348 • HISTORY OF GREECE. The news, that Nikanor had possessed himself of Peiraeus, produced a strong sensation. Presently arrived a letter ad- dressed to him by Olympias herself, commanding him to surren- der the place to the Athenians, upon whom she wished to confer entire autonomy. But Nikanor declined obedience to her order, still waiting for support from Kassander. The arrival of Alex- ander (Polysperchon's son) with a body of troops, encouraged the Athenians to believe that he was come to assist in carrrying Peirasus by force, for the purpose of restoring it to them. Their hopes, however, were again disappointed. Though encamped near Peiraeus, Alexander made no demand for the Athenian forces to co-operate with him in attacking it ; but entered into open parley with Nikanor, whom he endeavored to persuade or corrupt into surrendering the place.* When this negotiation failed, he resolved to wait for the arrival of his father, who was already on his march towards Attica with the main army. His own force unassisted was probably not sufficient to attack Peirajus ; nor did he choose to invoke assistance from the Athenians, to whom he would then have been compelled to make over the place when taken, which they so ardently de- sired. The Athenians were thus as far from their object as ever ; moreover, by this delay the opportunity of attacking the place was altogether thrown away ; for Kassander with his armament reached it before Polysperchon. It was Phokion and his immediate colleagues who induced Alexander to adopt this insidious policy ; to decline reconquer- ing Peira;us for the Athenians, and to appropriate it for himself. To Phokion, the reconstitution of autonomous Athens, with its democracy and restored exiles, and without any foreign control- ling force — was an assured sentence of banishment, if not of quod cum apud cum summum esset imperium populi, ct Nicanorem, Cus- sandri prasfectum, insidiari Pirffio Atheniensium, a Dercyllo moneretur: idemque postiilaret, ut provideret, ne commeatibus ci vitas privaretur — liuic, audiente populo, Phocion negavit esse periculum, seque ejus rei ohsi- dein fore pollicitus est. Neque ita multo post Nicanor Piraeo est potitus. Ad quem recuperandum cum populus armatus concurrisset, ille non modo neminem ad arma vocavit. sed ne armatis quidcm prassse voluit, sine qii« Atlienaj omnino esse non possunt." ' Diodor xviii. 05; Plutarch, Phokion, 33.
