Page:History of Greece Vol VIII.djvu/144

122 HISTORY OF GREECE. while the Athenian fleet was more powerful and menacing than ever. The dismay of the defeated army is forcibly portrayed in the laconic despatch sent by Hippokrates, secretary of the late admiral Mindarus, to the ephors at Sparta : " All honor and advantage are gone from us: Mindarus is slain: the men are starving : we are in straits what to do. 1 " The ephors doubtless heard the same deplorable tale from more than one witness ; for this particular despatch never reached them, having been inter- cepted and carried to Athens. So discouraging was the view which they entertained of the future, that a Lacedcemonian em- bassy, with Endius at their head, came to Athens to propose peace ; or rather perhaps Endius ancient friend and guest of Alkibiades, who had already been at Athens as envoy before was allowed to come thither now again to sound the temper of the city, in a sort of informal manner, which admitted of being easily disavowed if nothing came of it. For it is remarkable that Xenophon makes no mention of this embassy : and his si- lence, though not sufficient to warrant us in questioning the real- ity of the event, which is stated by Diodortis, perhaps on the authority of Theopompus, and is noway improbable in itself, nevertheless, leads me to doubt whether the ephors themselves admitted that they had made or sanctioned the proposition. It is to be remembered that Sparta, not to mention her obligation to her confederates generally, was at this moment bound by special convention to Persia to conclude no separate peace with Athens. According to Diodorus, Endius, having been admitted to speak in the Athenian assembly, invited the Athenians to make peace with Sparta on the following terms : That each party should stand just as they were ; that the garrisons on both sides should be withdrawn ; that prisoners should be exchanged, one Lacedae- monian against one Athenian. Endius insisted in his speech on the mutual mischief which each was doing to the other by pro- longing the war ; but he contended that Athens was by far the greater sufferer of the two, and had the deepest interest in accelerating peace. She had no money, while Sparta had the 1 Xenoph. Hellen. i, 1, 23. "Efifiei TU Ka2.a- Mivdapo$ uireaacva' vdpef Airopeo/ies T x Plutarch, Alkib. c. 28.