While the evil-communication phrase in Menander probably concerned the effect of a courtesan’s words on a young man’s relationship with his father, its field of application expanded over the next few centuries to encompass prominent leaders using artful verbal appeals to gain control of cities. The historian Diodorus of Sicily, writing about 50 BCE, described Philip II, King of Macedon and father of Alexander the Great, as a master at inducing treason. Diodorus described Philip’s tactics for conquering Greek cities:

Having…distributed a sum of money to men of influence in the cities, he gained many tools ready to betray their countries. Indeed he was wont to declare that it was far more by the use of gold than of arms that he had enlarged his kingdom.^

A leading Athenian orator of the time, Demosthenes, described the men who responded to such appeals as “the most abundant crop of traitorous, venal, and profligate politicians ever known within the memory of mankind.”^ Diodorus described the effects of Philip’s tactics with a clear allusion to Menander’s evil-communication phrase:

So, organizing bands of traitors in the several cities by means of bribes and calling those who accepted his gold “guests” and “friends,” by his evil communication he corrupted the morals {manners} of the people.^

Diodorus thus seems to have understood the evil-communication phrase to concern tactics of persuasion among political leaders. Tactics of persuasion that he considered morally bad corrupted the practice of friendship and led to the overthrow of cities.