a smaller history of greece-第44节

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med　Macedonian　phalanx；　which　was　16　men　deep；　armed　with　long　projecting　spears。

Philip's　views　were　first　turned　towards　the　eastern　frontiers　of　his　dominions；　where　his　interests　clashed　with　those　of　the　Athenians。　　A　few　years　before　the　Athenians　had　made　various　unavailing　attempts　to　obtain　possession　of　Amphipolis；　once　the　jewel　of　their　empire；　but　which　they　had　never　recovered　since　its　capture　by　Brasidas　in　the　eighth　year　of　the　Peloponnesian　war。　　Its　situation　at　the　mouth　of　the　Strymon　rendered　it　also　valuable　to　Macedonia；　not　only　as　a　commercial　port；　but　as　opening　a　passage　into　Thrace。　　The　Olynthians　were　likewise　anxious　to　enrol　Amphipolis　as　a　member　of　their　confederacy；　and　accordingly　proposed　to　the　Athenians　to　form　an　alliance　for　the　purpose　of　defending　Amphipolis　against　their　mutual　enemy。　　An　alliance　between　these　two　powerful　states　would　have　proved　an　insurmountable　obstacle　to　Philip's　views：　　and　it　was　therefore　absolutely　necessary　to　prevent　this　coalition。　　Here　we　have　the　first　instance　of　Philip's　skill　and　duplicity　in　negotiation。　By　secretly　promising　the　Athenians　that　he　would　put　Amphipolis　into　their　hands　if　they　would　give　him　possession　of　Pydna；　he　induced　them　to　reject　the　overtures　of　the　Olynthians；　and　by　ceding　to　the　latter　the　town　of　Anthemus；　he　bought　off　their　opposition。　　He　now　laid　siege　to　Amphipolis；　which；　being　thus　left　unaided；　fell　into　his　hands　（B。C。　358）。　　He　then　forthwith　marched　against　Pydna；　which　surrendered　to　him；　but　on　the　ground　that　it　was　not　the　Athenians　who　had　put　him　in　possession　of　this　town；　he　refused　to　give　up　Amphipolis　to　them。

Philip　had　now　just　reason　to　dread　the　enmity　of　the　Athenians；　and　accordingly　it　was　his　policy　to　court　the　favour　of　the　Olynthians；　and　to　prevent　them　from　renewing　their　negotiations　with　the　Athenians。　　In　order　to　separate　them　more　effectually；　he　assisted　the　Olynthians　in　recovering　Potidaea；　which　had　formerly　belonged　to　their　confederacy；　but　was　now　in　the　hands　of　the　Athenians。　　On　the　capture　of　the　town　he　handed　it　over　to　the　Olynthians。　　Plutarch　relates　that　the　capture　of　Potidaea　was　accompanied　with　three　other　fortunate　events　in　the　life　of　Philip；　namely；　the　prize　gained　by　his　chariot　at　the　Olympic　games；　a　victory　of　his　general　Parmenio　over　the　Illyrians；　and　the　birth　of　his　son　Alexander。　　These　events　happened　in　B。C。　356。

Philip　now　crossed　the　Strymon；　on　the　left　bank　of　which　lay　Pangaeus；　a　range　of　mountains　abounding　in　gold…mines。　　He　conquered　the　district；　and　founded　there　a　new　town　called　Philippi；　on　the　site　of　the　ancient　Thracian　town　of　Crenides。　By　improved　methods　of　working　the　mines　he　made　them　yield　an　annual　revenue　of　1000　talents；　nearly　250；000l。

Meanwhile　Athens　was　engaged　in　a　war　with　her　allies；　which　has　been　called　the　SOCIAL　WAR；　and　which　was；　perhaps；　the　reason　why　she　was　obliged　to　look　quietly　on　whilst　Philip　was　thus　aggrandizing　himself　at　her　expense。　　This　war　broke　out　in　B。C。　357。　　The　chief　causes　of　it　seem　to　have　been　the　contributions　levied　upon　the　allies　by　the　Athenian　generals。　　The　war　lasted　three　years；　and　as　Artaxerxes；　the　Persian　king；　threatened　to　support　the　allies　with　a　fleet　of　300　ships；　the　Athenians　were　obliged　to　consent　to　a　disadvantageous　peace；　which　secured　the　independence　of　the　more　important　allies　（B。C。　355）。

