Yet, as the
Greek commanders were young men, unable to maintain discipline, and,
as at the same time, Antipater was tampering with the loyalty of the
cities from which the army came, the whole force broke up, and most
disgracefully betrayed the cause of Grecian liberty. Antipater at once
marched upon Athens with his army. Demosthenes and Hypereides at once
fled from Athens, but Demades, who had not been able to pay any part
of the money which he had been condemned to pay to the state (for he
had been convicted of making illegal proposals[641] on seven separate
occasions, and had become disfranchised and disqualified from
addressing the people), now set the laws at defiance, and proposed
that ambassadors, with full powers, should be sent to Antipater to sue
for peace. The people were greatly alarmed, and called upon Phokion,
saying that they could trust no one else. "If I had always been
trusted," said he, "we should not now be discussing such matters as
these." The motion was carried, and Phokion was sent to Antipater, who
was encamped in the Kadmeia of Thebes, and preparing to invade Attica.
Phokion's first request was that he would stay where he was and
arrange terms. Upon hearing this Kraterus said, "Phokion advises us to
do what is unjust, when he bids us remain here, doing evil to the
country of our friends and allies, while we might do ourselves good
in that of our enemies.
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