History of The Peloponnesian War - Book V   

The pretext was that the Epidaurians did not send an offering for
their pasture-land to Apollo Pythaeus, as they were bound to do, the
Argives having the chief management of the temple; but, apart from
this pretext, Alcibiades and the Argives were determined, if possible,
to gain possession of Epidaurus, and thus to ensure the neutrality
of Corinth and give the Athenians a shorter passage for their
reinforcements from Aegina than if they had to sail round Scyllaeum.
The Argives accordingly prepared to invade Epidaurus by themselves, to
exact the offering.
About the same time the Lacedaemonians marched out with all their
people to Leuctra upon their frontier, opposite to Mount Lycaeum,
under the command of Agis, son of Archidamus, without any one
knowing their destination, not even the cities that sent the
contingents. The sacrifices, however, for crossing the frontier not
proving propitious, the Lacedaemonians returned home themselves, and
sent word to the allies to be ready to march after the month
ensuing, which happened to be the month of Carneus, a holy time for
the Dorians. Upon the retreat of the Lacedaemonians the Argives
marched out on the last day but three of the month before Carneus, and
keeping this as the day during the whole time that they were out,
invaded and plundered Epidaurus. The Epidaurians summoned their allies
to their aid, some of whom pleaded the month as an excuse; others came
as far as the frontier of Epidaurus and there remained inactive.
While the Argives were in Epidaurus embassies from the cities
assembled at Mantinea, upon the invitation of the Athenians. The
conference having begun, the Corinthian Euphamidas said that their
actions did not agree with their words; while they were sitting
deliberating about peace, the Epidaurians and their allies and the
Argives were arrayed against each other in arms; deputies from each
party should first go and separate the armies, and then the talk about
peace might be resumed. In compliance with this suggestion, they
went and brought back the Argives from Epidaurus, and afterwards
reassembled, but without succeeding any better in coming to a
conclusion; and the Argives a second time invaded Epidaurus and
plundered the country. The Lacedaemonians also marched out to
Caryae; but the frontier sacrifices again proving unfavourable, they
went back again, and the Argives, after ravaging about a third of
the Epidaurian territory, returned home. Meanwhile a thousand Athenian
heavy infantry had come to their aid under the command of
Alcibiades, but finding that the Lacedaemonian expedition was at an
end, and that they were no longer wanted, went back again.
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