Page:History of Greece Vol VII.djvu/35

17 HCEOTIANS AND AIEGARIANS. 17 communion of interest, not merely as being both neighbors and intense enemies of Attica, but as each having a body of dem ocratical exiles who might perhaps find encouragement at Argos. Discouraged by the resistance of these two important allies, the Corinthians hung back from visiting Argos, until they were pushed forward by a new accidental impulse, the application of the Eleians ; who, eagerly embracing the new project, sent en- voys first to conclude alliance with the Corinthians, and next to go on and enroll Elis as an ally of Argos. This incident so conjunction instead of KO.I before voptfrvref, since the tendency of the two motives indicated would then be in opposite directions. " The Boeotians, though despised by the Lacedaemonians, still thought a junction with the- Argeian democracy dangerous." And this is the sense which Haack actu- ally proposes, though it does great violence to the word KOI. Dr. Thirlwall and Dr. Arnold translate Trepiopufievoi " feeling themselves slighted ;" and the latter says, " The Boeotians and Megarians took neither side ; not the Lacedaemonian, for they felt that the Lacedaemonians had slighted them ; not the Argive, for they thought that the Argive democracy would suit them less than the constitution of Sparta." But this again puts an inadmissible meaning on j/av^a^ov, which means " stood as they were." The Boeotians were not called upon to choose between two sides or two positive schemes of action : they were invited to ally themselves with Argos, and this they decline doing : they prefer to remain as they are, allies of La- cedgemon, but refusing to become parties to the peace. Moreover, in the sense proposed by Dr. Arnold, we should surely find an adversative con junction in place of Ka't. I submit that the word -xepiopav does not necessarily mean " to slight or despise," but sometimes <: to leave alone, to take no notice of, to abstain from interfering." Thus, Thucyd. i, 24. 'Eniddiivioi KEfj.Trovaiv l-f TT/V Kep- Kvpav 7rpf<7 ; 3ex flf ciAA' eyyiif ovrac irepiopure, etc. The same is the sense of irepudeiv and Trepio^ca&ai, ii, 20. In all these passages there is no idea of contempt implied in the word : the " leaving alone." or " abstaining from interference," proceeds from feelings quite dif- ferent from contempt. So in the passage here before us, Trfpiopu/j.Evoi seems the passive participle in this sense. Thucydides, having just described an energetic remonstrance sent by the Spartans to prevent Corinth from joining Argos, means to inti- m:itc (by the words here in discussion) that no similar interference was re- sorted to by them to prevent the Boeotians and Megarians from joining her: " The Boeotians and Megarians remained as they were, left to themselves by the Lacedcemonians, and thinking the Argcian democracy less suitable to them than the oligarchy of Sparta." VOL. VII. 20C.