eacherous act during a period of profound peace awakened the
liveliest indignation throughout Greece. Sparta herself could not
venture to justify it openly, and Phoebidas was made the scape-goat of
her affected displeasure. As a sort of atonement to the violated
feeling of Greece, he was censured, fined, and dismissed. But that
this was a mere farce is evident from the fact, of his subsequent
restoration to command; and, however indignant the Lacedaemonians
affected to appear at the act of Phoebidas, they took care to reap the
fruits of it by retaining their garrison in the Cadmea.

The once haughty Thebes was now enrolled a member of the Lacedaemonian
alliance, and furnished her contingent--the grateful offering of the
new Theban government--for the war which Sparta was prosecuting with
redoubled vigour against Olynthus. This city was taken by the
Lacedaemonians in B.C. 379; the Olynthian confederacy was dissolved;
the Grecian cities belonging to it were compelled to join the
Lacedaemonian alliance; whilst the maritime towns of Macedonia were
reduced under the dominion of Amyntas, the king of Macedon.

The power of Sparta on land had now attained its greatest height. Her
unpopularity in Greece was commensurate with the extent of her harshly
administered dominion. She was leagued on all slides with the enemies
of Grecian freedom--with the Persians, with Amyntas of Macedon, and
with Dionysius of Syracuse. But she had now reached the turning-point
of her fortunes, and her successes, which had been earned without
scruple, were soon to be followed by misfortunes and disgrace. The
first blow came from Thebes, where she had perpetrated her most signal
injustice.

That city had been for three years in the hands of Leontiades and the
Spartan party. During this time great discontent had grown up among
the resident citizens; and there was also the party of exasperated
exiles, who had taken refuge at Athens. Among these exiles was
Pelopidas, a young man of birth and fortune, who had already
distinguished himself by his disinterested patriotism and ardent
character. He now took the lead in the plans formed the the liberation
of his country, and was the heart and soul of the enterprise. His warm
and generous heart was irresistibly attracted by everything great and
noble; and hence he was led to form a close and intimate friendship
with Epaminondas, who was several years older than himself and of a
still loftier characte