ith proper handling, there is not a nation or
tribe of men to which Thessalians would deign to yield submission. Look
at the broad expanse of Thessaly and consider: when once a Tagos is
established here, all the tribes in a circle round will lie stilled in
subjection; and almost every member of each of these tribes is an archer
born, so that in the light infantry division of the service our power
must needs excel. Furthermore, the Boeotians and all the rest of the
world in arms against Lacedaemon are my allies; they clamour to follow
my banner, if only I will free them from Sparta's yoke. So again the
Athenians, I make sure, will do all they can to gain our alliance; but
with them I do not think we will make friends, for my persuasion is that
empire by sea will be even easier to acquire than empire by land; and
to show you the justice of this reasoning I would have you weigh the
following considerations. With Macedonia, which is the timber-yard (5)
of the Athenian navy, in our hands we shall be able to construct a far
larger fleet than theirs. That stands to reason. And as to men, which
will be the better able to man vessels, think you--Athens, or ourselves
with our stalwart and numerous Penestae? (6) Which will better support
mariners--a nation which, like our own, out of her abundance exports her
corn to foreign parts, or Athens, which, but for foreign purchases, has
not enough to support herself? And so as to wealth in general it is
only natural, is it not, that we, who do not look to a string of little
islands for supplies, but gather the fruits of continental peoples,
should find our resources more copious? As soon as the scattered powers
of Thessaly are gathered into a principality, all the tribes around, I
repeat, will become our tributaries. I need not tell you that the king
of Persia reaps the fruits, not of islands, but of a continent, and he
is the wealthiest of men! But the reduction of Persia will be still more
practicable, I imagine, than that of Hellas, for there the men, save
one, are better versed in slavery than in prowess. Nor have I forgotten,
during the advance of Cyrus, and afterwards under Agesilaus, how scant
the force was before which the Persian quailed.'

(3) Or, "his underlord in Epirus." By hyparch, I suppose, is implied
that Alcetas regarded Jason as his suzerain. Diodorus (xv. 13, 36)
speaks of him as "king" of the Molossians.

(4) Or, "Prince," and below, "Thessaly so converted