Affairs of ATHENS, from the general Peace following the Battle of MANTINEIA, and of MACEDONIA, from the Establishment of PHILIP, Son of AMYNTAS, to the Renewal of War between MACEDONIA and ATHENS

SECTION I

Revived political Eminence of Athens. Increasing Defect in the restored Constitution. Uneasy Situation of eminent Men. Opportunity for political Adventurers. Unsteddiness of Government. Decay of Patriotism. Subserviency of Administration to popular Passion. Decay of military Virtue. Tyranny of popular Sovereinty over subject States

When the Macedonian kingdom, happily rescued from civil strife and forein war, was placed in circumstances to grow in prosperity and power, the Grecian republics remained in that state of discord and confusion, of mutual animosity or mutual mistrust, of separate weakness and incapacity for union, which we have seen, in the description of Xenophon, following the death of Epameinondas, and which the orators sufficiently assure us did not cease. Demosthenes describes the state of things, about the time of Philip's accession, in terms very remarkably agreeing with Xenophon's picture: ‘All Pelo- ‘ponnesus,’ he says, ‘was divided. Those who hated the Lacedæmo- ‘nians were not powerful enough to destroy them, nor were those who ‘had formerly ruled, under Lacedæmonian patronage, able to hold their ‘command in their several cities. Peloponnesus, and, in short, all ‘Greece, was in a state of undecisive contention and trouble.’