 By 12 July the news that Philip was "in the gates" arrived in Athens; the Athenians then knew that the situation was hopeless, and instead of acting on the previous recommendation of the council, the Assembly instead passed a motion re-affirming the Peace of Philocrates.Demosthenes was one of those who recommended this stance.His argumentation, exposed in the oration "On the Peace", was based on the fact that Athens was not ready for a war against all the other members of the League led by Philip.