History of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides [best free ebook reader TXT] 📗

of Argilus, an Andrian colony,

residing in Amphipolis, where they had also other accomplices gained

over by Perdiccas or the Chalcidians. But the most active in the

matter were the inhabitants of Argilus itself, which is close by,

who had always been suspected by the Athenians, and had had designs on

the place. These men now saw their opportunity arrive with Brasidas,

and having for some time been in correspondence with their

countrymen in Amphipolis for the betrayal of the town, at once

received him into Argilus, and revolted from the Athenians, and that

same night took him on to the bridge over the river; where he found

only a small guard to oppose him, the town being at some distance from

the passage, and the walls not reaching down to it as at present. This

guard he easily drove in, partly through there being treason in

their ranks, partly from the stormy state of the weather and the

suddenness of his attack, and so got across the bridge, and

immediately became master of all the property outside; the

Amphipolitans having houses all over the quarter.

 

The passage of Brasidas was a complete surprise to the people in the

town; and the capture of many of those outside, and the flight of

the rest within the wall, combined to produce great confusion among

the citizens; especially as they did not trust one another. It is even

said that if Brasidas, instead of stopping to pillage, had advanced

straight against the town, he would probably have taken it. In fact,

however, he established himself where he was and overran the country

outside, and for the present remained inactive, vainly awaiting a

demonstration on the part of his friends within. Meanwhile the party

opposed to the traitors proved numerous enough to prevent the gates

being immediately thrown open, and in concert with Eucles, the

general, who had come from Athens to defend the place, sent to the

other commander in Thrace, Thucydides, son of Olorus, the author of

this history, who was at the isle of Thasos, a Parian colony, half a

day’s sail from Amphipolis, to tell him to come to their relief. On

receipt of this message he at once set sail with seven ships which

he had with him, in order, if possible, to reach Amphipolis in time to

prevent its capitulation, or in any case to save Eion.

 

Meanwhile Brasidas, afraid of succours arriving by sea from

Thasos, and learning that Thucydides possessed the right of working

the gold mines in that part of Thrace, and had thus great influence

with the inhabitants of the continent, hastened to gain the town, if

possible, before the people of Amphipolis should be encouraged by

his arrival to hope that he could save them by getting together a

force of allies from the sea and from Thrace, and so refuse to

surrender. He accordingly offered moderate terms, proclaiming that any

of the Amphipolitans and Athenians who chose, might continue to

enjoy their property with full rights of citizenship; while those

who did not wish to stay had five days to depart, taking their

property with them.

 

The bulk of the inhabitants, upon hearing this, began to change

their minds, especially as only a small number of the citizens were

Athenians, the majority having come from different quarters, and

many of the prisoners outside had relations within the walls. They

found the proclamation a fair one in comparison of what their fear had

suggested; the Athenians being glad to go out, as they thought they

ran more risk than the rest, and further, did not expect any speedy

relief, and the multitude generally being content at being left in

possession of their civic rights, and at such an unexpected reprieve

from danger. The partisans of Brasidas now openly advocated this

course, seeing that the feeling of the people had changed, and that

they no longer gave ear to the Athenian general present; and thus

the surrender was made and Brasidas was admitted by them on the

terms of his proclamation. In this way they gave up the city, and late

in the same day Thucydides and his ships entered the harbour of

Eion, Brasidas having just got hold of Amphipolis, and having been

within a night of taking Eion: had the ships been less prompt in

relieving it, in the morning it would have been his.

 

After this Thucydides put all in order at Eion to secure it

against any present or future attack of Brasidas, and received such as

had elected to come there from the interior according to the terms

agreed on. Meanwhile Brasidas suddenly sailed with a number of boats

down the river to Eion to see if he could not seize the point

running out from the wall, and so command the entrance; at the same

time he attempted it by land, but was beaten off on both sides and had

to content himself with arranging matters at Amphipolis and in the

neighbourhood. Myrcinus, an Edonian town, also came over to him; the

Edonian king Pittacus having been killed by the sons of Goaxis and his

own wife Brauro; and Galepsus and Oesime, which are Thasian

colonies, not long after followed its example. Perdiccas too came up

immediately after the capture and joined in these arrangements.

