G R E 
denounced in the natne of Athens and her allies; which 
was declaring to all Greece, that the battle of Leuftra 
had put the balance of power into her hands, and that 
die had determined to check the ambition of every re¬ 
public whole views were too alpiring. 
Difappointed of the afliftance of Athens, the Thebans 
Courted an alUance with Theflaly, then under the go¬ 
vernment of Jafon of Pliers, a man whofe abilities and 
difcernment were united with indefatigable labour and 
invincible courage. His family was defcended from the 
ancient kings of the heroic ages, and formed the weal- 
thielf lioufe in Pheras. Taking a decided part with the 
Thebans, headjtifted with equity and precifion the pro¬ 
portion of taxes, and the contingent of troops, to be 
raifed by the leveral cities in his dominions. The new 
levies, added to his ftanding army of mercenaries, 
amounted to eight thoufand horfe, twenty thoufand 
heavy-armed foot, and fuch a body of targeteers as no 
ether Hate could match. But numbers formed the leaf!: 
advantageous diflindtion of the army of Jafon. Every 
day he exercifed his troops in perfon ; difpeiifed rewards 
and punilhments; cafliiered the flothful and effeminate; 
while he honoured and carefled the brave and diligent. 
By this judicious plan the foldiers of Jafon became alike 
attached to their duty, and to the perfon of their gene¬ 
ral, whofe ftandard they were ready to follow to any 
part of the world. 
He began his military career by fubduing the Dryopes, 
the Dolopians, and the other warlike tribes, inhabiting 
the mountains of Oeta and Piiidus, which form the 
fouthern Irontier of Theffaly. Then turning northwards, 
he ffruck terror into Macedonia, and compelled Aniyn- 
tas to become his ally. Thus fortified on both Tides, 
he retaliated the inroads of the Phocians, who had for¬ 
merly iiilulted the weakiiefs of his country ; and by con¬ 
quering the I'mall and uncultivated diffrict of Epirus, 
which then formed a barbarous principality under Al- 
cetas, ananceftorof the renowned Pyrrhus, he extended 
the dominion of Theffaly from the 7 £gean to the Ionian 
iea, and encompafTed, as with a belt, the utmoff breadth 
of the Grecian republics. He next engaged in a war 
with the Phocians, of which, whatever might be the 
pretence, the real objefl was to obtain the fuperintend- 
ence or the Delphic oracle, and the adminiilration of 
the facred treafure. To^avoid marcliing through a 
hoffile territory, he ordered his galleys to be equipped, 
as if he had intended to proceed by fea to the coaff of 
Boeotia. His naval preparations amufed the attention 
ot the Phocians, while Jal'on entered their country with 
a body of two thoufand light horfe, and advanced with 
Tuch rapidity, that he was everywhere the firll melienger 
of his owii arrival. 
By this unufual celerity, he joined, without encoun¬ 
tering any obffacle, the army of the Thebans, who were 
cncampeci in the neighbourhood of LeuCtra, at no great 
diffance from the enemy. Inftead of an auxiliary, Jalbn 
thought it at firll more I'uitable to his intereft to acl the 
part of a mediator. He -exhorted the I'hebans to re It 
fatisfied with the advantages which they had already 
obtained, without driving their adverfaries to defpair; 
that the recent Itiltory of their own republic and of 
Sparta, lliould leacit them to remember the vicillitudes 
of fortune. The Lacedaamonians, on the other hand, he 
reminded 'bf the difference betv;een a viifforious and a 
vanquiffied army. That the prefent crilis feemed to¬ 
tally adverle to the re-ellablilhment of their greatnefs; 
that they fnould yield to tlie fatality of circumftances, 
and watch a more favourable opportunity to reftore the 
tarnilhed lullre of their arms. His arguments prevailed ; 
hoffilitics were fulpended ; the terms of a peace were 
puopofed and accepted: but it is remarkable, that the 
Spartans and their allies had fo little confidence in this 
fiidden negotiation, that tliey decamped the night fol¬ 
lowing, and continued to march liomeward, with the 
diligence of diltrult and fear, until they got entirely be- 
E C E. 
yond reach of the Thebanss Jafon had not, probably, 
more confidence in a treaty haftily concluded between 
enemies, whofe refentments were irritated and inflamed 
by fo many mutual injuries offered and retorted. No¬ 
thing could have been more contrary to Ills views than 
a fincere and lading peace between thefe powerful re¬ 
publics; but as this -was not to be apprehended, he 
wiffied to obtain the reputation of appeafing the dilFen- 
fions of Greece ; a circumftance of great importance to 
the accomplifhment of his own defigns. 
