Book 5
The Argives, after ravaging about a third of the Epidaurian territory, returned home. Moreover, a thousand heavy-armed of the Athenians had come to their assistance, with Alcibiades as general; but on learning that the Lacedaemonians had ended their expedition, and that there was no longer any need for them, they returned home. And so the summer passed by.
The following winter, the Lacedaemonians eluded the vigilance of the Athenians in sending by sea to Epidaurus three hundred garrison troops, under command of Agesippidas.
The Argives therefore went to the Athenians, and complained, that though it had been specified in the treaty that they should not allow an enemy to pass through their respective countries, they had allowed them to go there by sea; and therefore they should consider themselves aggrieved, if the Athenians, on their side, did not take the Messenians and helots to Pylus, to annoy the Lacedaemonians.
So the Athenians, at the instigation of Alcibiades, inscribed at the bottom of the Laconian pillar, that the Lacedaemonians had not adhered to their oaths; and they conveyed the helots who were at Cranii to Pylus, to plunder the country;
though in other respects they remained quiet. Now in the course of hostilities during this winter between the Argives and Epidaurians, no pitched battle was fought, but there were only ambuscades and skirmishes, in which some were slain on each side, as might happen.
When the winter was closing, and spring was now at hand, the Argives went with scaling ladders to Epidaurus, supposing that it would be left unguarded on account of the war, and intending to take it by storm; but returned unsuccessful. And thus the winter ended, and the thirteenth year of this war.
In the middle of the next summer, when the Lacedaemonians saw that the Epidaurians, who were their allieswere in distress, and that the other states in the Peloponnese had either separated from them, or were unfavourably disposed towards them; thinking that if they did not quickly prevent it, they would proceed to a greater degree of disaffection, they marched with all their forces, themselves and the helots, against Argos, under the command of Agis son of Archidamus, king of the Lacedaemonians.
They were accompanied by the Tegeans, and as many others of the Arcadians as were in alliance with them. The allies in the rest of the Peloponnese also, and those beyond it, mustered at Phlius; the Boeotians with five thousand heavy-armed, the same number of light-armed, five hundred cavalry, and an equal number of i. e. light infantry who accompanied the cavalry into action See Poppo's note. hamippi; the Corinthians with two thousand heavy-armed; the rest as might severally happen; but the Phliasians in full force, as the army was posted in their country.
Now the Argives had from the first been aware of the preparations of the Lacedaemonians; and when they were on their march for the purpose of joining the rest at Phlius, then they also took the field. They were reinforced by the Mantineans with their allies, and by three thousand heavy-armed of the Eleans.
And as they advanced, they met the Lacedaemonians at Methydrium in Arcadia, and each army occupied a hill. The Argives then prepared to engage the Lacedaemonians, cut off as they were by themselves: but Agis broke up in the night, and eluding them, proceeded to the rest of the allies at Phlius.
The Argives, on finding this, marched, as soon as it was morning, to Argos first, and then to where they expected the Lacedaemonians with their allies would descend into their country, namely, the road running by Nemea.
Agis, however, did not take that road, as they expected him to do; but having given orders to the Lacedaemonians, Arcadians, and Epidaurians, he advanced by another and more difficult route, and so came down into the plain of Argos. The Corinthians, Pellenians, and Phliasians marched by another steep road; while the Boeotians, Megareans, and Sicyonians had been ordered to descend by that leading to Nemea, where the Argives were posted, in order that, if the Argives should advance into the plain against his own division, they might hang on their rear, and use their cavalry with effect.
He then, having made these arrangements and entered the plain, proceeded to ravage Saminthus and other places.
The Argives, having discovered it, advanced from Nemea, when it was now day, to their succour; and falling in with the forces of the Phliasians and Corinthians, killed a few of the former, but themselves had rather more killed by the latter.
And now the Boeotians, Megareans, and Sicyonians advanced, as they had been ordered, towards Nemea, and found the Argives no longer there; but they had gone down, on seing their property ravaged, and were forming for battle; while the Lacedaemonians also were preparing to meet them.
Now the Argives were intercepted in the midst of their enemies; for on the side of the plain the Lacedaemonians and those with them excluded them from their city; above them were the Corinthians, Phliasians, and Pellenians; and in the direction of Nemea the Boeotians, Sicyonians, and Megareans. They had no cavalry with them; Implying, of course, that the Athenians were the only people amongst he confederates who had any cavalry. for the Athenians alone of all the allies had not yet joined them.
Now the mass of the Argives and their allies did not consider their present position so formidable; but fancied that the battle would be fought on favourable terms, and that they had intercepted the Lacedaemonians in their own country, and close by their city.
But two individuals of the Argives, Thrasyllus, one of the five generals, and Alciphron, the proxenus of the Lacedaemonians, when the armies were now on the very point of engaging, went to Agis, and in a conference urged him not to bring on a battle; since the Argives were prepared to give and accept fair and equal arbitration for whatever complaints the Lacedaemonians had against them, and to make a treaty and live in peace for the future.
Those of the Argives who made these statements did so on their own authority, and not by order of the people; and Agis on his own discretion received their proposals; and without consulting, any more than they had, with the majority, but only communicating them to one of the officers who joined the expedition, granted a truce for four months, during which they were to fulfil their agreement. And so he immediately led back the army, without explaining the matter to any of the other confederates.
