History of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides [best free ebook reader TXT] 📗
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As the ships coasted along shore they ravaged the seaboard of Laconia;
after which Asopius sent most of the fleet home, and himself went on
with twelve vessels to Naupactus, and afterwards raising the whole
Acarnanian population made an expedition against Oeniadae, the fleet
sailing along the Achelous, while the army laid waste the country. The
inhabitants, however, showing no signs of submitting, he dismissed the
land forces and himself sailed to Leucas, and making a descent upon
Nericus was cut off during his retreat, and most of his troops with
him, by the people in those parts aided by some coastguards; after
which the Athenians sailed away, recovering their dead from the
Leucadians under truce.
Meanwhile the envoys of the Mitylenians sent out in the first ship
were told by the Lacedaemonians to come to Olympia, in order that
the rest of the allies might hear them and decide upon their matter,
and so they journeyed thither. It was the Olympiad in which the
Rhodian Dorieus gained his second victory, and the envoys having
been introduced to make their speech after the festival, spoke as
follows:
“Lacedaemonians and allies, the rule established among the
Hellenes is not unknown to us. Those who revolt in war and forsake
their former confederacy are favourably regarded by those who
receive them, in so far as they are of use to them, but otherwise
are thought less well of, through being considered traitors to their
former friends. Nor is this an unfair way of judging, where the rebels
and the power from whom they secede are at one in policy and sympathy,
and a match for each other in resources and power, and where no
reasonable ground exists for the rebellion. But with us and the
Athenians this was not the case; and no one need think the worse of us
for revolting from them in danger, after having been honoured by
them in time of peace.
“Justice and honesty will be the first topics of our speech,
especially as we are asking for alliance; because we know that there
can never be any solid friendship between individuals, or union
between communities that is worth the name, unless the parties be
persuaded of each other’s honesty, and be generally congenial the
one to the other; since from difference in feeling springs also
difference in conduct. Between ourselves and the Athenians alliance
began, when you withdrew from the Median War and they remained to
finish the business. But we did not become allies of the Athenians for
the subjugation of the Hellenes, but allies of the Hellenes for
their liberation from the Mede; and as long as the Athenians led us
fairly we followed them loyally; but when we saw them relax their
hostility to the Mede, to try to compass the subjection of the allies,
then our apprehensions began. Unable, however, to unite and defend
themselves, on account of the number of confederates that had votes,
all the allies were enslaved, except ourselves and the Chians, who
continued to send our contingents as independent and nominally free.
Trust in Athens as a leader, however, we could no longer feel, judging
by the examples already given; it being unlikely that she would reduce
our fellow confederates, and not do the same by us who were left, if
ever she had the power.
“Had we all been still independent, we could have had more faith
in their not attempting any change; but the greater number being their
subjects, while they were treating us as equals, they would
naturally chafe under this solitary instance of independence as
contrasted with the submission of the majority; particularly as they
daily grew more powerful, and we more destitute. Now the only sure
basis of an alliance is for each party to be equally afraid of the
other; he who would like to encroach is then deterred by the
reflection that he will not have odds in his favour. Again, if we were
left independent, it was only because they thought they saw their
way to empire more clearly by specious language and by the paths of
policy than by those of force. Not only were we useful as evidence
that powers who had votes, like themselves, would not, surely, join
them in their expeditions, against their will, without the party
attacked being in the wrong; but the same system also enabled them
to lead the stronger states against the weaker first, and so to
leave the former to the last, stripped of their natural allies, and
less capable of resistance. But if they had begun with us, while all
the states still had their resources under their own control, and
there was a centre to rally round, the work of subjugation would
have been found less easy. Besides this, our navy gave them some
apprehension: it was always possible that it might unite with you or
with some other power, and become dangerous to Athens. The court which
we paid to their commons and its leaders for the time being also
helped us to maintain our independence. However, we did not expect
to be able to do so much longer, if this war had not broken out,
from the examples that we had had of their conduct to the rest.
“How then could we put our trust in such friendship or freedom as we
had here? We accepted each other against our inclination; fear made
them court us in war, and us them in peace; sympathy, the ordinary
basis of confidence, had its place supplied by terror, fear having
more share than friendship in detaining us in the alliance; and the
first party that should be encouraged by the hope of impunity was
certain to break faith with the other. So that to condemn us for being
the first to break off, because they delay the blow that we dread,
instead of ourselves delaying to know for certain whether it will be
dealt or not, is to take a false view of the case. For if we were
equally able with them to meet their plots and imitate their delay, we
should be their equals and should be under no necessity of being their
subjects; but the liberty of offence being always theirs, that of
defence ought clearly to be ours.
