Page:History of Greece Vol XI.djvu/433

 POSITION OF DEMOSTHENES. 407 touches little on what either JEschines or himself said to Philip. He professes to have gone on the second embassy with much re- luctance, having detected the treacherous purposes of JEschinea and Philokrates. Nay, he would have positively refused to go (ha tells us) had he not bound himself by a promise made during the first embassy, to some of the poor Athenian prisoners in Macedo- nia, to provide for them the means of release. He dwells much upon his disbursements for their ransom during the second em- bassy, and his efforts to obtain the consent of Philip. 1 This (he says) was all that lay in his power to do, as an individual ; in re- gard to the collective proceedings of the embassy, he was con- stantly outvoted. He affirms that he detected the foul play of ^schines and the rest with Philip ; that he had written a de- spatch to send home for the purpose of exposing it; that his col- leagues not only prevented him from forwarding it, but sent an other despatch of their own with false information.' 3 Then, he had resolved to come home personally, for the same purpose, sooner than his colleagues, and had actually hired a merchant-vessel - but was hindered by Philip from sailing out of Macedonia. 3 The general description here given by Demosthenes, of his own conduct during the second embassy, is probably true. Indeed, it coincided substantially with the statement of JEschines, who com- plains of him as in a state of constant and vexatious opposition to his colleagues. We must recollect that Demosthenes had no means of knowing what the particular projects of Philip really were. This was a secret to every one except Philip himself, with his confidential agents or partisans. Whatever Demosthenes might suspect, he had no public evidence by which to impress his sus- picions upon others, or to countervail confident assertions on the favorable side transmitted home by his colleagues. The army of Philip was now ready, and he was on the point 1 Demosthen. Fals. Leg. p. 393, 394, 395. 8 Detnosth. Fals. Leg. p. 396. KO.I TTJV [lev ypafyelaav KiffTo?ii)v inr' tfiov vitas uTretyrifyiaavTO firj nffineiv, avrol t5' oW briovv vytef ypinjjavref epipav. Compare p. 419. 3 Demosthen. Fals. Leg. p. 445. y<i d&axep U.KTJKOO.T' ydr] :ro/U,<i/af, ov%l vrj&eif TrpoaireA-df.lv, /l2a /cat fii(f&uaufievo( irholo v KaruKu- & elf eicirTievaai. Compare p. 357. atxF uv ifje, rjvl vo devpo ano- a-zKuhev (Philip) etc.