, as also by the decrees of the Athenians and the allies. If any
one marches against any city among those which have accepted this oath,
I will render assistance to that city with all my strength." The oath
gave general satisfaction, the Eleians alone gainsaying its terms and
protesting that it was not right to make either the Marganians or the
Scilluntians or the Triphylians independent, since these cities belonged
to them, and were a part of Elis. (2) The Athenians, however, and the
others passed the decree in the precise language of the king's rescript:
that all states--great and small alike--were to be independent; and
they sent out administrators of the oath, and enjoined upon them to
administer it to the highest authorities in each state. This oath they
all, with the exception of the Eleians, swore to.

(1) I.e. in B.C. 387, the peace "of" Antalcidas. See Grote, "H. G." x.
274.

(2) See Busolt, op. cit. p. 186.

B.C. 371-370. As an immediate consequence of this agreement, the
Mantineans, on the assumption that they were now absolutely independent,
met in a body and passed a decree to make Mantinea into a single state
and to fortify the town. (3) The proceeding was not overlooked by the
Lacedaemonians, who thought it would be hard if this were done without
their consent. Accordingly they despatched Agesilaus as ambassador to
the Mantineans, choosing him as the recognised ancestral friend of that
people. When the ambassador arrived, however, the chief magistrates had
no inclination to summon a meeting of the commons to listen to him, but
urged him to make a statement of his wishes to themselves. He, on his
side, was ready to undertake for himself and in their interests that,
if they would at present desist from their fortification work, he
would bring it about that the defensive walls should be built with the
sanction of Lacedaemon and without cost. Their answer was, that it was
impossible to hold back, since a decree had been passed by the whole
state of Mantinea to build at once. Whereupon Agesilaus went off in high
dudgeon; though as to sending troops to stop them, (4) the idea seemed
impracticable, as the peace was based upon the principle of autonomy.
Meanwhile the Mantineans received help from several of the Arcadian
states in the building of their walls; and the Eleians contributed
actually three talents (5) of silver to cover the expense of their
construction. And here leaving the Mantineans thus eng