Page:History of Greece Vol IX.djvu/311

BOEOTIAN WAR 283 a u Boeotian A r ar," J between Thebes and Sparta separately. Be- tween the Opuntian Lokrians and the Phokians, north of Bceotia, there was a strip of disputed border land ; respecting which the Phokians, imputing wrongful encroachment to the Lokrians, in- vaded their territory. The Lokrians, allied with Thebes, entreated her protection ; upon which a body of Boeotians invaded Phokis ; while the Phokians on their side threw themselves upon Lacedse- mon, invoking her aid against Thebes. 2 " The Lacedaemonians (says Xenophon) were delighted to get a pretence for making war against the Thebans, having been long angry with them on several different grounds. They thought that the present was an excellent time for marching against them, and putting down their insolence ; since Agesilaus was in full success in Asia, and there was no other war to embarrass them in G reece." 3 The various 1 iloAe^of 'BocuriKOf (Diodor. xiv, 81). 2 Xenophon (Hellen. iii, 5, S) says, and Pausanias (iii, 9,4) follows him, That the Theban leaders, wishing to bring about a war with Sparta, and knowing that Sparta would not begin it, purposely incited the Lokrians to encroach upon this disputed border, in order that the Phokians might resent it, and that thus a war might be lighted up. I have little hesitation in rejecting this version, which I conceive to have arisen from Xenophon's philo-Laconian and miso-Theban tendency, and in believing that the fight between the Lokrians and Phokians, as well as that between the Phokians and Thebans, arose without any design on the part of the latter to provoke Sparta. So Diodorus recounts it, in reference to the war between the Pho- kians and the Thebans; for about the Lokrians he says nothing (xiv, 81). The subsequent events, as recounted by Xenophon himself, show that the Spartans were not only ready in point of force, but eager in regard to will, to go to war with the Thebans ; while the latter were not at all ready to go to war with Sparta. They had not a single ally ; for their application to Athens, in itself doubtful, was not made until after Sparta had declared Var against them. 3 Xen. Hellen. iii, 5, 5. Ol (J.EVTOI AaKsdaifiovioi uafj-evoi irpocjtuaiv arpareveiv ETTI Tovf Qriftaiovf, Tru'Aai VOi ttVTOlf, TTJS T UVTl?i7]lp0>f T7?f TOV 'ATTOA/lwVOf dsKUTtfC tV TOV ETTi TOV Hsi.paiu firj e^e^aat ao/lrw$^cfar ynuvTO J' avroiif, Kal Kopiv- tiiovc TTElcsat, /J.TJ avaTpaTEVcLv. 'Ave/Mfj.v'qo'KovTo 6e KCII, (if Qvovr' 1 EV AvXidi TOV ' 'Ayrjai'Xaov OVK eiuv, nal rd re$tyzva ispu uf eppiipav dirb TOV fSujiov. Kai OTI ovd' Eig TTJV 'Aaiav avvEOTpuTEVov 'Ay7?<n/la. 'EAoyifoiro 6e Kal ta^bv slvat TOV i^u-ysiv aTpaTiav in' aftroitf,' KO.I Tra^cai TT/Q if adroi)f v/Bpsuc TO, Te yap EV TTJ 'Acria /ca/lwf atyiaiv e%Eiv, KparovvTOf ' A-yrjai^aov, Kal EV rfi 'E/,Adi ovdsva ukhov ir61.(iov s/niroduv aipiaiv slvai. Compare vii, 1, 34. The description here given by Xenophon himself, of the past dealing VOL. ix. 13 19oc