Page:Plutarch's Lives (Clough, v.5, 1865).djvu/451

 ARTAXERXES. 443 that his skill wanted power, and that the king's power wanted a wise man to guide it, he sent him an account by letter of his projects, and charged the bearer to hand it to the king, if possible, by the mediation of Zeno the Cretan or Polycritus the Mendoean (the former being a dancing-master, the latter a physician), or, in the absence of them both, by Ctesias ; who is said to have taken Co- non's letter, and foisted into the contents of it a request, that the king would also be pleased to send over Ctesias to him, who was likely to be of use on the sea-coast. Ctesias, however, declares that the king, of his own accord, deputed him to this sex-vice. Artaxerxes, however, de- feating the Lacedasmonians in a sea-fight at Cnidos, under the conduct of Pharnabazus and Conon, after he had stripped them of their sovereignty by sea, at the same time, brought, so to say, the whole of Greece over to him, so that upon his own terms he dictated the celebrated peace among them, styled the peace of Antalcidas. This Antalcidas was a Spartan, the son of one Leon, who, acting for the king's interest, induced the Lacedtemonians to covenant to let all the Greek cities in Asia and the islands adjacent to it become subject and tributary to him, peace being upon these conditions established among the Greeks, if indeed the honoi'able name of peace can fairly be given to what was in foct the disgrace and betrayal of Greece. a treaty more inglorious than had ever been the result of any war to those defeated in it. And therefore Artaxerxes, though always abomina- ting other Spartans, and looking upon them, as Dinon says, to be the most impudent men living, gave wonder- ful honor to Antalcidas when he came to him into Persia; so much so that one day, taking a garland of flowers and dipping it in the most precious ointment, he sent it to him after supper, a favor which all were amazed at. Indeed he was a person fit to be thus