the goddesses; 65 and according to the report of the
Argives, because from their sanctuary dedicated to Argos he caused to
come down those of the Argives who had fled for refuge from the battle
and slew them, and also set fire to the grove itself, holding it in no
regard..

76. For when Cleomenes was consulting the Oracle at Delphi, the answer
was given him that he should conquer Argos; so he led the Spartans and
came to the river Erasinos, which is said to flow from the Stymphalian
lake; for this lake, they say, running out into a viewless chasm,
appears again above ground in the land of Argos; and from thence onwards
this water is called by the Argives Erasinos: having come, I say, to
this river, Cleomenes did sacrifice to it; and since the sacrifices were
not at all favourable for him to cross over, he said that he admired
the Erasinos for not betraying the men of its country, but the Argives
should not even so escape. After this he retired back from thence and
led his army down to Thyrea; and having done sacrifice to the Sea by
slaying a bull, he brought them in ships to the land of Tiryns and
Nauplia..

77. Being informed of this, the Argives came to the rescue towards the
sea; and when they had got near Tiryns and were at the place which is
called Hesipeia, 66 they encamped opposite to the Lacedemonians leaving
no very wide space between the armies. There the Argives were not afraid
of the open fighting, but only lest they should be conquered by
craft; for to this they thought referred the oracle which the Pythian
prophetess gave in common to these and to the Milesians, 67 saying as
follows:

"But when the female at length shall conquer the male in the battle,
Conquer and drive him forth, and glory shall gain among Argives,
Then many wives of the Argives shall tear both cheeks in their mourning;
So that a man shall say some time, of the men that came after,
'Quelled by the spear it perished, the three-coiled terrible serpent,'

The conjunction of all these things caused fear to the Argives, and
with a view to this they resolved to make use of the enemy's herald;
and having so resolved they proceeded to do as follows:--whenever the
Spartan herald proclaimed anything to the Lacedemonians, the Argives
also did that same thing..

78. So Cleomenes, perceiving that the Argives were doing whatever
the herald of the Lacedemonians proclaimed, passed the word to the
Lacedemonians that when the herald should