登陆注册
5541300000138

第138章

So passed the summer. The next winter the Lacedaemonians managed to elude the vigilance of the Athenians, and sent in a garrison of three hundred men to Epidaurus, under the command of Agesippidas. Upon this the Argives went to the Athenians and complained of their having allowed an enemy to pass by sea, in spite of the clause in the treaty by which the allies were not to allow an enemy to pass through their country. Unless, therefore, they now put the Messenians and Helots in Pylos to annoy the Lacedaemonians, they, the Argives, should consider that faith had not been kept with them.

The Athenians were persuaded by Alcibiades to inscribe at the bottom of the Laconian pillar that the Lacedaemonians had not kept their oaths, and to convey the Helots at Cranii to Pylos to plunder the country; but for the rest they remained quiet as before. During this winter hostilities went on between the Argives and Epidaurians, without any pitched battle taking place, but only forays and ambuscades, in which the losses were small and fell now on one side and now on the other. At the close of the winter, towards the beginning of spring, the Argives went with scaling ladders to Epidaurus, expecting to find it left unguarded on account of the war and to be able to take it by assault, but returned unsuccessful. And the winter ended, and with it the thirteenth year of the war ended also.

In the middle of the next summer the Lacedaemonians, seeing the Epidaurians, their allies, in distress, and the rest of Peloponnese either in revolt or disaffected, concluded that it was high time for them to interfere if they wished to stop the progress of the evil, and accordingly with their full force, the Helots included, took the field against Argos, under the command of Agis, son of Archidamus, king of the Lacedaemonians. The Tegeans and the other Arcadian allies of Lacedaemon joined in the expedition. The allies from the rest of Peloponnese and from outside mustered at Phlius; the Boeotians with five thousand heavy infantry and as many light troops, and five hundred horse and the same number of dismounted troopers; the Corinthians with two thousand heavy infantry; the rest more or less as might happen; and the Phliasians with all their forces, the army being in their country.

The preparations of the Lacedaemonians from the first had been known to the Argives, who did not, however, take the field until the enemy was on his road to join the rest at Phlius. Reinforced by the Mantineans with their allies, and by three thousand Elean heavy infantry, they advanced and fell in with the Lacedaemonians at Methydrium in Arcadia. Each party took up its position upon a hill, and the Argives prepared to engage the Lacedaemonians while they were alone; but Agis eluded them by breaking up his camp in the night, and proceeded to join the rest of the allies at Phlius. The Argives discovering this at daybreak, marched first to Argos and then to the Nemean road, by which they expected the Lacedaemonians and their allies would come down. However, Agis, instead of taking this road as they expected, gave the Lacedaemonians, Arcadians, and Epidaurians their orders, and went along another difficult road, and descended into the plain of Argos. The Corinthians, Pellenians, and Phliasians marched by another steep road; while the Boeotians, Megarians, and Sicyonians had instructions to come down by the Nemean road where the Argives were posted, in order that, if the enemy advanced into the plain against the troops of Agis, they might fall upon his rear with their cavalry. These dispositions concluded, Agis invaded the plain and began to ravage Saminthus and other places.

Discovering this, the Argives came up from Nemea, day having now dawned. On their way they fell in with the troops of the Phliasians and Corinthians, and killed a few of the Phliasians and had perhaps a few more of their own men killed by the Corinthians. Meanwhile the Boeotians, Megarians, and Sicyonians, advancing upon Nemea according to their instructions, found the Argives no longer there, as they had gone down on seeing their property ravaged, and were now forming for battle, the Lacedaemonians imitating their example. The Argives were now completely surrounded; from the plain the Lacedaemonians and their allies shut them off from their city; above them were the Corinthians, Phliasians, and Pellenians; and on the side of Nemea the Boeotians, Sicyonians, and Megarians. Meanwhile their army was without cavalry, the Athenians alone among the allies not having yet arrived. Now the bulk of the Argives and their allies did not see the danger of their position, but thought that they could not have a fairer field, having intercepted the Lacedaemonians in their own country and close to the city. Two men, however, in the Argive army, Thrasylus, one of the five generals, and Alciphron, the Lacedaemonian proxenus, just as the armies were upon the point of engaging, went and held a parley with Agis and urged him not to bring on a battle, as the Argives were ready to refer to fair and equal arbitration whatever complaints the Lacedaemonians might have against them, and to make a treaty and live in peace in future.

