Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 2.djvu/145

 43-45] THE SPARTAN EMBASSY I37 ambassadors who were at that very moment negotiating the peace with Lacedaemon, but turned ... ., 1 • 1 1 1*1 T>i -^^ '"^ suggestion the their thoughts towards Athens. They Argivcs, ivho are partly reflected that Athens was a city which inflmmed by the me- had been their friend of old'*: like "'°->' ."-^ '"' """■"'" , . . coniiextoii, partly by their own it was governed by a demo- ^anonatic sympathy, cracy, and would be a powerful ally (ittd also by the hope to them at sea, if they were involved "-( n<ival alliance, join •' ine Athenians. in war. 1 hey at once sent envoys to negotiate an alliance with the Athenians ; the Eleans and Mantineans joined in the embassy. Thither also came in haste three envoys from Lacedaemon, who were thought likely to be acceptable at Athens — Philocharidas, Leon, and Endius ^ They were sent because the Lace- daemonians were afraid that the Athenians in their anger would join the Argive alliance. The envoys while they demanded the restoration of Pylos in return for Panactum, were to apologise for the alliance with the Boeotians, and to explain that it was not made with any view to the injury of Athens. They delivered their message to the council, adding that 45 they came with full power to treat ,,•,-. , .,, •' _ *^ _ _ Alcibiades by a trick about all differences. Alcibiades took deceives the Lacedae- alarm ; he feared that if the envoys moman envoys. They made a similar statement to the people "'^ Pj'sna e o eny / / /;/ the assembly the they would win them over to their side, pavers tvhich they have and that the Argive alliance would be acknowledged in the rejected. Whereupon he devised the '"""" • following trick : he solemnly assured the Lacedaemonians that if they would not communicate to the people the extent of their powers, he would restore Pylos to them, for he would use his influence in their favour instead of against them, and would arrange their other differences. But his real aim all the time was to alienate them from Nicias, and to bring about an alliance with Argos, Elis, " Cp. i. 102 fin. * Cp. viii. 6 mcd. I. 2