The Lacedaemonians and allies followed, indeed, as he led them, out of respect for the law; but amongst each other they blamed him exceedingly, considering that when they had had an opportunity of fighting on favourable terms, and their enemies were hemmed in on all sides, both by infantry and cavalry, they were returning without having achieved any thing worthy of their preparations.
For indeed this was the finest Grecian army that had ever been brought together up to that time; and it appeared such especially while it was still all united at Nemea. consisting of the Lacedaemonians in full force, the Arcadians. Boeotians, Corinthians, Sicyonians, Pellenians, Phliasians, and Megareans; and those, too, all picked men from their respective populations, and thinking themselves a match, not only for the Argive confederacy, but even for another such added to it.
Thus then the army, finding great fault with Agis, withdrew, and dispersed to their several homes.
But the Argives, on their side, blamed far more severely still those who had concluded the truce without consulting the people; as they too thought that the Lacedaemonians had escaped when they never could have had a finer opportunity of destroying them; since the contest would have been decided near their own city, and in concert with many brave allies.
On their return therefore they began to stone Thrasyllus in the bed of the Charadrus, where they try all causes that may arise from any expedition, before they enter the city. He escaped by flying for refuge to the altar; his property, however, was confiscated by them.
After this, when the Athenian succours arrived, consisting of a thousand heavy-armed and three hundred cavalry, commanded by Laches and Nicostratus, the Argives being loath, notwithstanding their arrival, to break the truce with the Lacedaemonians, commanded them to go back, though they wished to make a communication to them, and did not grant them a public audience, until the Mantineans and Eleans, (for they were still there,) by their entreaties, constrained them to do so.
The Athenians then—Alcibiades being sent as ambassador—spoke before the Argives and their allies to this effect; that it was not right for the truce καὶ γένοιντο.] Arnold and Poppo agree with Bauer in thinking that καί ought to have been put before αἱ σπονδαί; but may it not be intended to qualify γένοιντο alone, as I have taken it? in which case it stands just as it ought even to have been made, without the consent of the other allies; and that now, since their force had come so seasonably, they ought to proceed to hostilities.
And having persuaded the allies by their arguments, they immediately marched against Orchomenus, all but the Argives, who, though persuaded to the measure, still stayed behind at first; afterwards, however, they also went.
Thus they all sat down before Orchomenus, and besieged it, and made assaults upon it; being for other reasons desirous to get possession of it, and especially as some hostages from Arcadia were deposited there by the Lacedaemonians.
The Orchomenians, alarmed at the weakness of their wall and the number of the hostile forces, and fearing, since no succours had arrived, that they might perish before they did, surrendered on condition of joining the confederacy, giving hostages of their own to the Mantineans, and delivering up those whom the Lacedaemonians had deposited with them.
After this, when the allies were now in possession of Orchomenus, they consulted to which of the remaining places they should proceed first. The Eleans urged them to go against Lepreum, the Mantineans against Tegea; and the Argives and Athenians sided with the Mantineans.
The Eleans, being angry at their not determining to march against Lepreum, returned home; while the rest of the allies made preparations at Mantinea for proceeding against Tegea; and a party of the Tegeans themselves in the town were ready to give up the government to them.
As for the Lacedaemonians, when they had returned from Argos after concluding the four months' truce, they blamed Agis exceedingly for not having brought Argos into subjection to them, when there was so fine an opportunity as they thought had never before presented itself; for it was no easy thing to find so many and such allies collected together.
But when tidings also came of the capture of Orchomenus, they were far more enraged, and under the influence of anger resolved immediately (contrary to their general habit) that they ought to demolish his house, and fine him ten thousand drachmas.
But he besought them to do none of these things; for he would atone for his faults by good service when he next took the field, or they might then do to him whatever they pleased.
Accordingly, they abstained from the fine and the demolition of his house, but passed a law at that time which had never before existed amongst them; for they chose ten Spartans to act as counsellors with him, without whose consent he should have no power to lead an army out of the city.
Meanwhile intelligence reached them from their friends in Tegea, that unless they came there quickly, Tegea would go over from them to the Argives and their allies, and that it had all but done so.
Upon this then succour was given them by the Lacedaemonians and their helots in full force, with vigour, and in such a way as had never been done before.
They advanced to Orestheum, in the Maenalian territory; and commanded those of the Arcadians who were their allies to muster and march close after them to Tegea; while they themselves, after coming all of them as far as Orestheum, from that place sent back home the sixth part of their force, in which were included those who were too old or too young for foreign service, to protect their property at home, and with the remainder of their army arrived at Tegea, where their allies from Arcadia joined them not long after. They also sent to the Corinthians.
Boeotians, Phocians, and Locrians, with orders to reinforce them as quickly as possible at Mantinea. But to these the notice was short, and it was not easy, except in a body, and after waiting for each other, to cross the enemy's territory; for it closed up the communication, lying just in the way of it: however, they made all haste notwithstanding.
The Lacedaemonians, meanwhile, taking with them their Arcadian allies who had joined them, invaded the territory of Mantinea, and having encamped near the temple of Hercules, laid waste the land.