Page:History of Greece Vol VI.djvu/406

 S84 HISTORY OF GREECE. homeward from Delium. Contingents had arrived, not only from Thebes and its dependent townships around, but also from Ilaliartus, Koroneia, Orchomenus, Kopae, and Thespiae : that of Tanagra joined on the spot. The government of the Boeotian confederacy at this time was vested in eleven boeotarchs, two chosen from Thebes, the rest in unknown proportion by the other cities, immediate members of the confederacy, and in four senates, or councils, the constitution of which is not known. Though all the boeotarchs, now assembled at Tanagra, formed a sort of council of war, yet the supreme command was vested in Pagondas and Aranthides, the boeotarchs from Thebes ; either in Pagondas as the senior of the two, or perhaps in both, alter- nating with each other day by day. 1 As the Athenians were evidently in full retreat, and had already passed the border, all the other boeotarchs, except Pagondas, were unwilling to hazard a battle 9 on soil not Boeotian, and were disposed to let them return home without obstruction. Such reluctance is not surpris- ing, when we reflect that the chances of defeat were considerable, and that probably some of these boeotarchs were afraid of the increased power which a victory would lend to the oppressive tendencies of Thebes. But Pagondas strenuously opposed this proposition, and carried the soldiers of the various cities along with him, even in opposition to the sentiments of their separate leaders, in favor of immediately fighting. He called them apart and addressed them by separate divisions, in order that all might 1 Thucyd. iv, 93 ; v, 38. Akrsephiae may probably be considered as either a dependency of Thebes, or included in the general expression of Thucy- dides, after the word Kuirairie ol nepl rqv MIJLVIJV. Anthedon and Lcba- deia, which are recognized as separate autonomous townships in various Boeotian inscriptions, are not here named in Thucydides. But there is no certain evidence respecting the number of immediate members of the Boeo- tian confederacy : compare the various conjectures in Boeckh. ad Corp. Inscript. torn, i, p. 727 ; O. Miiller, Orchomenus, p. 402 ; Kruse, Hellas, torn, ii, p. 548. 2 Thucyd. iv, 91. TUV ulikuv 'Boiurapxuv, ol elatv ZvdsKa, ov %vve- iraivovvruv [tdxecrdai, etc. The use of the present tense elaiv marks the number eleven as that of aR the basotardis; at this time, according to Bojckli's opinion, ad Corp Inseript. i, vol. i, p. 729. The number, however, appears to have teen variable.