Page:History of Greece Vol XI.djvu/352

 326 HISTORY OF GREECE. S51 B. C., as to induce them to make peace with his enemy Athens they had nevertheless, declined the overtures of Athens for a closer alliance, not wishing to bring upon themselves decided hos- tility from so powerful a neighbor, until his aggressions should be- come such as to leave them no choice. We have no precise in- formation as to Philip's movements after hL operations in Thrace and his sickness in 351 B. c. But we know that it was not in his nature to remain inactive ; that he was incessantly pushing his conquests ; and that no conquest could be so important to him as that of Olynthus and the Chalkidic peninsula. Accordingly, we are not surprised to find, that the Olynthian and Chalkidian con- federates became the object of his direct hostility in 350 B. c. He raised pretences for attack against one or other of these cities separately; avoiding to deal with the confederacy as a wLole, and disclaiming, by special envoys, 1 all purposes injurious to Olynthus. Probably the philippizing party in that city may have dwelt upon this disclaimer as satisfactory, and given as many false as- surances about the purposes of Philip, as we shall find JEschines hereafter uttering at Athens. But the general body of citizens were not so deceived. Feeling that the time had come when it was prudent to close with the previous Athenian overtures, they ent envoys to Athens to propose alliance and invite cooperation ngainst Philip. Their first propositions were doubtless not couched u the language of urgency and distress. They were not as yet Q any actual danger; their power was great in reality, and esti- /aated at its full value abroad ; moreover, as prudent diplomatists, Jiey would naturally overstate their own dignity and the magni- tude of what they were offering. Of course they would ask foi Athenian aid to be sent to Chalkidike since it was there tha* the war was being carried on ; but they would ask for aid in ot - der to act energetically against the common enemy, and represa 1 Demosth. Philipp. iii. p. 113. That Philip not only attacked, but even rubified, the thirty-two Chalkidic cities, before he marched directly and finaiiy to assail Olynthns is stated in the Fragment of Kallisthenes ap Siabsenm, Eclog. Tit. vii. p. 92. Kallisthenes, whose history is lost, was a native of Olynthus, born a fe w years before the capture of the city.