History of the Peloponnesian War

The generals having acceded to their proposal, an armistice was concluded on the following terms:

That the Lacedaemonians should bring to Pylus, and deliver up to the Athenians, the ships with which they had fought the battle, and all in Laconia that were vessels of war; and should make no attack on the fort, either by land or sea. That the Athenians should allow the Lacedaemonians on the mainland to send over to their men in the island a stipulated quantity of corn, ready-kneaded, viz. two Attic choenixes of barley-meal a man, with two cotylae of wine and a piece of flesh; and half that quantity for [*]( i. e. each of those who are called, ch. 8. 9, εἵλωτες οἱ περὶ αὐτούς.) each attendant. That they should send in these rations under the eyes of the Athenians, and that no vessel should sail in by stealth. That the Athenians should keep guard over the island, nevertheless, so long as they did not land on it, and should abstain from attacking the forces of the Peloponnesians, either by land or by sea.

That if either party should break any of these terms, in any particular whatever, the armistice should at once be void. That it should be in force till the Lacedaemonian ambassadors returned from Athens, the Athenians conveying them thither in a trireme, and bring ing them back again. That on their arrival this armistice should be void, and the Athenians should deliver back the ships, in the same condition as they had received them.

The armistice was concluded on these terms; and accordingly the ships, amounting to about sixty, were given up, and the ambassadors despatched; who, on their arrival at Athens, spoke as follows: