ous prosecution of the war. But the
Lacedaemonians derived most encouragement from the belief that
Athens, with two wars on her hands, against themselves and against the
Siceliots, would be more easy to subdue, and from the conviction that
she had been the first to infringe the truce. In the former war, they
considered, the offence had been more on their own side, both on account
of the entrance of the Thebans into Plataea in time of peace, and also
of their own refusal to listen to the Athenian offer of arbitration, in
spite of the clause in the former treaty that where arbitration should
be offered there should be no appeal to arms. For this reason they
thought that they deserved their misfortunes, and took to heart
seriously the disaster at Pylos and whatever else had befallen them.
But when, besides the ravages from Pylos, which went on without any
intermission, the thirty Athenian ships came out from Argos and wasted
part of Epidaurus, Prasiae, and other places; when upon every dispute
that arose as to the interpretation of any doubtful point in the treaty,
their own offers of arbitration were always rejected by the Athenians,
the Lacedaemonians at length decided that Athens had now committed the
very same offence as they had before done, and had become the guilty
party; and they began to be full of ardour for the war. They spent this
winter in sending round to their allies for iron, and in getting ready
the other implements for building their fort; and meanwhile began
raising at home, and also by forced requisitions in the rest of
Peloponnese, a force to be sent out in the merchantmen to their allies
in Sicily. Winter thus ended, and with it the eighteenth year of this
war of which Thucydides is the historian.

In the first days of the spring following, at an earlier period than
usual, the Lacedaemonians and their allies invaded Attica, under the
command of Agis, son of Archidamus, king of the Lacedaemonians. They
began by devastating the parts bordering upon the plain, and next
proceeded to fortify Decelea, dividing the work among the different
cities. Decelea is about thirteen or fourteen miles from the city of
Athens, and the same distance or not much further from Boeotia; and the
fort was meant to annoy the plain and the richest parts of the country,
being in sight of Athens. While the Peloponnesians and their allies in
Attica were engaged in the work of fortification, their countrymen
at home sent off, at abo