himfelf of Phocis, was become mafter of Therinopyle, which opened him the gates, and put into his hands the keys of Greece. (4) The Athenians, therefore, being alarmed upon their own account, gave orders that the women and children fhould be brought out of the country into the city; that the walls fhould be repaired, and the Piraus fortified, in order to put themfelves into a state of defence in cafe of an invafion.

The Athenians had no fhare in the decree,, by which Philip had been admitted among the Amphyctions. They perhaps had abfented themfelves purpofely, that they might not authorize it by their prefence; or, which was more probable, Philip, in order to remove the obftacles, and avoid the remoras he might meet with in the execution of his defign, affembled fuch of the Amphy&tions only as were entirely at his devotion. In fhort, he conducted his intrigue fo very artfully, that he cbtained his ends. This election might be difputed as clandeftine and irregular; aud therefore he required a confirmation of it from the people, who, as members of that body, had a right either to reject or ratify the new choice. Athens received the circular invitation; but in an affembly of the people, which was called in order to deliberate on Philip's demand, feveral were of opinion, that no notice fhould be taken of it. Demothenes, however, was of a contrary opinion; and though he did not approve in any manner of the peace which had been concluded with Philip, he did not think it would be for their intereft to infringe it in the prefent juncture; fince that could not be done without stirring up againit the Athenians, both the

With the Ploceans.

(4) Demofi, de Falf, Legat, p. 312.

new

new Amphyction, and thofe who had elected him. His advice therefore was, that they should not expofe themfelves unfeatonably to the dangerous confequences which might enfue, in cafe of their determinate refufal, to confent to the almost unanimous decree of the Amphyctions; and protefted, that it was their intereft to fubmit, for fear of worfe, to the prefent condition of the times; that is, to comply with what was not in their power to prevent. This is the fubject of Demofthenes's difcourie, entitled, Oration on the peace. We may reasonably believe that his advice was followed.

SECT. V. PHILIP, being returned to Macedonia, extends his conquefts into Illyria and Thrace. He projects a league with the Thebans, the Mefferians, and the Argives, to invade Peloponnefus in concert with them. Athens declaring in favour of the Lacedæmonians, this league is diffeved. He again attempts Eubea, but PHOCION drives him out of it. Character of that celebrated Athenian. PHILIP befieges Perinthus and Byzantium. The Athenians, animated by the orations of DEMOSTHENES, Jend fuccours to thofe two cities, under the command of PHOCION, who forces him to raise the fiege of thofe places.

() AFTER Philip had fettled every thing relating to the

worship of the god, and the fecurity of the temple of Delphos, he returned into Macedonia with great glory, and the reputation of a religious prince and an intrepid conqueror. (*) Diodorus obferves, that all thefe, who had thared in profaning and plundering the temple, perifhed miferably, and came to a tragical end.

(3) Philip, fatisfied that he had opened himself a paffage into Greece by his feizure of Thermopyla; that he had fubjected Phocis; had established himself one of the judges of Greece, by his new dignity of Amphyction; and that he had gned the esteem and applaufe of all nations, by his zeal to revenge the honour of the deity; judged very prudently, that it would be proper for him to stop his career, in order to prevent all the fates of Greece from taking arms against him, in cate they should difcover too foon his ambitious views with regard to that country. In order therefore to remove all fufpicion, and to footh the difquietudes which arofe on that occahoa, he turned his arms against Illyria, purpofely to extend

(*) A. M. 3660. Ant. J. C. 344. (y) Ibid. p. 463.

(x) Diod, 1, xvi. p. 456.

his

his frontiers on that fide, and to keep always his troops in exercife by fome new expedition.

The fame motive prompted him afterwards to go over into Thrace. In the very beginning of his reign he had difpoffeffed the Athenians of feveral ftrong places in that country. Philip ftill carried on his conquests there. Suidas obferves, that before he took Olynthus, he had made himself mafter of thirtytwo cities in Chalcis, which is part of Thrace. Cherfonefus alfo was fituated very commodiouily for him. This was a very rich peninfula, in which there were a great number of powerful cities and fine pafture lands. It had formerly belonged to the Athenians. The inhabitants of it put themselves under the protection of Lacedæmonia, after Lyfander had destroyed Athens; but fubmitted again to their firft mafters, after Conon, the fon of Timotheus, had reinstated that country. Cotys, king of Thrace, then difpoffeffed the Athenians of Cherfonefus; (2) but it was afterwards restored to them by Cherfobleptus, fon of Cotys, who finding himfelf unable to defend it against Philip, gave it up to them the fourth year of the 106th Olympiad; referving however to himself Cardia, which was the moft confiderable city of the peninfula, and formed, as it were, the gate and entrance of it. (a) After Philip had deprived Cheifobleptus of his kingdom, which happened the fecond year of the 109th Olympiad, the inhabitants of Cardia being afraid of falling into the hands of the Athenians, who claimed their city, which formerly belonged to them, fubmitted themselves to Philip, who did not fail to take them under his protection.

(6) Diopithes, principal of the colony which the Athenians had fent into Cherfonefus, looking upon this ftep in Philip as an act of hostility against the commonwealth, without waiting for an order, and fully perfuaded that it would not be difavowed, marches fuddenly into the dominions of that prince in the maritime part of Thrace, whilst he was carrying on an important war in Upper Thrace; plunders them before he had time to return and make head against him, and carries off a rich booty, all which he lodged fafe in Cherfonefus. Philip, not being able to revenge him felf in the manner he could have withed, contented himfelf with making grievous complaints to the Athenians, by letters upon that account. Such as received penfions from him in Athens, ferved him but too effectually. These venal wretches loudly exclaimed against a conduct, which, if

(2) Diod. 1. xvi. p. 434, Ant. J. C. 335. mofth. p. 75.

(a) Ibid. p. 464. * A. M. 3669. (b) A. M. 3670. Ant. J. C. 334. Liban, in De+ 1 Κάρωνα