History of the Peloponnesian War

Moreover, the Argives sent ambassadors to the Athenians, commanding them to evacuate their fortress in Epidaurus. They therefore, seeing themselves to be but few against many who joined in garrisoning it, sent Demosthenes to lead their men out of it; who having arrived, and instituted, by way of pretext, a gymnastic contest outside the fortress, when the rest of the garrison had gone out, shut the gates upon them. Afterwards, having renewed their treaty with the Epidaurians, the Athenians by themselves gave up the fortress.

Subsequent to the withdrawal of the Argives from the confederacy, the Mantineans, after first holding out, and then finding themselves unable to do so without the Argives, came to terms on their part also with the Lacedaemonians, and relinquished their sovereignty over [*]( i.e. their subject allies, mentioned ch, 33 58. 1, and elsewhere.) the cities.

And now the Lacedaemonians and Argives, each a thousand strong, took the field together, and the Lacedaemonians by themselves went and put the government of Sicyon into the hands of a smaller num ber than before, and then both of them together also put down the democracy at Argos, an oligarchy being established, in accordance with the interests of the Lacedaemonians. These things occurred at the close of the winter, when spring was now near at hand; and so ended the fourteenth year of the war.

The following summer, the inhabitants of Dium on Athos revolted from the Athenians to the Chalcidians; and the Lacedaemonians settled the affairs of Achaia, which before had not been suitable to their views.

And now the commons party at Argos, gradually combining and recovering their spirits, made an attack upon the oligarchical party, having watched their opportunity, when it was just the time of the Lacedaemonian Gymnopaediae. And a battle having been fought in the city, the commons gained the victory, and slew some of them, and banished others.

The Lacedaemonians, while their friends had been sending for them a long time before, did not go; but at length put off the Gymnopaediae, and marched to their aid. On hearing at Tegea that the oligarchical party had been defeated, they would not advance any farther, though entreated by those who had escaped;