§5.37.1καὶ οἱ μὲν Βοιωτοὶ καὶ Κορίνθιοι ταῦτα ἐπεσταλμένοι ἀπό τε τοῦ Ξενάρους καὶ Κλεοβούλου καὶ ὅσοι φίλοι ἦσαν αὐτοῖς τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων ὥστε ἀπαγγεῖλαι ἐπὶ τὰ κοινά, ἑκάτεροι ἀνεχώρουν.
So the Boeotians and Corinthians departed for their respective homes, having received these instructions from Xenares and Cleobulus, and from all the Lacedaemonians who were friendly to them, to report them to their respective governments.
§5.37.2Ἀργείων δὲ δύο ἄνδρες τῆς ἀρχῆς τῆς μεγίστης ἐπετήρουν ἀπιόντας αὐτοὺς καθ’ ὁδὸν καὶ ξυγγενόμενοι ἐς λόγους ἦλθον, εἴ πως οἱ Βοιωτοὶ σφίσι ξύμμαχοι γένοιντο ὥσπερ Κορίνθιοι καὶ Ἠλεῖοι καὶ Μαντινῆς· νομίζειν γὰρ ἂν τούτου προχωρήσαντος ῥᾳδίως ἤδη καὶ πολεμεῖν καὶ σπένδεσθαι καὶ πρὸς Λακεδαιμονίους, εἰ βούλοιντο, κοινῷ λόγῳ χρωμένους, καὶ εἴ τινα πρὸς ἄλλον δέοι.
But two Argives who held the highest office watched for them on their way as they were returning, and having met them, entered into negotiations with them to see if the Boeotians might somehow become their allies, like the Corinthians, Eleans, and Mantineans; for they thought that if this succeeded, they could then easily, acting in common, make war or peace with the Lacedaemonians if they wished, or with anyone else if necessary.
§5.37.3τοῖς δὲ τῶν Βοιωτῶν πρέσβεσιν ἀκούουσιν ἤρεσκεν· κατὰ τύχην γὰρ ἐδέοντο τούτων ὧνπερ καὶ οἱ ἐκ τῆς Λακεδαίμονος αὐτοῖς φίλοι ἐπεστάλκεσαν.
To the Boeotian envoys, as they listened, the proposal was highly acceptable; for by chance, the Argives were requesting the very things that their friends in Lacedaemon had instructed them to do.
καὶ οἱ τῶν Ἀργείων ἄνδρες ὡς ᾔσθοντο αὐτοὺς δεχομένους τὸν λόγον, εἰπόντες ὅτι πρέσβεις πέμψουσιν ἐς Βοιωτοὺς ἀπῆλθον.
And when the Argives perceived that they accepted the proposal, they departed, saying that they would send embassies to the Boeotians.
§5.37.4ἀφικόμενοι δὲ οἱ Βοιωτοὶ ἀπήγγειλαν τοῖς βοιωτάρχαις τά τε ἐκ τῆς Λακεδαίμονος καὶ τὰ ἀπὸ τῶν ξυγγενομένων Ἀργείων·
On their arrival, the Boeotians reported to the Boeotarchs both the message from Lacedaemon and the proposal from the Argives whom they had met.
καὶ οἱ βοιωτάρχαι ἠρέσκοντό τε καὶ πολλῷ προθυμότεροι ἦσαν, ὅτι ἀμφοτέρωθεν ξυνεβεβήκει αὐτοῖς τούς τε φίλους τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων τῶν αὐτῶν δεῖσθαι καὶ τοὺς Ἀργείους ἐς τὰ ὁμοῖα σπεύδειν.
The Boeotarchs were pleased and became much more eager, since it had turned out by a double coincidence that their friends among the Lacedaemonians were asking for the same things and the Argives were striving for the same end.
§5.37.5καὶ οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον πρέσβεις παρῆσαν Ἀργείων τὰ εἰρημένα προκαλούμενοι·
And not long afterwards, embassies from Argos arrived to propose the terms that had been mentioned.
καὶ αὐτοὺς ἀπέπεμψαν ἐπαινέσαντες τοὺς λόγους οἱ βοιωτάρχαι καὶ πρέσβεις ὑποσχόμενοι ἀποστελεῖν περὶ τῆς ξυμμαχίας ἐς Ἄργος.
The Boeotarchs, after commending their proposals, sent them back, promising that they would send envoys to Argos to discuss the alliance.