“Such, Lacedaemonians and allies, are the grounds and the reasons of
our revolt; clear enough to convince our hearers of the fairness of
our conduct, and sufficient to alarm ourselves, and to make us turn to
some means of safety. This we wished to do long ago, when we sent to
you on the subject while the peace yet lasted, but were balked by your
refusing to receive us; and now, upon the Boeotians inviting us, we at
once responded to the call, and decided upon a twofold revolt, from
the Hellenes and from the Athenians, not to aid the latter in
harming the former, but to join in their liberation, and not to
allow the Athenians in the end to destroy us, but to act in time
against them. Our revolt, however, has taken place prematurely and
without preparation—a fact which makes it all the more incumbent on
you to receive us into alliance and to send us speedy relief, in order
to show that you support your friends, and at the same time do harm to
your enemies. You have an opportunity such as you never had before.
Disease and expenditure have wasted the Athenians: their ships are
either cruising round your coasts, or engaged in blockading us; and it
is not probable that they will have any to spare, if you invade them a
second time this summer by sea and land; but they will either offer no
resistance to your vessels, or withdraw from both our shores. Nor must
it be thought that this is a case of putting yourselves into danger
for a country which is not yours. Lesbos may appear far off, but
when help is wanted she will be found near enough. It is not in Attica
that the war will be decided, as some imagine, but in the countries by
which Attica is supported; and the Athenian revenue is drawn from
the allies, and will become still larger if they reduce us; as not
only will no other state revolt, but our resources will be added to
theirs, and we shall be treated worse than those that were enslaved
before. But if you will frankly support us, you will add to your
side a state that has a large navy, which is your great want; you will
smooth the way to the overthrow of the Athenians by depriving them
of their allies, who will be greatly encouraged to come over; and
you will free yourselves from the imputation made against you, of
not supporting insurrection. In short, only show yourselves as
liberators, and you may count upon having the advantage in the war.
“Respect, therefore, the hopes placed in you by the Hellenes, and
that Olympian Zeus, in whose temple we stand as very suppliants;
become the allies and defenders of the Mitylenians, and do not
sacrifice us, who put our lives upon the hazard, in a cause in which
general good will result to all from our success, and still more
general harm if we fail through your refusing to help us; but be the
men that the Hellenes think you, and our fears desire.”
Such were the words of the Mitylenians. After hearing them out,
the Lacedaemonians and confederates granted what they urged, and
took the Lesbians into alliance, and deciding in favour of the
invasion of Attica, told the allies present to march as quickly as
possible to the Isthmus with two-thirds of their forces; and
arriving there first themselves, got ready hauling machines to carry
their ships across from Corinth to the sea on the side of Athens, in
order to make their attack by sea and land at once. However, the
zeal which they displayed was not imitated by the rest of the
confederates, who came in but slowly, being engaged in harvesting
their corn and sick of making expeditions.
Meanwhile the Athenians, aware that the preparations of the enemy
were due to his conviction of their weakness, and wishing to show
him that he was mistaken, and that they were able, without moving
the Lesbian fleet, to repel with ease that with which they were
menaced from Peloponnese, manned a hundred ships by embarking the
citizens of Athens, except the knights and Pentacosiomedimni, and
the resident aliens; and putting out to the Isthmus, displayed their
power, and made descents upon Peloponnese wherever they pleased. A
disappointment so signal made the Lacedaemonians think that the
Lesbians had not spoken the truth; and embarrassed by the
non-appearance of the confederates, coupled with the news that the
thirty ships round Peloponnese were ravaging the lands near Sparta,
they went back home. Afterwards, however, they got ready a fleet to
send to Lesbos, and ordering a total of forty ships from the different
cities in the league, appointed Alcidas to command the expedition in
his capacity of high admiral. Meanwhile the Athenians in the hundred
ships, upon seeing the Lacedaemonians go home, went home likewise.
If, at the time that this fleet was at sea, Athens had almost the
largest number of first-rate ships in commission that she ever
possessed at any one moment, she had as many or even more when the war
began. At that time one hundred guarded Attica, Euboea, and Salamis; a
hundred more were cruising round Peloponnese, besides those employed
at Potidaea and in other places; making a grand total of two hundred
and fifty vessels employed on active service in a single summer. It
was this, with Potidaea, that most exhausted her revenues—Potidaea
being blockaded by a force of heavy infantry (each drawing two
drachmae
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