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THE PERSIAN WAKS AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES. 101the jEgean and Ionian seas, (forthe ambition of the Athenians extended no farther,) came to signify the same thing.This dominion of the sea was therefore, in its origin, notonly not blamable, but absolutely essential to the attainmentof the object proposed. The security of the Greets againstthe attacks of the Persians depended on it and so too did;the continuance of the confederacy. We cannot acquitAthens of the chargeof having afterwards abused her navalsuperiority-; but he who considers the nature of such alliances and the difficulty of holding them together, will concede, that in practice it would be almost impossible to avoidthe appearance of abusing such a supremacy; since thesame things which to one party seem an abuse, in the eyesof the other are only the necessary means to secure the end.When the sea was made secure, and no attack was furtherhow could it be otherwise,to be feared from the Persians,than that the continuance of the war, and consequently thecontributions made for that purpose, should be to many ofthem unnecessarily oppressive? And how could it be avoided, that some should feel themselves injured, or be actuallyinjuredin the contributions exacted of them. The consequences of all this were, on the one side a refusal to pay thecontributions, and on the other, severityin collecting them; 1and as they continued to be refused, this was considered asa revolt, and wars followed with several of the allies ;at firstwith the island Naxos; 2 then with Thasus, 3 with Samos, 4and others. 5 But those who had been overcome, were nolonger treated as allies, but as subjects and thus the rela;tion of Athens to the several states was different ;for a distinction was made between the voluntary confederates and* " The Athenians," says Thucydides,i. 99, " exacted the contributions withseverity; and were the more oppressive to the allies, as these were unaccustomed to oppression." But if the Athenians had not insisted on the paymentof them with severity, how soon would the whole confederacy have "falleninto rain.8 * *Thucyd.i. 98.Thucyd.i. 100, 101,Thucyd.i. 1 16.5The difference of the allies, and also the view taken by the Athenians ofthen* supremacy, and of the oppression with which they were charged,are no where more clearly developed, than in the speech of the Athenian ambassador in Camarina. Thucyd. vi. 83, etc. " The Chians," says he," and Methymnseans (in Lesbos) need only furnish ships. From most of theothers, we exact the tribute with severity. Others, though inhabitants of islands, and easy to be taken, are yet entirely voluntary allies, on account ofthe situation of their islands round the Peloponnesus."