Megillus:  Quite true.

Athenian:  And would not men who had shared with one another many dangers, and were governed by a single race of royal brothers, and had taken the advice of oracles, and in particular of the Delphian Apollo, be likely to think that such states would be firmly and lastingly established?

Megillus:  Of course they would.

Athenian:  Yet these institutions, of which such great expectations were entertained, seem to have all rapidly vanished away; with the exception, as I was saying, of that small part of them which existed in your land.  And this third part has never to this day ceased warring against the two others; whereas, if the original idea had been carried out, and they had agreed to be one, their power would have been invincible in war.

Megillus:  No doubt.

Athenian:  But what was the ruin of this glorious confederacy?  Here is a subject well worthy of consideration.

Megillus:  Certainly, no one will ever find more striking instances of laws or governments being the salvation or destruction of great and noble interests, than are here presented to his view.

Athenian:  Then now we seem to have happily arrived at a real and important question.

Megillus:  Very true.

Athenian:  Did you never remark, sage friend, that all men, and we ourselves at this moment, often fancy that they see some beautiful thing which might have effected wonders if any one had only known how to make a right use of it in some way; and yet this mode of looking at things may turn out after all to be a mistake, and not according to nature, either in our own case or in any other?

Megillus:  To what are you referring, and what do you mean?

Athenian:  I was thinking of my own admiration of the aforesaid Heracleid expedition, which was so noble, and might have had such wonderful results for the Hellenes, if only rightly used; and I was just laughing at myself.

Megillus:  But were you not right and wise in speaking as you did, and we in assenting to you?

Athenian:  Perhaps; and yet I cannot help observing that any one who sees anything great or powerful, immediately has the feeling that—­’If the owner only knew how to use his great and noble possession, how happy would he be, and what great results would he achieve!’

Megillus:  And would he not be justified?

Athenian:  Reflect; in what point of view does this sort of praise appear just:  First, in reference to the question in hand:—­If the then commanders had known how to arrange their army properly, how would they have attained success?  Would not this have been the way?  They would have bound them all firmly together and preserved them for ever, giving them freedom and dominion at pleasure, combined with the power of doing in the whole world, Hellenic and barbarian, whatever they and their descendants desired.  What other aim would they have had?