a smaller history of greece-第50章

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gour　and　success。　　But　he　was　checked　in　his　career　by　Philip；　who　had　previously　been　extending　his　dominion　over　Thessaly；　and　who　now　assumed　the　character　of　a　champion　of　the　Delphic　god；　and　made　his　soldiers　wear　wreaths　of　laurel　plucked　in　the　groves　of　Tempe。　　He　penetrated　into　Thessaly；　and　encountered　the　Phocians　near　the　gulf　of　Pagassae。　　In　the　battle　which　ensued；　Onomarchus　was　slain；　and　his　army　totally　defeated　（B。C。　352）。　　This　victory　made　Philip　master　of　Thessaly。　　He　now　directed　his　march　southwards　with　the　view　of　subduing　the　Phocians；　but　upon　reaching　Thermopylae　he　found　the　pass　guarded　by　a　strong　Athenian　force；　and　was　compelled；　or　considered　it　more　prudent；　to　retreat。

After　his　return　from　Thessaly　Philip's　views　were　directed　towards　Thrace　and　the　Chersonese。　　It　was　at　this　juncture　that　Demosthenes　stepped　forwards　as　the　proclaimed　opponent　of　Philip；　and　delivered　the　first　of　those　celebrated　orations　which　from　their　subject　have　been　called　〃the　Philippics。〃　　This　most　famous　of　all　the　Grecian　orators　was　born　in　B。C。　382…381。　Having　lost　his　father　at　the　early　age　of　seven；　his　guardians　abused　their　trust；　and　defrauded　him　of　the　greater　part　of　his　paternal　inheritance。　　This　misfortune；　however；　proved　one　of　the　causes　which　tended　to　make　him　an　orator。　　Demosthenes；　as　he　advanced　towards　manhood；　perceived　with　indignation　the　conduct　of　his　guardians；　for　which　he　resolved　to　make　them　answerable　when　the　proper　opportunity　should　arrive；　by　accusing　them　himself。　　His　first　attempt　to　speak　in　public　proved　a　failure；　and　he　retired　from　the　bema　amidst　the　hootings　and　laughter　of　the　citizens。　　The　more　judicious　and　candid　among　his　auditors　perceived；　however；　marks　of　genius　in　his　speech；　and　rightly　attributed　his　failure　to　timidity　and　want　of　due　preparation。　　Eunomus；　an　aged　citizen；　who　met　him　wandering　about　the　Piraeus　in　a　state　of　dejection　at　his　ill　success；　bade　him　take　courage　and　persevere。　　Demosthenes　now　withdrew　awhile　from　public　life；　and　devoted　himself　perseveringly　to　remedy　his　defects。　　They　were　such　as　might　be　lessened；　if　not　removed；　by　practice；　and　consisted　chiefly　of　a　weak　voice；　imperfect　articulation；　and　ungraceful　and　inappropriate　action。　He　derived　much　assistance　from　Satyrus　the　actor；　who　exercised　him　in　reciting　passages　from　Sophocles　and　Euripides。　　He　studied　the　best　rhetorical　treatises　and　orations；　and　is　said　to　have　copied　the　work　of　Thucydides　with　his　own　hand　no　fewer　than　eight　times。　　He　shut　himself　up　for　two　or　three　months　together　in　a　subterranean　chamber　in　order　to　practise　composition　and　declamation。　　His　perseverance　was　crowned　with　success；　and　he　who　on　the　first　attempt　had　descended　from　the　bema　amid　the　ridicule　of　the　crowd；　became　at　last　the　most　perfect　orator　the　world　has　ever　seen。

Demosthenes　had　established　himself　as　a　public　speaker　before　the　period　which　we　have　now　reached；　but　it　is　chiefly　in　connexion　with　Philip　that　we　are　to　view　him　as　a　statesman　as　well　as　an　orator。　　Philip　had　shown　his　ambition　by　the　conquest　of　Thessaly；　and　by　the　part　he　had　taken　in　the　Sacred　War；　and　Demosthenes　now　began　to　regard　him　as　the　enemy　of　the　liberties　of　Athens　and　of　Greece。　　In　his　first　〃Philippic〃　Demosthenes　tried　to　rouse　his　countrymen　to　energetic　measures　against　this　formidable　enemy；　but　his　warnings　and　exhortations　produced　little　effect；　for　the　Athenians　were　no　longer　distinguished　by　the　same　spirit　of　enterprise　which　had　characterized　them　in　the　days　of　their　supremacy。　　No　important　step　was　taken　to　curb　the　growing　power　of　Philip；　and　it　was　the　danger　of　Olynthus　which　first　induced　the　Athenians　to　prosecute　the　war　with　a　little　more　energy。　　In　350　B。C。；　Philip　having　captured　a　town　in　Chalcidice；　Olynthus　began　to　tremble　for　her　own　safety；　and　sent　envoys　to　Athens　to　crave　assistance。　　Olynthus　was　still　at　the　head　of　thirty…two　Greek　towns；　and　the　confederacy　was　a　sort　of　counterpoise　to　the　power　of　Philip。　　It　was　on　this　occasion　that　Demosthenes　delivered　his　three　Olynthaic　orations；　in　which　he　warmly　advocated　an　alliance　with　Olynthus。

