Hid Plutarch’s Lives
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aptured some of the places he had garrisoned, making besidesseveral inroads into the country, which he plundered and over-ran, until he received a wound from some of the enemy whocame to the defence, and, thereupon, sailed away home. The Megarians at this time privately praying aid of the ©Athenians, Phocion, fearing lest the Boeotians should hear ofit, and anticipate them, called an assembly at sunrise, andbrought forward the petition of the Megarians, and immediatelyafter the vote had been put, and carried in their favour, hesounded the trumpet, and led the Athenians straight from theassembly, to arm and put themselves in posture. The Megariansreceived them joyfully, and he proceeded to fortify Nisea, andbuilt two new long walls from the city to the arsenal, and sojoined it to the sea, so that having now little reason to regardthe enemies on the land side, it placed its dependence entirelyon the Athenians. When final hostilities with Philip were now certain, and inPhocion’s absence other generals had been nominated, he, onhis arrival from the islands, dealt earnestly with the Athenians,that since Philip showed peaceable inclinations towards them, -and greatly apprehended the danger, they would consent to atreaty. Being contradicted in this by one of the ordinary fre-quenters of the courts of justice, a common accuser, who askedhim if he durst presume to persuade the Athenians to peace, nowtheir arms were in their hands, “ Yes,” said he, “‘ though I knowthat if there be war, I shall be in office over you, and if peace,you over me.” But when he could not prevail, and Demos-thenes’s opinion carried it, advising them to make war as far offfrom home as possible, and fight the battle out of Attica, ‘ Goodfriends,” said Phocion, “ let us not ask where we shall fight, buthow we may conquer in the war. That will be the way to keepit at a distance. If we are beaten, it will be quickly at ourdoors.’’ After the defeat, when the clamourers and incendiariesin the town would have brought up Charidemus to the hustings,to be nominated to the command, the best of the citizens werein a panic, and supporting themselves with the aid of the councilof the Areopagus, with entreaties and tears, hardly prevailedupon the people to have Phocion entrusted with the care of thecity. He was of opinion, in general, that the fair terms to beexpected from Philip should be accepted, yet after Demades hadmade a motion that the city should receive the common con-ditions of peace in concurrence with the rest of the states ofGreece, he opposed it, till it were known what the particulars “ a $ cht vine ntti
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