Histories

The Lacedaemonians were at this time celebrating the festival of Hyacinthus,[*](A festival said to be of pre-Dorian origin, commemorating the killing of Hyacinthus by Apollo.) and their chief concern was to give the god his due; moreover, the wall which they were building on the Isthmus was by now getting its battlements. When the Athenian envoys arrived in Sparta [22.416,37.83] (inhabited place), Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece, Europe Lacedaemon, bringing with them envoys from +Megara [23.35,38] (Perseus) Megara and Plataea [23.2667,38.2] (Perseus) Plataea, they came before the ephors and said:

“The Athenians have sent us with this message: the king of the Medes is ready to give us back our country, and to make us his confederates, equal in right and standing, in all honor and honesty, and to give us whatever land we ourselves may choose besides our own.

But we, since we do not want to sin against Zeus the god of Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas and think it shameful to betray Greece [22,39] (nation), EuropeHellas, have not consented. This we have done despite the fact that the Greeks are dealing with us wrongfully and betraying us to our hurt; furthermore, we know that it is more to our advantage to make terms with the Persians than to wage war with him, yet we will not make terms with him of our own free will. For our part, we act honestly by the Greeks;