Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/381

 miRIUUES OF PHOKION. 849 death. Not having been able to obtain protection from the foreign force of Nikanor and Kassander, he and his fx'iends re- polved to throw themselves upon that of Alexander and Poly- spcrchon. They went to meet Alexander as he entered Attica — represented the impolicy of his relinquishing so important a military position as Peirjeus, while the war was yet unfinished, — and offered to co-operate with him for this purpose, by proper management of the Athenian public. Alexander was pleased with these suggestions, accepted Phokion with the others as his leading adherents at Athens, and looked upon Peirseus as a cap- ture to be secured for himself. ^ Numerous returning Athenian exiles accompanied Alexander's army. It seems that Phokion was desirous of admitting the troops, along with the exiles, as friends and allies into the walls of Athens, so as to make Alex- ander master of the city — but that this project was impractica- ble in consequence of the mistrust created among the Athenians by the parleys of Alexander with Nikanor.^ The strategic function of Phokion, however, so often conferred and re-conferred upon him — and his power of doing either good or evil — now approached its close. As soon as the returning exiles found themselves in sufficient numbers, they called for a revision of the list of state-officers, and for the reestablish- ment of the democratical forms. They passed a vote to de- ^ Diodor. xviii. G5. TiJv yup 'AvTtTrarpCf) yryovdTo)v 6i?.uv rivic {'^rri'/pxov) Kal oi IT e pi <i (J K i ov a (j)o,Soviievoi r a c e: k TuvvvfiuvTifiu- pia^' vnijVTTinav 'AXe^avSpcj, Kal Sida^avrec to avfi((iepov, ETvetaav avrdii ISig Karexeiv tu (ppnvpia, Kal [iij Trapadcduvai rol^ 'A'&Tivacotc, uixpic uv 6 KuaaavSpoc KaTa7To?i£fifj'&Ti. bable sequence of facts, combining Plutarch with Diodorus. Plutarch takes no notice of the negotiation opened by Phokion with Alexander, and the understanding established between them ; which is stated in the clearest manner by Diodorus, and appears to me a material circumstance. On the other hand, Plutarch mentions (though Diodorus does not) that Alexander was anxious to seize Athens itself, and was very near succeed- ing. Plutarch seems to conceive that it was the exiles who were disposed to let liim in ; but if that had been the case, he probably would have been let in when the exiles became preponderant. It was Phokion, I conceive, who was desirous, for his own personal safety, of admitting the forcigu troops. yoL. xir. 30
 * Plutarch, Phokion, 33; Died, xviii. 65, GG. Tiiis seems to me the pro-