a smaller history of greece-第20部分

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longer　any　occasion　for　their　services。　　This　rude　dismissal　gave　great　offence　at　Athens；　and　annihilated　for　a　time　the　political　influence　of　Cimon。　　The　democratical　party　had　from　the　first　opposed　the　expedition；　and　it　afforded　them　a　great　triumph　to　be　able　to　point　to　Cimon　returning　not　only　unsuccessful　but　insulted。　　That　party　was　now　led　by　Pericles。　　A　sort　of　hereditary　feud　existed　between　Pericles　and　Cimon；　for　it　was　Xanthippus；　the　father　of　Pericles；　who　had　impeached　Miltiades；　the　father　of　Cimon。　　The　character　of　Pericles　was　almost　the　reverse　of　Cimon's。　　Although　the　leader　of　the　popular　party；　his　manners　were　reserved。　　He　appeared　but　little　in　society；　and　only　in　public　upon　great　occasions。　　His　mind　had　received　the　highest　polish　which　that　period　was　capable　of　giving。　　He　constantly　conversed　with　Anaxagoras；　Protagoras；　Zeno；　and　other　eminent　philosophers。　　To　oratory　in　particular　he　had　devoted　much　attention；　as　an　indispensable　instrument　for　swaying　the　public　assemblies　of　Athens。

Pericles　seized　the　occasion　presented　by　the　ill　success　of　Cimon；　both　to　ruin　that　leader　and　to　strike　a　fatal　blow　at　the　aristocratical　party。　　He　deprived　the　Areopagus　of　its　chief　functions；　and　left　it　a　mere　shadow　of　its　former　influence　and　power。　　He　rendered　the　election　to　magistracies　dependent　simply　upon　lot；　so　that　every　citizen　however　poor；　had　an　equal　chance　of　obtaining　the　honours　of　the　state。　　Other　changes　which　accompanied　this　revolutionfor　such　it　must　be　calledwere　the　institution　of　paid　DICASTERIES　or　jury…courts；　and　the　almost　entire　abrogation　of　the　judicial　power　of　the　Senate　of　Five　Hundred。　　It　cannot　be　supposed　that　such　fundamental　changes　were　effected　without　violent　party　strife。　　The　poet　AEschylus；　in　the　tragedy　of　the　EUMENIDIES；　in　vain　exerted　all　the　powers　of　his　genius　in　support　of　the　aristocratical　party　and　of　the　tottering　Areopagus；　his　exertions　on　this　occasion　resulted　only　in　his　own　flight　from　Athens。　　The　same　fate　attended　Cimon　himself；　and　he　was　condemned　by　ostracism　（B。C。　461）　to　a　ten　years'　banishment。　　Nay；　party　violence　even　went　the　length　of　assassination。　　Ephialtes；　who　had　taken　the　lead　in　the　attacks　upon　the　Areopagus；　fell　beneath　the　dagger　of　a　Boeotian；　hired　by　the　conservative　party　to　dispatch　him。

