Page:History of Greece Vol VII.djvu/22

4 4 HISTORY OF GEELX3E. resistance of the Chalkidians. Thus completely baffled, th envoys returned to Sparta, whither Klearidas thought it prudent to accompany them, partly to explain his own conduct, partly in hopes of being able to procure some modification of the terms. But he found this impossible, and he was sent back to Amphip- olis with peremptory orders to surrender the place to the Athe- nians, if it could possibly be done ; if that should prove beyond his force, then to come away, and bring home every Peloponne- sian soldier in the garrison. Perhaps the surrender was really impracticable to a force no greater than that which Klearidas commanded, since the reluctance of the population was doubtless obstinate. At any rate, he represented it to be impracticable : the troops accordingly came home, but the Athenians still re- mained excluded from Amphipolis, and all the stipulations of the peace respecting the Thracian towns remained unperformed. Nor was this all. The envoys from the recusant minority (Cor- inthians and others), after having gone home for instructions, had now come back to Sparta with increased repugnance and protest against the injustice of the peace, so that all the efforts of the Spartans to bring them to compliance were fruitless. 1 The latter were now in serious embarrassment. Not having executed their portion of the treaty, they could not demand that Athens should execute hers : and they were threatened with the double misfortune of forfeiting the confidence of their allies without acquiring any one of the advantages of the treaty. In this dilemma they determined to enter into closer relations, and separate relations, with Athens, at all hazard of offending their allies. Of the enmity of Argos, if unaided by Athens, they had little apprehension; while the moment was now favorable for alliance with Athens, from the decided pacific tendencies reigning on both sides, as well as from the known philo-Laconian senti- ment of the leaders Nikias and Laches. The Athenian envoys had remained at Sparta ever since the swearing of the peace, awaiting the fulfilment of the conditions ; Nikias or Laches, one or both, being very probably among them. When they saw that Sparta was unable to fulfil her bond, so that the treaty seemed likely to be cancelled, they would doubtless encourage, and per- Thur-yd. v. 21, 22.