Demosthenes　was　opposed　by　a　strong　party；　with　which　Phocion　commonly　acted。　　Phocion　is　one　of　the　most　singular　and　original　characters　in　Grecian　history。　　He　viewed　the　multitude　and　their　affairs　with　a　scorn　which　he　was　at　no　pains　to　disguise；　receiving　their　anger　with　indifference；　and　their　praises　with　contempt。　　His　known　probity　also　gave　him　weight　with　the　assembly。　　He　was　the　only　statesman　of　whom　Demosthenes　stood　in　awe；　who　was　accustomed　to　say；　when　Phocion　rose；　〃Here　comes　the　pruner　of　my　periods。〃　　But　Phocion's　desponding　views；　and　his　mistrust　of　the　Athenian　people；　made　him　an　ill　statesman　at　a　period　which　demanded　the　most　active　patriotism。　　He　doubtless　injured　his　country　by　contributing　to　check　the　more　enlarged　and　patriotic　views　of　Demosthenes；　and　though　his　own　conduct　was　pure　and　disinterested；　he　unintentionally　threw　his　weight　on　the　side　of　those　who；　like　Demades　and　others；　were　actuated　by　the　basest　motives。　　This　division　of　opinion　rendered　the　operations　of　the　Athenians　for　the　aid　of　the　Olynthians　languid　and　desultory。　　Town　after　town　of　the　confederacy　fell　before　Philip；　and　in　347　Olynthus　itself　was　taken。　　The　whole　of　the　Chalcidian　peninsula　thus　became　a　Macedonian　province。

The　prospects　of　Athens　now　became　alarming；　her　possessions　in　the　Chersonese　were　threatened；　as　well　as　the　freedom　of　the　Greek　towns　upon　the　Hellespont。　　The　Athenians　had　supported　the　Phocians　in　the　Sacred　War；　and　were　thus　at　war　with　Thebes。　　In　order　to　resist　Philip　the　attention　of　the　Athenians　was　now　directed　towards　a　reconciliation　with　Thebes；　especially　since　the　treasures　of　Delphi　were　nearly　exhausted；　and　on　the　other　hand　the　war　was　becoming　every　year　more　and　more　burthensome　to　the　Thebans。　　Nor　did　it　seem　improbable　that　a　peace　might　be　concluded　not　only　between　those　two　cities；　but　among　the　Grecian　states　generally。　　It　seems　to　have　been　this　aspect　of　affairs　that　induced　Philip　to　make　several　indirect　overtures　to　the　Athenians　in　the　summer　of　B。C。　347。　　In　spite　of　subsidies　from　Delphi　the　war　had　been　very　onerous　to　them；　and　they　received　these　advances　with　joy；　and　eventually　agreed　to　the　terms　of　a　peace。　　Having　thus　gained　over　the　Athenians；　Philip　marched　through　Thermopylae；　and　entered　Phocis；　which　surrendered　unconditionally　at　his　approach。　　He　then　occupied　Delphi；　where　he　assembled　the　Amphictyons　to　pronounce　sentence　upon　those　who　bad　been　concerned　in　the　sacrilege　committed　there。　　The　council　decreed　that　all　the　cities　of　Phocia；　except　Abae；　should　be　destroyed；　and　their　inhabitants　scattered　into　villages　containing　not　more　than　fifty　houses　each。　　Sparta　was　deprived　of　her　share　in　the　Amphictyonic　privileges；　the　two　votes　in　the　council　possessed　by　the　Phocians　were　transferred　to　the　kings　of　Macedonia；　and　Philip　was　to　share　with　the　Thebans　and　Thessalians　the　honour　of　presiding　at　the　Pythian　games　（B。C。　346）。

The　result　of　the　Sacred　War　rendered　Macedon　the　leading　state　in　Greece。　　Philip　at　once　acquired　by　it　military　glory；　a　reputation　for　piety；　and　an　accession　of　power。　　His　ambitious　designs　were　now　too　plain　to　be　mistaken。　　The　eyes　of　the　blindest　among　the　Athenians　were　at　last　opened；　the　promoters　of　the　peace　which　had　been　concluded　with　Philip　incurred　the　hatred　and　suspicion　of　the　people；　whilst　on　the　other　hand　Demosthenes　rose　higher　than　ever　in　public　favour。

Philip　was　now　busy　with　preparations　for　the　vast　projects　which　he　contemplated；　and　which　embraced　an　attack　upon　the　Athenian　colonies；　as　well　as　upon　the　Persian　empire。　　For　this　purpose　he　had　organized　a　considerable　naval　force　as　well　as　an　army；　and　in　the　spring　of　342　B。C。　he　set　out　on　an　expedition　against　Thrace。　　His　progress　soon　appeared　to　menace　the　Chersonese　and　the　Athenian　possessions　in　that　quarter；　and　at　length　the　Athenian　troops　under　Diopithes　came　into　actual　collision　with　the　Macedonians。　　In　the　following　year　Philip　began　to　attac