The success of Agesilaus on his return from Asia produced some eDaa a in the affairs of Thesesly, for FlinnIns soon recovered its Inderndeuces and rose to such eminence as to become a rival of Merle. Polydemas, whose character and virtue had gained the con fidence of all parties, was intrust(/' with the citadel and the adminis tration of the revenues of the city, a trust which he discharged with the strictest integrity.
At Ilene, the supreme power passed into the hands of Jason, who kept a standing army of G000 mercenaries, all picked men, and, not withstanding the opposition of )'hartalus, compelled most of the principal Thessalian cities to enter into alliance with him. The objects of Jason's ambition were, the supremacy of Greece, and the overthrow of the Persian empire in the East ; the same schemes, in fact, as were subsequently executed by Alexander, king of Macedon. The first objects which be had to gain were the title of Tagus, and the union of Thesealy under his authority. After a frank statement of his views, Jason prevailed upon Polydamas to second them. A compact was then made between them ; and Polydamas exerted his infinence so successfully In Jason's behalf, that the Phareslians entered into an alliance with him, and a general pacification followed. Not long afterwards Jason was elected Tagus, and by his influence and taleut, several important cities were induced to join the confede racy. He then fixed the contingents of infantry and cavalry to be furnished by the different stater, and raised them to a greater amount than they had ever been before. The army which he could bring into the field consisted of S000 cavalry and more than 20,000 heavy-armed infantry; and his light troops, as Xenophon (' Hellen.; vi. 1, 6) obeerres, were enough to oppose the world. He built and manned a considerable fleet. But these schemes were too vast for the ordi duration of a human life, though he kept them constantly In slew, and made all his actions subservient to them. After the battle of Ltuctra, in which tho Thebians defeated the Lacedtemonians, they invited him to join them in overpowering Lacedtemon. Jason joined them with his forces. but he did not comply with their request. His policy was to keep an even balance between the two states, ro as to ensure the dependence of both on himself, and there fore, instead of annihilating the power of Sparta, he offered his services as a mediator between the contending states, and obtained a truce for the Lacedm'nonians, under favour of which the remnant of their forces decamped by night (e.c. 371). In the following year,
whilst making preparations for an expedition to the south of Greece, he was assassinated by seven young men; and the honours which were paid in many of the Grecian cities to the assassins, showed the alarm which his ambition had excited. On the death of Jason, The rawly relapsed into ita former insignificance, though his dynasty survived him, and two of his brothers, Polydorus and Polyphron, for a short time shared his authority between them. Polydents was soon assassinated, and Polyphron became solo Tagus. By his adminis tration the office was changed into a tyranny, and he put to death Polydamsa and eight other principal citizens of Pliersalus. After a reign of one year he was murdered by his nephew Alexander, who thus gained the government, in which he became infamous for his cruelty. The atrocities which he committed filled all his subjects w;th terror, but especially the ancient families, who were likely to be the object./ of his jealousy. The Aleuedm of Larissa accordingly applied to Alexander, the then king of Macedon, who, on being thus invited by the Thessalians, complied with their request. He defeated the tyrant, and took possession of Larissa and its citadel, and after wards of Bannon, and garrisoned both with his troops. The affairs of his own kingdom however obliged him to withdraw from Thessaly; and the Thessalians, being thus exposed to the vengeance of Alexander, solicited aid (ac. 368) from the Thebans, who accordingly sent Pelo pidaa to assist them. The tyrant granted him an interview, which ended in Pelopidas settling the affairs of the country on an apparently firm footing. But the order which he had established was soon deranged by the conduct of Alexander; and the Thebans, on being spillied to again, sent out Pelopidaa, with his friend Ismenias, but simply in the character of ambassadors, and without troops. They imprudently put themselves into the power of the tyrant, who threw them Into prison. To rescue them and avenge the insult, Thebes sent out an army, which however was reduced to such a strait by his eays17 that it was obliged to retreat ; and but for the interference of Epamtnondas, who accompanied it, though not as general, it would have been destroyed.