headlong from a rock, in order to avoid the torments he muft unavoidably have undergone, had he fallen alive into the hands of his enemies. Onomarchus was his fucceffor, and took upon him the command of the forces.

This new general had foon levied a fresh army, the advantageous pay he offered procuring him foldiers from all fides. He alfo, by dint of money, brought over feveral chiefs of the other party, and prevailed upon them either to retire, or to do little or nothing, by which he gained great advantages.

Philip thought it moft confiftent with his intereft to remain neuter in this general movement of the Greeks in favour either of the Phocæans or of the Thebans. It was confiftent with the policy of this ambitious prince, who had little regard for religion or the interest of Apollo, but was always intent upon his own, not to engage in a war by which he could not reap the leaft benefit; and to take advantage of a juncture, in which all Greece, employed and divided by a great war, gave him an opportunity to extend his frontiers, and push his conquests without any apprehenfion of oppofition. He was alfo well pleased to fee both parties weaken and confume each other, as he should thereby be enabled to fall upon them afterwards with greater advantage.

Being defirous of fubjecting Thrace, and of fecuring the conquefts he had already made in it, he determined to poffefs himself of Methone, a fmall city, incapable of supporting itself by its own ftrength, but which gave him difquiet, and obftructed his defigns whenever it was in the hands of his enemies. Accordingly he befieged that city, made himself master of, and rafed it. He loft one of his eyes before Methone, by a very fingular accident. After, of Amphipolis, had of fered his fervice to Philip, as fo excellent a mark fman, that he could bring down birds in their most rapid flight. The monarch made this anfwer; "Well, I will take you into my fervice, when I make war upon starlings:" which answer ftung the cross-bowman to the. A. M. 3651. Ant. J. C. 353"A. M. 3651. Ant. J, C. 352. Diod. p. 434. Suidas in Kapar. quick

quick. A repartee proves often of fatal confequence to him who makes it, and it is not a fmall merit to know when to hold one's tongue. After having thrown himfelf into the city, he let fly an arrow, on which was written. "To Philip's right eye," and gave him a most cruel proof that he was a good markfman; for he hit him in his right eye. Philip fent him back the fame arrow, with this infcription, "If Philip takes the city, he will hang up After;" and accordingly he was as good as his word.

he

Y A skilful furgeon drew the arrow out of Philip's eye with fo much art and dexterity, that not the leaft fcar remained; and though he could not save his eye, yet took away the blemish. But, nevertheless, this monarch was fo weak, as to be angry whenever any ́perfon happened to let flip the word Cyclops, or even the word eye, in his prefence. Men, however, feldom blush for an honourable imperfection. A Lacedæmonian woman thought more like a man, when, to confole her fon for a glorious wound that had lamed him, fhe faid, "Now, fon, every ftep you take will put you in mind of your valour."

a After the taking of Methone, Philip, ever studious either to weaken his enemies by new conquefts, or gain new friends by doing them fome important fervice, marched into Theffaly, which had implored his aflistance against the tyrants. The liberty of that country feemed now fecure, fince Alexander of Phere was no more. Nevertheless, his brothers, who, in concert with his wife Thebé, had murdered him, grown weary of having fome time acted the part of deliverers, revived his tyranny, and oppreffed the Theffalians with a new yoke. Lycophron, the eldest of the three brothers, who fucceeded Alexander, had ftrengthened himself by the protection of the Phocæans. Onomarchus, their leader, brought him a numerous body of forces, and at firft gained a confiderable advantage over Philip; but engaging him a fecond time, he was entirely defeated,

Plin. l. vii. c. 37.

2 Demet. Phaler. de Elocut. c. iii. Diod. p. 432-435. and

and his army routed. The flying troops were purfued to the fea-fhore. Upwards of fix thousand men were killed on the fpot, among whom was Onomarchus, whofe body was hung upon a gallows: and three thoufand, who were taken prifoners, were thrown into the fea by Philip's order, as fo many facreligious wretches, the profelfed enemies of religion. Lycophron delivered up the city of Pheræ, and restored Theffaly to its liberty by abandoning it. By the happy fuccefs of this expedition, Philip acquired for ever the affection of the Theffalians, whofe excellent cavalry, joined to the Macedonian phalanx, had afterwards fo great a share in his victories and those of his fon.

