Page:A History of Ancient Greek Literature.djvu/381

EFFECTS OF PEACE OF PHILOCRATES 357 both with his colleagues and with the king : he refused the customary diplomatic presents, which Philip gave on an exceptionally gorgeous scale ; he absented himself from the official banquet ; he attempted to return home separately. When he reached Athens he moved that the usual ambass;idor's crown should be withheld from himself and his colleagues. Before the end of the month Philip had passed Thermopylae, conquered Phokis, and got himself recog- nised as a member of the Amphictyonic League with a right to interfere in the politics of Central Greece. The same year (346) he presided at the Pythian Games. The first impulse at Athens was to declare the peace broken ; but that would have been suicidal, as Demos- thenes shows in his speech On the Peace after the settle- ment. Still indignation was hot against the ambassadors, and their opponents became active in the law-courts. Demosthenes associated himself with one Timarchus in prosecuting .^schines for misconduct as ambassador, .^schines was in great danger, and retorted by a sharp counter-action against Timarchus,^ who, though now a leading and tolerably respected politician, had passed an immoral youth. In modern times it would perhaps only have caused a damaging scandal. In Athens it deprived him of all public rights. The unfortunate man collapsed without a word, and ^schines was safe, though it went less well with his friends. Philocrates fled from trial and was condemned. His accuser was Hyperides, son of Glaukippus, an orator considered only second to Demos- thenes in power and superior to him in charm. He was an extremist in politics. In private life his wit and his loose ways made him a favourite topic for comedy. The ' The speech is extant.