Histories

When the ephors heard that, they delayed answering till the next day, and again till the day after. This they did for ten days, putting it off from day to day. In the meantime all the Peloponnesians were doing all they could to fortify the Isthmus, and they had nearly completed the task.

I cannot say for certain why it was that when Alexander the Macedonian came to Athens [23.7333,37.9667] (Perseus)Athens [*](cp. Hdt. 8.135 ) the Lacedaemonians insisted that the Athenians should not join the side of the Persian, yet now took no account of that; it may be that with the Isthmus fortified, they thought they had no more need of the Athenians, whereas when Alexander came to Attica [23.5,38.83] (department), Central Greece and Euboea, Greece, Europe Attica, their wall was not yet built and they were working at this in great fear of the Persians.

The nature of their response was as follows: on the day before the final hearing of the Athenian delegation, Chileus, a man of Tegea [22.4,37.5] (Perseus) Tegea, who had more authority with the Lacedaemonians than any other of their guests, learned from the ephors all that the Athenians had said.