010 G R E 
fuch Laceda'monlafis as fefrded in their city. They fent 
an embaiTy to Sparta, complaining, in tlie mofi indignant 
terms, ot'theinfult of Sphodrias, Tlie-Spartans difa- 
vowed his condudV. He was recalled and tried, but 
faved from death by the authority of Agefilaus. 
The next year, B. C. 376, Agefilaus repeatedly in¬ 
vaded Boeotia, without performing any thing worthy of 
his former renown. His army amounted to eigliteen 
tJioufand foot, and fifteen hundred horfe. The enemy 
were allifted by a confiderable body of mercenaries, com¬ 
manded by Chabrias the Athenian, who finally repelled 
the Spartan king from Thebes. He returned home to 
be cured ot his wounds;where he fufiVred the mortify¬ 
ing reproaches of his adverfary Antalcidas, “ for teach¬ 
ing the Tliebans to conquer.” But the generals who 
fucceeded them had no better fuccefs. Phoebidas, the 
original author of the war, who' had been appointed 
governor of Thefpiae, was defeated and (lain, with the 
greatefi: part of the garrifon of that place. Pelopidas, 
with his own hand, killed the Spartan commander in 
the aftion at Tanagra ; and in the pitched battle of Te- 
gyra, the Lacedaemonians, though fuperior in number, 
were broken and put to flight. 
Wliile the war was thus carried bn by land, the Athe¬ 
nians put to fea, and gained the moft difiinguifhed ad¬ 
vantages Q,n their favourite element. The Lacedaemo¬ 
nian fleet, of fixty fail, commanded by Pollis, was totally 
defeated near the ifle of Naxos, by the bravery of Cha¬ 
brias, wlio performed alternately the duties of admiral 
and general. But the principal feene of adtion w'as the 
Ionian fea, where Timotheusand Iphicrates every where 
prevailed over thofe who oppofed them. The fleet of 
Sparta was almoff annihilated by the victors, who re¬ 
peatedly ravaged the coafls'of Laconia, and laid under 
heavy contributions the iflands of Corcyra, Zacintiuis, 
Leucadia, and Cephalenia. Even the iiland of Chios, 
and the’ city of Byzantium, deferred their connedtion 
with the declining fortune of Sparta, and once more ac¬ 
cepted the alliance of the Athenians. Thefc hoftile 
operations, which weakened, w’ithout fubduing the fpi- 
Jit ot, the vanquiflied, were interrupted by the felicita¬ 
tions of the king of Perfia, who wifhed to promote the 
domefiic tranquillity of Greece, that he- might- enjoy 
the afliftance of its arms in crufhing a new rebellion in 
Egypt. His emilfaries met with equal fuccefs in Athens 
aiid Sparta, which were alike weary of the war, the 
lonner having little more to hope, and the latter having 
every thing to fear, from its continuance. Many of the 
inferior dates, being implicitly governed by the refolves 
of theie powerful republics, readily imitated their ex¬ 
ample. And fo precarious and unfettled was the con¬ 
dition’of them ail, that above twenty thoufand men 
abandoned their homes and families, and followed the 
ffandard of the Perfians. The merit of Iphicrates juftly 
entitled him to the commtind of his countrymen, which 
was unanitnoufly conferred on him. But the expedition 
produced nothing worthy of fuch a general, w ho in a 
few jnonths returned to Athens, difgutted with the pride 
and timidity of the Perfian commanders. Meanwhile 
the Thebans, who had difregarded the invitation of 
Artaxerxes., profited of the diverfion made by the Egyp¬ 
tian war, to reduce feveral cities of Boeotia. The walls 
of 'Phefpice were rafed to the ground; Plattea met with 
the fame fate; and its inhabitants, after fulfering the 
cruellefi: indignities, were driven to folicit the protec¬ 
tion of the Athenian aifembly, who kindly received 
them' into the bofom of their republic, and exprefied 
the utmoll indignation againfi; their inloient oppreflbrs. 
