themselves
that, if they sent an embassy to the King of Persia, they could not but
gain some advantage by his help. Accordingly they did not delay, but
called together the allies, on the plea that Euthycles the Lacedaemonian
was already at the Persian court. The commissioners sent up were, on
the part of the Thebans, Pelopidas; (37) on the part of the Arcadians,
Antiochus, the pancratiast; and on that of the Eleians, Archidamus.
There was also an Argive in attendance. The Athenians on their side,
getting wind of the matter, sent up two commissioners, Timagoras and
Leon.

(37) See Plut. "Pelop." 30 (Clough, vol. ii. p. 230). For the date see
Grote, "H. G." x. 365, 379; Curtius, "H. G." iv. 460.

When they arrived at the Persian court the influence of Pelopidas was
preponderant with the Persian. He could point out that, besides the fact
that the Thebans alone among all the Hellenes had fought on the king's
side at Plataeae, (38) they had never subsequently engaged in military
service against the Persians; nay, the very ground of Lacedaemonian
hostility to them was that they had refused to march against the Persian
king with Agesilaus, (39) and would not even suffer him to sacrifice to
Artemis at Aulis (where Agamemnon sacrificed before he set sail for Asia
and captured Troy). In addition, there were two things which contributed
to raise the prestige of Thebes, and redounded to the honour of
Pelopidas. These were the victory of the Thebans at Leuctra, and the
indisputable fact that they had invaded and laid waste the territory of
Laconia. Pelopidas went on to point out that the Argives and Arcadians
had lately been defeated in battle by the Lacedaemonians, when his own
countrymen were not there to assist. The Athenian Timagoras supported
all these statements of the Theban by independent testimony, and stood
second in honour after Pelopidas.

(38) See Thuc. iii. 58, 59, 60.

(39) See above, "Hell." III. iv. 3; Lincke, "Zur. Xen. Krit." p. 315.

At this point of the proceedings Pelopidas was asked by the king, what
special clause he desired inserted in the royal rescript. He replied as
follows: "Messene to be independent of Lacedaemon, and the Athenians
to lay up their ships of war. Should either power refuse compliance in
these respects, such refusal to be a casus belli; and any state refusing
to take part in the military proceedings consequent, to be herself the
first object of attack." These clauses were draw