Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 1.djvu/297

 loi, 102] RETURN OF SITALCES 181 Magnesians and other dependants of the Thessalians, and all the Hellenes as far as Thermopylae were afraid that his army would move on them, and took measures of pre- caution. Those independent Thracian tribes to the north beyond the Strymon who dwelt in the plains, namely the Panaeans, Odomantians, Droans, and Dersacans, were also in great alarm. A belief arose, which spread far and wide among the enemies of Athens, that the Athenians meant to lead their Odrysian allies against the rest of Hellas. Meanwhile Sitalces overran and ravaged Chalci- dice, Bottice, and Macedonia, but could not effect his objects ; and, his army being without food and suffering from the winter, he was persuaded by his nephew, who next to himself had the greatest authority, Seuthes the son of Spardacus'^, to return home at once. Now Perdic- cas had secretly gained over Seuthes, promising to give him his sister in marriage, with a portion. And so Sitalces and his army, having remained thirty days in all, of which eight were passed among the Chalcidians, returned home in haste. Perdiccas in fulfilment of his promise gave his sister Stratonice in marriage to Seuthes. Thus ended the expedition of Sitalces. During the same winter the Athenian forces at Nau- 102 pactus, after the Peloponnesian fleet TheAtheuhu.s, under had dispersed, made an expedition piiormh, make an e.- under the command of Phormio into P^dH'on Mo Acar- the centre of Acarnania with four hundred hoplites of their own taken from the fleet'' and four hundred Messenian hoplites. They first coasted along towards Astacus ^ and disembarked. From Stratus, Coronta, and other places they expelled those of the inhabitants whom they distrusted, and restoring Cynes the son of Theolytus to Coronta, they returned to their ships. Oeniadae, of which the inhabitants, unlike the rest of » Cp. iv. loi fin. ^ Cp. ii. 83 iiiit. ; 92 fin. « Cp. ii. 30; 33,