EIGHTH YEAR OF THE WAR.
Important operations of the eighth year of the war. — Capture of Kythêra by the Athenians. Nikias ravages the Laconian coast. — Capture of Thyrea — all the Æginetans resident there are either slain in the attack or put to death afterwards as prisoners. — Alarm and depression among the Lacedæmonians — their insecurity in regard to the Helots. — They entrap, and cause to be assassinated, two thousand of the bravest Helots. — Request from the Chalkidians and Perdikkas that Spartan aid may be sent to them under Brasidas. — Brasidas is ordered to go thither, with Helot and Peloponnesian hoplites. — Elate and enterprising dispositions prevalent at Athens. Plan formed against Megara. Condition of Megara. — The Athenians, under Hippokratês and Demosthenês, attempt to surprise Nisæa and Megara. — Conspirators within open the gate, and admit them into the Megarian Long Walls. They master the whole line of the Long Walls. — The Athenians march to the gates of Megara — failure of the scheme of the party within to open them. — The Athenians attack Nisæa — the place surrenders to them. — Dissension of parties in Megara — intervention of Brasidas. — Brasidas gets together an army, and relieves Megara — no battle takes place — the Athenians retire. — Revolution at Megara — return of the exiles from Pegæ, under pledge of amnesty — they violate their oaths, and effect a forcible oligarchical revolution. — Combined plan by Hippokratês and Demosthenês for the invasion of Bœotia on three sides at once. — Demosthenês, with an Akarnanian force, makes a descent on Bœotia at Siphæ in the Corinthian gulf — his scheme fails and he retires. — Disappointment of the Athenian plans — no internal movements take place in Bœotia. Hippokratês marches with the army from Athens to Delium in Bœotia. — Hippokratês fortifies Delium, after which the army retires homeward. — Gathering of the Bœotian military force at Tanagra. Pagondas, the Theban bœotarch, determines them to fight. — Marshalling of the Bœotian army — great depth of the Theban hoplites — special Theban band of Three Hundred. — Order of battle of the Athenian army. — Battle of Delium — vigorously contested — advantage derived from the depth of the Theban phalanx. — Defeat and flight of the Athenians — Hippokratês, with one thousand hoplites, is slain. — Interchange of heralds — remonstrance of the Bœotians against the Athenians for desecrating the temple of Delium — they refuse permission to bury the slain except on condition of quitting Delium. — Answer of the Athenian herald — he demands permission to bury the bodies of the slain. — The Bœotians persist in demanding the evacuation of Delium as a condition for granting permission to bury the dead. Debate on the subject. Remarks on the debate. — Siege and capture of Delium by the Bœotians. — Sokratês and Alkibiadês, personally engaged at Delium. — March of Brasidas through Thessaly to Thrace and Macedonia. Rapidity and address with which he gets through Thessaly. — Relations between Brasidas and Perdikkas — Brasidas enters into an accommodation with Arrhibæus — Perdikkas is offended. — Brasidas marches against Akanthus. State of parties in the town. — He is admitted personally into the town to explain his views — his speech before the Akanthian assembly. — Debate in the Akanthian assembly, and decision of the majority voting secretly to admit him, after much opposition. — Reflections upon this proceeding — good political habits of the Akanthians. — Evidence which this proceeding affords, that the body of citizens (among the Athenian allies) did not hate Athens, and were not anxious to revolt. — Brasidas establishes intelligences in Argilus. He lays his plan for the surprise of Amphipolis. — Night-march of Brasidas from Arnê, through Argilus to the river Strymon and Amphipolis. — He becomes master of the lands round Amphipolis, but is disappointed in gaining admission into the town. — He offers to the citizens the most favorable terms of capitulation, which they accept. — Amphipolis capitulates. — Thucydidês arrives at Eion from Thasus with his squadron — not in time to preserve Amphipolis — he preserves Eion. — Alarm and dismay produced at Athens by the capture of Amphipolis — increased hopes among her enemies. — Extraordinary personal glory, esteem, and influence acquired by Brasidas. — Inaction and despondency of Athens after the battle of Delium, especially in reference to arresting the conquests of Brasidas in Thrace. — Loss of Amphipolis was caused by the negligence of the Athenian commanders — Euklês, and the historian Thucydidês. — The Athenians banish Thucydidês on the proposition of Kleon. — Sentence of banishment passed on Thucydidês by the Athenians — grounds of that sentence. — He justly incurred their verdict of guilty. — Preparations of Brasidas in Amphipolis for extended conquest — his operations against the Aktê, or promontory of Athos. — He attacks Torônê in the Sithonian peninsula — he is admitted into the town by an internal party — surprises and takes it. — Some part of the population, with the small Athenian garrison, retire to the separate citadel called Lêkythus. — Conciliating address of Brasidas to the assembly at Torônê. — He attacks Lêkythus and takes it by storm. — Personal ability and conciliatory efficiency of Brasidas.
CHAPTER LIV.
TRUCE FOR ONE YEAR.—RENEWAL OF WAR AND BATTLE OF AMPHIPOLIS.—PEACE OF NIKIAS.