In his return home, he demoliflied the walls of Hera- 
clea, a town fituate near the ftraits of Thermopylae; 
not fearing, fays his hi dorian, that any of the Greek 
Hates Ihould invade his dominions from that fide, but 
unwilling to leave a place of fuch ftrength on his fron¬ 
tier, which, if feized by a powerful neighbour, might 
obftruiSI: his palTage into Greece. Thitlier he determin¬ 
ed to return at the celebration of tlie Pytiiian games, at 
which he meant to claim the right of prefiding, as an 
honour due both to his piety and to his power. But, 
amidff thefe lofty projeiSls, Jafon, wliile reviewing the 
Pliertean cavalry, was ftabbed by feven youths, who 
approached him on pretence of demanding juftice 
againff each other. Two of the afTaifins were difpatch- 
ed by his guards. Five mounted fleet horfes, which 
had been prepared for their ufe, and efcaped to the 
Grecian republics, in which they were honoured as the 
faviours of their country from the ambitious defigns of 
a tyrant. The projefts and the empire of Jafon periffi- 
ed with himfelf, and Theffaly relapfed into its former 
Hate of divifion and weaknels. 
But this event flopped not the progrefs of the war. 
In the year before Chrill 369, the renowned Theban* 
took the field, having carefully pondered their own 
ftrength, and colledled into one body the flower and 
vigour of their numerous allies. They were accom¬ 
panied by the wailike youths of the towns and villages 
of Boeotia, by tlie Acarnanians*, Phocians, Locrians, 
and Flubceans, and by a promifeuous crowd of fugi¬ 
tives, who were attracTed to their camp by the allure¬ 
ment of plunder. They had no Iboner arrived on the 
frontier of Arcadia, than they were joined by the inha¬ 
bitants of tliat country, as well as by the Elkins and 
Argives. This united ftrength exceeded any numbers, 
that either before or afterwards ever aflembled in 
Greece under one ftandard, amounting to fifty, fome 
fay to feventy, thoufand men. The Thebans, and the 
rell of the Boeotians, were commanded by Epaminondas 
and Pelopidas, to whom the generous admiration of 
their colleagues had voluntarily refigned their autho¬ 
rity*. Apprifed of the march of fuch a formidable 
army, conducted by generals of fuch unqueftionable 
merit, Agelilaus prepared to evacuate Arcadia, a mea- 
fure which he efieCted, before his foldiers beheld the 
fires kindled in th.e holtile camp, and thus avoided the 
difgrace of retiring before the enemy. The Thebans 
in the mean time fuiumoned a council of war, wherein 
it was determined to ni,irch without farther delay into 
tlie Lacedasmonian territories, to lay wafte the country, 
and, if pollible, to take polfeilion of the capital. 
T hat this refoiution might be executed with the 
greater celerity, the army was thrown into four divi- 
lions, dellined, by fepaVate roads, to break into the de¬ 
voted province, to join forces again at Sellafia, and 
thence to march in one body to Sparta. The Boeotians, 
Elians, and Argives, penetrated, without oppofition, 
by the particular routes which had been alligned them. 
But wlien the Arcadians, who formed tlie fourth divi¬ 
fion of the army, attempted to traveife tlie diltrict of 
Sciritis, the brave Ilciiilas, who guarded that impor¬ 
tant pafs, determined to repel them, or to perilh. T he 
example of Leonidas at Thermopylie kindled a generous 
entiiuliafm in the breall of this gallant Spr tan. The 
number of the Arcadian levies lo far exceeded his own, 
that inevitable death was the refult of his courage. 
Yet 
