History of the Peloponnesian War

About the same period of this summer, the Athenians, having reduced the Scionaeans to surrender, put the adult males to death; while they sold into slavery the women and children, and gave the territory for the Plataeans to occupy. On the other hand, they brought back the Delians to their country, from scruples arising from their disasters in different battles, and because the god at Delphi had so commanded them.

At this time, too, the Phocians and. Locrians commenced hostilities.

And the Corinthians and Argives, being now in alliance, went to Tegea, to procure its revolt from the Lacedaemonians, seeing that it formed a considerable part of the Peloponnese, and thinking that, if it were added to them, they would command the whole of it.

But when the Tegeans said they would do nothing in opposition to the Lacedaemonians, the Corinthians, though hitherto very hearty in their measures, relaxed in their vehemence, and were afraid that none of the other parties might now come over to them. They went, however, to the Boeotians, and begged them to enter into alliance with themselves and the Argives, and act in all other respects in concert with them.

With reference to the ten days' truces also, which had been made with each other by the Athenians and Boeotians not long after the conclusion of the fifty years' treaty, the Corinthians desired the Boeotians to accompany them to Athens, and obtain the same for them also, on the same footing as the Boeotians; and in case of the Athenians not acceding to this, then to renounce the suspension of arms, and in future to make no truce without being joined by them. On the Corinthians preferring these requests, the Boeotians desired them to desist on the subject of the Argive alliance:

they went with them, however, to Athens, but did not obtain the ten days' truce; as the Athenians answered, that they were already in treaty with the Corinthians, inasmuch as they were allies of the Lacedaemonians.

The Boeotians, then, did not any the more on that account renounce their ten days' truce, though the Corinthians called on them to do so, and expostulated with them on the ground of their having agreed to do it. Between the Corinthians, however, and the Athenians there was a suspension of arms [*]( By ἄσπονδος is meant a mere agreement in words, not ratified by the solemnities, of religion. And the Greeks, as we have seen, considered the breach of their word very different from the breach of their oath. See II 5.7. —Arnold.) without any actual truce.