上句见：Day67
The Story of Philosophy的第68句：第1章Plato第1节The Context of Plato第4段第4句：

In 490-470B.C. Sparta and Athens, forgetting their jealousies and joining their forces, fought off the effort of the Persians under Darius and Xerxes to turn Greece into a colony of an Asiatic empire. In this struggle of youthful Europe against the senile East, Sparta provided the army and Athens the navy. The war over, Sparta demobilized her troops, and suffered the economic disturbances natural to that process; while Athens turned her navy into a merchant fleet, and became one of the greatest trading cities of the ancient world. Sparta relapsed into agricultural seclusion and stagnation, while Athens became a busy mart and port, the meeting place of many races of men and of diverse cults and customs, whose contact and rivalry begot comparison, analysis and thought.
浙江大学版本：斯巴达再度陷入农业社会式的封闭和停滞；雅典则成为繁荣的市集和码头，各路人马在此汇集，各种宗教和习俗于此交融，而人与人之间的合作和竞争则激发了人们的比较、分析与思考。

解析

这句详细描写两个城邦的战后差异。斯巴达跌入萧条而雅典走向繁荣，从而产生了比较、分析及思想。
1、‘Sparta relapsed into agricultural seclusion and stagnation, …’。斯巴达再度陷入了农业相对封闭及萧条的状态。她是个军事型国家，靠打战来盘活整个国家的运作。也正是这个原因，有了斯巴达及雅典所代表的战争。
relapse：to return to a bad condition, form of behavior, etc. 重新陷入
At best there will be a wrenching slowdown; at worst, a relapse into recession.最多经济呈现糟糕的放缓迹象，最坏则是再度陷入经济衰退。
seclusion：the state of being away from other people : a secluded state or condition隔绝
They love the seclusion of their garden.他们喜欢自家花园的幽靜。
stagnation：Stagnation is the state of being still, or not moving, like a sitting puddle of water where stagnation attracts mosquitoes.静止，停滞
Poor economic policies led to a long period of stagnation and decline.糟糕的经济政策导致了长时间的经济萧条和下滑。

2、’...while Athens became a busy mart and port, the meeting place of many races of men and of diverse cults and customs, …’。用while来转换对象，seclusion对busy，后面the meeting place of …是同位句。雅典成了忙碌的市场及港口，是人类的许多民族的集散地。是多样的宗教信仰以及文化习俗的交汇地。of many races of men 与of diverse cults and customs来修饰place。
cult： a small religious group that is not part of a larger and more accepted religion and that has beliefs regarded by many people as extreme or dangerous小宗教组织，有时偏负面。
The cult of Isis was carried from Egypt into Greece and Rome.对伊希斯的膜拜从埃及传到了希腊和罗马。

3、’...whose contact and rivalry begot comparison, analysis and thought.’。这句是whose引导的定语从句，来修饰many races of men and of diverse cults and customs。他们之间的触碰及竞争催生了比较、分析和思考。这句提到的comparison, analysis and thought为后文做铺垫。
rivalry：a state or situation in which people or groups are competing with each other竞争；敌对
He had a lot of rivalry with his brothers and sisters. 他和兄弟姐妹间经常较劲。
beget：to cause (something) to happen or exist招致，导致
Economic tensions beget political ones.经济紧张导致政治紧张。

斯巴达重新陷入农业封闭和停滞状态，而雅典则变成了一个繁忙的集市和港口，成为了许多民族以及各种教派和习俗的汇聚之地，他们之间的触碰和竞争催生了比较、分析和思考。

整段

这段主要讲希波战争中古希腊两城邦。战中，一个提供陆军，一个提供海军；一个解散部队，一个转型商队；一个走向封闭，一个走向繁忙；一个忙于生存，一个产生新事物。比较、分析和思考这就是哲学重要的产生条件。
而第3段与第4段的连接点雅典有去强大的海上力量，第4侧面就引入希波战争；第4段讲到比较分析与思考，下一段估计引入哲学。这种写作能力值得学习。

在公元前490年到公元前470年，斯巴达和雅典放下了彼此的敌意而联合起来，共同击退了在大流士及薛西斯领导下的波斯人的入侵，从而打破了将希腊沦为波斯帝国这一亚洲帝国殖民地的企图。在这场年轻的欧洲和年迈的东方之间的对战，斯巴达提供了陆军而雅典提供了海军。战争结束后，斯巴达解散了她的军队，经济自然而然遭受与军队转型相关的动荡；而雅典则将她的海军转变为商船队，并成为了当时最伟大的贸易城市之一。斯巴达重新陷入农业封闭和停滞状态，而雅典则变成了一个繁忙的集市和港口，成为了许多民族以及各种教派和习俗的汇聚之地，他们之间的触碰和竞争催生了比较、分析和思考。