a smaller history of greece-第22章

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f　the　Athenian　headship。　　It　was　immediately　invested　by　the　confederate　fleet；　reduced；　and　made　tributary　to　Athens。　　This　was　another　step　towards　dominion　gained　by　the　Athenians；　whose　pretensions　were　assisted　by　the　imprudence　of　the　allies。　　Many　of　the　smaller　states　belonging　to　the　confederacy；　wearied　with　perpetual　hostilities；　commuted　for　a　money　payment　the　ships　which　they　were　bound　to　supply；　and　thus；　by　depriving　themselves　of　a　navy；　lost　the　only　means　by　which　they　could　assert　their　independence。

The　same　year　was　marked　by　a　memorable　action　against　the　Persians。　　Cimon　at　the　head　of　200　Athenian　triremes；　and　100　furnished　by　the　allies；　proceeded　to　the　coast　of　Asia　Minor。　The　Persians　had　assembled　a　large　fleet　and　army　at　the　mouth　of　the　river　Eurymedon　in　Pamphylia。　　After　speedily　defeating　the　fleet；　Cimon　landed　his　men　and　marched　against　the　Persian　army　which　was　drawn　up　on　the　shore　to　protect　the　fleet。　　The　land…　force　fought　with　bravery；　but　was　at　length　put　to　the　rout。

The　island　of　Thasos　was　the　next　member　of　the　confederacy　against　which　the　Athenians　directed　their　arms。　　After　a　siege　of　more　than　two　years　that　island　surrendered；　when　its　fortifications　were　razed；　and　it　was　condemned　to　pay　tribute　（B。C。　463）。

The　expedition　to　Thasos　was　attended　with　a　circumstance　which　first　gives　token　of　the　coming　hostilities　between　Sparta　and　Athens。　　At　an　early　period　of　the　blockade　the　Thasians　secretly　applied　to　the　Lacedaemonians　to　make　a　diversion　in　their　favour　by　invading　Attica：　　and　though　the　Lacedaemonians　were　still　ostensibly　allied　with　Athens；　they　were　base　enough　to　comply　with　this　request。　　Their　treachery；　however；　was　prevented　by　a　terrible　calamity　which　befel　themselves。　　In　the　year　B。C。　461　their　capital　was　visited　by　an　earthquake　which　laid　it　in　ruins　and　killed　20；000　of　the　citizens。　　But　this　was　only　part　of　the　calamity。　　The　earthquake　was　immediately　followed　by　a　revolt　of　the　Helots；　who　were　always　ready　to　avail　themselves　of　the　weakness　of　their　tyrants。　　Being　joined　by　the　Messenians；　they　fortified　themselves　in　Mount　Ithome　in　Messenia。　　Hence　this　revolt　is　sometimes　called　the　Third　Messenian　War　（B。C。　464）。　after　two　or　three　years　spent　in　a　vain　attempt　to　dislodge　them　from　this　position；　the　Lacedaemonians　found　themselves　obliged　to　call　in　the　assistance　of　their　allies；　and；　among　the　rest；　of　the　Athenians。　　It　was　with　great　difficulty　that　Cimon　persuaded　the　Athenians　to　comply　with　this　request；　but　he　was　at　length　despatched　to　Laconia　with　a　force　of　4000　hoplites。　The　aid　of　the　Athenians　had　been　requested　by　the　Lacedaemonians　on　account　of　their　acknowledged　superiority　in　the　art　of　attacking　fortified　places。　　As；　however；　Cimon　did　not　succeed　in　dislodging　the　Helots　from　Ithome　the　Lacedaemonians；　probably　from　a　consciousness　of　their　own　treachery　in　the　affair　of　Thasos；　suspected　that　the　Athenians　were　playing　them　false；　and　abruptly　dismissed　them；　saying　that　they　had　no　longer　any　occasion　for　their　services。　　This　rude　dismissal　gave　great　offence　at　Athens；　and　annihilated　for　a　time　the　political　influence　of　Cimon。　　The　democratical　party　had　from　the　first　opposed　the　expedition；　and　it　afforded　them　a　great　triumph　to　be　able　to　point　to　Cimon　returning　not　only　unsuccessful　but　insulted。　　That　party　was　now　led　by　Pericles。　　A　sort　of　hereditary　feud　existed　between　Pericles　and　Cimon；　for　it　was　Xanthippus；　the　father　of　Pericles；　who　had　impeached　Miltiades；　the　father　of　Cimon。　　The　character　of　Pericles　was　almost　the　reverse　of　Cimon's。　　Although　the　leader　of　the　popular　party；　his　manners　were　reserved。　　He　appeared　but　little　in　society；　and　only　in　public　upon　great　occasions。　　His　mind　had　received　the　highest　polish　which　that　period　was　capable　of　giving。　　He　constantly　conversed　with　Anaxagoras；　Protagoras；　Zeno；　and　other　eminent　philosophers。　　To　oratory　in　particular　he　had　devoted　much　attention；　as　an　indispensable　instrument　for　swaying　the　public　assemblies　of　Athens。