Phayllus, who fucceeded his brother Onomarchus, finding the fame advantages he had done, from the immenfe riches he found in the temple, raised a numerous army, and, fupported by the troops of the Lacedæmonians, Athénians, and the other allies, whom he paid very largely, he went into Boeotia and invaded the Thebans. For a long time victory fhifted fides; but, at laft, Phayllus, being attacked with a fudden and violent diftemper, after fuffering the most cruel torments, ended his life in a manner worthy of his impieties and facrilegious actions. Phalecus, then very young, the fon of Onomarchus, was placed in his room; and Mnafeas, a man of great experience, and ftrongly attached to his family, was appointed his counsellor.

The new leader, treading in the fteps of his predeceffors, plundered the temple as they had done, and enriched all his friends. At laft, the Phocæans opened their eyes, and appointed commiffioners to call all those to account who had any concern in the public monies. Upon this Phalecus was depofed; and, after an exact enquiry, it was found that, from the beginning of the war, there had been taken out of the temple upwards of ten thousand talents, that is, about one million five hundred thousand pounds.

Philip, after having freed the Theffalians, refolved to carry his arms into Phocis. This is his first attempt to get footing in Greece, and to have a fhare in the ge

1

neral

́neral affairs of the Greeks, from which the kings of Macedon had always been excluded as foreigners. In this view, upon pretence of going over into Phocis, in order to punish the facrilegious Phocæans, he marches towards Thermopyle, to poffefs himself of a pass, which gave him a free paffage into Greece, and efpecially into Attica. The Athenians, upon hearing of a march which might prove of the most fatal confequence to them, haftened to Thermopyle, and poffeffed themselves, very feasonably, of this important pass, which Philip did not dare to attempt to force, fo that he was obliged to return back into Macedonia.

SECT. III. Demofthenes, upon Philip's attempting Thermopyla, harangues the Athenians, and animates them against that Prince. Little Regard is paid to his Oration, Olynthus, upon the Point of being besieged by Philip, addreffes the Athenians for Succour. Demofthenes endeavours, by his Orations, to roufe them out of their Lethargy. They fend but a very weak Succour, and Philip at length takes Olynthus.

S we shall foon fee Philip engaged against the

and prudent counfels of Demofthenes, will become his greatest enemies, and the most powerful oppofers of his ambitious defigns, it may not be improper, before we enter into that part of the history, to give a short account of the state of Athens, and of the difpofition of the citizens at that time.

We must not form a judgment of the character of the Athenians, in the age we are now fpeaking of, from that of their ancestors, in the time of the battles of Marathon and of Salamis, from whose virtue they had extremely degenerated. They were no longer the fame men, and had no longer the fame maxims and the fame manners. They no longer difcovered the fame zeal for the public good, the fame application to the affairs of the flate, the fame courage to fupport fatigues of war by fea and land; the fame care of the revenues, the fame willingness to bear falutary advice; the same dif

cernment

cernment in the choice of generals of the armies, and of magiftrates to whom they intrufted the adminiftration of the flate. To thefe happy, these glorious difpofitions, fucceeded a fondness for repofe, and an indolence with regard to public affairs; an averfion for military fatigues, which they now left entirely to mercernary troops; and a profufion of the public treasures in games and fhows; a love for the flattery which their orators lavished upon them; and an unhappy facility in conferring public offices by intrigue and cabal; all which usually precede the approaching ruin of states. Such was the fituation of Athens at the time the king of Macedon began to turn his arms against Greece.

We have seen that Philip, after various conquefts, had attempted to advance as far as Phocis, but in vain; because the Athenians, juftly alarmed at the impending danger, had stopped him at the pafs of Thermopylæ. Demofthenes, taking advantage of fo favourable a difpofition of things, mounted the tribunal, in order to fet before them a lively image of the impending danger to which they were expofed by the boundless ambition of Philip; and to convince them of the abfolute neceffity they were under, from hence, to apply the moft speedy remedies. Now, as the fuccefs of his arms, and the rapidity of his progrefs, fpread throughout Athens a kind of terror bordering very near despair, the orator, by a wonderful artifice, firft endeavours to revive their courage, and afcribes their calamities to their floth and indolence. For, if they hitherto had acquitted themselves of their duty, and that in spite of their activity and their utmost efforts, Philip had prevailed over them, they then, indeed, would not have the leaft refource or hope left. But, in this oration, and all those which follow, Demofthenes infifts ftrongly, that the grandeur of Philip is wholly owing to the fupiness of the Athenians, and that it is this fupineness which makes him bold, daring, and fwells him with such a spirit of haughtiness as even infults the Athe

nians.