The Mantineans and the Argive Thousand made no effort to
retrieve the fortunes of the day, but gave way before the first onset
of the Spartans, and joined the flight of their comrades. The
Mantineans suffered severely in their retreat, but of the Argives only
a few were slain.
Such was the battle of Mantinea, which completely restored the
military fame of the Spartans, and blotted out the reproach of
cowardice and sloth which for some years past had rested on their
name.
VI
One incident remains to be recorded, before we proceed to the crowning
catastrophe of our great historical drama. The Athenians, it should be
observed, were still nominally at peace with Sparta, and if they had
been wise they would have taken the opportunity of this respite from
hostilities to recover Amphipolis, and consolidate their empire in
Thrace. Instead of this, they looked around for fresh conquests, and
fixed their eyes on the little island of Melos, belonging to the
Cyclad group, which had been colonized in very early times from
Sparta.
The Melians had not joined the Confederacy of Delos, and they might
therefore be reproached for sharing the protection of Athens without
making any return. Beyond this the Athenians had no ground of
complaint against them, for they had taken no part in the
Peloponnesian War, but had remained quietly at home, occupied with
their own affairs.
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