Philip having obtained this extent of sea coast, was not long in equipping a formidable navy, which ena bled him to make the Athenians feel the hardships of war, even in their own country. He ravaged the coasts of Attica ; he landed a body of troops in Eu bsea, which, joined to the party that still adhered to him among the inhabitants, enabled him to regain the ascendency in that island. The spirit of the Athenians was broken by such a succession of cala mities ; and Philip having, in conformity to his usual system, been the first to make pacific advances, all parties seem to have agreed in the propriety of send ing an embassy to him. Among the ambassadors were Demosthenes and /Eschines, both hostile to that monarch. Demosthenes, in this new charac ter,did not maintain his former reputation, while all admired the politeness and eloquence of Philip. Through the arts of that monarch, aided by the vo latility of the Athenian people, the negociation was protracted successive embassies were sent ; while Philip, availing himself of these delays, was crushing Kersableptes, the ally of, Athens, and maturing his designs against the liberties of Greece. At length, having gained a body of mercenaries, who defended Nicea, he obtained possession of that important for tress, and through it of pass of Thermopyke. He then lost no time in entering Greece, where, supported by the Thebans, Thessalians, and Lo cnans, he soon crushed the Phocians, and gave them a prey to the unrelenting vengeance of their enemies, which, however, he interfered to mitigate. He then procured his appointment as general of the Amphic tyons, which afforded him a pious pretence for inter posing whenever he thought fit, in the affairs of Greece. In this new character, he left a garrison in the citadel of Thebes ; and supporting his affected character of moderation, withdrew his army, for the present, out of Greece.
The Athenians were struck with mortal alarm, when they received intelligence, that Philip was establishing himself in the heart of the Grecian states. Demosthenes, who had long warned them of this issue, now acquired additional influence. This advantage, joined to the growing fame of his elo quence, enabled him for some time to exert an most undivided sway over their councils, and to com municate to them an expiring energy, to which they had long been strangers. Yet it was conceived ne cessary, under present circumstances,, to admit Phi- lip's title of general of the Amphietyons, and not, by denying it, to provoke an immediate war. They held themselves, however, in a state of preparation to resist any farther encroachments.
The first object to which Demosthenes directed the attention of the Athenians, was Eubcea. The, Macedonian party had already lost considerable ground in that island by their violence and oppression. When Phocion, therefore, was sent with an arma ment, accompanied by Demosthenes, the eloquence of the one, and the military skill of the other, soon brought back the island to the dominion of Athens.
Philip was soon after foiled in a still more sensible point. He had long cast an eager eye on Byzan tium, Perinthus, and Selymbria, cities great and opulent in themselves, and important from their com mand of the Thracian Bosphorus, the key of the Euxine. Thinking this a favourable opportunity, he had commenced operations against them, but met, with a vigorous resistance. Demosthenes urged the
Athenians to a vigorous support of these cities ; ar maments were accordingly fitted out ; and though, the first was rendered fruitless by the ill-conduct of Chares, yet the second, being entrusted to Phoeion, was effectual in relieving the Thracian cities, and in forcing Philip to relinquish his designs in that quar ter.
Philip, finding himself thwarted in this point, di rected his attention to another, which appeared more promising. His emissaries in Greece' succeeded in kindling a new sacred war against the Ainphissans, a people of Phocis, and in procuring an invitation for. Philip, as general of .the Amphictyons, to take thee chief command. Philip eagerly grasped at the offer escaped, by a stratagem, the Athenian. fleet, and landed a strong body of troops on the coast of Lo uis. The Athenians were excited by Demosthenes to send an army of ten thousand mercenaries to the assistance of Amphissa. This force, however, pro ved too feeble to resist the powerful army of Philip ; Amphissa was subdued, and suffered a severe punish ment for its alleged impiety.
All the cities of Greece, Thebes itself not except ed, were struck with the deepest alarm at this rapid progress of Philip. The Athenians, obedient to the call of Demosthenes, summoned all their strength, and marched it to the frontiers. The orator himself went from city to city, rousing every where the hatred of the people against the Macedonian power. An extensive confederacy was'formed, consisting, besides Athens, of Megara, Corinth, Achaia, Leucas, Corcyra, and Eu bcea ;. while Thebes itself evidently wavered. Alarm ed by this formidable combination, Philip seized Elatea, an important post, which at once secured bis. communication with Thessaly, and. opened •an en. trance into Bceotia. This step at once roused Athens. to action, and'fixed the wavering councils of Thebes. The latter city took now a decided part in the con federacy against Macedon. Demosthenes acquired• the same ascendant in its councils as in those of ' Athens ; the armies of the two states united, and prepared to commence operations against the •com prepared mon enemy.
It is impossible to deny to Demosthenes the praise of activity and vigour in bringing affairs to this cri? sis. He was now, however, guilty of errors, which frustrated the effect of his former exertions. With the most shameful devotion to party-spirit, he over looked Phocion, the only great commander whom Athens still retained, and appointed in his stead Chares, whose incapacity had been so often conspi cuous. To him was joined Lysicles, a personage never before heard of. A capital error seems also to have been committed in the plan of the war. Against Philip, placed as he was in a mountainous territory, and at a distance from his resources, protracted and harassing hostilities might probably have been suc cessful ; but the Grecian levies, little accustomed to war, were ill calculated for coping in the field with his hardy veterans. These considerations were over looked ; when Philip advanced and offered battle, it was not declined ; and the two parties, each with about thirty or forty thousand men, prepared to de-' cide the fate of Greece on the plain of Cheronea.