had received from Philip, and to exact the penalty for the injuries they
had received from you, in whichever way they preferred--either by letting
them march through their country against you, or by joining them in the
invasion of Attica; and they showed (as they thought) that the result of
the course which they advised would be that the herds and slaves and other
valuables of Attica would find their way into Boeotia; while the result of
what (as they alleged) you were about to propose would be that those of
Boeotia would be plundered in consequence of the war. {214} They said much
more, but all tending to the same effect. As for our reply, I would give
my whole life to tell it you in detail; but I fear lest, now that those
times have gone by, you may feel as if a very deluge[n] had overwhelmed
all, and may regard anything that is said on the subject as vanity and
vexation. But hear at least what we persuaded them to do, and their answer
to us. (_To the clerk_.) Take this and read it.

[_The answer of the Thebans is read_.]

{215} After this they invited and summoned you; you marched; you went to
their aid; and (to pass over the events which intervened) they received
you in so friendly a spirit that while their infantry and cavalry were
encamped outside the walls,[n] they welcomed your troops into their
houses, within the city, among their children and wives, and all that was
most precious to them. Three eulogies did the Thebans pronounce upon you
before the world that day, and those of the most honourable kind--the
first upon your courage, the second upon your righteousness, the third
upon your self-control. For when they chose to side with you in the
struggle, rather than against you, they judged that your courage was
greater, and your requests more righteous, than Philip's; and when they
placed in your power what they and all men guard most jealously, their
children and wives, they showed their confidence in your self-control.
{216} In all these points, men of Athens, your conduct proved that their
judgement had been correct. For the force came into the city; but no one
made a single complaint--not even an unfounded complaint--against you; so
virtuously did you conduct yourselves. And twice you fought by their side,
in the earliest battles-the battle by the river[n] and the winter-
battle[n]--and showed yourselves, not only irreproachable, but even
admirable, in your discipline, your equipment, and your enthusiasm. These
things called forth expressions of thanks to you from other states, and
sacrifices and processions to the gods from yourselves. {217} And I should
like to ask Aeschines whether, when all this was happening, and the city
was full of pride and joy and thanksgiving, he joined in the sacrifices
and the rejoicing of the multitude, or whether he sat at home grieving and
groaning and angry at the good fortune of his country. If he was present,
and was seen in his place with the rest, surely his present action is
atrocious--nay, even impious--when he asks you, who have taken an oath by
the gods, to vote to-day that those very things were not excellent, of
whose excellence he himself on that day made the gods his witnesses. If he
was not present, then surely he deserves to die many times, for grieving
at the sight of the things which brought rejoicing to others. (_To the
clerk_.) Now read these decrees also.

[_The decrees ordering sacrifices are read_.]

{218} Thus we were occupied at that time with sacrifices, while the
Thebans were reflecting how they had been saved by our help; and those
who, in consequence of my opponents' proceedings, had expected that they
would themselves stand in need of help, found themselves, after all,
helping others, in consequence of the action they took upon my advice. But
what the tone of Philip's utterance was, and how greatly he was confounded
by what had happened, you can learn from his letter, which he sent to the
Peloponnese. (_To the clerk_.) Take these and read them: (_to the jury_)
that you may know what was effected by my perseverance, by my travels, by
the hardships I endured, by all those decrees of which Aeschines spoke so
disparagingly just now.