LONC; WALLS OF ATHENS. 527 



deemed by him of the greater importance, in respect to the vital 

 interests of his country ; nor can we be at a loss to account for what 

 Plutarch says of him upon this occasion, " that he had rather Joined 

 " Athens to the PircBus than the Pirceus to Athens.'' The same view 

 of the subject is taken by C. Nepos in his life of Themistocies : 

 " Hujus consilio triplex Pirsei portus constitutus est : isque moenibus 

 " circumdatus, ut ipsam urhem dignitate cequipararet, idilitate superaret." 

 Appian, speaking of the walls of the Piraeus, calls them " n^fjiKXitou 



" egyci', OTS roTi; Aurivsaoi^ ivri neXoTrTTOvvriiriovg g-axT^yuv, K.at Trjv iXTTi^ac Tr^g 



" vtar,!; tu Ui^xih TiSif/svog;' and Corn. Nepos in his life of Phocion 

 repeats his opinion of their importance : " Neque ita nudto post, 

 " Nicanor Pireeo est potitus, sine quo Athencv esse omnino non possunt.'' 

 The object, in fact, both of the fortifications of the Piraeus and 

 of the long walls, was to combine the very existence of Athens as 

 a state, with that of its great naval arsenal, or in other words, to 

 found its greatness on its maritime power. This policy of Themis- 

 tocies is very plainly set forth by Thucydides : " Tal"; yxo vo.Za-i [/.oixts-x 



" 'TTpocTiK.itTO, locuv ccq sfiOi oozi', T7i; (cuoTiXiug cpocTtcc; TTjii y.xToc BdXxcririxv 

 " apooov BUTTopunpoiv Trig kcctx yr,v ovo'xii' tov re YlupxTx u(peXifjccoTepov evoui^e 

 " Tjjf uvu TroXioog axi TToXXxKtg rotg A^rjvxtotg Trxovi/ei, yiv xpx ttote v.xtx yyjv 

 " I3ix(r3u(ri, KXTxQxvTxg e; xutov, rx'.g vxucri -TT^og ■■.Trxvrxg ocv'^tcrTxirBxt,''^ 



And it was pursued by Pericles, under circumstances somewhat 

 different, when all apprehension of a Persian invasion, either by land 

 or by sea, had subsided. According to this policy, the empire of 

 the land in any case of extremity which might happen, was to be 

 abandoned ; but that of the sea, 17 BxXx(rcrov,^a]ix, was to be retained, 

 because the greater part of the revenue of Athens, which was at 

 this period derived from the island subsidies, (to the amount of 600 

 talents,) depended upon this naval dominion. 



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