general five-and-forty times, and never once missed being elected, since even when he was absent the Athenians used to send for him to come home and be elected; so that his enemies used to wonder that Phokion, who always thwarted the Athenians and never flattered them either by word or deed, should be favoured by them, and were wont to say that the Athenians in their hours of relaxation used to amuse themselves by listening to the speeches of their more lively and brilliant orators, just as royal personages are said to amuse themselves with their favourites after dinner, but that they made their appointments to public offices in a sober and earnest spirit, choosing for that purpose the most severe and sensible man in Athens, and the one too, who alone, or at any rate more than any one else, was in the habit of opposing their impulses and wishes.  When an oracle was brought from Delphi and read before the assembly, which said that when all the Athenians were of one mind, one man would be opposed to the state, Phokion rose and said that he was the man in question, for he disapproved of the whole of their policy.  And once when he made some remark in a speech which was vociferously applauded, and he saw the whole assembly unanimous in its approval of his words, he turned to some of his friends and said, “Have I inadvertently said something bad?”

IX.  Once when the Athenians were asking for subscriptions for some festival, and all the others had paid their subscriptions, Phokion, after he had been frequently asked to subscribe, answered, “Ask these rich men:  for my part I should be ashamed of myself if I were to give money to you, and not pay what I owe to this man here,” pointing to Kallikles the money-lender.  As the people did not cease shouting and abusing him, he told them a fable:  “A cowardly man went to the wars, and when he heard the cawing of the crows, he laid down his arms and sat still.  Then he took up his arms and marched on, and they again began to caw, so he halted again.  At last he said, ’You may caw as loud as you please, but you shall never make a meal of me.’” On another occasion when the Athenians wished to send him to meet the enemy, and when he refused, called him a coward, he said, “You are not able to make me brave, nor am I able to make you cowards.  However, we understand one another.”  At some dangerous crisis the people were greatly enraged with him, and demanded an account of his conduct as general.  “I hope,” said he, “my good friends, that you will save yourselves first.”  As the Athenians, when at war, were humble-spirited, and full of fears, but after peace was made became bold, and reproached Phokion for having lost them their chance of victory, he said, “You are fortunate in having a general who understands you; for if you had not, you would long ago have been ruined.”  When the Athenians wished to decide some dispute about territory by arms instead of by arbitration, Phokion advised them to fight the Boeotians with words, in