Page:History of Greece Vol V.djvu/343

Rh maritime power of Athens, and the union of land-force under Sparta : and Kimon could still treat both of these phenomena as coexisting necessities of Hellenic well-being. Though no way distinguished as a speaker, he carried with him the Athenian assembly by appealing to a large and generous patriotism, which forbade them to permit the humiliation of Sparta. "Consent not to see Hellas lamed of one leg, and Athens drawing without her yoke-fellow;" such was his language, as we learn from his friend and companion, the Chian poet Ion: and in the lips of Kimon it proved effective. It is a speech of almost melancholy interest, since ninety years passed over before such an appeal was ever again addressed to an Athenian assembly. The despatch of the auxiliaries was thus dictated by a generous sentiment, to the disregard of what might seem political prudence: and we may imagine the violent reaction which took place in Athenian feeling, when the Lacedaemonians repaid them by singling out their troops from all the other allies as objects of insulting suspicion,—we may imagine the triumph of Perikles and Ephialtes, who had opposed the mission,—and the vast loss of influence to Kimon, who had brought it about,—when Athens received again into her public assemblies the hoplites sent back from Ithome.

Both in the internal constitution, indeed,—of which more presently,—and in the external policy' of Athens, the dismissal of these soldiers was pregnant with results. The Athenians immediately passed a formal resolution to renounce the alliance between themselves and Lacedaemon against the Persians. They did more: they looked out for land enemies of Lacedaemon, with whom to ally themselves. Of these by far the first, both in Hellenic rank and in real power, was Argos. That city, neutral during the Persian invasion, had now recovered from the effects of the destructive defeat suffered about thirty years before from the Spartan king Kleomenes : the sons of the ancient citizens had grown to manhood, and the temporary predominance of the Pe-