History of the Peloponnesian War

But two of the Argives—Thrasyllus, one of the five generals, and Alciphron, proxenus of the Lacedaemonians— when the two armies were all but in collision, went to Agis and urged him not to bring on a battle; for the Argives were ready to offer as well as to accept a fair and impartial arbitration of any complaint which the Lacedaemonians had against the Argives, and for the future to make a treaty and keep the peace.

Those of the Argives who said these things spoke on their own authority and not by order of the people; and Agis, receiving the proposals for himself alone, not conferring with the majority, and without any deliberation on his own part further than to communicate the matter to a single one of the magistrates who accompanied the expedition, made a truce with the Argives for four months, within which time they were to fulfil their agreement.

And so he led off his army at once, without explanation to any of the allies. The Lacedaemonians and their allies followed his guidance out of respect for the law, but among themselves they loudly blamed Agis, considering that when there was opportunity for them to join battle under favourable conditions, and the Argives were cut off on all sides both by cavalry and infantry, they were going back home without doing anything worthy of their preparations.

For this was indeed the finest Hellenic force that had come together up to that time; and this was seen especially while it was still united at Nemea, including the Lacedaemonians in full force, the Arcadians, Boeotians, Corinthians, Sicyonians, Pellenians, Phliasians, and Megarians, all of them picked men from each nation, who felt themselves to be a match, not for the Argive confederacy only, but even for another such force in addition.