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He tampered with the helots, and secretly promised them the rights and liberties of citizens of Sparta, if they would co-operate with his projects and revolt at his command. Slaves are never without traitors; and the ephors learned the premeditated revolution from helots themselves.
For the two succeeding days, nothing of consequence transpired. At the end of this time the expedition returned, having been unable to meet with the enemy, and therefore but little of importance was effected by this movement. On the morning of August 6th, we moved our camp one-half mile out on the Sparta road.
Persian gold manned and partly built the fleet which conquered at AEgos-Potami; perhaps it contributed in a still more decisive manner to the victory. Cyrus, by placing his stores at the entire command of Lysander, deserved and acquired the cordial good-will of Sparta and the Peloponnesians generally an advantage of which we shall find him in the sequel making good use.
Cleomenes offered to give them back the place if they would join with Sparta, but they refused, and he had the whole town plundered and burnt as a warning to the other Peloponnesians, and the next year he ravaged Argolis, and beat down the standing corn with great wooden swords.
On reaching the borders of Arcadia they sent back the elder and younger men, amounting to a sixth part of the army, to serve as a garrison in Sparta; and at the same time couriers were despatched to summon their allies in Arcadia and central Greece.
II. The King of Macedon arrived at Athens; but conscious of the jealous and anxious fear which the news of an embassy from Persia would excite among the confederates, the Athenians delayed to grant him the demanded audience until they had time to send for and obtain deputies from Sparta to be present at the assembly. Alexander of Macedon then addressed the Athenians.
He perceived that the Argives, hating and fearing Sparta, wished to break off from it, and he encouraged them by secret assurances of an Athenian alliance, and also both by his agents and in person he urged the leading men not to give way to the Lacedaemonians, or yield any points to them, but to turn to Athens, and await their co-operation, for the Athenians, he said, already began to regret that they had made peace at all, and would soon break it.
Demosthenes undertook to garrison the place; and five ships and 200 hoplites were left behind with him. This insult to the Lacedaemonian territory caused great alarm and indignation at Sparta.
Thence they shall go to Sparta and curse the site where stood that city, mistress of sombre errors, and insult her because she is no more.
For my part, I am of opinion that these outrages and cruelties began to be exercised in Sparta at a later time, especially after the great earthquake, when the Helots made a general insurrection, and, joining with the Messenians, laid the country waste, and brought the greatest danger upon the city.
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