Demosthenes, Speeches 1-17

12. LETTER OF PHILIP

introduction The Letter of Philip to the Athenians, whether genuine or not, clearly does not properly belong in a collection of Demosthenes’ deliberative speeches, but ancient editors presumably included it because they believed (perhaps correctly) that it was the letter to which Dem. 11 responds. The Letter is found in only some of the manuscripts of Demosthenes (FY, not SA) and is not discussed by the ancient commentators . Didymus, however, quotes (col. 10.24–30) the closing sentences from a “letter of Philip” that are very close to, and in some cases identical with, the closing words of this letter. It is unclear whether he is quoting this letter from memory, referring to a different letter of Philip whose conclusion was nevertheless very similar, or confusing two different letters. The fact that Didymus elsewhere (col. 9.45–47) reports that in “the letter to the Athenians ” Philip writes about a mercenary commander named Aristomedes of Pherae, whom he does not mention in this letter, perhaps suggests that he knew only one, different, letter of Philip. But the matter is unclear. There is no doubt that Philip communicated on more than one occasion with the Athenians by letter, as he did with other states. In addition to the letter(s) referred to by Didymus, and the letter to which Dem. 11 responds, there are references to letters at Dem. 7.1 (a letter of 342), 8.16 (a letter in which Philip claimed to be defending himself against the Athenians in the Chersonese), 9.16 (a letter in which he admits that he has sent soldiers into the Chersonese), and 9.27 (letters in which he states that he is at peace with those who are willing to heed him). How many differ12 . LETTER OF PHILIP ⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠⣠ 212 demosthenes ent letters are involved is hard to assess, and there may well have been others of which we know nothing. All such letters would have been preserved in the Athenian archives and accessible to interested parties. It is thus not implausible that a genuine letter of Philip should have been preserved among the speeches of Demosthenes. The date of the letter has to be determined on internal grounds. It is clearly earlier than the outbreak of war between Athens and Macedon in late summer 340 (5). There is continued friction over the Chersonese (at 11 Philip admits to helping Cardia), and Philip is still on campaign in Thrace (at 8 he complains that the Athenians are ordering him to allow Cersobleptes and Teres to rule). Specific new points are: 1. The Athenian general Callias is seizing cities in the Gulf of Pherae (5). 2. An Athenian embassy has been sent to the Persian King (6) to persuade him to wage war on Philip. 3. A very recent incident has taken place relating to the island of Peparethos (12). 4. The Macedonians have made an incursion into the Chersonese , prompted by Philip’s desire to send ships to the Hellespont (16). Of these, the first and third cannot be dated. The fourth probably relates to Philip’s desire to move ships into the Sea of Marmara to blockade Perinthus, the siege of which began in summer 340. Athenian overtures to Persia also belong to the same period, since we know that the Persians sent help to Perinthus and cooperated with Athenian forces on the spot. All of this points to a date in summer or perhaps autumn 340. On the relationship between this letter and Dem. 11, see below. The letter seems well informed about the situation in Greece and about relations between Athens and Macedonia, and it contains details not found elsewhere. The one apparent error is at 9, where two different Thracian rulers seem to be confused (see the note). The arguments are vigorously expressed and strong, especially over the disputed city of Amphipolis, to which Philip con- 12. letter of philip 213 tends that the Athenian claim is weaker than his (20–23). He makes numerous complaints against the Athenians, both about specific actions and about their relentlessly hostile attitude to him (1). He accuses them of seizing a herald and an ambassador, of raiding his and his allies’ territory, of negotiating with the Persian King against him, and of refusing to accept his offers either to put their disputes to arbitration or to renegotiate the Peace of Philocrates. He also...