同类推荐
  • More Bab Ballads

    More Bab Ballads

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • THE HISTORY OF TOM JONES

    THE HISTORY OF TOM JONES

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佩韦斋辑闻

    佩韦斋辑闻

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 泰州道中却寄东京故

    泰州道中却寄东京故

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 存雅堂遗稿

    存雅堂遗稿

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 再生缘

    再生缘

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 阿都的没落

    阿都的没落

    本书为小小说合集,从身边凡人小事入手,或生活感悟,或针砭时弊,或讴歌真爱,或陈述道理,或揭示人性,契合转成,于短小精悍中见特殊魅力。作品大都为已见诸报端的成品精选,也包括部分新品原创。在一分钟时间内品味人生百态。
  • 做一个会说话会交际会理财的聪明女人(大全集)

    做一个会说话会交际会理财的聪明女人(大全集)

    懂得通过保险来保护自己的未来、保护自己的生命、保护自己的家人;在有保障的生活状态下,你可以邀上三五好友,尽情交谈、四处旅游,享受生命原汁原味的快乐与美好!懂得理财的女人,将金钱、亲情、友情、爱情,全都牢牢握在手中,享受最完整、最美丽的生命状态,做一个最好命的女人!这样的女人,就是未来的你,就是学习了理财之后的你!
  • 明伦汇编交谊典嫌隙部

    明伦汇编交谊典嫌隙部

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 创业有啥了不起

    创业有啥了不起

    创业就是这样的一种游戏,反对在那种害死人的封闭场景下把孩子弄成呆板的人以后再去给他们忽悠创业,主张所有的人都要呼吁与创造让青少年闯荡的机会:实践、实习、沟通、尝试,然后我们就能得到一种新品种的创业素养,真的适合创造的人才。创业从闯荡开始,闯荡从现在开始。
  • 把手藏在身后

    把手藏在身后

    郎家国是赌着一口气参加公务员考试的。他急于改变自己的处境。郎家国是省冶金学校的一名语文老师,在那样一所理工学校里,语文课不过是个摆设。郎家国常常自惭形秽,有一种当“花瓶”的感觉。既然是“摆设”,诸如分房,评职称、涨工资的好事儿就常常与他擦肩而过。故而,妻子李作梅就经常嘟囔他无能,是一个只会吃哑巴亏的“大狗熊”。为了向妻子证明自己不是狗熊。郎家国几次愤怒地向校长抗议。
  • 论自由代议制政府

    论自由代议制政府

    《论自由》主要从三方面论述了公民的自由权利。《代议制政府》是密尔政治学说的另一部代表作,是其多年致力于议会改革而形成的政治观点和实际建议系统化的结晶。
  • 花滑白痴

    花滑白痴

    毫无花样滑冰天赋的顾霏柔从小和姐姐一起学习滑冰。姐姐天赋异禀,而她却像个花滑白痴。啪……她又摔倒了。“总有一天我也会clean的,我也会站在世界的高度。”顾霏柔趴在冰面上含着泪看着顾惜惜。“就凭你?这里可没有给猪吃的金牌。你赶紧脱下冰鞋,去梦里摸一摸金牌吧。你这猪一样的身材还想滑冰?嫁不嫁的出去都不一定吧。”后来,顾霏柔终于如愿以偿的赢得冠军......
  • 剑傲天下

    剑傲天下

    刀光剑影狭路相逢,炽热情怀复仇切。英雄美人惊天地,爱恨情仇泣鬼神。江湖,永远的争斗,永恒的话题,看一个小人物是如何一步步走入真正的江湖,踏上那条充满荆棘的道路的。
  • 重生成女配宋氏

    重生成女配宋氏

    宋琴默的一缕幽魂因怨气被束缚了整整三百年,经历了朝代更替,当最后一丝怨气消失之时,宋琴默本以为自己可以喝上那碗孟婆汤重过新生,却未曾想一睁眼竟然重生了!重生了的宋琴默并不想在过前世那般尔虞我诈、勾心斗角只围着一个男人打转的日子了,却始终躲不过命运的安排,当她下定决心为了自己前世那两个夭折的女儿奋起之时,却发现这一世的李氏与前世的李氏不是一人,竟是来自三百年后的穿越女!