Phocion, Disciple to Plato & Xenocrates, one of the chiefe gouernours of the citie of Athens, a man of suche wonderfull grauitie and constancie, that hee was not lightlye seene to chaunge his countenaunce, either to laugh or to mourne, nor to haue his handes out of his habite, except in warre: and when he was in the countrey hee went alwaye barefooted, except it were in the colde winter, whereof there was no better token, than to see Phocion go shodde. His speeche was shorte, graue, dehement, and full of quicke sentences: and therefore the most eloquent Oratour Demosthenes called him the hatchet that did cut of his wordes. Hee was of such a constancie, that where Apollo at Delphos made aunswere, that one man in Athens was of a contrarye opinion to all the Citie: wh that was reported, Phocion rose vp and sayde: Leaue Countreymen to search whome your God meaneth: for I am that one man whome nothing lyketh, which is now done in the common weale of this Cicie. When he had made an Oration to the people, and they praising him consented to him, hee turned to them that were next him, and sayd: Alas what haue I done, I feare least some foolish worde hath escaped me vnwares: signifiing, that the people seldome allowed anye thing that was good, or not foolish. On a time when he reasoned contrarye to the minde of the people, wherefore they murmured and would haue let him: It is at your pleasure conntreymen, sayd he, to compell me to doe that that I would not, but to speake otherwise than I thinke, that no man liuing cã cause me. He was so renerend a personage, that the greate King Alexander, in the beginning of his letters after he had vanquished Darius, saluted no man but him and Antipater. He refused insinite treasure offred him by Alexander, and although he had bene the generall Captayne of the Athenians in sundrie warres, and honourably atchieued his enterprises, yet was he best content to liue poorely. Fynallye, he was of his vnkinde Countreymen condemned to death, whereto he went with the same countenaunce that hee had in authoritie. When one, whiche was condemned with him, lamented and feared to dye, Phocion turning to him, sayde: why, art thou not glad that thou shalt die with Phocion: And when one of his friendes asked him, if he would any thing to his sonne: I woulde (sayde hee) that snthe wrong as the Athenians doe to me, hee shonlde not remember. What a wonderfull word of a paynim was this? Who followed Christes doctrine ere Christe was borne 333. yeares.
Lewis and Short: Latin dictionary
Phōcĭon, ōnis, m., = *fwki/wn, an Athenian general, a contemporary of Demosthenes, whose life is written by Nepos.