Another　war；　which　had　been　raging　during　the　same　time；　tended　still　further　to　exhaust　the　Grecian　states；　and　thus　pave　the　way　for　Philip's　progress　to　the　supremacy。　　This　was　the　SACRED　WAR；　which　broke　out　between　Thebes　and　Phocis　in　the　same　year　as　the　Social　War　（B。C。　357）。　　An　ill…feeling　had　long　subsisted　between　those　two　countries。　　The　Thebans　now　availed　themselves　of　the　influence　which　they　possessed　in　the　Amphictyonic　council　to　take　vengeance　upon　the　Phocians　and　accordingly　induced　this　body　to　impose　a　heavy　fine　upon　the　latter　people；　because　they　had　cultivated　a　portion　of　the　Cirrhaean　plain；　which　had　been　consecrated　to　the　Delphian　god；　and　was　to　lie　waste　for　ever。　The　Phocians　pleaded　that　the　payment　of　the　fine　would　ruin　them；　but　instead　of　listening　to　their　remonstrances；　the　Amphictyons　doubled　the　amount；　and　threatened；　in　case　of　their　continued　refusal　to　reduce　them　to　the　condition　of　serfs。　　Thus　driven　to　desperation；　the　Phocians　resolved　to　complete　the　sacrilege　with　which　they　had　been　branded；　by　seizing　the　very　temple　of　Delphi　itself。　　The　leader　and　counsellor　of　this　enterprise　was　Philomelus；　who；　with　a　force　of　no　more　than　2000　men；　surprised　and　took　Delphi。　　At　first；　however；　he　carefully　abstained　from　touching　the　sacred　treasure；　but　being　hard　pressed　by　the　Thebans　and　their　allies；　he　threw　off　the　scruples　which　he　had　hitherto　assumed；　and　announced　that　the　sacred　treasures　should　be　converted　into　a　fund　for　the　payment　of　mercenaries。　　On　the　death　of　Philomelus；　who　fell　in　battle；　the　command　was　assumed　by　his　brother　Onomarchus；　who　carried　on　the　war　with　vigour　and　success。　　But　he　was　checked　in　his　career　by　Philip；　who　had　previously　been　extending　his　dominion　over　Thessaly；　and　who　now　assumed　the　character　of　a　champion　of　the　Delphic　god；　and　made　his　soldiers　wear　wreaths　of　laurel　plucked　in　the　groves　of　Tempe。　　He　penetrated　into　Thessaly；　and　encountered　the　Phocians　near　the　gulf　of　Pagassae。　　In　the　battle　which　ensued；　Onomarchus　was　slain；　and　his　army　totally　defeated　（B。C。　352）。　　This　victory　made　Philip　master　of　Thessaly。　　He　now　directed　his　march　southwards　with　the　view　of　subduing　the　Phocians；　but　upon　reaching　Thermopylae　he　found　the　pass　guarded　by　a　strong　Athenian　force；　and　was　compelled；　or　considered　it　more　prudent；　to　retreat。

After　his　return　from　Thessaly　Philip's　views　were　directed　towards　Thrace　and　the　Chersonese。　　It　was　at　this　juncture　that　Demosthenes　stepped　forwards　as　the　proclaimed　opponent　of　Philip；　and　delivered　the　first　of　those　celebrated　orations　which　from　their　subject　have　been　called　〃the　Philippics。〃　　This　most　famous　of　all　the　Grecian　orators　was　born　in　B。C。　382…381。　Having　lost　his　father　at　the　early　age　of　seven；　his　guardians　abused　their　trust；　and　defrauded　him　of　the　greater　part　of　his　paternal　inheritance。　　This　misfortune；　however；　proved　one　of　the　causes　which　tended　to　make　him　an　orator。　　Demosthenes；　as　he　advanced　towards　manhood；　perceived　with　indignation　the　conduct　of　his　guardians；　for　which　he　resolved　to　make　them　answerable　when　the　proper　opportunity　should　arrive；　by　accusing　them　himself。　　His　first　attempt　to　speak　in　public　proved　a　failure；　and　he　retired　from　the　bema　amidst　the　hootings　and　laughter　of　the　citizens。　　The　more　judicious　and　candid　among　his　auditors　perceived；　however；　marks　of　genius　in　his　speech；　and　rightly　attributed　his　failure　to　timidity　and　want　of　due　preparation。　　Eunomus；　an　aged　citizen；　who　met　him　wandering　about　the　Piraeus　in　a　state　of　dejection　at　his　ill　success；　bade　him　take　courage　and　persevere。　　Demosthenes　now　withdrew　awhile　from　public　life；　and　devoted　himself　perseveringly　to　remedy　his　defects。　　They　were　such　as　might　be　lessened；　if　not　removed；　by　practice；　and　consisted　chiefly　of　a　weak　voice；　imperfect　articulation；　and　ungraceful　and　inappropriate　action。　He　derived　much　assistance　from　Satyrus　the　actor；　who　exercised　him　in　reciting　passages　from　Sophocles　and　Euripides。　　He　studied　the　best　rhetorical　treatises　and　orations；　and　is　said　to　have　copied　the　work　of　Thucydides　with　his　own　hand　no　fewer　than　eight　times。　　He　shut　himself　up　for　two　or　three　months　together　in　a　subterranean　chamber　in　order　to　practise　composition　and　declamation。　　His　perseverance　was　crowned　with　success；　and　he　who　on　the　first　attempt　had　descended　from　the　bema　amid　the　ridicule　of　the　crowd；　became　at　last　the　most　perfect　orator　the　world　has　ever　seen。

Demosthenes　had　established　himself　as　a　public　speaker　before　the　period　which　we　have　now　reached；　but　it　is　chiefly　in　connexion　with　Philip　that　we　are　to　view　him　as　a　statesman　as　well　as　an　orator。　　Philip　had　shown　his　ambition　by　the　conquest　of　Thessaly；　and　by　the　part　he　had　taken　in　the　Sacred　War；　and　Demosthenes　now　began　to　regard　him　as　the　enemy　of　the　liberties　of　Athens　and　of　Greece。　　In　his　first　〃Philippic〃　Demosthenes　tried　to　rouse　his　countrymen　to　energetic　measures　against　this　formidable　enemy；　but　his　warnings　and　exhortations　produced　little　effect；　for　the　Athenians　were　no　longer　distinguished　by　the　same　spirit　of　enterprise　which　had　characterized　them　in　the　days　of　their　supremacy。　　No　important　step　was　taken　to　curb　the　growing　power　of　Philip；　and　it　was　the　danger　of　Olynthus　which　first　induced　the　Athenians　to　prosecute　the　war　with　a　little　more　energy。　　In　350　B。C。；　Philip　having　captured　a　town　in　Chalcidice；　Olynthus　began　to　tremble　for　her　own　safety；　and　sent　envoys　to　Athens　to　crave　assistance。　　Olynthus　was　still　at　the　head　of　thirty…two　Greek　towns；　and　the　confederacy　was　a　sort　of　counterpoise　to　the　power　of　Philip。　　It　was　on　this　occasion　that　Demosthenes　delivered　his　three　Olynthaic　orations；　in　which　he　warmly　advoca