Page:History of Greece Vol XI.djvu/322

 296 HISTORY OF GREECK. and came into the power of Philip ; who fortified and garrisoned it for himself, thus becoming master of the Pagasaean gulf, the great maritime inlet of Thessaly. Philip was probably occupied for a certain time in making good his dominion over Thessaly. But as soon as sufficient precautions had been taken for this purpose, he sought to push his advantage over the Phokians by invading them in their own territory. Ho marched to Thermopylae, still proclaiming as his aim the liberation of the Delphian temple and the punishment of its sacrilegious rob- bers ; while he at the same time conciliated the favor of the Thes- salians by promising to restore to them the Pylaea, or half-yearly Amphiktyonic festival at Thermopylae, which the Phokians had discontinued. 1 The Phokians, though masters of this almost in- expugnable pass, seemed to have been so much disheartened by their recent defeat, and the death of Onomarchus, that they felt unable to maintain it long. The news of such a danger, trans- mitted to Athens, excited extraordinary agitation. The impor- tance of defending Thermopylae and of prohibiting the victo- rious king of Macedon from coming to cooperate with the The- bans on the southern side of it, a not merely against the Phokians, but probably also against Attica were so powerfully felt, that the usual hesitations and delay of the Athenians in respect to mil- itary expeditions were overcome. Chiefly from this cause but partly also, we may suppose, from the vexatious disappointment recently incurred in the attempt to relieve Pagasae an Athenian armament under Nausikles (not less than five thousand foot and four hundred horse, according to Diodorus 3 ) was fitted out with not less vigor and celerity than had been displayed against the Thebans in Euboea, seven years before. Athenian citizens shook off their lethargy, and promptly volunteered. They reached Thermopylae in good time, placing the pass in such a condition of defence that Philip did not attack it at all. Often afterwards doea 1 Demosthenes, De Pace, p. 62. s. 23 ; Philippic ii. p. 71. s. 24 ; DC Fals. Iiefjat. p. 443. s. 365. Mev iifiuv art TG> $UKJWV TroXqup KCI T& Kvpiovf elvai HvJi&v 4>(,'/feaf, rj r airb Qripaiuv udeia iirrtpxsv rjfiiv, KOL rb ftrjdenor' &&FIV uv etc Oiv (irifr elf Etr,5omv fti
 * Demosthenes, De Fals. Leg. p. 367. s. 94. p. 446. s. 375. T<? y&p oin
 * Diodor xvi. 37, 38.