It　was　from　this　period　（B。C。　461）　that　the　long　administration　of　Pericles　may　be　said　to　have　commenced。　　The　effects　of　his　accession　to　power　soon　became　visible　in　the　foreign　relations　of　Athens。　　Pericles　had　succeeded　to　the　political　principles　of　Themistocles；　and　his　aim　was　to　render　Athens　the　leading　power　of　Greece。　　The　Confederacy　of　Delos　had　already　secured　her　maritime　ascendency；　Pericles　directed　his　policy　to　the　extension　of　her　influence　in　continental　Greece。　　She　formed　an　alliance　with　the　Thessalians；　Argos；　and　Megara。　　The　possession　of　Megara　was　of　great　importance；　as　it　enabled　the　Athenians　to　arrest　the　progress　of　an　invading　army　from　Peloponnesus；　AEgina；　so　long　the　maritime　rival　of　Athens；　was　subdued　and　made　tributary。　　The　Athenians　marched　with　rapid　steps　to　the　dominion　of　Greece。　　Shortly　afterwards　the　battle　of　OEnophyta　（B。C。　456）；　in　which　the　Athenians　defeated　the　Boeotians；　gave　Athens　the　command　of　Thebes；　and　of　all　the　other　Boeotian　towns。　　From　the　gulf　of　Corinth　to　the　straits　of　Thermopylae　Athenian　influence　was　now　predominant。　　During　these　events　the　Athenians　had　continued　to　prosecute　the　war　against　Persia。　　In　the　year　B。C。　460　they　sent　a　powerful　fleet　to　Egypt　to　assist　Inarus；　who　had　revolted　against　Persia；　but　this　expedition　proved　a　complete　failure；　for　at　the　end　of　six　years　the　revolt　was　put　down　by　the　Persians；　and　the　Athenian　fleet　destroyed　（B。C。　455）。　　At　a　later　period　（B。C。　449）　Cimon；　who　had　been　recalled　from　exile；　sailed　to　Cyprus　with　a　fleet　of　200　ships。　He　undertook　the　siege　of　Citium　in　that　island；　but　died　during　the　progress　of　it；　either　from　disease　or　from　the　effects　of　a　wound。　　Shortly　afterwards　a　pacification　was　concluded　with　Persia；　which　is　sometimes；　but　erroneously；　called　〃the　peace　of　Cimon。〃　　It　is　stated　that　by　this　compact　the　Persian　monarch　agreed　not　to　tax　or　molest　the　Greek　colonies　on　the　coast　of　Asia　Minor；　nor　to　send　any　vessels　of　war　westward　of　Phaselis　in　Lycia；　or　within　the　Cyanean　rocks　at　the　junction　of　the　Euxine　with　the　Thracian　Bosporus；　the　Athenians　on　their　side　undertaking　to　leave　the　Persians　in　undisturbed　possession　of　Cyprus　and　Egypt。　　During　the　progress　of　these　events；　the　states　which　formed　the　Confederacy　of　Delos；　with　the　exception　of　Chios；　Lesbos；　and　Samos；　had　gradually　become；　instead　of　the　active　allies　of　Athens；　her　disarmed　and　passive　tributaries。　Even　the　custody　of　the　fund　had　been　transferred　from　Delos　to　Athens。　　The　purpose　for　which　the　confederacy　had　been　originally　organised　disappeared　with　the　Persian　peace；　yet　what　may　now　be　called　Imperial　Athens　continued；　for　her　own　ends；　to　exercise　her　prerogatives　as　head　of　the　league。　　Her　alliances；　as　we　have　seen；　had　likewise　been　extended　in　continental　Greece；　where　they　embraced　Megara；　Boeotia；　Phocis；　Locris；　together　with　Troezen　and　Achaia　in　Peloponnesus。　　Such　was　the　position　of　Athens　in　the　year　448　B。C。；　the　period　of　her　greatest　power　and　prosperity。　　From　this　time　her　empire　began　to　decline；　whilst　Sparta；　and　other　watchful　and　jealous　enemies；　stood　ever　ready　to　strike　a　blow。

