Page:History of Greece Vol X.djvu/372

 30 HISTORY OF GREECE. so paralysing to the victorious soldiers on the field of Mantinea, was felt with equal acuteness, and with an effect not less depress- ing, in the senate-house and market-place of Thebes. The city, the citizen-soldiers, and the allies, would be alike impressed with the mournful conviction, that the dying injunction of Epaminon- das must be executed. Accordingly, negotiations were opened, and peace was concluded, probably at once, before the army left Peloponnesus. The Thebans and their Arcadian allies exacted nothing mere than the recognition of the statu quo ; to leave everything exactly as it was, without any change or reactionary measure, yet admitting Megalopolis, with the Pan-Arcadian con- stitution attached to it, and admitting also Messene as an inde- pendent city. Against this last article Sparta loudly and peremp- torily protested. But not one of her allies sympathized with her feelings. Some, indeed, were decidedly against her ; to such a degree, that we find the maintenance of independent Messene against Sparta ranking shortly afterwards as an admitted principle in Athenian foreign politics. 1 Neither Athenians, nor Eleians, nor Arcadians, desired to see Sparta strengthened. None had any interest in prolonging the war, with prospects doubtful to eveiy one ; while all wished to see the large armies now in Ar- cadia dismissed. Accordingly, the peace was sworn to on these jonditions, and the autonomy of Messene guaranteed, by all, ex- cept the Spartans ; who alone stood out, keeping themselves with- out friends or auxiliaries, in the hope for better times, rather than submit to what they considered as an intolerable degra- dation. 2 Under these conditions, the armies on both sides retired. Xeno- phon is right in saying, that neither party gained anything, either city, territory, or dominion ; though before the battle, considering 1 See the oration of Demosthenes on behalf of the Megalopolitans (Orat. xvi, s. 10, p. 204 ; s. 21. p. 206). 2 Plutarch, Agesilaus, c. 35 ; Diof'.or. xv, 89 ; Polybius, iv, 33. Mr. Fynes Clinton (Fasti Hellen. B. c. 361) assigns the conclusion of peace to the succeeding year. I do not know however what ground there is for assuming such an interval between the battle and the peace. Diodo- rus appears *:> place the latter immediately after the former. This would not count for much, indeed, against any considerable counter-probability ; but the probability here (in my judgment) is rather in favor of immediate seauence between the two events.