Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/86

 54 HISTORY OF GKEECE. Alexander, the art of war had been conspicuously progi'essive — to the sad detriment of Grecian political freedom. " Everj'thiug around us (says Demosthenes addressing the people of Athens in 342 B. c.,) has been in advance for some years past — nothing is like what it was formerly — but nowhere is the alteration and enlargement more conspicuous than in the affairs of war. For- merly, the Lacedaemonians as well as other Greeks did nothing more than invade each other's territory, during the four or five summer months, with their native force of citizen hoplites : in winter they stayed at home. But now we see Philip in constant action, winter as well as summer, attacking all around him, not merely with Macedonian hoplites, but with cavalry, light infan- try, bowmen, foreigners of all descriptions, and siege-batteries."^ I have in my last two volumes, dwelt upon this progressive change in the character of Grecian soldiership. At Athens, and in most other parts of Greece, the burghers had become averse to hard and active military service. The use of arms had passed mainly to professional soldiers, who, without any feeling of citi- zenship, served wherever good pay was offered, and became im- mensely multiplied, to the detriment and danger of Grecian soci- ety .2 Many of these mercenaries were lightly armed — peltftsts served in combination with the hoplites.^ Iphikrates greatly im- proved and partly re-armed the peltasts ; whom he employed conjointly with hoplites so effectively as to astonish his contem- poraries.* His innovation was farther developed by the great ' Demosth. Philipp. iii. p. 123, 124: compare Olynth. ii. p. 22. I give here the substance of what is said by the orator, not strictly adhering to his words. these mercenaries — men without regular means of subsistence, or fixed residence, or civic obligations. Or. iv. (Panegyr.) s. 195; Or. v. (Philip- pus), s. 112-142; Or. viii. (De Pace), s. 31-56. ' Xenoph. Magist. Equit. ix. 4. 016a 6' eyo) Kal Aanedaifiovioi^ to 'nrni- Kov upiu/j.€vov evdoKi/xelv, eitel ^evovc Inniag TrpoaiTiajSov Kat tv rale uXXaig ■7T67i£Ci navraxov to, ^evlku bpu EvdoKiftovvra. Compare Demosth. Philippic, i. p. 46; Xenoph. Hellenic, iv. 4, 14; Isok- rates, Orat. vii. (Areopagit.), s. 93. Iphikrates, see Vol. IX. Ch. Ixxv. p. 335 of this History. Kespecting these improvements, the statements both of Diodorus (xv. 44) and of Nepos are
 * Isokrates, in several of his discourses, notes the gradual increase of
 * For an explanation of the improved arming of peltasts introduced by