In　the　following　year　（B。C。　447）　a　revolution　in　Boeotia　deprived　Athens　of　her　ascendency　in　that　country。　　With　an　overweening　contempt　of　their　enemies；　a　small　band　of　1000　Athenian　hoplites；　chiefly　composed　of　youthful　volunteers　belonging　to　the　best　Athenian　families；　together　with　a　few　auxiliaries；　marched　under　the　command　of　Tolmides　to　put　down　the　revolt；　in　direct　opposition　to　the　advice　of　Pericles；　who　adjured　them　to　wait　and　collect　a　more　numerous　force。　　The　enterprise　proved　disastrous　in　the　extreme。　　Tolmides　was　defeated　and　slain　near　Chaeronea；　a　large　number　of　the　hoplites　also　fell　in　the　engagement；　while　a　still　larger　number　were　taken　prisoners。　This　last　circumstance　proved　fatal　to　the　interests　of　Athens　in　Boeotia。　　In　order　to　recover　these　prisoners；　she　agreed　to　evacuate　Boeotia；　and　to　permit　the　re…establishment　of　the　aristocracies　which　she　had　formerly　overthrown。　　But　the　Athenian　reverses　did　not　end　here。　　The　expulsion　of　the　partisans　of　Athens　from　the　government　of　Phocis　and　Locris；　and　the　revolt　of　Euboea　and　Megara；　were　announced　in　quick　succession。　　The　youthful　Pleistoanax；　king　of　Sparta；　actually　penetrated；　with　an　army　of　Lacedaemonians　and　Peloponnesian　allies；　as　far　as　the　neighbourhood　of　Eleusis；　and　the　capital　itself；　it　is　said；　was　saved　only　by　Pericles　having　bribed　the　Spartan　monarch。　　Pericles　reconquered　Euboea；　but　this　was　the　only　possession　which　the　Athenians　succeeded　in　recovering。　Their　empire　on　land　had　vanished　more；　speedily　than　it　had　been　acquired；　and　they　were　therefore　induced　to　conclude；　at　the　beginning　of　B。C。　445；　a　THIRTY　YEARS'　TRUCE　with　Sparta　and　her　allies；　by　which　they　consented　to　abandon　all　the　acquisitions　which　they　had　made　in　Peloponnesus；　and　to　leave　Megara　to　be　included　among　the　Peloponnesian　allies　of　Sparta。

From　the　Thirty　Years'　Truce　to　the　commencement　of　the　Peloponnesian　war；　few　political　events　of　any　importance　occurred。　　During　these　fourteen　years　（B。C。　445…431）　Pericles　continued　to　enjoy　the　sole　direction　of　affairs。　　His　views　were　of　the　most　lofty　kind。　　Athens　was　to　become　the　capital　of　Greece；　and　the　centre　of　art　and　refinement。　　In　her　external　appearance　the　city　was　to　be　rendered　worthy　of　the　high　position　to　which　she　aspired；　by　the　beauty　and　splendour　of　her　public　buildings；　by　her　works　of　art　in　sculpture；　architecture；　and　painting；　and　by　the　pomp　and　magnificence　of　her　religious　festivals。　　All　these　objects　Athens　was　enabled　to　attain　in　an　incredibly　short　space　of　time；　through　the　genius　and　energy　of　her　citizens　and　the　vast　resources　at　her　command。　　No　state　has　ever　exhibited　so　much　intellectual　activity　and　so　great　a　progress　in　art　as　was　displayed　by　Athens　in　the　period　which　elapsed　between　the　Thirty　Years'　Truce　and　the　breaking　out　of　the　Peloponnesian　war。　　She　was　the　seat　and　centre　of　Grecian　literature。　　The　three　great　tragic　poets　of　Greece　were　natives　of　Attica。　　AEschylus；　the　earliest　of　the　three；　had　recently　died　in　Sicily；　but　Sophocles　was　now　at　the　full　height　of　his　reputation；　and　Euripides　was　rapidly　rising　into　notice。　Aristophanes；　the　greatest　of　the　Grecian　comic　poets；　was　also　born　in　Attica；　and　exhibited　plays　soon　after　the　beginning　of　the　Peloponnesian　war。　　Herodotus；　the　Father　of　History；　though　a　native　of　Halicarnassus　in　Asia　Minor；　resided　some　time　at　Athens；　and　accompanied　a　colony　which　the　Athenians　sent　to　Thurii　in　Italy。　　Thucydides；　the　greatest　of　Greek　historians；　was　an　Athenian；　and　was　a　young　man　at　this　period。

Colonization；　for　which　the　genius　and　inclination　of　the　Athenians　had　always　been　suited；　was　another　method　adopted　by　Pericl