Page:History of Greece Vol VI.djvu/239

 SECOX> AND THIRD YEARS OF THE WAR. 217 Greek, cf Abdera; by whose mediation he had been made the ally, and his son Sadokus even a citizen, of Athens, and had been induced to promise that he would reconquer the Chalkidians of Thrace for the benefit of the Athenians, 1 his ancient kins- men, according to the mythe of Tereus as interpreted by both parties. At the same time, Perdikkas, king of Macedonia, had offended him by refusing to perform a promise made of giving him his sister in marriage, a promise made as consideration for the interference of Sitalkes and Nymphodorus in procuring for him peace with Athens, at a moment when he was much embarrassed by civil dissensions with his brother Philip. The latter prince, ruling in his own name, and seemingly independent of Perdikkas, over a portion of the Macedonians along the upper course of the Axius, had been expelled by his more powerful brother, and taken refuge with Sitalkes : he was now apparently dead, but his son Amyntas received from the Odrysian prince the promise of restoration. The Athenians had ambassadors resident with Sitalkes, and they sent Agnon as special envoy to concert arrangements for his march against the Chalkidians, with which an Athenian armament was destined to cooperate. In treating with Sitalkes, it was necessary to be liberal in presents, both to himself and to the subordinate chieftains who held power depend- ent upon him : nothing could be accomplished among the Thra- cians except by the aid of bribes, 2 and the Athenians were more 1 Xenophon, Anabas. vii, 2, 31 ; Thucyd. ii, 29; Aristophan, Aves, 366. Thucydides goes out of his way to refute this current belief; a curious exemplification of ancient legend applied to the convenience of present politics, 2 Thucyd. ii, 97. $6pof 6e IK iraGijs 1% 0apj3upov Kal TUV 'EMqviduv TroAeor, OGOV irpoarjt-av iirl Sevtfov, 6f varepov 2ira/Uou fiaaiTitiiaae TtfaiaTov 3)j jroi77(re, Terpanoaiuv Tahavruv paJuaTa 6vva/iif, a xpvab; Kal apyvpof elt] ' Kal 6upa oiiK ihaavu TOVTUV #pi7oi5 re Kal upyvpov irpoff$epTo, %vplc <5e baa vavra. re Kal ?ieia, Kal fj uUrj Karacr/ceuiy, Kal ov povov avT$ u?Jut Kal Tolf Trapa6vva<rrevovai KOI yevvaioie 'Otipvauv KareaTTjaavro yap rovvav- TIOV T% Tlepauv Paaifaia? TOV vbfMv, bvra fiev Kal roic ahXoif Qpat-l, Zaftfta- VELV fjXfi.ov % 6iS6vai, tal alff^iov rjv airii&evTa fit) dovvai % alrrjaavra pi) 6(tuf 6e Kara rd 6vva<r&ai fal TT/leov avrfi i^pTJaavTO ov yap rjt pa^ai ovdev prj tiidovra dupa hare errl fteya TI ftaoifaia ^AiJei/ h^vof. Thio universal necessity of presents and bribes may be seen illustrated - ''.e dealings )f Xenophon and the Cyreian army with the Thraciar VOL. VI. 10