Page:History of Greece Vol VI.djvu/458

 4.36 HISTORY OF GREECE. it across completely from sea to sea : Pallene was therefore a quasi-island, not open to the aid of land-force from the continent, like the towns previously acquired by Brasidas. The Skionneans thus put themselves, without any foreign aid, into conflict against the whole force of Athens, bringing into question her empire not merely over continental towns, but over islands. Even to Brasidas himself their revolt appeared a step of astonishing boldness. On being received into the city," he con- vened a public assembly, and addressed to them the same lan- guage which he had employed at Akanthus and Torone, disavow- ing all party preferences as well as all interference with the internal politics of the town, and exhorting them only to unanimous efforts against the common enemy. He bestowed upon them at the same time the warmest praise for their courage. " They, though exposed to all hazards of islanders, had stood forward of their own accord to procure freedom, 1 without waiting like cowards to be driven on by a foreign force towards what was clearly their own good. He considered them capable of any measure of future heroism, if the danger now impending from Athens should be averted, and he should assign to them the very first post of honor among the faithful allies of Lacedaemon." This generous, straightforward, and animating tone of exhortation, appealing to the strongest political instinct of the Greek mind, the love of complete city au- tonomy, and coming from the lips of one whose whole conduct had hitherto been conformable to it, had proved highly efficacious in all the previous towns. But in Skione it roused the population to the highest pitch of enthusiasm : 2 it worked even upon the feelings of the dissentient minority, bringing them round to par- take heartily in the movement: it produced a unanimous and exalted confidence which made them look forward cheerfully to all the desperate chances in which they had engaged themselves ; and it produced at the same time, in still more unbounded mani- festation, the same personal attachment and admiration as Brasi- das inspired elsewhere. The Skionoeans not only voted to him publicly a golden crown, as the liberator of Greece, but when it 1 Thucyd. iv. 120. ovres oiide-j /J*o f] vqaiurai, etc. avrtf ndvrec auoiuf KOI olg Trporepov fir] ijptaKE ru, irpc 'ao/tcva, elc
 * Thucyd. iv, 121. Kal oi prv "Ztuuvaloi eTrr/ptiwadv re TOL< ?.6yoi(, KC