Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 1.djvu/221

 4,5] FATE OF THE THEBAN PRISONERS 105 and burn them where they were. At last they and the B.C. 431. other Thebans who were still alive, and were wandering ^'- ^7, 2. about the city, agreed to surrender themselves and their arms unconditionally. Thus fared the Thebans in Plataea. The main body of the Theban army, which should have 5 come during the night to the support r,, ^ ^ • ,1 •. ,. Rnnforcements come of the party entenng the city m case of from Thebes. The a reverse, having on their march heard Piataeans, suspecting of the disaster, were now hastening to ^^^^ [^ Thebans intend the rescue. Plataea is about eight outside the walls, send miles distant from Thebes, and the « herald, promising heavy rain which had fallen in the ^^^ an oath [according ., , , , , . . , - , . to the Theban account) night delayed their arrival ; for the river to restore the prisoners Asopus had swollen, and was not if i!>e Thebans retired. easily fordable. Marching in the rain, '^'", P'<^°"''-^ "'■' P'<i ,.,,.„, . , . ' to death. and with difficulty crossing the river, they came up too late, some of their friends being already slain and others captives. When the Thebans became aware of the state of affairs, they resolved to lay hands on what was outside the walls ; for there were men and property left in the fields, as would naturally happen when a sudden blow was struck in time of peace. They meant to keep any one whom they caught as a hostage and exchange him for one of their own men, if any of them were still alive. But before they had executed their plan, the Plataeans, suspecting their intentions, and fearing for their friends outside, sent a herald to the Thebans pro- testing against the crime of which the}' had been guilty in trying to seize their city during peace, and warning them not to touch anything which was outside the walls. If they persisted they threatened in return to kill the prisoners ; but if they retired, they would give them up. This is the Theban account, and they add that the Plataeans took an oath. The Plataeans do not admit that they ever promised to restore the captives at once, but only if they could agree after negotiations; and they deny that they took an oath. However this may have been, the