Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans
with him, the supremacy belonged to them. And to Phocion himself,
whom he adopted as his friend and guest, he showed a respect, and
admitted him to distinctions, which few of those who were
continually near his person ever received. Duris, at any rate,
tells us, that when he became great, and had conquered Darius, in
the heading of all his letters he left off the word Greeting,
except in those he wrote to Phocion. To him, and to Antipater
alone, he condescended to use it. This, also, is stated by
Chares.
As for his munificence to him, it is well known he sent him a
present at one time of one hundred talents; and this being brought
to Athens, Phocion asked of the bearers, how it came to pass, that
among all the Athenians, he alone should be the object of this
bounty. And being told that Alexander esteemed him alone a person
of honor and worth, "Let him, then," said he, "permit me to
continue so, and be still so reputed." Following him to his
house, and observing his simple and plain way of living, his wife
employed in kneading bread with her own hands, himself drawing
water to wash his feet, they pressed him to accept it, with some
indignation, being ashamed, as they said, that Alexander's friend
should live so poorly and pitifully. So Phocion pointing out to
them a poor old fellow, in a dirty worn-out coat, passing by,
asked them if they thought him in worse condition than this man.
They bade him not mention such a comparison. "Yet," said Phocion,
"he with less to live upon than I, finds it sufficient, and in
brief," he continued, "if I do not use this money, what good is
there in my having it; and if I do use it, I shall procure an ill
name, both for myself and for Alexander, among my countrymen." So
the treasure went back again from Athens, to prove to Greece, by a
signal example, that he who could afford to give so magnificent a
present, was yet not so rich as he who could afford to refuse it.
And when Alexander was displeased, and wrote back to him to say
that he could not esteem those his friends, who would not be
obliged by him, not even would this induce Phocion to accept the
money, but he begged leave to intercede with him in behalf of
Echecratides, the sophist, and Athenodorus, the Imbrian, as also
for Demaratus and Sparton, two Rhodians, who had been arrested
upon some charges, and were in custody at Sardis. This was
instantly granted by Alexander, and they were set at liberty.
Afterwards, when sending Craterus into Macedonia, he commanded him
to make him an offer of four cities in Asia, Cius, Gergithus,
Mylasa, and Elaea, any one of which, at his choice, should be
delivered to him; insisting yet more positively with him, and
declaring he should resent it, should he continue obstinate in his
refusal. But Phocion was not to be prevailed with at all, and,
shortly after, Alexander died.
Phocion's house is shown to this day in Melita, ornamented with
small plates of copper, but otherwise plain and homely.
Concerning his wives, of the first of them there is little said,
except that she was sister of Cephisodotus, the statuary. The
other was a matron of no less reputation for her virtues and
simple living among the Athenians, than Phocion was for his
probity. It happened once when the people were entertained with a
new tragedy, that the actor, just as he was to enter the stage to
perform the part of a queen, demanded to have a number of
attendants sumptuously dressed, to follow in his train, and on
their not being provided, was sullen and refused to act, keeping
the audience waiting, till at last Melanthius, who had to furnish
the chorus, pushed him on the stage, crying out, "What, don't you
know that Phocion's wife is never attended by more than a single
waiting woman, but you must needs be grand, and fill our women's
heads with vanity?" This speech of his, spoken loud enough to be
heard, was received with great applause, and clapped all round the
theater. She herself, when once entertaining a visitor out of
Ionia, who showed her all her rich ornaments, made of gold and set
with jewels, her wreaths, necklaces, and the like, "For my part,"
said she, "all my ornament is my husband Phocion, now for the
twentieth year in office as general at Athens."
He had a son named Phocus, who wished to take part in the games at
the great feast of Minerva. He permitted him so to do, in the
contest of leaping, not with any view to the victory, but in the
hope that the training and discipline for it would make him a
better man, the youth being in a general way a lover of drinking,
and ill-regulated in his habits. On his having succeeded in the
sports, many were eager for the honor of his company at banquets
in celebration of the victory. Phocion declined all these
invitations but one, and when he came to this entertainment and
saw the costly preparations, even the water brought to wash the
guests' feet being mingled with wine and spices, he reprimanded
his son, asking him why he would so far permit his friend to sully
the honor of his victory. And in the hope of wholly weaning the
young man from such habits and company, he sent him to Lacedaemon,
and placed him among the youths then under the course of the
Spartan discipline. This the Athenians took offense at, as though
he slighted and contemned the education at home; and Demades
twitted him with it publicly, "Suppose, Phocion, you and I advise
the Athenians to adopt the Spartan constitution. If you like, I
am ready to introduce a bill to that effect, and to speak in its
favor." "Indeed," said Phocion, "you with that strong scent of
perfumes about you, and with that mantle on your shoulders, are
just the very man to speak in honor of Lycurgus, and recommend the
Spartan table."