Pericles　seized　the　occasion　presented　by　the　ill　success　of　Cimon；　both　to　ruin　that　leader　and　to　strike　a　fatal　blow　at　the　aristocratical　party。　　He　deprived　the　Areopagus　of　its　chief　functions；　and　left　it　a　mere　shadow　of　its　former　influence　and　power。　　He　rendered　the　election　to　magistracies　dependent　simply　upon　lot；　so　that　every　citizen　however　poor；　had　an　equal　chance　of　obtaining　the　honours　of　the　state。　　Other　changes　which　accompanied　this　revolutionfor　such　it　must　be　calledwere　the　institution　of　paid　DICASTERIES　or　jury…courts；　and　the　almost　entire　abrogation　of　the　judicial　power　of　the　Senate　of　Five　Hundred。　　It　cannot　be　supposed　that　such　fundamental　changes　were　effected　without　violent　party　strife。　　The　poet　AEschylus；　in　the　tragedy　of　the　EUMENIDIES；　in　vain　exerted　all　the　powers　of　his　genius　in　support　of　the　aristocratical　party　and　of　the　tottering　Areopagus；　his　exertions　on　this　occasion　resulted　only　in　his　own　flight　from　Athens。　　The　same　fate　attended　Cimon　himself；　and　he　was　condemned　by　ostracism　（B。C。　461）　to　a　ten　years'　banishment。　　Nay；　party　violence　even　went　the　length　of　assassination。　　Ephialtes；　who　had　taken　the　lead　in　the　attacks　upon　the　Areopagus；　fell　beneath　the　dagger　of　a　Boeotian；　hired　by　the　conservative　party　to　dispatch　him。

It　was　from　this　period　（B。C。　461）　that　the　long　administration　of　Pericles　may　be　said　to　have　commenced。　　The　effects　of　his　accession　to　power　soon　became　visible　in　the　foreign　relations　of　Athens。　　Pericles　had　succeeded　to　the　political　principles　of　Themistocles；　and　his　aim　was　to　render　Athens　the　leading　power　of　Greece。　　The　Confederacy　of　Delos　had　already　secured　her　maritime　ascendency；　Pericles　directed　his　policy　to　the　extension　of　her　influence　in　continental　Greece。　　She　formed　an　alliance　with　the　Thessalians；　Argos；　and　Megara。　　The　possession　of　Megara　was　of　great　importance；　as　it　enabled　the　Athenians　to　arrest　the　progress　of　an　invading　army　from　Peloponnesus；　AEgina；　so　long　the　maritime　rival　of　Athens；　was　subdued　and　made　tributary。　　The　Athenians　marched　with　rapid　steps　to　the　dominion　of　Greece。　　Shortly　afterwards　the　battle　of　OEnophyta　（B。C。　456）；　in　which　the　Athenians　defeated　the　Boeotians；　gave　Athens　the　command　of　Thebes；　and　of　all　the　other　Boeotian　towns。　　From　the　gulf　of　Corinth　to　the　straits　of　Thermopylae　Athenian　influence　was　now　predominant。　　During　these　events　the　Athenians　had　continued　to　prosecute　the　war　against　Persia。　　In　the　year　B。C。　460　they　sent　a　powerful　fleet　to　Egypt　to　assist　Inarus；　who　had　revolted　against　Persia；　but　this　expedition　proved　a　complete　failure；　for　at　the　end　of　six　years　the　revolt　was　put　down　by　the　Persians；　and　the　Athenian　fleet　destroyed　（B。C。　455）。　　At　a　later　period　（B。C。　449）　Cimon；　who　had　been　recalled　from　exile；　sailed　to　Cyprus　with　a　fleet　of　200　ships。　He　undertook　the　siege　of　Citium　in　that　island；　but　died　during　the　progress　of　it；　either　from　disease　or　from　the　effects　of　a　wound。　　Shortly　afterwards　a　pacification　was　concluded　with　Persia；　which　is　sometimes；　but　erroneously；　called　〃the　peace　of　Cimon。〃　　It　is　stated　that　by　this　compact　the　Persian　monarch　agreed　not　to　tax　or　molest　the　Greek　colonies　on　the　coast　of　Asia　Minor；　nor　to　send　any　vessels　of　war　westward　of　Phaselis　in　Lycia；　or　within　the　Cyanean　rocks　at　the　junction　of　the　Euxine　with　the　Thracian　Bosporus；　the　Athenians　on　their　side　undertaking　to　leave　the　Persians　in　undisturbed　possession　of　Cyprus　and　Egypt。　　During　the　progress　of　these　events；　the　states　which　formed　the　Confederacy　of　Delos；　with　the　exception　of　Chios；　Lesbos；　and　Samos；　had　gradually　become；　instead　of　the　active　allies　of　Athens；　her　disarmed　and　passive　tributaries。　Even　the　custody　of　the　fund　had　been　transferred　from　Delos　to　Athens。　　The　purpose　for　which　the　confederacy　had　been　originally　organised　disappeared　with　the　Persian　peace；　yet　what　may　now　be　called　Imperial　Athens　continued；　for　her　own　ends；　to　exercise　her　prerogatives　as　head　of　the　league。　　Her　alliances；　as　we　have　seen；　had　likewise　been　extended　in　continental　Greece