Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/390

 358 HISTORY OF GREECE. no account was taken of Athenian independence -, of the autt»- nomy or self-management of the Hellenic world ; of the condi ■ tions, in reference to foreign kings, under which alone such auto- nomy could exist. He had neither the Panhellenic sentiment of Aristeides, Kallikratidas, and Demosthenes — nor the nar- rower Athenian sentiment, like the devotion of Agesilaus to Sparta, and of Epaminondas to Thebes. To Phokion it was in- diiFerent whether Greece was an aggregate of autonomous cities, with Athens as first or second among them — or one of the satrapies under the Macedonian kings. Now this was among the most fatal defects of a Grecian public man. The sentiment in which Phokion was wanting, lay at the bottom of all those splendid achievements which have given to Greece a substantive and preeminent place in the history of the world. Had The- mistokles, Arsiteides, and Leonidas resembled him, Greece would have passed quietly under the dominion of Persia, and the brilliant, though checkered, century and more of independent politics which succeeded the repulse of Xerxes would never have occurred. It was precisely during the fifty years of Phokion's political and militaiy influence, that the Greeks were degraded from a state of freedom, and Athens from ascendency as well as freedom, into absolute servitude. Insofar as this great public misfortune can be imputed to any one man — to no one was it more ascribable than to Phokion. He was strategiis during most of the long series of years when Philip's power was grow- ing ; it was his duty to look ahead for the safety of his countrj'- men, and to combat the yet immature giant. He heard the warnings of Demosthenes, and he possessed exactly those quali- ties which were wanting to Demosthenes — military energy and aptitude. Had he lent his influence to inform the short-sighted- ness, to stimulate the inertia, to direct the armed eflforts, of his country-men, the kings of Macedon might have been kept within their own limits, and the future history of Greece might have been altogether different. Unfortunately, he took the opposite side. He acted with ^schines and the Philippizers ; without receiving money from Philip, he did gratuitously all that Philip desired — by nullifying and sneering down the eflforts of Demos- thenes and the other active politicians. After the battle of Chasroncia, I'hokion re(?eived from Philip first, and from Aiex