Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 2.djvu/142

 134 ALARM AT ARGOS [v whole confederacy would go over to the Lacedaemonians. For they thought that the Boeotians were demolishing Panactum by the desire of the Lacedaemonians, and had likewise been induced by them to come into the Athenian treaty; and that the Athenians were cognisant of the whole affair. But, if so, they could no longer form an alliance even with Athens, although they had hitherto imagined that the enmity of the two powers would secure them an alliance with one or the other, and that if they lost the peace with Lacedaemon, they might at any rate become allies of the Athenians. So in their perplexity, fearing that they might have to fight Lacedaemon, Tegea, Boeotia, and Athens, all at once, the Argives, who at the time when they were proudly hoping to be the leaders of Peloponnesus had refused to make a treaty with Lace- daemon, now sent thither two envoys, Eustrophus and Aeson, who were likely to be well regarded by the Spartans. For under present circumstances it seemed to them that nothing better could be done than to make a treaty with the Lacedaemonians on any terms whatever, and keep out of war. 41 The envoys arrived, and began to confer with the Lace- They send envoys to daemonians respecting the conditions Lacedaemon, vjho, after on which the peace should be made. making a foolish stipu- jj^g Argives at first demanded that the lation about Cynuna, 1 1 1 1 j r prepare to conclude a oM quarrcl about the bordcr-land of peace with the Lacedae- Cynuria, a district which contains the moniansfo, fifty years. ^-^^^^^ ^^ Thyrca and Anthcne and is occupied by the Lacedaemonians, should be referred to the arbitration of some state or person. Of this the Lacedae- monians would not allow a word to be said, but they professed their readiness to renew the treaty on the old terms. The Argives at length induced them to make a fifty years' peace, on the understanding however that either Lacedaemon or Argos, provided that neither city were suffering at the time from war or plague, might challenge the other to fight for the disputed territory, as