Page:History of Greece Vol XI.djvu/515

FEELING AT THEBES. 483 At Thebes they found the envoys of Philip and his allies, and the philippizing Thebans full of triumph ; while the friends of Athens were so dispirited, that the first letters of Demosthenes, sent home immediately on reaching Thebes, were of a gloomy cast. 1 According to Grecian custom, the two opposing legation were heard in turn before the Theban assembly. Amyntas and Klearchus were the Macedonian envoys, together with the elo- quent Byzantine Python, as chief spokesman, and the Thessa- lians Daochus and Thrasylaus. 2 Having the first word, as estab- lished allies of Thebes, these orators found it an easy theme to denounce Athens, and to support their case by the general tenor of past history since the battle of Leuktra. The Macedonian orator contrasted the perpetual hostility of Athens with the val- uable aid furnished to Thebes by Philip, when he rescued her from the Phokians, and confirmed her ascendency over Bceotia- "If (said the orator) Philip had stipulated, before he assisted you against the Phokians, that you should grant him in return a free passage against Attica, you would have gladly acceded. Will you refuse it now, when he has rendered to you the service with- out stipulation ? Either let us pass through to Attica or join jur march ; whereby you will enrich yourself with the plunder ical ralf unoKpiaeatv, TJKEV l^wv rrjv dvvapiv Kal rqv 'Ehureiav /cartvla/3>, we ovff uv el TI yevoiro STI av/j.Tri>vaavTuv uv i]p.uv Kal rCtv &riftai(jv. Demosthenes describes Philip as acting upon Thebes and Athens through the agency of corrupt citizens in each ; the author of these documents con- ceives Philip as acting by his own despatches. The decree of the 16th Skirrophorion enacts, not only that there shall be alliance with Thebes, but also that the right of intermarriage between the two cities shall be established. Now at the moment when the decree was passed, the Thebans both had been, and still were, on bad terms with Athens, so that it was doubtful whether they would entertain or reject tht proposition ; nay, the chances even were, that they would reject it and join Philip. We can hardly believe it possible, that under such a state of pro babilities, the Athenians would go so far as to pronounce for the establish ment of intermarriage between the two cities. 1 Demosth. De Corona, p. 298. 8 Plutarch, Demosth. c. 18. Daochus and Thrasylaus are named by De mosthenos as Thessalian partisans of Philip (Demosth. De Corona, p 324 ).