SECTION II. ATHENIAN EXPEDITION TO SICILY. 1. A NEW expedition was soon after undertaken by the Athe'nians, as unjust as that against the Melians, but whose fatal termination seemed a merited retribution for the evils inflicted by unprincipled ambition. This was the celebrated invasion of Sicily, which proved the entire ruin of the Athe'nian power. 2. The greater part of Sicily was colonized by the Do'rians, but some of the Io'nians had also obtained settlements in the country. 3. Sy'racuse, the chief of the Do'ric cities, was founded by Archi'as, a Co'rinthian. It was beautifully B. C. situated in the east of Sicily,* and was divided into 752. S four districts, Ortyg'ia, Acradi'na, Ty'cha, and Neapo'lis; which, like London, Southwark, and Westminster, were looked on as separate towns. A rocky district on the north side, named Epipo'læ, was a weakly fortified suburb, which, however, in some measure commanded the town. * In the accompanying plan, to which the reader will have frequently occasion to refer in the course of this and the following section, the successive stations occupied by the Athe'nians, during the siege, are marked by the numbers 1, 2, and 3. 4. Sy'racuse soon attained to such a height of prosperity that, as we have already seen, its sovereign Gelon claimed the command of the united Grecian forces in the Persian war. In the wars with the Carthaginians, the Syracusans were found to be the most vigorous defenders of Sicilian independence: but the fame that they thus acquired induced them to claim for themselves a supremacy over the other states, which they were unwilling to grant. 5. The Io'nian colonies, being few, and weak, applied for the protection of Athens, and the fleet which decided the civil war in Corcy'ra* was sent to their assistance. The fear of the Athe'nian power induced the Do'ric states to cease from harassing their Io'nian neighbours, but at the same time it led to a union of all the Sicilian cities, who justly dreaded the ambition of a maritime power that had already become the mistress of the eastern seas of Europe. 6. This union was principally effected by the influence of Hermoc'rates, a Syracu'san equally celebrated for valour, wisdom, and eloquence; but mutual jealousy prevented it from being permanent. 7. In a very few years the Syracu'sans besieged and took Leon'tium, treated the inhabitants with great severity, and prepared to attack the Egestans, who had been allies of the Leontines. 8. The Egestans applied for assistance to the Athe'nians, and gave a very exaggerated statement of the pecuniary resources which they could command. By the prudent advice of Ni'cias, commissioners were sent to Egesta, to inquire into the truth of these representations, and to these the crafty Sicilians exhibited large sums as their own, which they had borrowed from their neighbours. 9. The deputies on their return made such a favourable report, that the Athe'nians immediately resolved to succour the Egestans, an armament was ordered to be got ready with the greatest expedition, and the command was intrusted to Ni'cias, Alcibiades, and Lamachus; who had directions not only to succour the allies, but also to regulate the affairs of Sicily in such a manner as might best suit the interests of the republic. 10. Ni'cias was extremely uneasy at his being appointed to this command, partly because he disapproved of the war itself, but chiefly because he was joined in commission with Alcibi'ades. But the Athe'nians thought it necessary to temper the ardour and impetuosity of the one, with the coolness and deliberation of the other. Ni'cias, therefore, not * See the last section of the preceding chapter. . daring to oppose the war openly, endeavoured to do it indirectly, by representing the great number of difficulties with which it would be attended. 11. He said, that a fleet would not be sufficient; that a land army must likewise be raised, and subsisted at an immense expense; for as to the pompous promises made to them by the Eges'tans, these might probably fail them at a time when they stood most in need of pecuniary aid. 12. That they ought to weigh well the great disparity between them and the enemy with regard to the conveniences they would respectively enjoy that the Syracu'sans would be in their own country, in the midst of powerful allies, disposed by inclination, as well as engaged by interest, to assist them with men, money, horses, and provisions; whereas the Athe'nians would carry on the war with a remote country, possessed by their enemies, where in winter, news could not be brought from home in less than four months; a country, where all things would oppose the Athe'nians, and nothing be procured but by force of arms. That, if even the expedition succeeded, it would not be productive of the mighty advantages expected from it; and, if it failed, it would reflect eternal disgrace upon the Athe'nian name: and that, for his own part, he was determined not to go, unless he was supplied with every thing necessary for carrying on the war, as he would not depend upon the caprice or precarious promises of allies. 