Page:History of Greece Vol VI.djvu/249

 FOURTH YEAR OF THE WAR -RE VOLT OF MITYLENE. 227 by her with marked honor ; l and that, too, during a long period of peace, during which she stood less in awe of her allies gener- ally, and would have had much more facility in realizing any harsh purposes towards them, than she could possibly enjoy now that the war had broken out, when their discontents would be likely to find powerful protectors. 2 According to his own show- ing, the Mitylenaeans, while they had been perfectly well treated by Athens during the past, had now acquired, by the mere fact of war, increased security for continuance of the like treatment during the future. It is upon this ground of security for the future, nevertheless, that he rests the justification of the revolt, not pretending to have any subject of positive complaint. The Mitylenaeans, he contends, could have no prospective security against Athens : for she had successively and systematically brought into slavery all her allies, except Lesbos and Chios, though all had originally been upon an equal footing : and there WAS every reason for fearing that she would take the first conve- jient opportunity of reducing the two last remaining to the same level, the rather as their position was now one of privilege and exception, offensive to her imperial pride and exaggerated ascendency. It had hitherto suited the policy of Athens to leave these two exceptions, as a proof that the other allies had justly incurred their fate, since otherwise Lesbos and Chios, having equal votes, would not have joined forces in reducing them : 3 but 1 Thucyd. iii, 10. pr/de rw e/pouf 66!;u[tev elvai, el iv ry elpf/vy ri- Ituptvoi {ITT* avruv ii> ro2f deivolf a(j>iaru/j.da. The language in which the Mitylenaean envoys describe the treatment which their city had received from Athens, is substantially as strong as that which Kleon uses afterwards in his speech at Athens, when he re- proaches them with their ingratitude, Kleon says (iii, 39), avTovofioi re OlKOVVTtf, KO.I TlUU/J.VOl f TU 7T p U T a V  ' V fj. U V, TOiaVTCL tlpYU.- aavro, etc. 2 Thucyd. iii, 12. ov [IEVTOL inl irolv y' uv idonov/iev dvvijdijvai (Trept- yiyvea&ai), el pr) 6 n6fa{j.of ode Karsarj], irapaSeiypaai xpupevoi TOIQ kg roi), Ttf ovv avrr/ ?/ tyikia eyiyvtro % ihevdepla mart/, ev y Trapd yvw^t redexfifie&a, nal ol JJLEV yftuf tv r n-o/le//^ dedwref i&ep j^uctf 6e kKeivovf tv TTJ tjcru^ia rb avTd i-rroiovfisv. 3 Thucyd. iii, 11. Avrbvofioi de e%.Ei-&Tj[iEv ov 61' iM.o ri f/ daov Ef rriv upxt/v evTTperceia re hoyov, Kal yvufirig /ia/lAov tyodu fj ra l(j>ah>fTO KaTa^rjTrru. 'p.a ftsv yap papTvpiu ^pwvro, pr) at