Page:History of Greece Vol X.djvu/301

PERSIAN RESCRIPT 279 nesus, their allies the Arcadians and Argeians had been shame- fully defeated by the Lacedaemonians (in the Tearless Battle). Such boasts on the part of Pelopidas, confirmed as matters of fact even by the Athenian Timagoras, would convince the Per- sian ministers that it was their interest to exercise ascendency over Greece through Thebes in preference to Sparta. Accord- ingly Pelopidas being asked by the Great King what sort of rescript he wished, obtained his own terms. Messene was declared autonomous and independent of Sparta : Amphipolis also was pro- nounced to be a free and autonomous city : the Athenians were directed to order home and lay up their ships of war now in active service, on pain of Persian intervention against them, in case of disobedience. Moreover Thebes was declared the head city of Greece, and any city refusing to follow her headship was menaced with instant compulsion by Persian force. 1 In reference to the points in dispute between Elis and Arcadia (the former claiming sovereignty over Triphylia, which professed itself Arcadian and bad been admitted into the Arcadian communion), the rescript pronounced in favor of the Eleians ; 2 probably at the instance (A 1 Xen. Hellen. vii, 1, 36. 'E/c 6s TOVTOV ipurufievo^ VTTO /3acn7(.eug 6 He- hoTridae ri (ioiiTioiTo eavrij ypafyrjvai, elirev 5ri Meaarjvqv re avrovofiov elvat inrb AaKe6aifj.oviuv, Kai 'A.di]vaiov<; UV&KSIV raf vavf el 6e raiira /JT) 7m- &OIVTO, OTpareveiv ii? avrovt; el rif 6e n6ht /u J? I # e A o i a/coAov tielv, fat ~avTT]v Trpurov ievai. It is clear that these are not the exact words of the rescript of 367 B. c. , though in the former case of the peace of Antalkidas (387 B. c.) Xenophon seems to have given the rescript in its exact words (v, 1, 31). What he states afterwards (vii, 1, 38) about Elis and Arcadia proves that other matters were included. Accordingly I do not hesitate to believe that Amphipolis also was recognized as autonomous. This we read in Demos- thenes, Fals. Leg. p. 383, c. 42. Kai -yap rot Trpurov /n.ev 'ApQiiroZiv itoKiv f/uerepav doiiXrjv KarecrrjaEv (the king of Persia), fjv TOTE avftfiaxov avT<f> Kai tyihrjv eypaipev. Demosthenes is here alluding to the effect produced on the mind of tile Great King, and to the alteration in his pro- ceedings, when he learnt that Timagoras had been put to death on return- ing to Athens ; the adverb of time Tore alludes to the rescript given when Timagoras was present. In the words of Xenophon, el nq 6e rro^ic fJ.fi e&ehot ao^ovi?e?v, the headship of Thebes is declared or implied. Compare the convention imposed by Sparta upon Olynthus, after the latter was subdued (v, 3, 26.) 2 Xen. Hellen. vii, 1, 38. Tuv 6e ahhuv npeapewv 6 fj.lv 'H/letof '