Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/47

 CONVENTION BEISVEEN ALEXANDER AND CHEEKS. 15 made for admitting any additional city^ on its subsequent appli- cation, though it might not have been a party to the original contract. Moreover, it appears that a standing military force, under Macedonian orders, was provided to enforce observance of the convention ; and that the synod of deputies was contem- plated as likely to meet periodically.- Such was the convention, in so far as we know its terms, agreed to by the Grecian deputies at Corinth with Alexander ; but with Alexander at the head of an irresistible army. He proclaimed it as the " public statute of the Greeks,"^ constituting a paramount obligation, of which he was the enforcer, binding on all, and authorizing him to treat all transgressor^ as rebels. It was set forth as counterpart of, and substitute for, the conven- tion of Antalkidas, which we shall presently see the officers of Darius trying to revive against liim — the headship of Persia against that of Macedonia. Such is the melancholy degradation ' Anian, ii. 1,7; ii. 2,4. Demosth. dc Feed. Alex. p. 213. Tencdos Mitylene, Antissa, and Eresus, can hardly have been members of the con- vention when first sworn. ^ Demosth. Orat. de Feed. Alex. p. 21.5. iarl yup iv rale avv^ijKaig enc- HE?^El(y'&aL T V g av^'edpevovrag k at t o i) g e irl r y k o t v y <pv- TiGKy TerayjUEVOvc, oTrwf cf raif KOLVuvovaaig itb'keaL pi yiyvuvTai •davaTOL fisde (pvyal napa rovg KEifxivovg raig ■koTiEGL vofiovg Ot (5e to- aovTov diovai rovruv ti kuXveiv, oiare kqI avyKaraaKEva^ovaiv, etc. (p. 216). The persons designated by o'l 6e, and denounced throughout this oration generally, are, Alexander or the Macedonian officers and soldiers. A passage in Deinarchus cont. Demosth. p. 14, leads to the supposition, that a standing Macedonian force was kept at Corinth, occupying the Isth- mus. The Thebans, however, declared against Macedonia (in August or So])tembcr 335 B. c), and proceeding to besiege the Macedonian garrison ill ilic Kadmeia, sent envoys to entreat aid from the Arcadians. "These envoys (says Deinarchus) got with difficulty by sea to the Arcadians " — o'i icard SixXaaaav fioXig iKpiKovTO Trpog iKEivovg. Whence should this diffi culty arise, except from a Macedonian occupation of Corinth ? of Darius, Alexander pronounced that the Grecian mercenaries who had been serving with that prince, were highly criminal for having contravened the general vote of the Greeks (rtapu ru doyfiara ru 'EXXrjvuv), except such as had taken service before that vote was passed, and except the Sinopeans, whom Alexander considered as subjects of Persia and not partakers raii to-vov Tuv 'E?JJiruv (Arrian, iii. 23, 15; iii. 24. 8, 9).
 * Arrian, i. 16, 10. napd. ra koivjj do^avrn rolr "EXKrjaiv. After the deatii