s
remark brought down the wrath of the Thebans on the speaker; they
exclaimed that he was bent on breaking up the alliance. Whereupon the
Arcadian refused to take a seat in the congress at all, and got up
and betook himself off there and then, accompanied by all the Arcadian
envoys. Since, therefore, the assembled representatives refused to take
the oaths at Thebes, the Thebans sent to the different states, one by
one in turn, urging each to undertake solemnly to act in accordance with
the great king's rescript. They were persuaded that no individual state
would venture to quarrel with themselves and the Persian monarch at
once. As a matter of fact, however, when they arrived at Corinth--which
was the first stated vist--the Corinthians stood out and gave as their
answer, that they had no desire for any common oath or undertaking with
the king. The rest of the states followed suit, giving answers of
a similar tenor, so that this striving after empire on the part of
Pelopidas and the Thebans melted like a cloud-castle into air.

B.C. 367. (43) But Epaminondas was bent on one more effort. With a view
to forcing the Arcadians and the rest of the allies to pay better heed
to Thebes, he desired first to secure the adhesion of the Achaeans,
and decided to march an army into Achaea. Accordingly, he persuaded the
Argive Peisias, who was at the head of military affairs in Argos, to
seize and occupy Oneion in advance. Persias, having ascertained that
only a sorry guard was maintained over Oneion by Naucles, the general
commanding the Lacedaemonian foreign brigade, and by Timomachus the
Athenian, under cover of night seized and occupied with two thousand
heavy infantry the rising ground above Cenchreae, taking with him
provisions for seven days. Within the interval the Thebans arrived
and surmounted the pass of Oneion; whereupon the allied troops with
Epaminondas at their head, advanced into Achaea. The result of the
campaign was that the better classes of Achaea gave in their adhesion
to him; and on his personal authority Epaminondas insisted that there
should be no driving of the aristocrats into exile, nor any modification
of the constitution. He was content to take a pledge of fealty from the
Achaeans to this effect: "Verily and indeed we will be your allies, and
follow whithersoever the Thebans lead." (44)

(43) B.C. 367, according to Grote, "H. G." x. 365, note 1; al. B.C.
366.

(44) See Freeman, "Hist. Fed. Gov." p.