The states of Argos and of Sparta, being
neighbors, had been constantly at war. Argos had recently lost six
thousand men in a battle with the Spartans, and were, consequently, not
likely to be in a very favorable mood for a treaty of friendship and
alliance.

When the embassadors had delivered their message, the Argolians replied
that they had anticipated such a proposal from the time that they had
heard that Xerxes had commenced his march toward Greece, and that they
had applied, accordingly, to the oracle at Delphi, to know what it would
be best for them to do in case the proposal were made. The answer of the
oracle had been, they said, unfavorable to their entering into an
alliance with the Greeks. They were willing, however, they added,
notwithstanding this, to enter into an alliance, offensive and
defensive, with the Spartans, for thirty years, on condition that they
should themselves have the command of half the Peloponnesian troops.
They were entitled to the command of the whole, being, as they
contended, the superior nation in rank, but they would waive their just
claim, and be satisfied with half, if the Spartans would agree to that
arrangement.

The Spartans replied that they could not agree to those conditions. They
were themselves, they said, the superior nation in rank, and entitled to
the whole command; and as they had two kings, and Argos but one, there
was a double difficulty in complying with the Argive demand. They could
not surrender one half of the command without depriving one of their
kings of his rightful power.

Thus the proposed alliance failed entirely, the people of Argos saying
that they would as willingly submit to the dominion of Xerxes as to the
insolent demands and assumptions of superiority made by the government
of Sparta.

The embassadors among other countries which they visited in their
attempts to obtain alliance and aid, went to Sicily. Gelon was the King
of Sicily, and Syracuse was his capital. Here the same difficulty
occurred which had broken up the negotiations at Argos. The embassadors,
when they arrived at Syracuse, represented to Gelon that, if the
Persians subdued Greece, they would come to Sicily next, and that it was
better for him and for his countrymen that they should meet the enemy
while he was still at a distance, rather than to wait until he came
near. Gelon admitted the justice of this reasoning, and said that he
would furnish a large force, both of ships and m