History of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides [best free ebook reader TXT] 📗
- Author: Thucydides
- Performer: -
Book online «History of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides [best free ebook reader TXT] 📗». Author Thucydides
Naupactus and from Pylos, then held by the Athenians, were taken
with them to the war. There were also a few Megarian exiles, whose
fate it was to be now fighting against the Megarian Selinuntines.
The engagement of the rest was more of a voluntary nature. It was
less the league than hatred of the Lacedaemonians and the immediate
private advantage of each individual that persuaded the Dorian Argives
to join the Ionian Athenians in a war against Dorians; while the
Mantineans and other Arcadian mercenaries, accustomed to go against
the enemy pointed out to them at the moment, were led by interest to
regard the Arcadians serving with the Corinthians as just as much
their enemies as any others. The Cretans and Aetolians also served for
hire, and the Cretans who had joined the Rhodians in founding Gela,
thus came to consent to fight for pay against, instead of for, their
colonists. There were also some Acarnanians paid to serve, although
they came chiefly for love of Demosthenes and out of goodwill to the
Athenians whose allies they were. These all lived on the Hellenic side
of the Ionian Gulf. Of the Italiots, there were the Thurians and
Metapontines, dragged into the quarrel by the stern necessities of a
time of revolution; of the Siceliots, the Naxians and the Catanians;
and of the barbarians, the Egestaeans, who called in the Athenians,
most of the Sicels, and outside Sicily some Tyrrhenian enemies of
Syracuse and Iapygian mercenaries.
Such were the peoples serving with the Athenians. Against these
the Syracusans had the Camarinaeans their neighbours, the Geloans
who live next to them; then passing over the neutral Agrigentines, the
Selinuntines settled on the farther side of the island. These
inhabit the part of Sicily looking towards Libya; the Himeraeans
came from the side towards the Tyrrhenian Sea, being the only Hellenic
inhabitants in that quarter, and the only people that came from thence
to the aid of the Syracusans. Of the Hellenes in Sicily the above
peoples joined in the war, all Dorians and independent, and of the
barbarians the Sicels only, that is to say, such as did not go over to
the Athenians. Of the Hellenes outside Sicily there were the
Lacedaemonians, who provided a Spartan to take the command, and a
force of Neodamodes or Freedmen, and of Helots; the Corinthians, who
alone joined with naval and land forces, with their Leucadian and
Ambraciot kinsmen; some mercenaries sent by Corinth from Arcadia; some
Sicyonians forced to serve, and from outside Peloponnese the
Boeotians. In comparison, however, with these foreign auxiliaries, the
great Siceliot cities furnished more in every department—numbers of
heavy infantry, ships, and horses, and an immense multitude besides
having been brought together; while in comparison, again, one may say,
with all the rest put together, more was provided by the Syracusans
themselves, both from the greatness of the city and from the fact that
they were in the greatest danger.
Such were the auxiliaries brought together on either side, all of
which had by this time joined, neither party experiencing any
subsequent accession. It was no wonder, therefore, if the Syracusans
and their allies thought that it would win them great glory if they
could follow up their recent victory in the sea-fight by the capture
of the whole Athenian armada, without letting it escape either by
sea or by land. They began at once to close up the Great Harbour by
means of boats, merchant vessels, and galleys moored broadside
across its mouth, which is nearly a mile wide, and made all their
other arrangements for the event of the Athenians again venturing to
fight at sea. There was, in fact, nothing little either in their plans
or their ideas.
The Athenians, seeing them closing up the harbour and informed of
their further designs, called a council of war. The generals and
colonels assembled and discussed the difficulties of the situation;
the point which pressed most being that they no longer had
provisions for immediate use (having sent on to Catana to tell them
not to send any, in the belief that they were going away), and that
they would not have any in future unless they could command the sea.
They therefore determined to evacuate their upper lines, to enclose
with a cross wall and garrison a small space close to the ships,
only just sufficient to hold their stores and sick, and manning all
the ships, seaworthy or not, with every man that could be spared
from the rest of their land forces, to fight it out at sea, and, if
victorious, to go to Catana, if not, to burn their vessels, form in
close order, and retreat by land for the nearest friendly place they
could reach, Hellenic or barbarian. This was no sooner settled than
carried into effect; they descended gradually from the upper lines and
manned all their vessels, compelling all to go on board who were of
age to be in any way of use. They thus succeeded in manning about
one hundred and ten ships in all, on board of which they embarked a
number of archers and darters taken from the Acarnanians and from
the other foreigners, making all other provisions allowed by the
nature of their plan and by the necessities which imposed it. All
was now nearly ready, and Nicias, seeing the soldiery disheartened
by their unprecedented and decided defeat at sea, and by reason of the
scarcity of provisions eager to fight it out as soon as possible,
called them all together, and first addressed them, speaking as
follows:
“Soldiers of the Athenians and of the allies, we have all an equal
interest in the coming struggle, in which life and country are at
stake for us quite as much as they can be for the enemy; since if
our fleet wins the day, each can see his native city again, wherever
that city may be. You must not lose heart, or be like men without
any experience, who fail in a first essay and ever afterwards
fearfully forebode a future as disastrous. But let the Athenians among
you who have already had experience of many wars, and the allies who
have joined us in so many expeditions, remember the surprises of
war, and with the hope that fortune will not be always against us,
prepare to fight again in a manner worthy of the number which you
see yourselves to be.
