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same evening at Eion; and had he failed to come Darius that day, Brasidas would have taken possession of it Nothus. the next morning by day-break. Although Thucydides had made all imaginable dispatch, the Athenians however charged him with being the cause of the taking of Amphipolis, and accordingly banished him.

The Athenians were greatly afflicted at the loss of that city, as well because they drew great revenues from it, and timber to build their ships, as because it was a kind of gate for entering Thrace. They were afraid that all their allies in that neighbourhood would revolt; especially as Brasidas discovered great moderation and justice, and continually gave out, that he came with no other view but to free the country. He declared to the several nations, that at his leaving Sparta, he had taken an oath, in presence of the magistrates, to leave all those the enjoyment of their liberties, who would conclude an alliance with him; and that he ought to be considered as the most abandoned of men, should he employ oaths to ensnare their credulity. "For," according to Brasidas," a fraud cloaked with a specious pre"tence, reflects infinitely greater dishonour on persons in high stations, than open violence; because "the latter is the effect of the power which fortune "has put into our hands; and the former is founded "wholly on perfidy, which is the pest of society. "Now I," said he, " should do a great disservice to "my country, besides dishonouring it eternally, if,

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by procuring it some slight advantages, I should "ruin the reputation it enjoys of being just and "faithful to its promises; which renders it much "more powerful than all its forces united together, "because it acquires it the esteem and confidence of "other states." Upon such noble and equitable principles as these Brasidas always formed his conduct; believing, that the strongest bulwark of a nation is justice, moderation, integrity, and the firm persuasion which their neighbours and allies enter

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Darius tain, that they are not so base as to harbour a deNothus. sign to usurp their dominions, or deprive them of their liberty. By this conduct he brought over a great number of the enemy's allies.

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* The Athenians, under the command of Demosthenes and Hippocrates, had entered Boeotia, expecting that several cities would join them, the moment they should appear. The Thebans marched out to meet them near Delium. A considerable engagement ensued, in which the Athenians were defeated and put to flight. Socrates was in this battle; and Laches, who accompanied that great man in it, gives the following testimony of him in Plato; that had the rest of the army behaved as gallantly as Socrates, the Athenians would not have sustained so great a loss before Delium. He was borne away by the crouds who fled, and was on foot; Alcibiades, who was on horseback, when he saw him, rode up to him, and did not stir from him, but defended him with the utmost bravery from the enemy who were pursuing him.

After the battle, the victors besieged the city. Among other engines employed by them to batter it, they used one of a very extraordinary kind. This was a long piece of timber, cut into two parts, and afterwards made hollow and joined again, so that its shape resembled very much that of a flute. At one of the ends was fixed a long iron tube, to which a cauldron hung; so that by blowing a large pair of bellows at the other end of the piece of timber, the wind being carried from thence into the tube, lighted a great fire, with pitch and brimstone, that lay in the cauldron. This engine being carried on carts as far as the rampart, to that part where it was lined with stakes and fascines, threw out so great a flame, that the rampart being immediately abandoned, and the pallisades burnt, the city was easily taken.

* Thucyd. l. iv. p. 311-319. 1. y Plat. in Lach. p. 181. In conviv. p. 221. Plut. in Alcib. p. 195.

SECT. III. A twelve-month's truce is agreed upon between the two states. Cleon and Brasidas die. A treaty of peace for fifty years concluded between the Athenians and Lacedæmonians.

Ninth, tenth and eleventh years of the war.

Nothus.

3581.

Ant J.C.

4.23.

"THE losses and advantages on both sides were Darius pretty equal; and the two nations began to grow weary of a war, which put them to great expence, A. M. and did not procure them any real advantage. A truce, for a year, was therefore concluded between the Athenians and Lacedæmonians. The former resolved on it, in order to check the progress of Brasidas's conquests; to secure their cities and fortresses; and afterwards to conclude a general peace, in case they judged it would be of advantage to them. The latter were induced to it, in order that by the sweets of repose, peace might become desirable to their enemy; and to get out of their hands such of their citizens as the Athenians had taken prisoners in the island of Sphacteria; and which they could never expect to do, if Brasidas extended his conquests farther. The news of this accommodation sensibly afflicted Brasidas, as it stopped him in the midst of his career, and disconcerted all his projects. He could not even prevail with himself to abandon the city of Scione, which he had taken two days before, but without knowing that a truce was concluded. He went still farther; and did not scruple to take Mende, a little city not far from Scione, that surrendered to him as the former had done, which was a direct violation of the treaty: But Brasidas pretended he had other infractions to object to the Athenians.

