Page:History of Greece Vol XI.djvu/471

 ADVICE OF DEMOSTHENES 443 nesus, and going himself among the envoys. 1 He idlressed both to the Messenians and Argeians emphatic remonstrances on their devotion to Philip ; reminding them that from excessive fear and antipathy towards Sparta, they were betraying to him their own freedom, as well as that of all their Hellenic brethren. 3 Though heard with approbation, he does not flatter himself -frith having worked any practical change in their views. 3 But it appears thai envoys reached Athens (in 344-343 B. c.), to whom some an- swer was required, and it is in suggesting that anawer that De- mosthenes delivers his second Philippic. He denounces Philip anew, as an aggressor stretching his power on every side, violat- ing the peace with Athens, and preparing ruin for the Grecian world. 4 Without advising immediate war. he calls on the Athe- nians to keep watch and ward, and to organize defensive alliance among the Greeks generally. The activity of Athens, unfortunately, was shown in nothing but words ; to set off against the vigorous deeds of Philip. But they were words of Demosthenes, the force of which was felt by Philip's partisans in Greece, and occasioned such annoyance to Philip himself that he sent to Athens more than once envoys and letters of remonstrance. His envoy, an eloquent Byzantine named Python, 5 addressed the Athenian assembly with much 1 Demosth. De CoronA, p. 252. 2 Demosth. Philipp. ii. p. 71, 72. Demosthenes himself reports to the Athenian assembly (in 344-343 B. c.) what he had said to the Messenians and Argeians. 3 Demosth. Philipp. ii. p. 72. 4 Demosth. Philipp. ii. p. 66-72. Who these envoys were, or from whence they came, does not appear from the oration. Libanius in his Ar- gument says that they had come jointly from Philip, from the Argeians, and from the Messenians. Dionysius Hal. (ad Ammseum, p. 737) Ftates that they came out of Peloponnesus. I cannot bring myself to believe, on the authority of Libanius, that there were any envoys present fima Philip. The tenor of the discourse appears o contradict that supposition. Ilistor. in Demosth. De Corona, p. 140) thinks that the embassy of Python to Athens is the very embassy to which the second Philippic of Demos- thenes provides or introduces a reply. I agrea with Biit necke in regarding this supposition as improbable. VOL. xr. 38
 * Pseudo-Demosth. De Halonneso, p. 81, 82. Winiewski (Comment