Page:History of Greece Vol V.djvu/281

 GRECIAN AFFAIES AFTER THE PERSIAN INVASION 257 dition, Aristeides and Kimon, were personally just and conciliat- ing, forming a striking contrast with Pausanias. Hence the Ionic Greeks in the fleet, Avhen they found that the behavior of the latter was not only oppressive towards themselves but also revolting to Grecian sentiment generally, addressed themselves to the Athenian commanders for protection and redress, on the plausible ground of kindred race ; i entreating to be allowed to serve under Athens as leader instead of Sparta. Plutarch tells us that Aristeides not only tried to remonstrate with Pausanias, who repelled him with arrogance, — which is exceedingly proba- ble, — but that he also required, as a condition of his compli- ance with the request of the Ionic allies, that they should person- ally insult Pausanias, so as to make reconciliation impracticable : upon which a Saraian and a Chian captain deliberately attacked and damaged the Spartan admiral-ship in the harbor of Byzan- tium.2 The historians from whom Plutarch copied this latter statement must have presumed in the Athenians a disposition to provoke that quarrel with Sparta which afterwards sprung up as it were spontaneously : but the Athenians had no interest in doing so, nor can we credit the story. — which is, moieover, unnoticed by Thucydides. To give the Spartans a just ground of indignation, would have been glaring imprudence on the part of Aristeides : but he had every motive to entertain the request of the allies, and he began to take his measures for acting as their protector and chief. And his proceedings were much facil- itated by the circumstance that the Spartan government about this time recalled Pausanias to undergo an examination, in con- sequence of the universal complaints against him which had reached them. He seems to have left no Spartan authority behind him, — even the small Spartan squadron accompanied him home : so that the Athenian generals had the best opportu- nity for insuring to themselves and exercising that command •which the allies besought them to undertake. So effectually did they improve the moment, that when Dorkis arrived to replace Pausanias, they were already in full supremacy ; while Dorkis, ' Thucyd. i, 95. tj^Iovv aiirovg r/ye/xovai ac^iCiv yevia^ai Kara to ^v/yevif Kal llavaavia /if) in-irpiTreiv fjv rcov fiui^rirat. VOL. V 17oc.
 * Plutarch, Aiisteidcs, c. 23