s; to stop the Peloponnesian galleys and
privateers sailing out unobserved from the island, as they had been in
the habit of doing; and at the same time prevent anything from coming
into Megara. Accordingly, after taking two towers projecting on the side
of Nisaea, by engines from the sea, and clearing the entrance into the
channel between the island and the shore, he next proceeded to cut off
all communication by building a wall on the mainland at the point where
a bridge across a morass enabled succours to be thrown into the island,
which was not far off from the continent. A few days sufficing to
accomplish this, he afterwards raised some works in the island also, and
leaving a garrison there, departed with his forces.

About the same time in this summer, the Plataeans, being now without
provisions and unable to support the siege, surrendered to the
Peloponnesians in the following manner. An assault had been made upon
the wall, which the Plataeans were unable to repel. The Lacedaemonian
commander, perceiving their weakness, wished to avoid taking the place
by storm; his instructions from Lacedaemon having been so conceived, in
order that if at any future time peace should be made with Athens, and
they should agree each to restore the places that they had taken in the
war, Plataea might be held to have come over voluntarily, and not be
included in the list. He accordingly sent a herald to them to ask
if they were willing voluntarily to surrender the town to the
Lacedaemonians, and accept them as their judges, upon the understanding
that the guilty should be punished, but no one without form of law. The
Plataeans were now in the last state of weakness, and the herald had
no sooner delivered his message than they surrendered the town. The
Peloponnesians fed them for some days until the judges from Lacedaemon,
who were five in number, arrived. Upon their arrival no charge was
preferred; they simply called up the Plataeans, and asked them whether
they had done the Lacedaemonians and allies any service in the war
then raging. The Plataeans asked leave to speak at greater length,
and deputed two of their number to represent them: Astymachus, son of
Asopolaus, and Lacon, son of Aeimnestus, proxenus of the Lacedaemonians,
who came forward and spoke as follows:

"Lacedaemonians, when we surrendered our city we trusted in you, and
looked forward to a trial more agreeable to the forms of law than the
present, to which we had no