Page:The geography of Strabo (1854) Volume 2.djvu/100

 92 STRABO. CASAUB. 400. from Sunium to Oropus, and Boeotia ; on the western side is the isthmus, and the Alcyonian sea commencing at Pagae and extending as far as the boundaries of Boeotia near Creusa, the remaining two sides are formed by the sea-shore from Sunium to the Isthmus, and the mountain tract nearly paral- lel with this, which separates Attica from Boeotia. The second belt is Boeotia, stretching from east to west from the Euboean sea to the Crissean Gulf, nearly of equal length with Attica, or perhaps somewhat less ; in quality of soil however it greatly surpasses Attica. 2. Ephorus declares the superiority of Boeotia over the bordering nations not only in this respect, but also because it alone has three seas adjoining it, and a great number of harbours. At the Crisaean and Corinthian Gulfs it received the commodities of Italy, Sicily, and Africa. Towards Eu- boea the sea-coast branches off on each side of the Euripus ; in one direction towards Aulis and Tanagrica, in the other, to Salganeus and Anthedon ; on one side there is an open sea to Egypt, and Cyprus, and the islands ; on the other to Macedonia, the Propontis, and the Hellespont. He adds also that Euboea is almost a part of Boeotia, because the Euripus is very narrow, and the opposite shores are brought into commu- nication by a bridge of two plethra in length. 1 For these reasons he praises the country, and says, that it has natural advantages for 'obtaining supreme command, but that from want of careful education and learning, even those who were from time to time at the head of affairs did not long maintain the ascendency they had acquired, as appears from the example of Epaminondas ; at his death the Thebans imme- diately lost the supremacy they had just acquired. This is to be attributed, says Ephorus, to their neglect of learning, and of intercourse with mankind, and to their exclusive cultiva- tion of military virtues. It must be added also, that learning and knowledge are peculiarly useful in dealing with Greeks, but in the case of Barbarians, force is preferable to reason. In fact the Romans in early times, when carrying on war with savage nations, did not require such accomplishments, but from the time that they began to be concerned in transac- tions with more civilized people, they applied themselves to learning, and so established universal dominion. 1 About 67 yards. See also b. x. ch. i. 8.