Page:History of Greece Vol IX.djvu/199

 GOOD HUNTING GROUNDS. 177 in repair out of the remainder. Should any one omit this duty the goddess herself will take the omission in hand." J Immediately near the chapel was an orchard of every descrip lion of fruit-trees, while the estate around comprised an extensive range of meadow, woodland, and mountain, with the still loftier mountain called Pholoe adjoining. There was thus abundant pas- ture for horses, oxen, sheep, etc., and excellent hunting-ground near for deer and other game ; advantages not to be found near the Artemision at Ephesus. Residing hard by on his own pro- perty. allotted to him by the Lacedaemonians, Xenophon superin- tended this estate as steward for the goddess ; looking perhaps to the sanctity of her name for protection from disturbance by the Eleians, who viewed with a jealous eye the Lacedaemonian 2 set- tlers at Skillus, and protested against the peace and convention promoted by Athens after the battle of Leuktra, because it recog- nized that place, along with the townships of Triphylia, as auto- nomous. Every year he made a splendid sacrifice, from the tithe of all the fruits of the property ; to which solemnity not only all the Skilluntines, but also all the neighboring villages, were invited. Booths were erected for the visitors, to whom the goddess fur- nished (this is the language of Xenophon) an ample dinner of barley-meal, wheaten loaves, meat, game, and sweetmeats ; 3 the game being provided by a general hunt, which the sons of Xen- ophon conducted, and in which all the neighbors took part if they chose. The produce of the estate, saving this tithe and subject to the obligation of keeping the holy building in repair, was en- joyed by Xenophon himself. He had a keen relish for both hunting and horsemanship, and was among the first authors, so far as we know, who ever made these pursuits, with the manage- ment of horses and dogs, the subject of rational study and descrip- tion. Such was the use to which Xenophon applied the tithe voted 1 Xen. Anab, v, 3, 13. Kai, OT^ATJ ICTTJKE irapa TOV vanv, -ypapftara l%ao- aa 'lepdf 6 XtJpof rr/f Apre/u<5of TOV 6e %ovra nal KapnovfiEvov TTJV dcKUTijv Karadveiv indarov erovf, EK 6e TOV nepiTTOV TOV vabv em tuv 6i Ttf [IT/ T;OITJ TaiJTa, ry $e'.Ta, up olvov, Tpa.jfifj.a-a, etc. VOL. ix. 8* 12oo.
 * Xen. Hellen. vi, 5, 2.