Page:History of Greece Vol VII.djvu/61

43 ALKIBIADES TURNS AGAINST SPARTA. 43 of which he was capable. But this contemptuous refusal of the Spartans stung him so to the quick, that, making an entire revolution in his political course, 1 he immediately threw himself into anti-Laconian politics with an energy and ability which he was not before known to possess. The moment was favorable, since the recent death of Kleon, for a new political leader to espouse this side ; and was rendered still more favorable by the conduct of the Lacedaemonians. Month after month passed, remonstrance after remonstrance was addressed, yet not one of the restitutions prescribed by the treaty in favor of Athens had yet been accomplished. Alkibiades had therefore ample pretext for altering his tone respecting the Spar- tans, and for denouncing them as deceivers who had broken theii solemn oaths, abusing the generous confidence of Athens. Undei his present antipathies, his attention naturally turned to Argos, in which city he possessed some powerful friends and family guests. The condition of that city, now free by the expiration of the peace with Sparta, opened a possibility of connection with Athens, and this policy was strongly recommended by Alkibiades, who insisted that Sparta was playing false with the Athenians, merely in order to keep their hands tied until she had attacked and put down Argos separately. This particular argument had less force when it was seen that Argos acquired new and power- ful allies, Mantineia, Elis, and Corinth ; but on the other hand, such acquisitions rendered Argos positively more valuable as an ally to the Athenians. It was not so much, however, the inclination towards Argos, but the growing wrath against Sparta, which furthered the philo- Argeian plans of Alkibiades ; and when the Lacedaemonian envoy Andromedes arrived at Athens from Bocotia, tendering to the Athenians the mere ruins of Panaktum in exchange for Pylos ; when it farther became known that the Spartans had 1 Thucyd. v, 43. Oi> /HEVTOI uK/M /cat I?.OVEIK&V yravTiovTo, dri AaKs6atfj.6vioi 6iu KIKIOV Kal Au^rof e^pa^av ~iif arrovduf, aiirbv did rr/v VEOTTJTO. v7rpi66vTE KO.I /card T?/V 7ra2,aiuv Trpo^eviav TTOTC ovaav ov rt/j;/. aavTEr, f/v TOV TTUTT-OV inrenrovTot; aiirbf rovf EK rr/r vf/uov O.VTLJV al rovf iJepcTrfrwv dLevoeiro uvaveuaaadai. HavTu^o^ev TE TO TE Trptirov uvrEiirtv, etc.