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

fort

garrisoned by their own men in the corner of the town running out into

the sea and cut off by a narrow isthmus; where they were joined by the

Toronaeans of their party.

 

Day now arrived, and the town being secured, Brasidas made a

proclamation to the Toronaeans who had taken refuge with the

Athenians, to come out, as many as chose, to their homes without

fearing for their rights or persons, and sent a herald to invite the

Athenians to accept a truce, and to evacuate Lecythus with their

property, as being Chalcidian ground. The Athenians refused this

offer, but asked for a truce for a day to take up their dead. Brasidas

granted it for two days, which he employed in fortifying the houses

near, and the Athenians in doing the same to their positions.

Meanwhile he called a meeting of the Toronaeans, and said very much

what he had said at Acanthus, namely, that they must not look upon

those who had negotiated with him for the capture of the town as bad

men or as traitors, as they had not acted as they had done from

corrupt motives or in order to enslave the city, but for the good

and freedom of Torone; nor again must those who had not shared in

the enterprise fancy that they would not equally reap its fruits, as

he had not come to destroy either city or individual. This was the

reason of his proclamation to those that had fled for refuge to the

Athenians: he thought none the worse of them for their friendship

for the Athenians; he believed that they had only to make trial of the

Lacedaemonians to like them as well, or even much better, as acting

much more justly: it was for want of such a trial that they were now

afraid of them. Meanwhile he warned all of them to prepare to be

staunch allies, and for being held responsible for all faults in

future: for the past, they had not wronged the Lacedaemonians but

had been wronged by others who were too strong for them, and any

opposition that they might have offered him could be excused.

 

Having encouraged them with this address, as soon as the truce

expired he made his attack upon Lecythus; the Athenians defending

themselves from a poor wall and from some houses with parapets. One

day they beat him off; the next the enemy were preparing to bring up

an engine against them from which they meant to throw fire upon the

wooden defences, and the troops were already coming up to the point

where they fancied they could best bring up the engine, and where

place was most assailable; meanwhile the Athenians put a wooden

tower upon a house opposite, and carried up a quantity of jars and

casks of water and big stones, and a large number of men also

climbed up. The house thus laden too heavily suddenly broke down

with a loud crash; at which the men who were near and saw it were more

vexed than frightened; but those not so near, and still more those

furthest off, thought that the place was already taken at that

point, and fled in haste to the sea and the ships.

 

Brasidas, perceiving that they were deserting the parapet, and

seeing what was going on, dashed forward with his troops, and

immediately took the fort, and put to the sword all whom he found in

it. In this way the place was evacuated by the Athenians, who went

across in their boats and ships to Pallene. Now there is a temple of

Athene in Lecythus, and Brasidas had proclaimed in the moment of

making the assault that he would give thirty silver minae to the man

first on the wall. Being now of opinion that the capture was

scarcely due to human means, he gave the thirty minae to the goddess

for her temple, and razed and cleared Lecythus, and made the whole

of it consecrated ground. The rest of the winter he spent in

settling the places in his hands, and in making designs upon the rest;

and with the expiration of the winter the eighth year of this war

ended.

 

In the spring of the summer following, the Lacedaemonians and

Athenians made an armistice for a year; the Athenians thinking that

they would thus have full leisure to take their precautions before

Brasidas could procure the revolt of any more of their towns, and

might also, if it suited them, conclude a general peace; the

Lacedaemonians divining the actual fears of the Athenians, and

thinking that after once tasting a respite from trouble and misery

they would be more disposed to consent to a reconciliation, and to

give back the prisoners, and make a treaty for the longer period.

The great idea of the Lacedaemonians was to get back their men while

Brasidas’s good fortune lasted: further successes might make the

struggle a less unequal one in Chalcidice, but would leave them

still deprived of their men, and even in Chalcidice not more than a

match for the Athenians and by no means certain of victory. An

armistice was accordingly concluded by Lacedaemon and her allies

upon the terms following:

 

1. As to the temple and oracle of the Pythian Apollo, we are

agreed that whosoever will shall have access to it, without fraud or

fear, according to the usages of his forefathers. The Lacedaemonians

and the allies present agree to this, and promise to send heralds to

the Boeotians and Phocians, and to do their best to persuade them to

agree likewise.

 

2. As to the treasure of the god, we agree to exert ourselves to

detect all malversators, truly and honestly following the customs of

our forefathers, we and you and all others willing to do so, all

following the customs of our forefathers. As to these points the

Lacedaemonians and the other allies are agreed as has been said.