 

The news that Amphipolis was in the hands of the enemy caused

great alarm at Athens. Not only was the town valuable for the timber

it afforded for shipbuilding, and the money that it brought in; but

also, although the escort of the Thessalians gave the Lacedaemonians a

means of reaching the allies of Athens as far as the Strymon, yet as

long as they were not masters of the bridge but were watched on the

side of Eion by the Athenian galleys, and on the land side impeded

by a large and extensive lake formed by the waters of the river, it

was impossible for them to go any further. Now, on the contrary, the

path seemed open. There was also the fear of the allies revolting,

owing to the moderation displayed by Brasidas in all his conduct,

and to the declarations which he was everywhere making that he sent

out to free Hellas. The towns subject to the Athenians, hearing of the

capture of Amphipolis and of the terms accorded to it, and of the

gentleness of Brasidas, felt most strongly encouraged to change

their condition, and sent secret messages to him, begging him to

come on to them; each wishing to be the first to revolt. Indeed

there seemed to be no danger in so doing; their mistake in their

estimate of the Athenian power was as great as that power afterwards

turned out to be, and their judgment was based more upon blind wishing

than upon any sound prevision; for it is a habit of mankind to entrust

to careless hope what they long for, and to use sovereign reason to

thrust aside what they do not fancy. Besides the late severe blow

which the Athenians had met with in Boeotia, joined to the

seductive, though untrue, statements of Brasidas, about the

Athenians not having ventured to engage his single army at Nisaea,

made the allies confident, and caused them to believe that no Athenian

force would be sent against them. Above all the wish to do what was

agreeable at the moment, and the likelihood that they should find

the Lacedaemonians full of zeal at starting, made them eager to

venture. Observing this, the Athenians sent garrisons to the different

towns, as far as was possible at such short notice and in winter;

while Brasidas sent dispatches to Lacedaemon asking for

reinforcements, and himself made preparations for building galleys

in the Strymon. The Lacedaemonians however did not send him any,

partly through envy on the part of their chief men, partly because

they were more bent on recovering the prisoners of the island and

ending the war.

 

The same winter the Megarians took and razed to the foundations

the long walls which had been occupied by the Athenians; and

Brasidas after the capture of Amphipolis marched with his allies

against Acte, a promontory running out from the King’s dike with an

inward curve, and ending in Athos, a lofty mountain looking towards

the Aegean Sea. In it are various towns, Sane, an Andrian colony,

close to the canal, and facing the sea in the direction of Euboea; the

others being Thyssus, Cleone, Acrothoi, Olophyxus, and Dium, inhabited

by mixed barbarian races speaking the two languages. There is also a

small Chalcidian element; but the greater number are

Tyrrheno-Pelasgians once settled in Lemnos and Athens, and Bisaltians,

Crestonians, and Edonians; the towns being all small ones. Most of

these came over to Brasidas; but Sane and Dium held out and saw

their land ravaged by him and his army.

 

Upon their not submitting, he at once marched against Torone in

Chalcidice, which was held by an Athenian garrison, having been

invited by a few persons who were prepared to hand over the town.

Arriving in the dark a little before daybreak, he sat down with his

army near the temple of the Dioscuri, rather more than a quarter of

a mile from the city. The rest of the town of Torone and the Athenians

in garrison did not perceive his approach; but his partisans knowing

that he was coming (a few of them had secretly gone out to meet him)

were on the watch for his arrival, and were no sooner aware of it than

they took it to them seven light-armed men with daggers, who alone

of twenty men ordered on this service dared to enter, commanded by

Lysistratus an Olynthian. These passed through the sea wall, and

without being seen went up and put to the sword the garrison of the

highest post in the town, which stands on a hill, and broke open the

postern on the side of Canastraeum.

 

Brasidas meanwhile came a little nearer and then halted with his

main body, sending on one hundred targeteers to be ready to rush in

first, the moment that a gate should be thrown open and the beacon

lighted as agreed. After some time passed in waiting and wondering

at the delay, the targeteers by degrees got up close to the town.

The Toronaeans inside at work with the party that had entered had by

this time broken down the postern and opened the gates leading to

the marketplace by cutting through the bar, and first brought some

men round and let them in by the postern, in order to strike a panic

into the surprised townsmen by suddenly attacking them from behind and

on both sides at once; after which they raised the fire-signal as

had been agreed, and took in by the market gates the rest of the

targeteers.

 

Brasidas seeing the signal told the troops to rise, and dashed

forward amid the loud hurrahs of his men, which carried dismay among

the astonished townspeople. Some burst in straight by the gate, others

over some square pieces of timber placed against the wall (which has

fallen down and was being rebuilt) to draw up stones; Brasidas and the

greater number making straight uphill for the higher part of the town,

in order to take it from top to bottom, and once for all, while the

rest of the multitude spread in all directions.

 

The capture of the town was effected before the great body of the

Toronaeans had recovered from their surprise and confusion; but the

conspirators and the citizens of their party at once joined the

invaders. About fifty of the Athenian heavy infantry happened to be

sleeping in the marketplace when the alarm reached them. A few of

these were killed fighting; the rest escaped, some by land, others

to the two ships on the station, and took refuge in Lecythus, a