Histories

Cleomenes took the weapon and set about slashing himself from his shins upwards; from the shin to the thigh he cut his flesh lengthways, then from the thigh to the hip and the sides, until he reached the belly, and cut it into strips; thus he died, as most of the Greeks say, because he persuaded the Pythian priestess to tell the tale of Demaratus. The Athenians alone say it was because he invaded +Eleusis [23.5583,38.0417] (Perseus) Eleusis and laid waste the precinct of the gods. The Argives say it was because when Argives had taken refuge after the battle in their temple of Argus [*](Cp. Hdt. 6.80.) he brought them out and cut them down, then paid no heed to the sacred grove and set it on fire.

As Cleomenes was seeking divination at Delphi [22.5167,38.4917] (Perseus) Delphi, the oracle responded that he would take Argos [22.7333,37.6417] (Perseus) Argos. When he came with Spartans to the river Erasinus, which is said to flow from the Stymphalian [*](The Stymphalian lake, near the base of Cyllene, discharges itself into a cavern at the foot of a cliff; the river which reappears near Argos [22.7333,37.6417] (Perseus) Argos (the Erasinus) has been generally identified with this stream.) lake (this lake issues into a cleft out of sight and reappears at Argos [22.7333,37.6417] (Perseus) Argos, and from that place onwards the stream is called by the Argives Erasinus)—when Cleomenes came to this river he offered sacrifices to it.

The omens were in no way favorable for his crossing, so he said that he honored the Erasinus for not betraying its countrymen, but even so the Argives would not go unscathed. Then he withdrew and led his army seaward to Thyrea, where he sacrificed a bull to the sea and carried his men on shipboard to the region of +Tiryns [22.8167,37.6] (Perseus) Tiryns and to +Navplion [22.8,37.566] (inhabited place), Nomos Argolidhos, Peloponnese, Greece, Europe Nauplia.