 

3. As to what follows, the Lacedaemonians and the other allies

agree, if the Athenians conclude a treaty, to remain, each of us in

our own territory, retaining our respective acquisitions: the garrison

in Coryphasium keeping within Buphras and Tomeus: that in Cythera

attempting no communication with the Peloponnesian confederacy,

neither we with them, nor they with us: that in Nisaea and Minoa not

crossing the road leading from the gates of the temple of Nisus to

that of Poseidon and from thence straight to the bridge at Minoa:

the Megarians and the allies being equally bound not to cross this

road, and the Athenians retaining the island they have taken,

without any communication on either side: as to Troezen, each side

retaining what it has, and as was arranged with the Athenians.

 

4. As to the use of the sea, so far as refers to their own coast

and to that of their confederacy, that the Lacedaemonians and their

allies may voyage upon it in any vessel rowed by oars and of not

more than five hundred talents tonnage, not a vessel of war.

 

5. That all heralds and embassies, with as many attendants as they

please, for concluding the war and adjusting claims, shall have free

passage, going and coming, to Peloponnese or Athens by land and by

sea.

 

6. That during the truce, deserters whether bond or free shall

be received neither by you, nor by us.

 

7. Further, that satisfaction shall be given by you to us and by

us to you according to the public law of our several countries, all

disputes being settled by law without recourse to hostilities.

 

The Lacedaemonians and allies agree to these articles; but if

you have anything fairer or juster to suggest, come to Lacedaemon

and let us know: whatever shall be just will meet with no objection

either from the Lacedaemonians or from the allies. Only let those

who come come with full powers, as you desire us. The truce shall be

for one year.

 

Approved by the people.

 

The tribe of Acamantis had the prytany, Phoenippus was

secretary, Niciades chairman. Laches moved, in the name of the good

luck of the Athenians, that they should conclude the armistice upon

the terms agreed upon by the Lacedaemonians and the allies. It was

agreed accordingly in the popular assembly that the armistice should

be for one year, beginning that very day, the fourteenth of the

month of Elaphebolion; during which time ambassadors and heralds

should go and come between the two countries to discuss the bases of a

pacification. That the generals and prytanes should call an assembly

of the people, in which the Athenians should first consult on the

peace, and on the mode in which the embassy for putting an end to

the war should be admitted. That the embassy now present should at

once take the engagement before the people to keep well and truly this

truce for one year.

 

On these terms the Lacedaemonians concluded with the Athenians and

their allies on the twelfth day of the Spartan month Gerastius; the

allies also taking the oaths. Those who concluded and poured the

libation were Taurus, son of Echetimides, Athenaeus, son of

Pericleidas, and Philocharidas, son of Eryxidaidas, Lacedaemonians;

Aeneas, son of Ocytus, and Euphamidas, son of Aristonymus,

Corinthians; Damotimus, son of Naucrates, and Onasimus, son of

Megacles, Sicyonians; Nicasus, son of Cecalus, and Menecrates, son

of Amphidorus, Megarians; and Amphias, son of Eupaidas, an Epidaurian;

and the Athenian generals Nicostratus, son of Diitrephes, Nicias,

son of Niceratus, and Autocles, son of Tolmaeus. Such was the

armistice, and during the whole of it conferences went on on the

subject of a pacification.

 

In the days in which they were going backwards and forwards to these

conferences, Scione, a town in Pallene, revolted from Athens, and went

over to Brasidas. The Scionaeans say that they are Pallenians from

Peloponnese, and that their first founders on their voyage from Troy

were carried in to this spot by the storm which the Achaeans were

caught in, and there settled. The Scionaeans had no sooner revolted

than Brasidas crossed over by night to Scione, with a friendly

galley ahead and himself in a small boat some way behind; his idea

being that if he fell in with a vessel larger than the boat he would

have the galley to defend him, while a ship that was a match for the

galley would probably neglect the small vessel to attack the large

one, and thus leave him time to escape. His passage effected, he

called a meeting of the Scionaeans and spoke to the same effect as

at Acanthus and Torone, adding that they merited the utmost

commendation, in that, in spite of Pallene within the isthmus being

cut off by the Athenian occupation of Potidaea and of their own

practically insular position, they had of their own free will gone

forward to meet their liberty instead of timorously waiting until they

had been by force compelled to their own manifest good. This was a

sign that they would valiantly undergo any trial, however great; and

if he should order affairs as he intended, he should count them

among the truest and sincerest friends of the Lacedaemonians, and

would in every other way honour them.

 

The Scionaeans were elated by his language, and even those who had

at first disapproved of what was being done catching the general

confidence, they determined on a vigorous conduct of the war, and

welcomed Brasidas with all possible honours, publicly crowning him

with a crown of gold as the liberator of Hellas; while private persons

crowded round him and decked him with garlands as though he had been

an athlete. Meanwhile Brasidas left them a small garrison for the

present and crossed back again, and not long afterwards sent over a

larger force, intending with the help of the