20 Plutarch’s Lives
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art of the fines that had been laid upon him by the city, for he -had been condemned no less than seven times for introducing.bills contrary to the laws, and who had been disfranchised, andwas no longer competent to vote in the assembly, laid hold ofthis season of impunity to bring in a bill for sending ambassadorswith plenipotentiary power to Antipater, to treat about a peace.But the people distrusted him, and called upon Phocion to givehis opinion, as the person they only and entirely confided in.He told them, “‘ If my former counsels had been prevalent withyou, we had not been reduced to deliberate on the question atall.” However, the vote passed; and a decree was made, andhe with others deputed to go to Antipater, who lay now en-camped in the Theban territories, but intended to dislodgeimmediately, and pass into Attica. Phocion’s first request was,that he would make the treaty without moving hiscamp. Andwhen Craterus declared that it was not fair to ask them to beburdensome to the country of their friends and allies by theirstay, when they might rather use that of their enemies for pro-visions and the support of their army, Antipater, taking him bythe hand, said, “‘ We must grant this favour to Phocion.” Forthe rest he bade them return to their principals, and acquaintthem that he could only offer them the same terms, namely, tosurrender at discretion, which Leosthenes had offered to himwhen he was shut up in Lamia. When Phocion had returned to the city and acquainted themwith this answer, they made a virtue of necessity and complied,since it would be no better. So Phocion returned to Thebeswith the other ambassadors, and among the rest Xenocrates,the philosopher, the reputation of whose virtue and wisdom wasso great and famous everywhere, that they conceived there couldnot be any pride, cruelty, or anger arising in the heart of man,which would not at the mere sight of him be subdued intosomething of reverence and admiration. But the result, as ithappened, was the very opposite, Antipater showed such a wantof feeling, and such a dislike of goodness. He saluted every oneelse, but would not so much as notice Xenocrates. Xenocrates,they tell us, observed upon it, that Antipater, when meditatingsuch cruelty to Athens, did well to be ashamed of seeing him.When he began to speak, he would not hear him, but broke inand rudely interrupted him, until at last he was obliged to besilent. But when Phocion had declared the purport of theirembassy, he replied shortly, that he would make peace with theAthenians on these conditions, and no others; that Demos-
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