His wilful, selfish, and despotic temper soon broke
loose from that salutary restraint, and henceforth we find him
pursuing a course of action which brought ruin on his people, and on
himself a traitor's death and a dishonoured name.
Much irritation had been caused among the Athenians by the shifting
and treacherous conduct of the Spartans, who had failed to redeem
their sworn pledges, and had excited great suspicion at Athens by
repeated intrigues with Argos, and with their own offended allies of
the Peloponnesian League. Alcibiades had a private grudge against the
Spartans, to whom he had made overtures of friendship and service at
the time when the treaty was under discussion, only to be set aside as
a profligate and frivolous youth, unfit to meddle with serious matters
of state. He now placed himself at the head of the party hostile to
Sparta, and it was not long before he had an opportunity of revenging
the insult to his pride. He used all his influence to promote an
alliance with Argos, the ancient enemy and rival of Sparta in
Peloponnesus; and when envoys arrived from Sparta to remonstrate
against this proceeding, and reassure the Athenians as to their
intentions, he contrived by a masterpiece of low cunning to cover them
with shame and contempt.
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