When Alexander wrote to demand a supply of galleys, and the public
speakers objected to sending them, Phocion, on the council
requesting his opinion, told them freely, "Sirs, I would either
have you victorious yourselves, or friends of those who are so."
He took up Pytheas, who about this time first began to address the
assembly, and already showed himself a confident, talking fellow,
by saying that a young slave whom the people had but bought
yesterday, ought to have the manners to hold his tongue. And
when Harpalus, who had fled from Alexander out of Asia, carrying
off a large sum of money, came to Attica, and there was a perfect
race among the ordinary public men of the assembly who should be
the first to take his pay, he distributed amongst these some
trifling sums by way of a bait and provocative, but to Phocion he
made an offer of no less than seven hundred talents and all manner
of other advantages he pleased to demand; with the compliment that
he would entirely commit himself and all his affairs to his
disposal. Phocion answered sharply, Harpalus should repent of it,
if he did not quickly leave off corrupting and debauching the
city, which for the time silenced him, and checked his
proceedings. But afterwards, when the Athenians were deliberating
in council about him, he found those that had received money from
him to be his greatest enemies, urging and aggravating matters
against him, to prevent themselves being discovered, whereas
Phocion, who had never touched his pay, now, so far as the public
interest would admit of it, showed some regard to his particular
security. This encouraged him once more to try his inclinations,
and upon further survey, finding that he himself was a fortress,
inaccessible on every quarter to the approaches of corruption, he
professed a particular friendship to Phocion's son-in-law,
Charicles. And admitting him into his confidence in all his
affairs, and continually requesting his assistance, he brought him
into some suspicion. Upon the occasion, for example, of the death
of Pythonice, who was Harpalus's mistress, for whom he had a great
fondness, and had a child by her, he resolved to build her a
sumptuous monument, and committed the care of it to his friend
Charicles. This commission, disreputable enough in itself, was
yet further disparaged by the figure the piece of workmanship made
after it was finished. It is yet to be seen in the Hermeum. as
you go from Athens to Eleusis, with nothing in its appearance
answerable to the sum of thirty talents, with which Charicles is
said to have charged Harpalus for its erection. After Harpalus's
own decease, his daughter was educated by Phocion and Charicles
with great care. But when Charicles was called to account for his
dealings with Harpalus, and entreated his father-in-law's
protection, begging that he would appear for him in the court,
Phocion refused, telling him, "I did not choose you for my
son-in-law for any but honorable purposes."
Asclepiades, the son of Hipparchus, brought the first tidings of
Alexander's death to Athens, which Demades told them was not to be
credited; for, were it true, the whole world would ere this have
stunk with the dead body. But Phocion seeing the people eager for
an instant revolution, did his best to quiet and repress them.
And when numbers of them rushed up to the hustings to speak, and
cried out that the news was true, and Alexander was dead, "If he
is dead today," said he, "he will be so tomorrow and the day
after tomorrow equally. So that there is no need to take counsel
hastily or before it is safe."
When Leosthenes now had embarked the city in the Lamian war,
greatly against Phocion's wishes, to raise a laugh against
Phocion, he asked him scoffingly, what the State had been
benefited by his having now so many years been general. "It is
not a little," said Phocion, "that the citizens have been buried
in their own sepulchers." And when Leosthenes continued to speak
boldly and boastfully in the assembly, "Young man," he said, "your
speeches are like cypress trees, stately and tall, and no fruit to
come of them." And when he was then attacked by Hyperides, who
asked him when the time would come, that he would advise the
Athenians to make war, "As soon," said he, "as I find the young
men keep their ranks, the rich men contribute their money, and the
Orators leave off robbing the treasury." Afterwards, when many
admired the forces raised, and the preparations for war that were
made by Leosthenes, they asked Phocion how he approved of the new
levies. "Very well," said he, "for the short course; but what I
fear, is the long race. Since however late the war may last, the
city has neither money, ships, nor soldiers, but these." And the
event justified his prognostics. At first all things appeared
fair and promising. Leosthenes gained great reputation by
worsting the Boeotians in battle, and driving Antipater within
the walls of Lamia, and the citizens were so transported with the
first successes, that they kept solemn festivities for them, and
offered public sacrifices to the gods. So that some, thinking
Phocion must now be convinced of his error, asked him whether he
would not willingly have been author of these successful actions.
"Yes," said he, "most gladly, but also of the former counsel."
And when one express after another came from the camp, confirming
and magnifying the victories, "When," said he, "will the end of
them come?"
Leosthenes, soon after, was killed, and now those who feared lest
if Phocion obtained the command, he would put an end to the war,
arranged with an obscure person in the assembly, who should stand
up and profess himself to be a friend and old confidant of
Phocion's, and persuade the people to spare him at this time, and
reserve him (with whom none could compare) for a more pressing
occasion, and now to give Antiphilus the command of the army.
This pleased the generality, but Phocion made it appear he was so
far from having any friendship with him of old standing, that he