Ἀρταξέρξης βασιλεὺς ~νομίζει δίκαιον~, τὰς μὲν ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ πόλεις
ἑαυτοῦ εἶναι, καὶ τῶν νήσων Κλαζομένας καὶ Κύπρον· τὰς δὲ ἄλλας
Ἑλληνίδας πόλεις καὶ μικρὰς καὶ μεγάλας, αὐτονόμους εἶναι, πλὴν
Λήμνου, καὶ Ἴμβρου καὶ Σκύρου, ταύτας δὲ, ὥσπερ τὸ ἀρχαῖον, εἶναι
Ἀθηναίων. Ὁπότεροι δὲ ταύτην τὴν εἰρήνην μὴ δέχονται, ~τούτοις
ἐγὼ πολεμήσω~, μετὰ τῶν ταὐτα βουλομένων, καὶ πέζῇ καὶ κατὰ
θάλασσαν, καὶ ναυσὶ καὶ χρήμασιν.
[7] Isokrates, Or. iv, (Panegyr.) s. 211. Καὶ ταύτας ἡμᾶς
ἠνάγκασεν (the Persian king) ἐν στήλαις λιθίναις ἀναγράψαντας ἐν
τοῖς κοινοῖς τῶν ἱερῶν ἀναθεῖναι, πολὺ κάλλιον τρόπαιον τῶν ἐν
ταῖς μάχαις γιγνομένων.
The Oratio Panegyrica of Isokrates (published about 380
B.C., seven years afterwards) from which I here copy, is
the best evidence of the feelings with which an intelligent
and patriotic Greek looked upon this treaty at the time;
when it was yet recent, but when there had been full time
to see how the Lacedæmonians carried it out. His other
orations, though valuable and instructive, were published
later, and represent the feelings of after-time.
Another contemporary, Plato in his Menexenus (c. 17, p. 245
D), stigmatizes severely “the base and unholy act (αἰσχρὸν καὶ
ἀνόσιον ἔργον) of surrendering Greeks to the foreigner,” and
asserts that the Athenians resolutely refused to sanction it.
This is a sufficient mark of his opinion respecting the peace of
Antalkidas.
[8] Isokrat. Or. iv, (Panegyr.) s. 207. Ἃ χρῆν ἀναιρεῖν,
καὶ μηδεμίαν ἐᾷν ἡμέραν, νομίζοντες, ~προστάγματα καὶ οὐ
συνθήκας~ εἶναι, etc. (s. 213). Αἰσχρὸν ἡμᾶς ~ὅλης τῆς Ἑλλάδος
ὑβριζομένης~, μηδεμίαν ποιήσασθαι κοινὴν τιμωρίαν, etc.
The word προστάγματα exactly corresponds with an expression of
Xenophon (put in the mouth of Autokles the Athenian envoy at
Sparta), respecting the dictation of the peace of Antalkidas by
Artaxerxes—Καὶ ὅτε μὲν ~Βασιλεὺς προσέταττεν~ αὐτονόμους τὰς
πόλεις εἶναι, etc. (Xen. Hellen. vi, 3, 9).
[9] Isokrat. Or. iv, (Panegyr.) s. 205. Καίτοι πῶς οὐ χρὴ
διαλύειν ταύτας τὰς ὁμολογίας, ἐξ ὧν τοιαύτη δόξα γέγονεν, ὥστε
ὁ μὲν Βάρβαρος κήδεται τῆς Ἑλλάδος καὶ φύλαξ τῆς εἰρήνης ἐστὶν,
ἡμῶν δέ τινές εἰσιν οἱ λυμαινόμενοι καὶ κακῶς ποιοῦντες αὐτήν;
The word employed by Photius in his abstract of Theopompus
(whether it be the expression of Theopompus himself, we cannot
be certain—see Fragm. 111, ed. Didot), to designate the position
taken by Artaxerxes in reference to this peace, is—τὴν εἰρήνην
ἣν τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἐβράβευσεν—which implies the peremptory decision
of an official judge, analogous to another passage (139) of the
Panegyr. Orat. of Isokrates—Νῦν δ’ ἐκεῖνός (Artaxerxes) ἐστιν, ὁ
διοικῶν τὰ τῶν Ἑλλήνων καὶ μόνον οὐκ ἐπιστάθμους ἐν ταῖς πόλεσι
καθιστάς. Πλὴν γὰρ τούτου τί τῶν ἄλλων ὑπόλοιπόν ἐστιν; Οὐ καὶ
τοῦ πολέμου κύριος ἐγένετο, καὶ ~τὴν εἰρήνην ἐπρυτάνευσε~, καὶ
τῶν παρόντων πραγμάτων ἐπιστάτης καθέστηκεν;
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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