History of the Peloponnesian War

To this effect spoke Brasidas. The Acanthians, after much previous speaking on both sides of the question, gave their votes upon it in secret; and because Brasidas had urged alluring arguments, and at the same time through fear for their fruit, the majority determined to revolt from the Athenians; and after pledging him to the oaths which the Lacedaemonian authorities swore before they sent him out, that such as he won over should assuredly be independent allies, in this way they admitted the army.

Not long after, Stagirus, a colony of the Andrians, also joined them in revolt. Such then were the events of this summer.

At the very commencement of the following winter, when the towns in Boeotia were to be delivered up to Hippocrates and Demosthenes, the Athenian generals, and Demosthenes was to repair with his ships to Siphae, Hippocrates to Delium; a mistake having been made in the days on which they were both to take the field, Demosthenes sailed first to Siphae, with the Acarnanians and many allies from those parts on board, but did not succeed in his undertaking, through information of the design having been given by Nicomachus, a Phocian of Phanoteus, who told the Lacedaemonians, and they the Boeotians.

Accordingly, succours being brought by all the Boeotians, (for Hippocrates was not yet in their country to [*]( This is, I think, the true force of παρελύπει in this passage; and it has a somewhat similar one, Xen. Anab. II. 5. 29, ἐβούλετο δὲ καὶ ὁ κλέαρχοςἅπαν τὸ στράτευμα πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἔχειν τὴν γνώμην, καὶ τοὺς παραλυποῦντας ἐκποδὼν εἶναι.) make a diversion,) Siphae and Chaeronea were secured by surprise; and when the conspirators were aware of the mistake, they attempted no movement in the cities.

But Hippocrates, having drawn out the whole population of Athens, citizens, resident aliens, and all the foreigners then in the city, afterwards arrived at Delium, when the Boeotians had now returned from Siphae; and having encamped his army, proceeded to fortify Delium, the sanctuary of Apollo, in the following manner.

They dug a trench all round the sacred precinct and the fane, and from the ground thus excavated threw up the earth in a mound, as a substitute for a wall; and fixing stakes on it, cut down the vines that were round the sanctuary and threw them in, taking down also at the same time stones and brick-work from the neighbouring houses; and so they ran up the work in every way. They also erected wooden towers where there was occasion for them, and where there was not already any building belonging to the temple: