The history of the world

§. IX. The base conditions offered vnto the Persian by the Lacedaemonians. Of sundrie fights and other passages in the warre. The peace of ANTALCIDAS.

ABout this time the Spartans beganne to perceiue how vneasie a thing it [unspec 50] would bee, to maintaine the warre against men as good as themselues, assisted with the treasures of Persia: wherefore they craued peace of Artaxerxes, most basely offering, not only to renounce the Greekes in∣habiting

Asia, & to leaue them to the Kings disposition, but withall to set the Ilan∣ders, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Towne in Greece, as well the little as the great, at full and absolute libertic whereby they said that all the principal Estates of their Countrie would so be weakened, that no one, nor all of them should be able to stirre against the great King. And sure it was, that the power of the Countrie being so broken, and rent into many small pieces, could neither haue 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the Persian, by an offensiue warre, nor haue made any good defence against him, but would haue left it easie for him in continuance of time, to haue taken the Cities one after another, till he had made himselfe Master of all. The Spartans were not ignorant of this, but were so carried with enuie, that perceiuing how the dominion of the Seas was like to re∣turne [unspec 10] to Athens, they chose rather to giue all from themselues and others, and make all a-like weake; than to permit that any of their owne Nation should grow stron∣ger than themselues, who so lately had commanded all. Yet this great offer was not at the first accepted, both in regard that the other Estates of Greece, who had in the Kings behalfe ioyned together against the 〈◊〉〈◊〉, did by their seuerall Em∣bassadours oppose themselues vnto it, and for that it was thought safest for Ar∣taxerxes, rather to weaken the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 yet more, than by interposing himself to bring friends and foes on the suddaine to an equalitie. Especially Struthas, whom Artaxerxes did send as his Lieutenant into the low-Countries, did seeke to repay the harme done by 〈◊〉〈◊〉 in those parts: which his intent appearing plaine, and [unspec 20] all hope of the peace being thereby cut off; Thimbro was sent into Asia to make war vpon Struthas; and others were appointed to other places, whereby the warre, be∣ing scattered about, all the Iles and Townes on the firme Land grew almost to the manner of piracie and robberie, affording many skirmishes, but few great actions worthie of remembrance. Thimbro was slaine by Struthas, and in his place Diphri∣das was sent who demeaned him selfe more warily. Dircyllidas was remoued from his charge at Abydus, because he had not impeached Thrasybulus in his enterprises a∣bout Hellespont; Anaxibius, who succeeded him, was surprised and slaine in a skir∣mish by Iphierates the Athenian. Thrasybulus, departing from Lesbos toward Rhodes, was slaine by the way at Aspendus. The Citie of Rhodes had long before ioined [unspec 30] with the 〈◊〉〈◊〉, who erected there (as was their manner) an Aristocratie, or the Gouernment of a few the principall Citizens, where as contrariwise the Athe∣nians were accustomed to put the Soueraignetie into the hands of the people, each of them seeking to assure themselues, by erecting in the Townes of their Confede∣rates a Gouernment like vnto their owne: which doing (where more especiall cause did not hinder) caused the Nobilitie to fauour Sparta, and the Commons to encline to Athens. The people of Aegina roued vpon the coast of Attica, which caused the Athenians to land an Armie in Aegina, and besiege their towne: but this siege be∣ing raised by the assistance of the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 fleet, the Ilanders beganne a-new to molest Attica, which caused the Athenians to man their ships againe, that returned [unspec 40] beaten, hauing lost foure of thirteene. The losse of these ships was soone recom∣pensed by a victory which Chabrias the Athenian General had in Aegina, whereup∣on the Ilanders were faine to keepe home, and leaue to the Athenians the Seas free. It may well seeme strange that the Citie of Athens, hauing but newly raised her walls; hauing not by any fortunate and important battaile secured her estate from dangers by land; but onely depending vpon the assistance of such Confederates, as carried vnto different ends, had often discouered themselues irresolute in the com∣mon cause; would send a fleet and an Armie to Cyprus, in defence of Euagoras, when the mastry of the Seas, was so ill assured, that an Iland lying in the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉〈◊〉, had abilitie to vexe the coast of Attica. But as the ouer-weaning of that Citie did cause [unspec 50] it vsually to embrace more then it could compasse; so the insolencie and shamelesse iniustice of the people, had now bred in the chiefe Commanders, a desire to keepe themselues farre out of sight, and to seeke emploiments at such distance as might se∣cure them from the eies of the enuious, and from publike iudgements, out of which

