Page:History of Greece Vol X.djvu/349

 SENTIMENTS OF THE THEBAKS. 327 they) march into our country when we desire them not to come ? For what other purpose, except to do us mischief ? to make us do mischief to each other, in order that both parties may stand in need of them ? to enfeeble Peloponnesus as much as possible, in order that they may hold it the more easily in slavery ? " l Such is the language which Xenophon repeats, with a sympathy plainly evincing his philo-Laconian bias. For when we follow the facts as he himself narrates them, we shall find them much more in harmony with the reproaches which he puts into the mouth of Epaminondas. Epaminondas had first marched into Peloponnesus (in 369 B. c.) at the request of both Arcadians and Eleians, for the purpose of protecting them against Sparta. He had been the first to give strength and dignity to the Arcadians, by organizing them into a political aggregate, and by forming a strong frontier for them against Sparta, in Messene and Megalo- polis. When thus organized, the Arcadians had manifested both jealousy of Thebes, and incompetence to act wisely for themselves. They had caused the reversal of the gentle and politic measures adopted by Epaminondas towards the Achaean cities, whom they had thus thrown again into the arms of Sparta. They had, of their own accord, taken up the war against Elis and the mischiev- ous encroachment at Olympia. On the other hand, the Thebans had not marched into Peloponnesus since 367 B. c. an interval now of nearly five years. They had tried to persuade the Arca- dians to accept the Persian rescript, and to desist from the idea of alliance with Athens ; but when refused, they had made no attempt to carry either of these points by force. Epaminondas had a fair right now to complain of them for having made peace with Elis and Achaia, the friends and allies of Sparta, without any consultation with Thebes. He probably believed that there had been a real plot to betray Tegea to the Lacedaemonians, as one fruit of this treacherous peace ; and he saw plainly that the maintenance of the frontier line against Sparta, Tegea, Megal- opolis, and Messene, could no longer be assured without a new Thebaii invasion. This appears to me the reasonable estimate of the situation in Peloponnesus, in June 362 B. c. immediately before the last in- vasion of Epaminondas. We cannot trust the unfavorable judg 1 Xcn. Hellcn. vii, 5, 2, ,'i.