of Nikokreon.—Nikoklês, son of Evagoras, becomes despot of Salamis. Great power gained by Sparta through the peace of Antalkidas. She becomes practically mistress of Corinth, and the Corinthian isthmus. Miso-Theban tendencies of Sparta—especially of Agesilaus.—The Spartans restore Platæa. Former conduct of Sparta towards Platæa.—Motives of Sparta in restoring Platæa. A politic step, as likely to sever Thebes from Athens.—Platæa becomes a dependency and outpost of Sparta. Main object of Sparta to prevent the reconstitution of the Bœotiad federation—Spartan policy at this time directed by the partisan spirit of Agesilaus, opposed by his colleague Agesipolis.—Oppressive behavior of the Spartans towards Mantinea. They require the walls of the city to be demolished.—Agesipolis blockades the city, and forces it to surrender, by damming up the river Ophis. The Mantineans are forced to break up their city into villages.—Democratical leaders of Mantinea—owed their lives to the mediation of the exiled king Pausanias.—Mantinea is pulled down and distributed into five villages.—High-handed despotism of Sparta towards Mantinea—signal partiality of Xenophon. Return of the philo-Laconian exiles in the various cities, as partisans for the purposes of Sparta—case of Phlius.—Competition of Athens with Sparta for ascendency at sea. Athens gains ground, and gets together some rudiments of a maritime confederacy.—Ideas entertained by some of the Spartan leaders, of acting against the Persians for the rescue of the Asiatic Greeks.—Panegyrical Discourse of Isokrates.—State of Macedonia and Chalkidikê—growth of Macedonian power during the last years of the Peloponnesian war.—Perdikkas and Archelaus—energy and ability of the latter.—Contrast of Macedonia and Athens.—Succeeding Macedonian kings—Orestes, Æropus, Pausanias, Amyntas. Assassination frequent.—Amyntas is expelled from Macedonia by the Illyrians.—Chalkidians of Olynthus—they take into their protection the Macedonian cities on the coast, when Amyntas runs away before the Illyrians. Commencement of the Olynthian confederacy.—Equal and liberal principles on which the confederacy was framed from the beginning. Accepted willingly by the Macedonian and Greco-Macedonian cities.—The Olynthians extend their confederacy among the Grecian cities in Chalkidic Thrace—their liberal procedure—several cities join.—Akanthus and Apollonia resist the proposition. Olynthus menaces. They then solicit Spartan intervention against her.—Speech of Kleigenes the Akanthian envoy at Sparta.—Envoys from Amyntas at Sparta.—The Spartan Eudamidas is sent against Olynthus at once, with such force as could be got ready. He checks the career of the Olynthians.—Phœbidas, brother of Eudamidas, remains behind to collect fresh force, and march to join his brother in Thrace. He passes through the Theban territory and near