few or none escaped. For which cause Timotheus did passe away much part of his time in the Isle of Lesbos; Iphicrates in Thrace; and Chabrias now did carrie away in∣to Cyprus a greater force than his Countrie well could haue spared, with which he returned not when the businesse in Cyprus came to an end, but sought new aduen∣tures in Aegypt, whereby arose neither thankes to himselfe, nor profit to his Citie, though honour both to him and it. The Athenians being thus carelesse of things at hand, had a notable blow giuen vnto them, shortly after that Chabrias was gone to Cyprus, euen within their owne Hauen. For Teleutias, a Lacedaemonian, being made Gouernour of Aegina, conceiued a strong hope of surprising the Nauie of Athens, as it lay in Piraeus; thinking a-right that it was an harder matter to encounter with [unspec 10] ten ships prepared for the fight, than with twentie lying in harbour, whose Mari∣ners were asleepe in their Cabbins, or drinking in Tauernes. Wherefore he failed by night vnto the mouth of the Port, which entring at the breake of day, hee found (according to his expectation) most of the men on shore, & few or none left aboord to make resistance: by which meanes hee tooke many ships laden with marchan∣dizes, many fisher-men, passengers, and other Vessels, also three or foure Gallies, hauing sunke or broken, and made vnseruiccable, as many of the rest as the time would suffer. About this time Pharnabazus, the Lieutenant of Phrygia, had one of the Kings Daughters giuen to him in marriage, with whom hee liued about the Court; and many Officers that fauoured the Lacedaemonians were placed in the [unspec 20] lower Asia; by whose assistance, the fleet of Sparta grew victorious about Hellespont; in such wise, that perhaps they should not haue needed the peace, which they themselues procured by Antalcidas, from the great King, the conditions whereof were such as are mentioned before, giuing freedome to all the Cities of Greece, and diuiding the Countrie into as many seuerall States as there were pettie Boroughs in it. Thus Artaxerxes hauing bought his owne peace with money, did likewise by his money become arbitrator & decider of Controuersies betweene the Greekes, disposing of their businesse in such wise as stood best with his owne good. The 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of Artaxerxes his decree was, That all Asia and Cyprus should be his owne; the Iles of Lemnos, Imbrus, and Scirus be subject to Athens; all other Greeke Townes, as [unspec 30] well the little as the great, be set at libertie; and that whosoeuer should refuse this peace, vpon them the approuers of it should make warre, the King assisting them by Land and Sea, with men, and ships, and treasure. The Athenians were so discoura∣ged by their losses at Sea; the Lacedaemonians by reuolt of their Confederates, and the necessitie of maintaining many Garrisons, for which they wanted money; and other States by the miseries of the warre, whereof they saw no end; that all (excep∣ting the Thebans) did consent vnto these Articles. This was called the peace of An∣talcidas: whereof the Lacedaemonians taking vpon themselues the execution, did not only compell the Argiues to depart out of Corinth (which vnder pretence of defen∣ding they held by Garrisons, lately thrust into it, not as Patrons, but as Lords) and [unspec 40] the Thebans to leaue Boeotia free, of which Prouince Thebes had alwaies held the go∣uernment: the Thebans themselues being also comprehended vnder the name of the Boeotians; but caused the Mantinaeans to throw downe their owne Citie, and to dwell in Villages: alleaging that they had formerly beene accustomed so to doe, though purposing indcede to chastise them, as hauing beene ill affected to Sparta in the late Warre. By these courses the Lacedaemonians did hope that all the small Townes in Greece would, when occasion should require it, willingly follow them in their warres, as Authors of their libertie; and that the great Cities hauing lost all their dependants, would be vnable to make opposition. [unspec 50]