Page:History of Greece Vol XI.djvu/275

 SEIZURE OF THE TEMPLE. 24D presidency, against past wrongful usurpation ; that they were pre- pared to give any security required by the Hellenic body, for strict preservation of the valuables in the temple, and to ex- hibit and verify all, by weight and number, before examiners ; that conscious of their own rectitude of purpose, they did not hesi- tate to entreat positive support against their enemies, or at any rate, neutrality. 1 The answers sent to Philomelus were not all of the same tenor. On this memorable event, the sentiments of the Grecian world were painfully divided. While Athens, Spar- ta, the Peloponnesian Achseans and some other states in Pelopon- nesus, recognized the possession of the Phokians, and agreed to assist them in retaining it, the Thebans and Thessalians de- 1 Didorus xvi. 27. 'Ofioiuf 6e Kal npbf ruf ilMas rue Kara T'II> 'EA/lada noheuv uTcearei^ev, airo'koyov[ivo<;, OTI /caretA??7rrat roijf oil role lepoif xPW aolv k'Kifiov'kevuv, u/U,a TTJC TOV Ispnv irpoara- tcflriTuv elvai yap Quneuv aiiTrjv Ifiiav EV TOI? . Tuv 6e %prifi.u,Tuv rdv "kdyov ET/ iruai T iv, Kal TOV TE arad/ibv Kal rbv upid/ibv TUV uva^riftdruv EToipoe elvat irapadidovat roZf (3ov7iO/j,svoif E^ETU^CLV. 'H^iov 6s, av Tif 61' i%~Spctv // fy-dbvov TroA.efj.Ti QuKevai, [tufaa-a fiev vfipa%eiv, el de fi^i -ye, T}/V f/auxiav uyeiv. In reference to the engagement taken by Philomelas, that he would ex- hibit and verify, before any general Hellenic examiners, all the valuable property in the Delphian temple, by weight and number of articles tho reader will find interesting matter of comparison in the Attic Inscriptions. No. 137-142, vol. i. of Boeckh's Corpus Inscriptt. Graecarum with Boekh't/ valuable commentary. These are the records of the numerous gold an^ silver donatives, preserved in the Parthenon, handed over by the treasurers! of the goddess annually appointed, to their successors at the end of the year, from one Panathenaic festival to the next. The weight of each arti- cle is formally recorded, and the new articles received each year (tTreTeia.) are specified. Where an article is transferred without being weighed (a jra$//ov), the fact is noticed. That the precious donatives in the Del- phian temple also, were carefully weighed, we may judge by the statement of Herodotus, that the golden lion dedicated by KTOSUS had lost a fraction of its weight vn the conflagration of the building (Herodot. i. 50). Pausanias (x. 2, 1) does not advert to the difference between the first and the second part of the proceedings of Philomelus ; first, the seizure of the temple, without any spoliation of the treasure, but simply upon the plea that the Phokians had the best right to administer its affairs ; next, tha seizure of the treasure and donatives of the temple which he c-aroa v> afterwards, wl en he found it necessary for defence.