History of the Peloponnesian War

And remaining amongst the Chalcidians, he joined in the other measures of the war; and laid an ambuscade near the city of the Sermylians, and cut off many of them; and sending to the Peloponnese, [*]( The original is a condensed expression, the participle πέμπων being understood, as is evident from chap. 57. 3, where it is expressed, δεδιώς τε ἔπρασσεν ἔς τε τὴν λακεδαίμονα πέμπων ὅπως, κ. τ. λ.) endeavoured to contrive a way in which some assistance might be brought. After the works round Potidaea were finished, Phormio with his sixteen hundred men proceeded to ravage Chalcidice and Bottice, and took some of the towns also.

The Athenians then and Peloponnesians had had these previous grounds of complaint against each other; the Corinthians, because Potidaea, which was a colony of their own, and men of Corinth and from the Peloponnese in it, were being besieged; the Athenians against the Peloponnesians, because they had caused the revolt of a city which was their ally and tributary, and had come and openly fought with them in conjunction with the Potidaeans. The war however had not yet positively broken out, but at present there was a suspension of hostilities; for the Corinthians had done these things on their own responsibility alone.

When, however, Potidaea was being besieged, they did not remain quiet, as they had men in it, and were alarmed for the place. And immediately they summoned the allies to Lacedaemon, and came and cried out against the Athenians, as having broken the treaty, and as injuring the Peloponnese.

And the aeginetans, though they did not openly send ambassadors, for fear of the Athenians, yet in secret most of all urged on the war in conjunction with them, saying that they were not independent according to the treaty.

So the Lacedaemonians, after summoning any one of the allies besides, who said that in any other respect he had been injured by the Athenians, held their ordinary assembly, and told them to speak.