§8.5.1πρασσόντων δὲ ταῦτα ἀμφοτέρων καὶ ὄντων οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἢ ὥσπερ ἀρχομένων ἐν κατασκευῇ τοῦ πολέμου, πρῶτοι Εὐβοῆς ὡς Ἆγιν περὶ ἀποστάσεως τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἐπρεσβεύσαντο ἐν τῷ χειμῶνι τούτῳ.
While both sides were carrying out these measures and were in a state no different from when they were just beginning their preparations for the war, the Euboeans were the first, during this same winter, to send envoys to Agis concerning their revolt from the Athenians.
ὁ δὲ προσδεξάμενος τοὺς λόγους αὐτῶν μεταπέμπεται ἐκ Λακεδαίμονος Ἀλκαμένη τὸν Σθενελαΐδου καὶ Μέλανθον ἄρχοντας ὡς ἐς τὴν Εὔβοιαν· οἱ δ’ ἦλθον ἔχοντες τῶν νεοδαμωδῶν ὡς τριακοσίους, καὶ παρεσκεύαζεν αὐτοῖς τὴν διάβασιν.
Having accepted their proposals, he summoned Alcamenes son of Sthenelaidas and Melanthus from Lacedaemon as commanders for Euboea; they arrived with about three hundred of the Neodamodes, and he began to prepare for their crossing.
§8.5.2ἐν τούτῳ δὲ καὶ Λέσβιοι ἦλθον βουλόμενοι καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀποστῆναι·
Meanwhile, the Lesbians also came, wishing they too to revolt.
καὶ ξυμπρασσόντων αὐτοῖς τῶν Βοιωτῶν ἀναπείθεται Ἆγις ὥστε Εὐβοίας μὲν πέρι ἐπισχεῖν, τοῖς δὲ Λεσβίοις παρεσκεύαζε τὴν ἀπόστασιν, Ἀλκαμένη τε ἁρμοστὴν διδούς, ὃς ἐς Εὔβοιαν πλεῖν ἔμελλε, καὶ δέκα μὲν Βοιωτοὶ ναῦς ὑπέσχοντο, δέκα δὲ Ἆγις.
With the Boeotians cooperating with them, Agis was persuaded to defer the matter of Euboea, and began to prepare for the revolt of the Lesbians, appointing Alcamenes as harmost, who was intended to sail to Euboea, while the Boeotians promised ten ships and Agis ten.
§8.5.3καὶ ταῦτα ἄνευ τῆς Λακεδαιμονίων πόλεως ἐπράσσετο· ὁ γὰρ Ἆγις, ὅσον χρόνον ἦν περὶ Δεκέλειαν ἔχων τὴν μεθ’ ἑαυτοῦ δύναμιν, κύριος ἦν καὶ ἀποστέλλειν εἴ ποί τινα ἐβούλετο στρατιὰν καὶ ξυναγείρειν καὶ χρήματα πράσσειν.
These transactions were carried out without the authority of the Lacedaemonian state; for Agis, as long as he was around Decelea with the force under his command, had full power to send military forces wherever he wished, to muster troops, and to levy money.
καὶ πολὺ μᾶλλον ὡς εἰπεῖν κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν καιρὸν αὐτοῦ οἱ ξύμμαχοι ὑπήκουον [ἢ] τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει Λακεδαιμονίων· δύναμιν γὰρ ἔχων αὐτὸς εὐθὺς ἑκασταχόσε δεινὸς παρῆν.
Indeed, at this particular time, the allies obeyed him, so to speak, far more than the Lacedaemonians in the city; for because he had a force with him, he was immediately present everywhere, inspiring fear.
§8.5.4καὶ ὁ μὲν τοῖς Λεσβίοις ἔπρασσε, Χῖοι δὲ καὶ Ἐρυθραῖοι ἀποστῆναι καὶ αὐτοὶ ἑτοῖμοι ὄντες πρὸς μὲν Ἆγιν οὐκ ἐτράποντο, ἐς δὲ τὴν Λακεδαίμονα.
While he was negotiating with the Lesbians, the Chians and Erythraeans, who were also ready to revolt, did not turn to Agis, but to Lacedaemon.
καὶ παρὰ Τισσαφέρνους, ὃς βασιλεῖ Δαρείῳ τῷ Ἀρταξέρξου στρατηγὸς ἦν τῶν κάτω, πρεσβευτὴς ἅμα μετ’ αὐτῶν παρῆν.
Along with them, an envoy was present from Tissaphernes, who was governor of the lower provinces under King Darius son of Artaxerxes.
§8.5.5ἐπήγετο γὰρ καὶ ὁ Τισσαφέρνης τοὺς Πελοποννησίους καὶ ὑπισχνεῖτο τροφὴν παρέξειν.
For Tissaphernes was also inviting the Peloponnesians and promised to supply them with maintenance.
ὑπὸ βασιλέως γὰρ νεωστὶ ἐτύγχανε πεπραγμένος τοὺς ἐκ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἀρχῆς φόρους, οὓς δι’ Ἀθηναίους ἀπὸ τῶν Ἑλληνίδων πόλεων οὐ δυνάμενος πράσσεσθαι ἐπωφείλησεν·
He had recently been demanded by the King to pay the tribute from his own province, which he had been unable to collect from the Greek cities because of the Athenians, and thus had fallen into arrears.
τούς τε οὖν φόρους μᾶλλον ἐνόμιζε κομιεῖσθαι κακώσας τοὺς Ἀθηναίους, καὶ ἅμα βασιλεῖ ξυμμάχους Λακεδαιμονίους ποιήσειν, καὶ Ἀμόργην τὸν Πισσούθνου υἱὸν νόθον, ἀφεστῶτα περὶ Καρίαν, ὥσπερ αὐτῷ προσέταξε βασιλεύς, ἢ ζῶντα ἄξειν ἢ ἀποκτενεῖν.
He therefore believed that by crippling the Athenians, he would be more likely to recover the tribute, and at the same time make the Lacedaemonians allies of the King, and either bring alive or put to death Amorges, the natural son of Pissuthnes, who was in revolt in Caria, as the King had commanded him.