DISPUTE ABOUT MESSENE. 291 deavored to prevail upon Sparta herself to submit to the same con- cession. The Spartans resolutely refused to relinquish a territory inherited from victorious forefathers, and held under so long a pre- scription. They repudiated yet more indignantly the idea of recognizing as free Greeks and equal neighbors, those who had so long been their slaves ; and they proclaimed their determination of continuing the war, even single-handed and with all its hazards, to regain what they had lost ;' and although they could not di- rectly prohibit the Corinthians and other allies, whose sickness of the war had become intolerable, from negotiating a separate peace for themselves, yet they gave only a reluctant consent. Archi- damus sou of Agesilaus even reproached the allies with timorous selfishness, partly in deserting their benefactress Sparta, at her hour of need, partly in recommending her to submit to a sacrifice ruinous to her honor. 2 The Spartan prince conjured his country- 1 Xen. Hellcn. vii, 4, 9.
- This sentiment of dissatisfaction against the allies is strongly and re-
peatedly set forth in the oration of Isokrates called Archidamus, composed as if to be spoken in this synod, and good evidence (whether actually spoken or not) of the feelings animating the prince and a large party at Sparta. Archidamus treats those allies who recommended the Spartans to surrender Messene, as worse enemies even than those who had broken off altogether. He specifies Corinthians, Phliasians, and Epidaurians, sect. 11- 13. elf TOVTO 6' rjKovai Tr/Uovef ;'af, KOI roaavTTjv fj/ntiv KareyvuKaaiv uvav- 6piav, wore noh'AaKif Jjfiuf u^iuaavref tinep T^f avrCiv TroAe/zetv, virep MCCT- ajjvrjc OVK olovTai delv J)fi,(i KtvdvvEveiv a/lA' Iv 1 airrol TTJV atysrepav avruv aff<j>a7i,uf Kap-xuvTai, ireipuvrai diduaiceiv T/fxa; uf XP% roif kx&poif ry paf irapaxupfiaai, Kal Trpof rotf d/l/lotf 7ra7ret/lovaw, wf, ei fj.rj ravra pr/aofj.ev, noiria6fJ:evoi rrjv elpyvriv Kara. aij>uf avTov?. Compare sect. 67, 87, 99, 105, 106, 123. We may infer from this discourse of Isokrates, that the displeasure of the Spartans against their allies, because the latter advised them to relin- quish Messene, was much greater than the narrative of Xenophon ( Hel- len. vii, 4, 8-1 1 ) would lead us to believe. In the argument prefixed to the discourse, it is asserted (among various other inaccuracies), that the Spartans had sent to Thebes to ask for peace, and that the Thebans had said in reply, peace would be granted, d Mecr- arjvrjv uvoiKiaucfi KOI ai}Tovofj.ov iucruai,. Now the Spartans had never sent to Thebes for this purpose ; the Corinthians went to Thebes, and there learnt the peremptory condition requiring that Messene should be recog- nized. Next, the Thebans would never require Sparta to recolonize or re- constitute (uvoiKiaai) McssentS ; that had been already done by the Thebam themselves.
