Page:History of Greece Vol IX.djvu/251

TRIUMPHANT POSITION OF SPARTA. 229 the territory of Pisa. But taking the festival as it then stood, the Pisatans, mere villagers without any considerable city, were incompetent to do justice tc it, and would have lowered its dignity in the eyes of all Greece. Accordingly the Lacedaemonians, on this ground, dismissed the claimants, and left the superintendence of the Olympic games still in the hands of the Eleians. 1 This triumphant dictation of terms to Elis, placed the Lace- daemonians in a condition of overruling ascendency throughout Peloponnesus, such as they had never attained before. To com- plete their victory, they rooted out all the remnants of their ancient enemies the Messenians, some of whom had been planted by the Athenians at Naupaktus, others in the island of Kephallenia. All of this persecuted race were now expelled, in the hour of Lacedae- monian omnipotence, from the neighborhood of Peloponnesus, and forced to take shelter, some in Sicily, others at Kyrene. a We shall in a future chapter have to commemorate the turn of fortun in their favor. 1 Xen. Hellen. iii, 2, 31. * Die lor xiv, 84 ; Pausan. iv 26, a.