The sun., 1898-01-23

pubic documents.
Tho history of tho Ach@an League is, of
course. better known than that Of any of It's
predecessors, for II marks tho last gallant strug'
glo of the Greeks for constitutional freedom
against overwhelming force. Strange to say,
this struggle was made by people OF which wc
scarcely hear In Herodotus or Thucydides,
people which, through all tho most brilliant
period OF Greek history. had kept its neutrality
whenever 1t could, while Sparta and Athens
rent one another and Theban armies swept over
the Peloponnese. and was content to retain its
democratic independence in isolation from the
events OF the larger world. Tho preponderanco
OF evidence indicates that this Independence was
preserved by a very carly union amongst the
twelve Achnan cities occupying that strip Of
the Peloponnese which bordered the Gulf of
Corinth on tho south. They seem to havo been
united from primitive times by some kind OF
Federal tics rendered possible by tho similarity
OF their Governments, which, apparently, were
oil Of q moderately democratic type. The Polo
ponnesian war created some slight disturbance
in their relations. one of the cities being found
on the side Of Sparta. and another on that OF
Athens, but. in b. G. 301. "the Acheans" are
spoken OF as q whole: they admit State to
their citizenship. thoy have common army,
and they despatch ambassadors on behalf Of tho
whole nation to foreign powers. Tho democratic
federation Of tho Ach@ans seems to have existed
continuously until the Macedonian conquest,
and 1t is even uncertain whether Alexander
himself destroyed It; all We know is that his
successors established garrlsons In some of tho
cities and tyrnnts In others. with the result that
the dissolution OF tho League had been com.
pletely effected by the time Of Antigonus Co
natas. With the uprising Of the cities for con-
ott tfnf rtv fhA raytr of fha
League in $50 B. 9. The beginnings were
modest. or the original twelve cities, only ten
remained. one having been destroyed by an
earthquake and another having disappeared.
OF these ten cities four formed tho nucleus
for the federation, which, gradually, spread
to the other six towns. For nearly thirty
years (2s0251l the National League grew
up quietly and gradually assumed con-
stitution which was already fully formed
when the federation was extended beyond
the geographical limits OF Achea. Mr..
Greenidge would divide tho history Of tho
Achean League. considered rs an effort
to produce q union of the Peloponnesc. and
as an important Hellcnio power. into two
periods. in each of which tho personal influence
of men Of genius played q largo part. The first
period Is associated with the name Of Aratus,
the second with the names of Philopemen and
Lycortas. In 251 Sicyon was added by Aratus;
In 243, Corinth. freed from the Macedonians,
was attached; she was soon followe by MeRara,
frozen. and Epidaurus, and. later. by Herea
and Cleone. In 234 or 233. Megalopolis
was added to tho League; this accession
was followed by ncarly tho whole of
Arcadia, and. after 229. Argos. Hermione,
and Phlius were admitted as members of the
federation. The League reached tho acme OF
its real power when it was still only q combina-
tion of the three districts of Ach@a, Arcadia.
and the Argolid; its real independence practical
ly ceased with the year 221, which marked the
close of the war with Sparta. and the extinction
Of the Leagues only rival in the Pcloponnese.
To crush, however. this rival power. which had
been Joined by tho counter league of the lFto-
lians. the fatal mistake had been made Of seek
ing the aid OF Macedon. Thereby the League was
transformed into member of an Hellenic alli-
ance under the presidency of the Macedonian
sovereign. who garrisoned some Of its towns and
dictated its policy. A new period OF its history
began under the guidance of Philopemen t2O7l.
when the League, though weaker in actual
power, reached Its widest territorial expansion.
and made of the Peloponnese a single State;
for Sparta had now been forced to join and
Messenia and Ellis were incorporated. Active
interference, however. was now felt from Rome,
and the League could only shift from one pro-
tectorate to another; anything like IN indepen.
dent policy was impossible. The last attempt
at an assertion of Hellenic freedom closed with
the conquest of Cornth by Mummius in B. c.
14G and tho Achean League was for time
dissolved. 1t was never again revived with
political meaning; but. as in the case Of other
kindred associations its harmless forms were
allowed to continue under Roman rule, and the
General Assembly of the Acheans still existed
in the times of the empire.