Page:History of Greece Vol VII.djvu/386

368 368 HISTORY OF GREECE. geitus declined any concern with Chios, and refused to contribute for this purpose any of the money which he had brought. A general synod of deputies from the allies was held at Corinth, wherein it was determined, with the concurrence of Agis, to despatch the fleet first to Chios, under Chalkideus ; next, to Les- bos, under Alkamenes ; lastly, to the Hellespont, under Klear- chus. But it was judged expedient to divide the fleet, and bring across twenty-one triremes out of the thirty-nine, so as to distract the attention of Athens, and divide her means of resistance. So low was the estimate formed of these means, that the Lacedae- monians did not scruple to despatch their expedition openly from the Saronic gulf, where the Athenians would have full knowledge both of its numbers and of its movements. 1 Hardly had the twenty-one triremes, however, been brought across to Kenchreae, when a fresh delay arose to obstruct their departure. The Isthmian festival, celebrated every alternate year, and kept especially holy by the Corinthians, was just approaching ; nor would they consent to begin any military oper- ations until it was concluded, though Agis tried to elude their scruples by offering to adopt the intended expedition as his own. It was during the delay which thus ensued that the Athenians were first led to conceive suspicions about Chios, whither they despatched Aristokrates, one of the generals of the year. The, Chian authorities strenuously denied all projects of revolt, and being required by Aristokrates to furnish some evidence of their good faith, sent back along with him seven triremes to the aid O; Athens. It was much against their own will that they were compelled thus to act ; but they knew that the Chian people were in general averse to the idea of revolting from Athens, nor did they feel confidence enough to proclaim their secret designs with- out some manifestation of support from Peloponnesus, which hait been so much delayed that they knew not when it would arrive. The Athenians, in their present state of weakness, perhaps though! it prudent to accept insufficient assurances, for fear of (Inving this powerful island to open revolt. But during the Isth- mian frstival, to which they were invrtsd along with other Greeks they discovered farther evidences of the plot which was going 1 Tbucyd. viii, 8