Page:History of Greece Vol XI.djvu/482

450 HISTORY OF GREECE. believe, since he would be rather proud than ashamed of such a.a initiative. About the same time, as it would appear, Philip on his side, addressed a manifesto and declaration of war to the Athenians. In this paper he enumerated many wrongs done by them to him> and still remaining unredressed in spite of formal remonstrance ; lor which wrongs he announced his intention of taking a just re venge by open hostilities. 1 He adverted to the seizure, on Mace- donian soil, of Nikias his herald carrying despatches ; the Athe- nians (he alleged) had detained this herald as prisoner for ten months and had read the despatches publicly in their assembly. He complained that Athens had encouraged the inhabitants ot Thasos, in harboring triremes from Byzantium and privateenj from other quarters, to the annoyance of Macedonian commerce. He dwelt on the aggressive proceedings of Diopeithes in Thrace ; and of Kallias in the Gulf of Pagasas. He denounced the ap- plication made by Athens to the Persians for aid against him, a.s a departure from Hellenic patriotism, and from the Athenian maxims of aforetime. He alluded to the unbecoming interven lion of Athens in defence of the Thracian princes Teres and Kersobleptes, neither of them among the sworn partners in the peace, against him ; to the protection conferred by Athens on the inhabitants of Peparethus, whom he had punished for hostilities against his garrison in Halonnesus ; to the danger incurred by his monstrance from the Athenians, can hardly have been the actual cause of war. The pretended decrees and letter do not fit the passage of Demosthenes to which they are attached. 1 Epistol. Philipp. ap. Demosth. p. 165. This Epistle of Philip to the Athenians appears here inserted among the orations of Demosthenes. Some critics reject it as spurious ; but I see no sufficient ground for such an opinion. Whether it be the Composition of Philip himself, or of some Greek employed in Philip's cabinet, is a point which we have no means of letermining. The oration of Demosthenes which is said to be delivered in reply to this letter of Philip (Orat. xi), is, in my judgment, wrongly described. Not only it has no peculiar bearing on the points contained in the letter but it must also be two or three months later in date, since it mentions the aid sent by the Persian satraps to Perinthus, and trie raising of the siege of that lify by Philip (p 153).