Page:The Ancient City- A Study on the Religion, Laws, and Institutions of Greece and Rome.djvu/190

 184 THE CITY. BOOK TIX. Pausanias travelled in Greece about Adrian's time. In Messenia he had the priests describe to liim the foundation of the city of Messene, and he has trans- mitted this account to us.' This event was not very ancient; it took place in the time of Epaminondas. Three centuries before, the Messeuians had been driven from their country, and since that time they had lived dispersed among the other Greeks, without a country, but preserving their customs and their national religion with pious care. The Thebans wished to restore them to Peloponnesus, in order to place an enemy on the flank of the Spartans ; but the most difficult thing was to persuade the Messenians. Epaminondas, having superstitious men to deal with, thought it his duty to circulate an oracle predicting for this peoj^le a return to their former country. Miraculous apparitions proved to them that their gods, who had betrayed them at the time of the conquest, had again become favorable. This timid people then decided to return to the Pelo- ponnesus in the train of a Theban army. But the question was, where a city should be built ; for it would not do to think of re-occupying the old cities of the country : they had been soiled by the conquest. To choose the place where they should establish them- selves, they could not have recourse to the Delphian oracle, for at this time the Pythia was favorable to the Spartans. Fortunately, the gods had other methods of revealing their will. A Messenian priest had a dream, in which one of the gods of his nation appeared and directed him to take his station on Mount Ithome, and invite the people to follow him there. The site of the new city was thus indicated, but it was still neces- ' Pausanias, IV. 27.