Euboeans

But eager as I am to speak about that wonderful alliance with Thebes, I will speak first about the Euboeans, that I may follow the events in their order.

Then abandoning them also, and making more twists and turns than the Euripus, by whose shores he used to live, he falls between the hatred of the Thebans and of Philip.

and Demosthenes, the tyrant-hater, as he pretends to be, who, Ctesiphon says, speaks what is best, bartered away the opportunities of the city, and in his motion for the alliance provided that we were to aid the Chalcidians, stipulating in return for this a mere phrase;

You know that lately you sent help to the Euboeans within three days and got rid of the Thebans by an armistice.

or, from the several states of the alliance, Such-and-such a City to the People by whom they were delivered, or, The liberated Euboeans, for example, crown the People;

And so it was that Homer took his revenge upon the Euboeans through his poetry.

and shortly a man, a huntsman by his look and dress, his cheeks healthy and bearded, with hair behind not meanly nor ignobly worn, such as Homer says the Euboeans came to Ilium with — mocking them, it seems to me, and laughing, because, while the other Achaeans were trim, these wore their hair only on the half of the head.

But the force of the enemy which was gathered together included, of the Athenians about six thousand hoplites, of the Argives, according to all accounts, about seven thousand, of the Boeotians (since the Orchomenians were not present) only about five thousand, of the Corinthians about three thousand, and, further, from the whole of Euboea not less than three thousand.

While these things were being done, Epaminondas was on his outward march at the head of all the Boeotians, the Euboeans, and many of the Thessalians, who came both from Alexander and from his opponents.

and that I told about the Euboeans, how I had frightened them, and that I led you on into empty hopes.

For he said the people of the small states, like himself, were afraid of the secret diplomacy of the greater.

or, from the several states of the Alliance, Such-and-such a city crowned the People by whom they were delivered, or The liberated Euboeans, for example, crowned the People, or again Conon from the sea-fight with the Lacedaemonians, Chabrias from the sea-fight off Naxos.

Reading of the Letter

Meanwhile Philip has the effrontery to send such letters as these to the Euboeans.

Because I do not think any one man would deny that Athens has saved the Lacedaemonians, and the Thebans before them, and the Euboeans recently, and has afterwards made alliance with them, having always one and the same object in view.

For you know, of course, that the famous Timotheus once harangued you to the effect that you ought to send an expedition to save the Euboeans, when the Thebans were trying to enslave them, and his words ran something like this:

That the sea had become useless for ships because of privateers with Euboea for their base?

that, instead of privateers from Euboea harrying us, Attica was at peace on the sea-frontier throughout the war;

In spite of all these drawbacks, I made alliance for you with Euboeans, Achaeans, Corinthians, Thebans, Megarians, Leucadians, and Corcyraeans:

He had even heard some Euboeans, who were thoroughly frightened by the friendship that had been cemented between Philip and Athens, utter these very words:

You saved the Lacedaemonians in old time, and those accursed Euboeans lately, and many other peoples, not because they were virtuous, but because their safety profited Athens, as that of the Phocians would today.

Hard by Athens lies a neighbouring township, Euboea.

This did he sack, making common cause with Cecrops’ sons.

With a bounding line of waters in between, so I have heard.

To these verses the Euboeans gave no heed;

Then take care to keep bleating goats far from the coasts of Euboea

Now it was the custom of the Euboeans to drive their flocks down to the sea there.

After raising a mercenary force he took command of the citizen army and defeated the first opponents of Greek freedom, the Boeotians, Macedonians and Euboeans, together with their other allies, in battle in Boeotia.