Eighth year of the war — began with most favorable promise for Athens — closed with great reverses to her. — Desire of Spartans to make peace in order to regain the captives — they decline sending reinforcements to Brasidas. — King Pleistoanax at Sparta — eager for peace — his special reasons — his long banishment recently terminated by recall. — Negotiations during the winter of 424-423 B.C. for peace. — Truce for one year concluded, in March 423 B.C. — Conditions of the truce. — Resolution to open negotiations for a definitive treaty. — New events in Thrace — revolt of Skiônê from Athens to Brasidas, two days after the truce was sworn. — Brasidas crosses over to Skiônê — his judicious conduct — enthusiastic admiration for him there. — Brasidas brings across reinforcements to Skiônê — he conveys away the women and children into a place of safety. — Commissioners from Sparta and Athens arrive in Thrace, to announce to Brasidas the truce just concluded. Dispute respecting Skiônê. The war continues in Thrace, but is suspended everywhere else. — Revolt of Mendê from Athens — Brasidas receives the offers of the Mendæans — engages to protect them and sends to them a garrison against Athens. He departs upon an expedition against Arrhibæus in the interior of Macedonia. — Nikias and Nikostratus arrive with an Athenian armament in Pallênê. They attack Mendê. The Lacedæmonian garrison under Polydamidas at first repulses them. — Dissensions among the citizens of Mendê — mutiny of the Demos against Polydamidas — the Athenians are admitted into the town. — The Athenians besiege and blockade Skiônê. Nikias leaves a blockading force there, and returns to Athens. — Expedition of Brasidas along with Perdikkas into Macedonia against Arrhibæus. — Retreat of Brasidas and Perdikkas before the Illyrians. — Address of Brasidas to his soldiers before the retreat. — Contrast between Grecian and barbaric military feeling. — Appeal of Brasidas to the right of conquest or superior force. — The Illyrians attack Brasidas in his retreat, but are repulsed. — Breach between Brasidas and Perdikkas: the latter opens negotiations with the Athenians. — Relations between Athens and the Peloponnesians — no progress made towards definitive peace — Lacedæmonian reinforcement on its way to Brasidas, prevented from passing through Thessaly. — Incidents in Peloponnesus — the temple of Hêrê near Argos accidentally burnt. — War in Arcadia — battle between Mantineia and Tegea. — Bœotians at peace de facto, though not parties to the truce. — Hard treatment of the Thespians by Thebes. — Expiration of the truce for one year. Disposition of both Sparta and Athens at that time towards peace; but peace impossible in consequence of the relations of parties in Thrace. — No actual resumption of hostilities, although the truce had expired, from the month of March to the Pythian festival in August. — Alteration in the language of statesmen at Athens — instances of Kleon and his partisans to obtain a vigorous prosecution of the war in Thrace. — Brasidas — an opponent of peace — his views and motives. — Kleon — an opponent of peace — his views and motives as stated by Thucydidês. Kleon had no personal interest in war. — To prosecute the war vigorously in Thrace was at this time the real political interest of Athens. — Question of peace or war, as it stood between Nikias and Kleon, in March 422 B.C., after the expiration of the truce for one year. — Kleon’s advocacy of war at this moment perfectly defensible — unjust account of his motive given by Thucydidês. — Kleon at this time adhered more closely than any other Athenian public man to the foreign policy of Periklês. — Dispositions of Nikias and the peace-party in reference to the reconquest of Amphipolis. — Kleon conducts an expedition against Amphipolis — he takes Torônê. — He arrives at Eion — sends envoys to invite Macedonian and Thracian auxiliaries. — Dissatisfaction of his own troops with his inaction while waiting for these auxiliaries. — He is forced by these murmurs to make a demonstration — he marches from Eion along the walls of Amphipolis to reconnoitre the top of the hill — apparent quiescence in Amphipolis. — Brasidas, at first on Mount Kerdylium — presently moves into the town across the bridge. — His exhortation to his soldiers. — Kleon tries to effect his retreat. — Brasidas sallies out upon the army in its retreat — the Athenians are completely routed — Brasidas and Kleon both slain. — Profound sorrow in Thrace for the death of Brasidas — funeral honors paid him in Amphipolis. — The Athenian armament, much diminished by its loss in the battle, returns home. — Remarks on the battle of Amphipolis — wherein consisted the faults of Kleon. — Disgraceful conduct of the Athenian hoplites — the defeat of Amphipolis arose partly from political feeling hostile to Kleon. — Important effect of the death of Brasidas, in reference to the prospects of the war — his admirable character and efficiency. — Feelings of Thucydidês towards Brasidas and Kleon. — Character of Kleon — his foreign policy. Internal policy of Kleon as a citizen in constitutional life. — Picture in the Knights of Aristophanês. — Unfairness of judging Kleon upon such evidence. — Picture of Sokratês by Aristophanês is noway resembling. — The vices imputed by Aristophanês to Kleon are not reconcilable one with the other. — Kleon — a man of strong and bitter opposition talents — frequent in accusation — often on behalf of poor men suffering wrong. — Necessity for voluntary accusers at Athens — general danger and obloquy attending the function. — We have no evidence to decide in what proportion of cases he accused wrongfully. — Private dispute between Kleon and Aristophanês. — Negotiations for peace during the winter following the battle of Amphipolis. — Peace called the Peace of Nikias — concluded in March 421 B.C. — Conditions of peace. — The peace is only partially accepted by the allies of Sparta. — The Bœotians, Megarians, and Corinthians, all repudiate it.
HISTORY OF GREECE.