Page:History of Greece Vol XI.djvu/450

 424 HISTORY OF GREECE. news from Phokis. ^Eschines had now recovered from his indis- position ; or (if we are to believe Demosthenes) found it conven- ient to lay aside the pretence. He set out as self-appointed envoy, without any new nomination by the people probably with such of the Ten as were favorable to his views to Philip and to the joint Macedonian and Theban army in Phokis. And what is yet more remarkable, he took his journey thither through Thebes it- self; 1 though his speeches and his policy had been for months past (according to his own statement) violently anti-Theban ; a and though he had affirmed (this, however, rests upon the testi- mony of his rival) that the Thebans had set a price upon his head. Having joined Philip, -ZEschines took part in the festive sacrifices and solemn paeans celebrated by the Macedonians, Thebans and Thessalians, 3 in commemoration and thanksgiving for their easy, though long-deferred, triumph over the Phokians, and for the con- clusion of the Ten-Years Sacred War. Shortly after Philip had become master of Thermopylae and Phokis, he communicated his success in a letter to the Athenians. His letter betokened a full consciousness of the fear and repug- nance which his recent unexpected proceedings had excited at Athens: 4 but in other respects, it was conciliatory and even se- ductive ; expressing great regard for them as his sworn allies, and promising again that they should reap solid fruits from the alliance. It allayed that keen apprehension of Macedonian and Theban attack, which had induced the Athenians recently to sanc- tion the precautionary measures proposed by Kallisthenes. In his subsequent communications also with Athens, Philip found his 1 Demosthen. Fals. Leg. p. 380. mosthenes of traitorous partiality for Thebes. 3 Demosthen. Fals. Leg. p. 380; De Corona, p. 321. JEschines (Fals. Leg. p. 49, 50) admits, and tries to justify, the proceeding. 4 Demosth. De Corona, p. 237, 238, 239. It is evident that Demosthe- nes found little in the letter which could be turned against Philip. Its tone must have been plausible and winning. A letter is inserted verbatim in this oration, professing to be the letter of Philip to the Athenians. I agree with those critics who doubt ui disbelieve the genuineness of this letter, and therefore I do not cite it. If Demosthe- nes had had before him a letter so perenr.ptory and insolent iu its tone, he would have animadverted upon it muc: more severely.
 * JEschines, Fals. Leg. p. 41. c. 32. p. 43. c. 36. ^Eschines accuses De-