“Now, whatever we thought would be of service against the crush of
vessels in such a narrow harbour, and against the force upon the decks
of the enemy, from which we suffered before, has all been considered
with the helmsmen, and, as far as our means allowed, provided. A
number of archers and darters will go on board, and a multitude that
we should not have employed in an action in the open sea, where our
science would be crippled by the weight of the vessels; but in the
present land-fight that we are forced to make from shipboard all
this will be useful. We have also discovered the changes in
construction that we must make to meet theirs; and against the
thickness of their cheeks, which did us the greatest mischief, we have
provided grappling-irons, which will prevent an assailant backing
water after charging, if the soldiers on deck here do their duty;
since we are absolutely compelled to fight a land battle from the
fleet, and it seems to be our interest neither to back water
ourselves, nor to let the enemy do so, especially as the shore, except
so much of it as may be held by our troops, is hostile ground.
“You must remember this and fight on as long as you can, and must
not let yourselves be driven ashore, but once alongside must make up
your minds not to part company until you have swept the heavy infantry
from the enemy’s deck. I say this more for the heavy infantry than for
the seamen, as it is more the business of the men on deck; and our
land forces are even now on the whole the strongest. The sailors I
advise, and at the same time implore, not to be too much daunted by
their misfortunes, now that we have our decks better armed and greater
number of vessels. Bear in mind how well worth preserving is the
pleasure felt by those of you who through your knowledge of our
language and imitation of our manners were always considered
Athenians, even though not so in reality, and as such were honoured
throughout Hellas, and had your full share of the advantages of our
empire, and more than your share in the respect of our subjects and in
protection from ill treatment. You, therefore, with whom alone we
freely share our empire, we now justly require not to betray that
empire in its extremity, and in scorn of Corinthians, whom you have
often conquered, and of Siceliots, none of whom so much as presumed to
stand against us when our navy was in its prime, we ask you to repel
them, and to show that even in sickness and disaster your skill is
more than a match for the fortune and vigour of any other.
“For the Athenians among you I add once more this reflection: You
left behind you no more such ships in your docks as these, no more
heavy infantry in their flower; if you do aught but conquer, our
enemies here will immediately sail thither, and those that are left of
us at Athens will become unable to repel their home assailants,
reinforced by these new allies. Here you will fall at once into the
hands of the Syracusans—I need not remind you of the intentions with
which you attacked them—and your countrymen at home will fall into
those of the Lacedaemonians. Since the fate of both thus hangs upon
this single battle, now, if ever, stand firm, and remember, each and
all, that you who are now going on board are the army and navy of
the Athenians, and all that is left of the state and the great name of
Athens, in whose defence if any man has any advantage in skill or
courage, now is the time for him to show it, and thus serve himself
and save all.”
After this address Nicias at once gave orders to man the ships.
Meanwhile Gylippus and the Syracusans could perceive by the
preparations which they saw going on that the Athenians meant to fight
at sea. They had also notice of the grappling-irons, against which
they specially provided by stretching hides over the prows and much of
the upper part of their vessels, in order that the irons when thrown
might slip off without taking hold. All being now ready, the
generals and Gylippus addressed them in the following terms:
“Syracusans and allies, the glorious character of our past
achievements and the no less glorious results at issue in the coming
battle are, we think, understood by most of you, or you would never
have thrown yourselves with such ardour into the struggle; and if
there be any one not as fully aware of the facts as he ought to be, we
will declare them to him. The Athenians came to this country first
to effect the conquest of Sicily, and after that, if successful, of
Peloponnese and the rest of Hellas, possessing already the greatest
empire yet known, of present or former times, among the Hellenes. Here
for the first time they found in you men who faced their navy which
made them masters everywhere; you have already defeated them in the
previous sea-fights, and will in all likelihood defeat them again now.
When men are once checked in what they consider their special
excellence, their whole opinion of themselves suffers more than if
Comments (0)