opportunity for repentance, and marched slowly to the
foot of the Cadmea. But the leaders of the insurrection, believing
themselves irretrievably compromised, replied with taunts to
Alexander's proposals for peace, and excited the people to the most
desperate resistance. An engagement was prematurely brought on by one
of the generals of Alexander, in which some of the Macedonian troops
were put to the rout; but Alexander, coming up with the phalanx, whilst
the Thebans were in the disorder of pursuit, drove them back in turn
and entered the gates along with them, when a fearful massacre ensued
committed principally by the Thracians in Alexander's service. Six
thousand Thebans are said to have been slain, and thirty thousand were
made prisoners. The doom of the conquered city was referred to the
allies, who decreed her destruction. The grounds of the verdict bear
the impress of a tyrannical hypocrisy. They rested on the conduct of
the Thebans during the Persian war, on their treatment of Plataea, and
on their enmity to Athens. The inhabitants were sold as slaves, and
all the houses, except that of Pindar, were levelled with the ground.
The Cadmea was preserved to be occupied by a Macedonian garrison.
Thebes seems to have been thus harshly treated as an example to the
rest of Greece, for towards the other states, which were now eager to
make their excuses and submission, Alexander showed much forbearance
and lenity. The conduct of the Athenians exhibits them deeply sunk in
degradation. When they heard of the chastisement indicted upon Thebes,
they immediately voted, on the motion of Demosthenes, that ambassadors
should be sent to congratulate Alexander on his safe return from his
northern expeditions, and on his recent success. Alexander in reply
wrote a letter, demanding that eight or ten of the leading Athenian
orators should be delivered up to him. At the head of the list was
Demosthenes. In this dilemma, Phocion, who did not wish to speak upon
such a question, was loudly called upon by the people for his opinion;
when he rose and said that the persons whom Alexander demanded had
brought the state into such a miserable plight that they deserved to be
surrendered, and that for his own part he should be very happy to die
for the commonwealth. At the same time he advised them to try the
effect of intercession with Alexander; and it was at last only by his
own personal application to that monarch with whom he wa