you not be silent, and remember that you are only a newly-bought servant of the people.”  When Harpalus fled from Asia with a large amount of treasure and came to Athens, where all the venal politicians paid great court to him, he gave them but a very small part of his hoard, but sent a present of seven hundred talents to Phokion, placing all his other property and his person in his hands.  Phokion returned a rough answer, telling Harpalus that if he continued corrupting the Athenians he would sorely repent of it.  For the moment Harpalus desisted from his offers, but shortly afterwards when the Athenians were met together in the assembly he observed that those who had received his bribes all turned against him and spoke ill of him, that they might not be suspected, while Phokion, who had taken nothing from him, nevertheless showed some interest in his safety as well as in the welfare of Athens.  Harpalus now was induced to pay his court to him a second time, but after assailing him on all sides found that he was impregnable by bribes.  However Harpalus made a friend and companion of his son-in-law Charikles, who entirely lost his reputation in consequence, as Harpalus entrusted him with the entire management of his affairs.

XXII.  Moreover, upon the death of Pythionike, the courtezan, whose lover Harpalus had been, and who had borne him a daughter, as he desired to erect a very costly monument to her memory, he appointed Charikles[634] to superintend the building of it.  Charikles was mean enough to accept this commission; and he incurred even more disgrace from the appearance of the tomb when it was completed.  It stands at the present day in the precinct of Hermes, on the road from Athens to Eleusis, and cannot have cost anything like thirty talents, which sum is said to have been paid to Charikles by Harpalus for its construction.  Besides this, after his death, his daughter was adopted by Charikles and Phokion, and received every attention from them.  When, however, Charikles was prosecuted for having taken a share of the treasure of Harpalus,[635] and begged Phokion to come into court and speak in his favour, Phokion refused, saying “Charikles, I chose you to be my son-in-law in all honesty.”

When Asklepiades, the son of Hipparchus, first brought the news of Alexander’s death to Athens, Demades advised the people not to believe it.  Such a corpse, he declared, must have been smelt throughout the world.  Phokion, seeing that the people were excited at the report, endeavoured to soothe and pacify them.  Upon this many rushed to the tribune, and loudly declared that Asklepiades had brought true tidings, and that Alexander was really dead.  “If,” replied Phokion, “he is dead to-day, he will be dead to-morrow and the day after, so that we may quietly, and with all the greater safety, take counsel as to what we are to do.”