Chapter LV

FROM THE PEACE OF NIKIAS TO THE OLYMPIC FESTIVAL OF
OLYMPIAD 90.

Negotiations for peace during the winter after the battle
of Amphipolis.—Peace called the Peace of Nikias—concluded
in March 421 B.C. Conditions of peace.—Peace accepted at
Sparta by the majority of members of the Peloponnesian
alliance.—The most powerful members of the alliance refuse
to accept the truce—Bœotians, Megarians, Corinthians, and
Eleians.—Position and feelings of the Lacedæmonians—their
great anxiety for peace—their uncertain relations with
Argos.—Steps taken by the Lacedæmonians to execute the
peace—Amphipolis is not restored to Athens—the great
allies of Sparta do not accept the peace.—Separate
alliance for mutual defence concluded between Sparta and
Athens.—Terms of the alliance.—Athens restores the Spartan
captives.—Mismanagement of the political interests of
Athens by Nikias and the peace party.—By the terms of
the alliance Athens renounced all the advantages of her
position in reference to the Lacedæmonians—she gained none
of those concessions upon which she calculated, while
they gained materially.—Discontent and remonstrances
of the Athenians against Sparta in consequence of the
non-performance of the conditions—they repent of having
given up the captives—excuses of Sparta.—New combinations
in Peloponnesus—suspicion entertained of concert between
Sparta and Athens—Argos stands prominently forward—state
of Argos—aristocratical regiment of one thousand formed
in that city.—The Corinthians prevail upon Argos to stand
forward as head of a new Peloponnesian alliance.—Congress
of recusant Peloponnesian allies at Corinth—the Mantineians
join Argos—state of Arcadia—rivalship of Tegea and
Mantineia.—Remonstrances of Lacedæmonian envoys at the
congress at Corinth—redefence of the Corinthians—pretence
of religious scruple.—The Bœotians and Megarians refuse
to break with Sparta, or to ally themselves with Argos—the
Corinthians hesitate in actually joining Argos.—The
Eleians become allies of Argos—their reasons for doing
so—relations with Lepreum—the Corinthians now join Argos
also.—Refusal of Tegea to separate from Sparta.—The
Corinthians are disheartened—their application through
the Bœotians to Athens.—The Lacedæmonians emancipate the
Arcadian subjects of Mantineia—they plant the Brasidean
Helots at Lepreum.—Treatment of the Spartan captives after
their liberation from Athens and return to Sparta—they are
disfranchised for a time and in a qualified manner.—The
Athenians recapture Skiônê—put to death all the adult
males.—Political relations in Peloponnesus—change of ephors
at Sparta—the new ephors are hostile to Athens.—Congress
at Sparta—Athenian, Bœotian, and Corinthian deputies,
present—long debates, but no settlement attained of any
one of the disputed points—intrigues of the anti-Athenian
ephors—Kleobulus and Xenarês.—These ephors try to bring
about underhand an alliance between Sparta and Argos,
through the Bœotians—the project fails.—The Lacedæmonians
conclude a special alliance with the Bœotians, thereby
violating their alliance with Athens—the Bœotians raze
Panaktum to the ground.—Application from the Argeians
to Sparta to renew the expiring treaty. Project of
renewed treaty agreed upon. Curious stipulation about
combat by champions, to keep the question open about
the title to Thyrea.—Lacedæmonian envoys go first to
Bœotia, next to Athens—they find Panaktum demolished—they
ask for the cession of Pylos from Athens.—The envoys
are badly received at Athens—angry feeling against
the Lacedæmonians.—Alkibiadês stands forward as a
party-leader. His education and character.—Great energy
and capacity of Alkibiadês in public affairs—his
reckless expenditure—lawless demeanor—unprincipled
character, inspiring suspicion and alarm—military
service.—Alkibiadês—Sokratês—the Sophists.—Conflicting
sentiments entertained towards Alkibiadês—his great energy
and capacity. Admiration, fear, hatred, and jealousy, which
he inspires.—Alkibiadês tries to renew the ancient but
interrupted connection of his ancestors with Lacedæmon,
as proxeni.—The Spartans reject his advances—he turns
against them—alters his politics, and becomes their enemy
at Athens.—He tries to bring Athens into alliance with
Argos.—He induces the Argeians to send envoys to Athens—the
Argeians eagerly embrace this opening, and drop their
negotiations with Sparta.—Embassy of the Lacedæmonians
to Athens, to press the Athenians not to throw up the
alliance. The envoys are favorably received.—Trick by which
Alkibiadês cheats and disgraces the envoys, and baffles
the Lacedæmonian project. Indignation of the Athenians
against Sparta.—Nikias prevails with the assembly to
send himself and others as envoys to Sparta, in order to
clear up the embarrassment.—Failure of the embassy of
Nikias at Sparta—Athens concludes the alliance with Argos,
Elis, and Mantineia.—Conditions of this convention and
alliance.—Complicated relations among the Grecian states
as to treaty and alliance.—Olympic festival of the 90th
Olympiad, July 420 B.C., its memorable character.—First
appearance of Athens at the Olympic festival since the
beginning of the war. Immense display of Alkibiadês in
the chariot-race.—The Eleians exclude the Spartan sacred
legation from this Olympic festival, in consequence of
alleged violation of the Olympic truce.—Alarm felt at the
festival lest the Spartans should come in arms.—Depressed
estimation of Sparta throughout Greece—Herakleia. 1-61