There was a certain Messenian called Nicagoras who had been a family friend of Archidamus the king of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Sparta&groupId=660&placeId=1208">Sparta</a>.
In former times their intercourse had been of the slightest, but when Archidamus took flight from <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Sparta&groupId=660&placeId=1208">Sparta</a> for fear of Cleomenes, and came to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Messenia&groupId=760&placeId=1380">Messenia</a>, Nicagoras not only gladly received him in his house and provided for his wants but ever afterwards they stood on terms of the closest intimacy and affection.
When therefore Cleomenes held out hopes to Archidamus of return and reconciliation, Nicagoras devoted himself to negotiating and concluding the treaty.
When this had been ratified, Archidamus was on his way home to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Sparta&groupId=660&placeId=1208">Sparta</a>, relying on the terms of the agreement brought about by Nicagoras,
but Cleomenes coming to meet them put Archidamus to death, sparing Nicagoras and the rest of his companions.
To the outside world, Nicagoras pretended to be grateful to Cleomenes for having spared his life, but in his heart he bitterly resented what had occurred, for it looked as if had been the cause of the king's death.
This Nicagoras had arrived not long ago at <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Alexandria&groupId=1063&placeId=1868">Alexandria</a> with a cargo of horses and on disembarking he found Cleomenes, with Panteus and Hippitas, walking on the quay.
When Cleomenes saw him he came up to him and greeted him affectionately and asked him on what business he had come.
When he told him he had brought horses to sell, Cleomenes said, "I very much wish you had brought catamites and sackbut girls instead of the horses, for those are the wares this king is after."
Nicagoras at the time smiled and held his tongue, but a few days afterwards, when he had become quite familiar with Sosibius owing to the business of the horses, he told against Cleomenes the story of what he had recently said,
and noticing that Sosibius listened to him with pleasure, he gave him a full account of his old grievance against that prince.
Walbank Commentary