On Halonnesus

Then again he says that he has sent envoys to arrange with you an inter-state legal compact, and that this compact will be valid, not as soon as it is ratified by the body of Athenian jurors, as the law directs, but only after it has been referred to him, thus constituting himself a court of appeal from your decision.[*](Agreements between two Greek states, laying down the conditions under which their nationals might mutually obtain legal redress, were called σύμβολα. The cases were tried in the courts of the defendant’s state. The terms of the compact with Macedonia were to be ratified by the heliastic court of Athens, but Philip claimed the right of final ratification. Others explain it to mean that Philip demanded that the verdicts of the Athenian juries in cases under this pact (δίκαι ἀπὸ συμβόλων) should be confirmed by him.) His object, of course, is to steal a march on you, and to insert in the compact an admission on your part that none of the wrongs committed at Potidaea are charged against him by you as the injured party, but that you confirm his seizure and retention of that city as lawful.

Yet Athenians, settled at Potidaea, were robbed of their property by Philip, though they were not at war but in alliance with him, and though he had duly pledged his word to all the inhabitants of that city. Of course he wants to get his many illegal acts everywhere confirmed by a declaration on your part that you bring no charge against him and do not consider yourselves wronged;

for that Macedonians need no inter-state compact with Athenians let past history be your witness, since neither Amyntas, the father of Philip, nor the earlier kings ever made any such compact with our city,

though intercourse between the two nations was more frequent then than now. For Macedonia was under our sway and tributary to us,[*](The speaker is improving on the claim made by Demosthenes in Dem. 3.24. Macedonia was never really subject or tributary to Athens.) and we used each other’s markets more freely then than at present, and mercantile suits[*](Also called ἔμμηνοι δίκαι, because they had to be settled within a month. They were heard, under the presidency of the Thesmothetae, during the six winter months, when the seas were closed to commerce.) were not then, as now, settled strictly every month, making a formal compact between such distant parties unnecessary.