13. This speech, however, instead of cooling the ardour of the Athe'nians, as Ni'cias expected, served only to inflame it more: and orders were immediately given for raising as many troops and fitting out as many galleys as the generals thought necessary and the levies accordingly were carried on in Athens, and other places, with incredible spirit. B.C. 2 14. The levies being completed, the generals re415. solved to set sail immediately, after having appointed Corcy'ra as the place of rendezvous for most of the allies, and such ships as were to carry the provisions and warlike stores. All the inhabitants of Athens flocked by daybreak to the port of Peiræ'eus, in order to behold this magnificent sight. It was, indeed, a spectacle well worth their curiosity. for neither Athens, nor any other city of Greece, had ever fitted out so grand and gallant a fleet as the present. 15. The city had furnished a hundred galleys, that is, sixty light ones, and forty to transport the heavy-armed soldiers. Every mariner received a daily drachma, or ten pence English, for his pay, exclusive of what the captains of ships gave the rowers of the first bench. 16. When the ships were loaded, and the troops embarked, the trumpet sounded, and solemn prayers were offered up for the success of the expedition. Gold and silver cups were filling every where with wine, and the accustomed libations poured out; the people, who lined the shore, shouting at the same time, and lifting up their hands to heaven, to wish their fellow-citizens a good voyage and a successful expedition. 17. And now the hymn being sung, and the ceremonies ended, the ships sailed, and soon arrived at Ægi'na. Thence they made for Corcy'ra, where the army of the allies was assembled with the rest of the fleet. 18. Upon their arrival at Sicily,* the generals were di vided in their opinions with regard to the place where they should make a descent. Lam'achus was for sailing directly to Sy'racuse, and attacking the town before the inhabitants had time to recover from their first consternation. 19. But his proposal was rejected, and it was thought more expe dient to reduce the smaller cities first. Detaching, therefore, ten galleys to take a view of the harbour and situation of Sy'racuse, they landed with the rest of their forces, and surprised Cata'na. 20. In the mean time the enemies of Alcibi'ades took advantage of his absence to traduce his character, which, indeed, was sufficiently open to attack. A little before his departure, the statues of the Hermæ all through Athens were mutilated in one night. The impious levity of Alcibi'ades exposed him to suspicion, as the author of this outrage; and to this was added the still more heinous charge of having profaned the mysteries of Ceres. 21. This was sufficient to induce the giddy multitude to recall their general; but, for fear of exciting a tumult in the army, they only sent him orders to return to Athens, that he might pacify the people by his presence. Alcibi'ades pretended to obey the order with great submission; but, reflecting on the inconstancy and caprice of his judges, he no sooner reached Thu'rium,† than he disappeared, and the galley therefore returned without him. 22. For this act of contumacy he * While they lay at Rhegium, in Italy, they received the unwelcome account of the cheat that had been put upon them by the people of Ægesta, who, so far from being able to defray the expenses of the war, were wretchedly poor, the whole property of the state not exceeding seven or eight thousand pounds. A town of Luca'nia, in Italy. was condemned to death, his whole estate was confiscated, and all the orders of religion were commanded to curse him. Alcibi'ades, on hearing of this severe proceeding, exclaimed, "I hope one day to make them sensible that I am still alive!" 23. He retired to Sparta, where he soon gained the confidence of the rulers, by strictly conforming to all the laws of Lycurgus. Thirsting for revenge, he used his powerful genius in planning, and his influence in procuring, the execution of those wise measures which subsequently terminated in the ruin of Athens. 24. The Syracu'sans had by this time put themselves in a posture of defence, and finding that Ni'cias did not advance towards them, proposed to attack him in his camp; and some of them asked in a scoffing way, whether he was come into Sicily to settle at Cata'na?* Roused by this insult, he determined to show them that he was deficient neither in courage nor conduct. He was afraid, however, of attacking the place by land for the want of cavalry; and it was almost equally hazardous to make a descent by sea: nevertheless, he chose the latter method, and succeeded in it by a stratagem. 25. He had gained a citizen of Cata'na to go as a deserter to the Syracu'sans, and inform them, that the Athe'nians lay every night in the town without their arms and that early in the morning on a certain day appointed they might surprise them, seize on the camp, with all their arms and baggage, burn their fleet in the harbour, and destroy their whole army. The Syracu'sans gave credit to this intelligence, and marched with all their forces towards Cata'na, which Ni'cias was no sooner informed of than he embarked his troops, and steering away for Sy'racuse, landed them there the next morning, and fortified himself in the outskirts of the town. 26. The Syracu'sans were so provoked at this trick being put upon them, that they immediately returned to Sy'racuse, and presented themselves without the walls in order of battle. Ni'cias marched out of his trenches to meet them, and a very sharp action ensued, in which the Athe'nians, at length, got the better, and forced the enemy back to the city, after having killed two hundred and sixty of them and their allies, with the loss of fifty of * A town in Sicily, at the foot of Mount Etna, remarkable for the dreadful overthrows to which it had been subjected by the eruptions of that volcano. |