" At this the king
himself leaped to his feet, and would have struck Hegemon with a
spear, but was quickly seized by Polysperchon, upon which the court
broke up.
XXXIV. Phokion and his companions were now taken into custody: upon
which such of his friends as saw this from a distance covered their
faces with their cloaks and made their escape. Kleitus conducted the
prisoners back to Athens, nominally to be tried there, but really
already under sentence of death. The procession was a sad one, as they
were brought in carts through the Kerameikus to the theatre, where
Kleitus kept them until the archons had convened the assembly. From
this assembly neither slaves, foreigners, nor disfranchised citizens
were excluded, but every one, men and women alike, were allowed to be
present and to address the people. After the king's letter was read,
in which he said that he was convinced that these men were traitors,
but sent them to Athens for trial because that city was free and
independent, Kleitus brought in the prisoners. At the sight of Phokion
the better class of citizens covered their faces and silently wept,
and one of them had the courage to rise and say that, as the king had
allowed the Athenian people to conduct so important a trial, all
slaves and foreigners ought to leave the assembly. The populace,
however, would not hear of this, but cried, "Down with the oligarchs
who hate the people.
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