History of the Peloponnesian War

and the Lacedaemonians saved their empty vessels, excepting those first taken. Both sides having returned to their encampment, the Athenians erected a trophy, gave back the slain, secured the wrecks, and immediately began to cruise round the island, and guarded it vigilantly, considering the men as intercepted; while the Peloponnesians on the mainland, who had by this time come with their contingents from all the cities, remained stationary at Pylus.

When tidings of what had taken place at Pylus reached Sparta, it was determined that, in so great a calamity, the authorities should go down to the camp, and [*]( Haack, Göller, and Dindorf retain the old reading,πρὸς τὸ χρῆμα, depending on ὁρῶντας, on inspection of the case. ) immediately decide on inspection what they thought best.

They, seeing that it was impossible to assist their men, and not wishing to run the risk of their perishing by starvation, or being overpowered and taken by superior numbers, determined to conclude with the Athenian generals, if they were willing, an armistice concerning matters at Pylus, and then send ambassadors to Athens on the subject of a convention, and to try to recover their men as quickly as possible.

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.