Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 2.djvu/160

 152 EXASPERATION OF LACEDAEMONIANS [v the Mantineans ; whereupon the Eleans, indignant that The Argivcs and they had not voted for the expedition ihcir allies uoiv quarrel against Lepreuni, returned home, but a,no„8 themselves The ^^^ remainder of the alHes made Eleans rettirit home;, n. • the rest of the allies pre- preparations at Mantmea to attack pare to attack Tegea. Tegea. They were assisted by a party within the walls who were ready to betray the place to them. 63 The Lacedaemonians, when after making the four The Lacedaemonians months' truce they had returned home, are furious with Agis. severely blamed Agis because he had Hepaeifxesthem. Never- ^^^ conquered Argos, and had lost an iheless they appoint ten ^. r T •,. , • Spartans to be his Opportunity of which, in their own advisers. judgment, they had never before had the like. For it was no easy matter to bring together a body of allies so numerous and brave. But when the news came that Orchomenus had fallen they were furious, and in a fit of passion, which was unlike their usual character, they had almost made up their minds to raze his house and fine him in the sum of a hundred thousand drachmae". But he besought them not to punish him, promising that he would atone for his error by some brave action in the field ; if he did not keep his word they might do as they pleased with him. So they did not inflict the fine or demolish his house, but on this occasion they passed a law which had no precedent in their history, providing that ten Spartans should be appointed his counsellors'", who were to give their consent before he could lead the army out of the city. 64 Meanwhile word was brought from their friends in Tegea that they must come at once, since Tegea was about to secede and had almost seceded already to the Argives and their allies. Whereupon the Lacedaemonians " About /C4,6oo, supposing the sum to be given in Acginctan drachmae. ^ Cp. tlic cases of Cncmus, ii. 85 init. ; Alcidas, iii. 69 med. ; Astyochus, viii. 39 mod., for a somewhat similar proceeding.