Archidamus

But Archidamus their king, a man who was considered both intelligent and prudent, came forward and spoke as follows.

Let us first then provide ourselves with this, and not be excited beforehand by the speeches of the allies;

But we always provide in deed against our adversaries with the expectation of their planning well and must not rest our hopes on the probability of their blundering, but on the belief our own taking cautious forethought.

And the partisans of Sphodrias, since they did not see Archidamus coming to visit Cleonymus, whereas formerly he had come often, were in the utmost anxiety, fearing that he had been rebuked by Agesilaus.

for the followers of Podanemus had been friends of his father Archidamus and were at this time among the restored exiles;

And Archidamus, the son of Agesilaus, chanced to be extremely fond of him.

Again, when Archidamus the Laconian was ready to take over those posts and guard them, the Phocians refused his offer, answering him that it was the danger from Sparta that they feared, not the danger at home.

Euctemon, Glaucippus, Eurymachus, Polyeuctus, Plato, Antidorus, Charippus, Theodorus, Alcisthenes, Menestratus, Eryximachus, Euphiletus, Eurydamas, Pherecles, Meletus, Timanthes, Archidamus, Telenicus.

For the moment the Lacedaemonians had no means of dealing with them, but about fifty years later Archidamus, son of Zeuxidamus, king of the Lacedaemonians, undertook in time of peace to seize their city.

Archidamus, in Thucydides, attempting to dissuade the Lacedaemonians from a war with the Athenians, asks them, what object they propose to themselves by such a war?

For I should feel disgraced, I who am descended from Heracles, who am the son of the ruling king and likely myself to attain to this honor, if I did not strive with all the strength that is in me to prevent this territory, which our fathers left to us, from becoming the possession of our slaves.

What people would not be stricken with dismay and terror at the assembling of an army which had carried out such measures, which had been roused to just wrath against those who had driven it to these extremes, and which had been rendered desperate and reckless of life— an army which, in its freedom from ordinary cares and in having no other duty but that of war, would resemble a mercenary force, b …

The fact is that if any of those who are accustomed to address you had spoken in a manner worthy of the state, I should strictly have held my peace;

For on the death of King Agis there was a struggle for the throne between Leotychidas, as the son of Agis, and Agesilaus, as the son of Archidamus.