This alfebling tranlaftion threatened to deprive the 
'I'liebans of an ally to whom they were in a great mca- 
fure indebted for their prpfperity. Their lubfequent 
conduG tended (fill farther to widen the breach. They 
marched troops into Phocis, with an intention to reduce 
that country. They heard with equal difdain, the re- 
utonlLiances of their friends, and the threats of tlieir 
E C E. 
enemies. Their lofty fpirit totally alienated the Athe'-- 
nians, who feemed difpofed to conclude a lading peacd‘ 
with Sparta, on the principles of the treaty of Antalci; 
das, that their refpeftive garrifons fliouVd be withdrawn 
from foreign parts, and the communities, fmall as well 
as great, be permitted to enjoy the independent govern¬ 
ment of their own laws. The interelf of the king of 
Perfia, who dill needed the adidance of Greece to carry 
on the Pigyptian war, induced him to employ his good 
offices for promoting this fpecious purpofe ; and a con¬ 
vention of all the dates was fummoned to Sparta, whi¬ 
ther the Thebans deigned indeed to fend a reprefenta- 
tive; but one whofe firmnefs and magnanimity were 
well fitted to fudain and elevate the afpiring pretenfions 
of his republic. This reprefentative vras Epaminondas, 
to whofe abilities and eloquence the Thebans committed 
the defence of their mod important intereds in the ge--' 
neral congrefs of the Grecian dates. The Athenians 
fent Antocles and Callidratus. Agefilaus himfelf ap¬ 
peared on the part of Sparta. Matters were cafily ad- 
juded between thofe leading republics, who felt equal 
refentment at the fate of Thefpiae and Plataea. They 
lamented their mutual jealouly, and unfortunate ambi. 
tion, which had occafioned fo many bloody and dedruc- 
tive wars ; and commemorated the diort but glorious 
intervals of moderation and concord, which had tended 
fo evidently to their own and the public Ivlicity. In- 
drubted by fatal experience, it was time for them to lay 
down theirarms, and to allow that tranquillity to them- 
felves and to their neighbours, which was neceflary to 
lieal the wounds of their common country. The peace 
could not be ufeful or permanent, unlefs it were eda- 
blidied on the principles of equality and freedom, to 
which all the Grecian communities were alike entitled 
by the treaty of Antalcidas, It was propofed, there¬ 
fore, to renew that falutary contracf, which was ac«.' 
cepted by the unanimous confent of Athens, of Sparta, 
and of their refpcbfive confederates. 
Epaminondas then (food up, od'ering to fign the treaty 
in the name of the Boeotians. “ The Athenians,” he 
took notice, “ had figned for all the inhabitants of At¬ 
tica; the Spartans had figned not only for the cities of 
Laconia, but for their numerous allies in all the pro¬ 
vinces of the Peloponnefus. Thebes was entitled to the 
fame prerogatives over her dependent cities, which had 
anciently acknowledged tlte power of her kings, and 
had recently fubmitted to the arms of her citizens.”' 
Agefilaus, indead of anfwering diretfly a demand which 
could neither be granted with honour, nor denied with' 
judice, afked in his turn, Whether it was the intention 
of the Thebans to admit, in terms of the treaty, the in¬ 
dependence of Boeotia l—Epaminondas demanded. Whe¬ 
ther it was the intention of Sparta to admit the inde¬ 
pendence of Laconia ? “ Shall the Boeotians,” faid the 
king, with, emotion, “be free?”—“Whenever,” re¬ 
plied Epaminondas, with firmnefs, “ you redore free¬ 
dom to the Lacedaemonians, the Melfenians, and the 
oppreded communities of Peloponnefus, wdtom, undeV 
the name of allies, you retain in an involuntary and ri¬ 
gorous fervitude.” Thefe jud remondrances of Epa¬ 
minondas inade a deep imprelllon on the deputies. Age¬ 
filaus, alarmed at its efl'eef, anfvvered him in a drain very 
difl'erent from that deipotic brevity which the Spartans 
ufually ad'ebted. His fpeech was long and eloquent. 
The deputies were awed into fubmiflion, lefs perhaps 
by the force of his eloquence, titan by the terror of the 
Spartan armies ready to take the field. But the words 
of Epaminondtis funk deep into their hearts. They com- 
inunfcated, at tlieir return, tiie powerful impreiiion to 
their condituents; and its influence was vifiole in the 
field of Leublra, and in the events which followed that 
memorable engagement. 
In the interval of feveral months, between the con¬ 
grefs at Sparta and the invalion of Boeotia, Agefilaus 
and his fon .iVrchidamus collebted the domedic Itrength 
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