Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War
Benjamin Jowett, Ed.

84. In the ensuing summer, Alcibiades sailed to Argos with twenty ships, and seized any of¹ the Argives who were still suspected to be of the Lacedaemonian faction,² to the number of three hundred; and the Athenians deposited them in the subject islands near at hand. Athenians next made an expedition against the island of Melos with thirty ships of their own, six Chian, and two Lesbian, twelve hundred hoplites and three hundred archers besides twenty mounted archers of their own, and about fifteen hundred hoplites furnished by their allies in the islands. [2] The Melians are colonists of the Lacedaemonians who would not submit to Athens like the other islanders. At first they were neutral and took no part. But when the Athenians tried to coerce them by ravaging their lands, they were driven into open hostilities³. [3] The generals, Cleomedes the son of Lycomedes and Tisias the son of Tisimachus, encamped with the Athenian forces on the island. But before they did the country any harm they sent envoys to negotiate with the Melians. Instead of bringing these envoys before the people, the Melians desired them to explain their errand to the magistrates and to the dominant class. They spoke as follows:—