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136 ALCIBIADES Cvl shortcomings in the fulfilment of the treaty, and conscious that they had lieen deceived, they answered the envoys roughly, and sent them away. 43 When the difference between the Lacedaemonians and Alcibiadcs.thc youth- Athenians had gone thus far, the war Jul Athenian leader, party at Athens in their turn lost no irritated at the ivant time in pressing their views, Fore- of eoufiden.e shoivii in . , ai •■ • 1 .1 him by the I.acedac- "^ost among them was Alcibiades the tnonians. opposes them SOU of Cleinias, a man who would have at Athens. been thought young in any other city, but was influential by reason of his high descent : he sincerely preferred the Argive alliance, but at the same time he took part against the Lacedaemonians from temper, and because his pride was touched. For they had not consulted him, but had negotiated the peace through Nicias and Laches, despising his youth, and disregarding an ancient connexion with his family, who had been their proxeni ; a connexion which his grandfather had re- nounced, and he, by the attention which he had paid to the captives from Sphacteria, had hoped to have renewed. Piqued at the small respect which was shown to all his claims, he had originall}^ opposed the negotiations; de- claring that the Lacedaemonians were not to be trusted, and that their only object in making terms was that they ru'ght by Athenian help crush the Argives, and afterwards attack the Athenians themselves when the}' had no friends. As soon as the rupture occurred he promptly despatched a private message to the Argives, bidding them send an embassy as quickly as they could, together with repre- sentatives of Mantinea and Elis, and invite the Athenians to enter the alliance ; now was the time, and he would do his utmost to assist them. 44 The Argives received his message, and thus became aware that the alliance with the Boeotians had been made without the consent of the Athenians, and that a violent quarrel had broken out between Athens and Lacedaemon. So they thought no more about their