Page:History of Greece Vol XI.djvu/361

MERCENARIES SENT TO GLYNTHUS. 335 presently gained some victory over Philip or Philip's generals, and was enabled to transmit good news to Athens, which excited much exultation there, and led the people to fancy that they were in a fair way of taking revenge on Philip for past miscarriages. According to some speakers, not only were the Olynthians be- yond all reach of danger, but Philip was in a fair way of being punished and humbled. It is indeed possible that the success may really have been something considerable, such as to check Philip's progress for the time. Though victorious on the whole, he must have experienced partial and temporary reverses, other- wise he would have concluded the war before the early spring of 347 B. c. Whether this success coincided with that of the Athe- nian general Chares over Philip's general Adaeus, 1 we cannot say. But Demosthenes had sagacity enough to perceive, and frank- ness to proclaim, that it was a success noway decisive of the war hastily copied out the three from Philochorus, and has assigned the date of 349-348 B. c. to the three orations, simply because he found that date given to the three expeditions by Philochorus. The revolt in Eubcea, the expedition of Phokion with the battle of Tamy- nse and the prolonged war in that island, began about January or February 349 B. c., and continued throughout that year and the next. Mr. Clinton even places these events a year earlier ; in which I do not concur, but which, if adopted, would throw back the beginning of the Olynthian war one year farther still. It is certain that there was one Athenian expedition at least sent to Olynthus before the Eulwean war, (Dcmosthen. cont. Meidiam, p. 566 -578) an expedition so considerable that voluntary donations from the rich citizens were obtained towards the cost. Here is good proof (better than Philochorus, if indeed it be inconsistent with what he really said) that the Athenians not only contracted the alliance of Olynthus, but actually assisted Olynthus, during the year 350 B. c. Now the Olynthiacs of Demosthenes present to my mind strong evidence of belonging to the earliest months of the Olynthian war. I think it reasonable, therefore, to suppose that the ex- pedition of foreign mercenaries to Olynthus, which the third Olynthiac im- plies as having been sent, is the same as that for which the ktntioae tf men- tioned in the Meidiana were required. See Bonecke, Forschungen, p. 202 : and K. F. Herrmann, De Anno Natali Demosthenis, p. 9. 1 Theopompus ap. Athenae, xii. p. 532. This victory would seem to be- long more naturally (as Dr. Thirlwall remarks) to the operations of Chare? and Onomarchus against Philip in Thcssaly, in 353-352 B. c. But the point ninnot be determined.