Page:History of Greece Vol XI.djvu/303

 MISTAKEN FOREIGN POLICY. 27? Strenuous foreign policy, Phokion made himself the champion ; 1 addressing, in his own vein, sarcastic taunts against those who called for action against Philip, as if they were mere brawlers and cowards, watching for opportunities to enrich themselves at the public expense. Eubulus the orator was among the leading statesmen who formed what may be called the peace-party at Ath- ens, and who continually resisted or discouraged energetic war- like efforts, striving to keep out of s:.ght the idea of Philip as a dangerous enemy. Of this peace-party, there were doubtless some who acted corruptly, in the direct pay of Philip. But many others of them, without any taint of personal corruption, espoused the same policy merely because they found it easier, for the time, to administer the city under peace than under war because war was burdensome and disagreeable, to themselves as well as to their fellow-citizens and because they either did not, or would not, look forward to the consequences of inaction. Now it was a great advantage to this peace-party, who wanted a military leader as partner to their civil and rhetorical leaders, to strengthen them- selves by a colleague like Phokion ; a man not only of unsuspected probity, but peculiarly disinterested in advising peace, since his importance would have been exalted by war. 9 Moreover most of the eminent military leaders had now come to love only the license of war, and to disdain the details of the war-office at home ; while Phokion, 3 and he almost alone among them, was content to stay at Athens, and keep up that combination of civil with military efficiency which had been, formerly, habitual. Hence he was sustained, by the peace-party and by the aversion to warlike effort prevalent among the public, in a sort of perpetuity of the strategic functions, without any solicitation or care for personal popularity on his own part. The influence of Phokion as a public adviser, during the period embraced in this volume, down to the battle of Chaeroneia, was eminently mischievous to Athens : all the more mischievous, partly (like that of Nikias) from the respectability of his personal 1 Plutarch, Phokion, c. 8. Ourw <5e erwrafaf iavrbv kno'h.iTEveTO fiev del ton. 3 Plutarch, Phokion, r. 7. VOL. xi. 24
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 * Plutarch Phokion, c. 16. See the first repartee there ascribed to Pho-