History of the Peloponnesian War

So the troops crossed over again to Torone; while they informed Brasidas of the truce, and all the allies of the Lacedaemonians Thrace-ward assented to what had been done. Now Aristonymus allowed all the other cases;

but finding, on a calculation of the days, that the Scionaeans had revolted after the date of the convention, he said that they would not be included in it. But Brasidas earnestly contended, on the other hand, that they had revolted before the truce was made, and refused to give the town up.

So when Aristonymus reported their case at Athens, the people were immediately prepared to send an expedition against Scione. But the Lacedaemonians sent envoys and told them that they would be violating the truce; and laid claim to the town, in reliance on the statement of Brasidas; offering, at the same time, to let the question be decided by arbitration.

The Athenians, however, did not wish to run the risk of arbitration, but to send the expedition as quickly as possible; being enraged to think that even the inhabitants of the islands now presumed to revolt from them, trusting in the power of the Lacedaemonians by land, which could not help them.

And indeed the truth of the question respecting the revolt was rather as the Athenians maintained; for the Scionaeans revolted two days after the truce was signed. Accordingly, at the instigation of Cleon, they at once passed a decree that they should reduce the Scionaeans, and put them to death; and so, while they remained quiet from other undertakings, they were engaged in preparing for this.

In the mean time, Mende revolted from them, a town in Pallene, and a colony of the Eretrians. Brasidas received them, not thinking that he was doing wrong, because they had clearly come over to him during the armistice: for in some points he himself also charged the Athenians with infringing the truce.

And for this reason the Mendaeans were the more emboldened, seeing the feelings of Brasidas warmly disposed towards them, and inferring as much from the case of Scione, since he would not give it up; and at the same time because those of them who contrived the revolt were a small party, and since thinking of it on that occasion, had never let it rest afterwards, but were afraid of conviction for themselves, and forced the majority to it against their inclination.

The Athenians, immediately hearing of it, were still far more enraged, and made their preparations against both the towns.

And Brasidas, expecting their attack, conveyed away to Olynthus in Chalcidice the women and children of the Scionaeans and Mendaeans, and sent over to them five hundred Peloponnesian heavy-armed and three hundred Chalcidian targeteers, with Polydamidas in command of them all. And so they joined in making their preparations, believing that the Athenians would quickly be with them.

Brasidas and Perdiccas meanwhile made an expedition together the second time into Lyncus, against Arrhibaeus; taking with them, the latter, the forces of the Macedonians under his dominion, and some heavy-armed troops of the Greeks living amongst them; the former, in addition to those of the Peloponnesians whom he had still left, the Chalcidians, Acanthians, and of the rest according to their respective strength. In all, the heavy-armed Greeks amounted to about three thousand; all the cavalry of the Macedonians with the Chalcidians went with them, amounting to nearly a thousand, and a large multitude of the barbarians besides. Having: