Page:History of Greece Vol V.djvu/269

 GRECIAN AFFiMRS AFTER THE PERSIAN INVASION. 245 had been long enough to provoke suspicion, even in the slow mind of the Spartans, while the more watchful ^ginetans sent them positive intelligence that the wall was rapidly advancing. Themistokles, on hearing this allegation, peremptorily denied the truth of it ; and the personal esteem entertained towards him was at that time so great, that his assurance ' obtained for some time unqualified credit, until fresh messengers again raised suspicions in the minds of the Spartans. In reply to these, Themistokles urged the ephors to send envoys of their own to Athens, and thus convince themselves of the state of the facts. They unsus- pectingly acted upon his recommendation, while he at the same time transmitted a private communication to Athens, desiring that the envoys might not be suflfered to depart until the safe return of himself and his colleagues, which he feared might be denied them when his trick came to be divulged. Aristeides and Abronichus had now arrived, — the wall was announced to be of a height at least above contempt, — and Themistokles at once threw off the mask : he avowed the stratagem practised, — told the Spartans that Athens was already fortified sufficiently to insure the safety and free will of its inhabitants, — and warned them that the hour of constraint was now past, the Athenians being in a condition to define and vindicate for themselves theii own rights and duties in reference to Sparta and the allies. He reminded them that the Athenians had always been found compe tent to judge for themselves, whether in joint consultation, or in any separate affair, such as the momentous crisis of abandoning their city and taking to their ships : they had now, in the exer- cise of this self-judgment, resolved upon fortifying their ciiy, as a step indispensable to themselves and advantageous even to the allies generally. Nor could there be any equal or fair inter- change of opinion unless all the allies had equal means of defence : either all must be unfortified, or Athens must be forti- fied as well as the rest.2 Mortified as the Spartans were by a revelation which showed that they had been not only detected in a dishonest purpose, but ' Thucyd. i, 91. tCi fiiv QefitdroK/.ei knel-dovro Sia (j>i?.iav ai'TOV. T* ij laov EC T Koivuv iiovTievEa&ai. "H navTar ovv uTEixioTovg Hv XP^'^^ iVftftax^iv ^ Kal rude vofil'^ecv opiSiif ex^iv
 * Thucyd. i, 91. Ov yiip olov re tlvac /j.f/ utto uvTiTru?.ov napaaKev^c dfiotov