§5.36.1τοῦ δ’ ἐπιγιγνομένου χειμῶνος (ἔτυχον γὰρ ἔφοροι ἕτεροι καὶ οὐκ ἐφ’ ὧν αἱ σπονδαὶ ἐγένοντο ἄρχοντες ἤδη, καί τινες αὐτῶν καὶ ἐναντίοι 〈ταῖς 〉 σπονδαῖς) ἐλθουσῶν πρεσβειῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ξυμμαχίδος καὶ παρόντων Ἀθηναίων καὶ Βοιωτῶν καὶ Κορινθίων καὶ πολλὰ ἐν ἀλλήλοις εἰπόντων καὶ οὐδὲν ξυμβάντων, ὡς ἀπῇσαν ἐπ’ οἴκου, τοῖς Βοιωτοῖς καὶ Κορινθίοις Κλεόβουλος καὶ Ξενάρης, οὗτοι οἵπερ τῶν ἐφόρων ἐβούλοντο μάλιστα διαλῦσαι τὰς σπονδάς, λόγους ποιοῦνται ἰδίους, παραινοῦντες ὅτι μάλιστα ταῦτά τε γιγνώσκειν καὶ πειρᾶσθαι Βοιωτούς, Ἀργείων γενομένους πρῶτον αὐτοὺς ξυμμάχους, αὖθις μετὰ Βοιωτῶν Ἀργείους Λακεδαιμονίοις ποιῆσαι ξυμμάχους (οὕτω γὰρ ἥκιστ’ ἂν ἀναγασθῆναι Βοιωτοὺς ἐς τὰς Ἀττικὰς σπονδὰς ἐσελθεῖν· ἑλέσθαι γὰρ Λακεδαιμονίους πρὸ τῆς Ἀθηναίων ἔχθρας καὶ διαλύσεως τῶν σπονδῶν Ἀργείους σφίσι φίλους καὶ ξυμμάχους γενέσθαι· τὸ γὰρ Ἄργος αἰεὶ ἠπίσταντο ἐπιθυμοῦντας τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους καλῶς σφίσι φίλιον γενέσθαι), ἡγούμενοι τὸν ἔξω Πελοποννήσου πόλεμον ῥᾴω ἂν εἶναι.
In the following winter (for other ephors were now in office, and not those under whom the treaty had been made, and some of them were even opposed to the treaty), embassies from the alliance having arrived, and Athenians, Boeotians, and Corinthians being present, they held many discussions among themselves but came to no agreement. As they were departing for home, Cleobulus and Xenares—the very ephors who were most desirous of dissolving the treaty—held a private conference with the Boeotians and Corinthians. They advised them to adopt this policy as much as possible, and that the Boeotians should try, by first becoming allies of the Argives themselves, to afterwards bring the Argives, together with the Boeotians, into alliance with the Lacedaemonians. For in this way, they thought, the Boeotians would least of all be compelled to enter into the treaty with Athens; for the Lacedaemonians would prefer to have the Argives as friends and allies, even at the cost of enmity with the Athenians and the dissolution of the treaty, since they knew that the Lacedaemonians were always desirous of having Argos on friendly terms with them. This they did in the belief that the war outside the Peloponnese would thus be easier.
§5.36.2τὸ μέντοι Πάνακτον ἐδέοντο Βοιωτοὺς ὅπως παραδώσουσι Λακεδαιμονίοις, ἵνα ἀντ’ αὐτοῦ Πύλον, ἢν δύνωνται, ἀπολαβόντες ῥᾷον καθιστῶνται Ἀθηναίοις ἐς πόλεμον.
They did, however, entreat the Boeotians to deliver up Panactum to the Lacedaemonians, so that they might get Pylos back in exchange for it, if possible, and thus more easily enter upon a war with the Athenians.