" This was merely a trick to ruin Phokion, for Polysperchon,
whose design, as his acts shortly afterwards proved, was to gain over
the city of Athens to his side, had no hopes of succeeding in this
unless Phokion were driven out of Athens; while he expected that
Phokion would be driven out when all the exiled citizens returned, and
when the informers and mob orators again occupied the bema. As the
Athenians were excited at this intelligence, Nikanor desired to
discuss the matter with them, and appeared at a conference held in
Peiraeus, having received from Phokion a pledge for his personal
safety. Derkyllus, the local commander, tried to seize him, but
Nikanor escaped, and at once began to take measures for the defence of
Peiraeus against the Athenians. Phokion, when blamed for having
permitted Nikanor to escape, answered that he felt confidence in
Nikanor, and did not expect that he would do any harm; and even if he
did, he preferred suffering wrong to doing it. This was no doubt a
most magnanimous sentiment; but when a man on such grounds risks the
freedom of his country, especially when he is acting as general, I am
inclined to think that he breaks an older and more important law,
that, namely, of his duty to his fellow-citizens. We cannot argue that
Phokion refrained from seizing Nikanor because he feared to involve
his country in war, and it was absurd of him to plead that good faith
and justice demanded that Nikanor should be left alone, on the
understanding that he would feel bound to abstain from any acts of
violence.
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