It will naturally be supposed, that they were far from being pleased with this conduct of Brasidas.

Thucyd. 1. iv. p. 328-333. Diod. 1. xii. p. 120.

Darius Cleon, in all publick assemblies, was for ever inNothus. flaming the minds of the Athenians, and blowing up the fire of war. a His great success in the expedition of Sphacteria had raised his credit infinitely with the people: He now was grown insupportably proud, and his audaciousness was not to be restrained. He had a vehement, impetuous, and furious kind of eloquence, which prevailed over the minds of his auditors, not so much by the strength of his arguments as by the boldness and fire of his style and utterance. It was Cleon who first set the example of bawling in assemblies, where the greatest decorum and moderation had till then been observed; of throwing his robe behind him, to give him the more liberty to display his arms; of striking his thigh; and of running up and down the rostra whilst he was making his speech. In a word, he first introduced among the orators, and all those who were in publick employments, an ungovernable licentiousness, and a contempt of decency; a licentiousness and contempt, which soon introduced terrible irregularities and confusion in publick affairs.

A. M.

b Thus two men, each on his own side, opposed the tranquillity of Greece, and raised, but in a very different way, an invincible obstacle to its peace. These were Cleon and Brasidas. The former, because the war screened his vices and malversations; and the latter, because it added a new lustre to his virtues. And indeed, it And indeed, it gave Cleon an opportunity of committing enormous oppressions, and Brasidas of performing great and noble actions. But their death, which happened about the same time, made way for for a new accommodation.

The Athenians had appointed Cleon to com3562. mand the troops which were to oppose Brasidas, and reduce those cities that had revolted from their allegiance. The Athenians were solicitous for none of

Ant. J.C. 422.

b Ibid.

a Plut. in vit. Niciæ, p. 528.
p. 342-351. Diod. 1. xii. p. 121, 122.

Thucyd. Liji.

them so much as Amphipolis; and Brasidas threw Darius himself into that city, in order to defend it. Cleon Nothus. had written to Perdiccas king of Macedonia, and to the king of the Odomantes, to furnish him with as many troops as possible, and with the utmost expedition. He waited for them, and had resolved not to march immediately towards the enemy: But finding his soldiers, who had followed him involuntarily and with regret, grow weary of continuing so long unactive, and begin to compare his cowardice and inexperience with the ability and valour of Brasidas, he could no longer bear their contempt and murmurs; and imagining himself a great captain by his taking Sphacteria, he now fancied the same good fortune would attend him at Amphipolis. He therefore approached it, as he said, to take a view of the place, and till such time as all his forces should be come up; not that he thought he wanted them for carrying that city, or that he doubted in any manner his success, (for he was persuaded that no one would dare to oppose him) but only to enable him to invest the place on all sides, and afterwards to take it by storm. Accordingly he encamped before Amphipolis; when viewing very leisurely its situation, he fondly supposed that it would be in his power to retire whenever he pleased, without drawing the sword; for not a man came out or appeared on the walls; and all the gates of the city were kept shut, so that Cleon began to repent his not having brought the engines, imagining that he wanted only these to make himself master of the city. Brasidas, who was perfectly well acquainted with Cleon's disposition and character, studiously affected an air of fear and reserve, to increase his temerity, and the good opinion he had of himself: Besides, he knew that Cleon had brought with him the flower of the Athenian forces, and the choicest troops of Lemnos and of Imbrus. Accordingly Cleon, despising an enemy who did not dare to appear before him, but shut himself up in a cowardly manner in the city,

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