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The World's Great Classics: Orations of Demosthenes
The World's Great Classics Orations of Demosthenes Author:Timothy Dwight Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: INTRODUCTION To the First Olynthiac Oration THE former oration does not appear to have had any considerable effect. Philip had his creatures in the Athenia... more »n assembly, who probably recommended less vigorous measures, and were but too favorably heard. In the meantime, this prince pursued his ambitious designs. When he found himself shut out of Greece, he turned his arms to such remote parts as he might reduce without alarming the states of Greece: and, at the same time, he revenged himself on the Athenians, by making himself master of some places which they laid claim to. At length his success emboldened him to declare those intentions which he had long entertained secretly against the Olynthians. Olynthus (a city of Thrace, possessed by Greeks originally from Chalcis, a town of Euboea, and colony of Athens) commanded a large tract called the Chalcidian region, in which there were thirty-two cities. It has risen by degrees to such a pitch of grandeur, as to have frequent and remarkable contests both with Athens and Lacedaemon. Nor did the Olynthians show great regard to the friendship of Philip when he first came to the throne, and was taking all measures to secure the possession of it; for they did not scruple to receive two of his brothers by another marriage, who had fled to avoid the effects of his jealousy; and endeavored to conclude an alliance with Athens against him, which he, by secret practices, found means to defeat. But as he was yet scarcely secure on his throne, instead of expressing his resentment, he courted, or rather purchased, the alliance of the Olynthians, by the cession of Anthemus, a city which the kings of Macedon had long disputed with them, and afterward by that of Pydna and Potidaea, which their joint forces had besieged and taken from the Athenia...« less