XVI.  He was always fond of the Lacedaemonians, and named one of his twin sons Lacedaemonius, and the other Eleius.  These children were borne to him by his wife Kleitoria, according to the historian Stesimbrotus; and consequently Perikles frequently reproached them with the low birth of their mother.  But Diodorus the geographer says that these two and the third, Thessalus, were all the children of Kimon by Isodike, the daughter of Euryptolemus the son of Megakles.  Much of Kimon’s political influence was due to the fact that the Lacedaemonians were bitterly hostile to Themistokles, and wished to make him, young as he was, into a powerful leader of the opposite party at Athens.  The Athenians at first viewed his Spartan partialities without dissatisfaction, especially as they gained considerable advantages by them; for during the early days of their empire when they first began to extend and consolidate their power, they were enabled to do so without rousing the jealousy of Sparta, in consequence of the popularity of Kimon with the Lacedaemonians.  Most international questions were settled by his means, as he dealt generously with the subject states, and was viewed with especial favour by the Lacedaemonians.

Afterwards, when the Athenians became more powerful, they viewed with dislike Kimon’s excessive love for Sparta.  He was never weary of singing the praises of Lacedaemon to the Athenians, and especially, we are told by Stesimbrotus, when he wished to reproach them, or to encourage them to do bettor, he used to say, “That is not how the Lacedaemonians do it.”  This habit caused many Athenians to regard him with jealousy and dislike:  but the most important ground of accusation against him was the following.  In the fourth year of the reign of king Archidamus, the son of Zeuxidamus, at Sparta, the Lacedaemonian territory was visited by the greatest earthquake ever known there.  The earth opened in many places, some of the crags of Taygetus fell down, and the whole city was destroyed, with the exception of five houses.  It is related that while the boys and young men were practising gymnastics in the palaestra, a hare ran into the building, and that the boys, naked and anointed as they were, immediately ran out in pursuit of it, while the gymnasium shortly afterwards fell upon the young men who remained and killed them all.  Their tomb is at this day called Seismatia, that is, the tomb of those who perished in the earthquake.

Archidamus, perceiving the great dangers with which this disaster menaced the state, and observing that the citizens thought of nothing but saving their most valuable property from the wreck, ordered the trumpet to sound, as though the enemy were about to attack, and made every Spartan get under arms and rally round him as quickly as possible.  This measure saved Sparta; for the helots had gathered together from the country round about, and were upon the point of falling upon the survivors.  Finding them armed