Page:History of Greece Vol XI.djvu/480

 454 HISTORY OF GREECE. That city had long been badly disposed towards .Athens, from recollections of the Social War, and from jealousy about the dues on corn-ships passing the Bosphorus ; moreover, it had been for some time in alliance with Philip ; who was now exerting all his efforts to prevail on the Byzantines to join him in active warfare against Athens. So effectively did Demosthenes employ his elo- quence, at Byzantium, that he frustrated this purpose, overcame the unfriendly sentiment of the citizens, and brought them to see how much it concerned both their interest and their safety to com- bine with Athens in resisting the farther preponderance of Philip, The Byzantines, together with their allies and neighbors the Perinthians, contracted alliance with Athens. Demosthenes takes just pride in having achieved for his countrymen this success as a statesman and diplomatist, in spite of adverse probabilities. Had Philip been able to obtain the active cooperation of Byzantium and Perinthus, he would have become master of the corn-supply, and probably of the Hellespont also, so that war in those regions would have become almost impracticable for Athens. 1 As this unexpected revolution in the policy of Byzantium was eminently advantageous to Athens, so it was proportionally morti- fying to Philip ; who resented it so much, that he shortly after- wards commenced the siege of Perinthus by land and sea, 2 a little before midsummer 340 B. c. He brought up his fleet through the Hellespont into the Propontis, and protected it in its passage, against the attack of the Athenians in the Chersonese, 3 by causing his land-force to traverse and lay waste that peninsula. This was a violation of Athenian territory, adding one more to the already ' Demosth. De Corona, p. 254, 304, 308. POV^OHSVOS rrjf oiTOTropmae KV- oiof yevEcrdai (Philip), irape'hdcjv inl Qpu.K7]f Ev^avrlovf avfj.pu.xove ovTaf atrcj ro fj,ev TrpiJTov jjZiov avftTro7i.efi.elv TOV irpbf vftaf noheftov, etc. ij fjLev {-[J.T/ Tro/Uma uvrl Je TOV TOV 'ETi^anoVTOv e^av $i%,nnrov. /Mpovra EV^UVTIOV, avfiwo7ie/j.Eiv Toi>(Bvfajmtwf ^e$' r/fiuv irpbf avrbv (eir- oiTjasv) Tif 6 Kulvaaf rbv 'EAtyoirovTov uUorpiu&rivai ar' tKsivovf Tovf xpovovc ; (p. 255.) Compare ^Sschines adv. Ktesiph. p. 90. That Demosthenes foresaw, several months earlier, the plans of Philip upon Byzantium, is evident from the orations De Chersoneso, p. 93-106, and Philippic iii. p. 115. 1 Diodor. xvi. 74.
 * Kpistola Philippi ap. Demosth. p. 163.