<Dd> For more details on this topic, see Second Philippic, On the Chersonese, Third Philippic </Dd> <P> In 344 BC Demosthenes travelled to the Peloponnese, in order to detach as many cities as possible from Macedon's influence, but his efforts were generally unsuccessful . Most of the Peloponnesians saw Philip as the guarantor of their freedom and sent a joint embassy to Athens to express their grievances against Demosthenes' activities . In response, Demosthenes delivered the Second Philippic, a vehement attack against Philip . In 343 BC Demosthenes delivered On the False Embassy against Aeschines, who was facing a charge of high treason . Nonetheless, Aeschines was acquitted by the narrow margin of thirty votes by a jury which may have numbered as many as 1,501 . </P> <P> In 343 BC, Macedonian forces were conducting campaigns in Epirus and, in 342 BC, Philip campaigned in Thrace . He also negotiated with the Athenians an amendment to the Peace of Philocrates . When the Macedonian army approached Chersonese (now known as the Gallipoli Peninsula), an Athenian general named Diopeithes ravaged the maritime district of Thrace, thereby inciting Philip's rage . Because of this turbulence, the Athenian Assembly convened . Demosthenes delivered On the Chersonese and convinced the Athenians not to recall Diopeithes . Also in 342 BC, he delivered the Third Philippic, which is considered to be the best of his political orations . Using all the power of his eloquence, he demanded resolute action against Philip and called for a burst of energy from the Athenian people . He told them that it would be "better to die a thousand times than pay court to Philip". Demosthenes now dominated Athenian politics and was able to considerably weaken the pro-Macedonian faction of Aeschines . </P> <P> In 341 BC Demosthenes was sent to Byzantium, where he sought to renew its alliance with Athens . Thanks to Demosthenes' diplomatic manoeuvres, Abydos also entered into an alliance with Athens . These developments worried Philip and increased his anger at Demosthenes . The Assembly, however, laid aside Philip's grievances against Demosthenes' conduct and denounced the peace treaty; so doing, in effect, amounted to an official declaration of war . In 339 BC Philip made his last and most effective bid to conquer southern Greece, assisted by Aeschines' stance in the Amphictyonic Council . During a meeting of the Council, Philip accused the Amfissian Locrians of intruding on consecrated ground . The presiding officer of the Council, a Thessalian named Cottyphus, proposed the convocation of an Amphictyonic Congress to inflict a harsh punishment upon the Locrians . Aeschines agreed with this proposition and maintained that the Athenians should participate in the Congress . Demosthenes however reversed Aeschines' initiatives and Athens finally abstained . After the failure of a first military excursion against the Locrians, the summer session of the Amphictyonic Council gave command of the league's forces to Philip and asked him to lead a second excursion . Philip decided to act at once; in the winter of 339--338 BC, he passed through Thermopylae, entered Amfissa and defeated the Locrians . After this significant victory, Philip swiftly entered Phocis in 338 BC . He then turned south - east down the Cephissus valley, seized Elateia, and restored the fortifications of the city . </P>

He was a famous teacher who wanted his student to use reason to win arguments