Chapter LIV

TRUCE FOR ONE YEAR.—RENEWAL OF WAR AND BATTLE OF
AMPHIPOLIS.—PEACE OF NIKIAS.

Eighth year of the war—began with most favorable promise for
Athens—closed with great reverses to her.—Desire of Spartans to
make peace in order to regain the captives—they decline sending
reinforcements to Brasidas.—King Pleistoanax at Sparta—eager for
peace—his special reasons—his long banishment recently terminated
by recall.—Negotiations during the winter of 424-423 B.C. for
peace.—Truce for one year concluded, in March 423 B.C.—Conditions
of the truce.—Resolution to open negotiations for a definitive
treaty.—New events in Thrace—revolt of Skiônê from Athens to
Brasidas, two days after the truce was sworn.—Brasidas crosses
over to Skiônê—his judicious conduct—enthusiastic admiration
for him there.—Brasidas brings across reinforcements to
Skiônê—he conveys away the women and children into a place of
safety.—Commissioners from Sparta and Athens arrive in Thrace, to
announce to Brasidas the truce just concluded. Dispute respecting
Skiônê. The war continues in Thrace, but is suspended everywhere
else.—Revolt of Mendê from Athens—Brasidas receives the offers
of the Mendæans—engages to protect them and sends to them a
garrison against Athens. He departs upon an expedition against
Arrhibæus in the interior of Macedonia.—Nikias and Nikostratus
arrive with an Athenian armament in Pallênê. They attack Mendê.
The Lacedæmonian garrison under Polydamidas at first repulses
them.—Dissensions among the citizens of Mendê—mutiny of the Demos
against Polydamidas—the Athenians are admitted into the town.—The
Athenians besiege and blockade Skiônê. Nikias leaves a blockading
force there, and returns to Athens.—Expedition of Brasidas
along with Perdikkas into Macedonia against Arrhibæus.—Retreat
of Brasidas and Perdikkas before the Illyrians.—Address of
Brasidas to his soldiers before the retreat.—Contrast between
Grecian and barbaric military feeling.—Appeal of Brasidas to
the right of conquest or superior force.—The Illyrians attack
Brasidas in his retreat, but are repulsed.—Breach between
Brasidas and Perdikkas: the latter opens negotiations with the
Athenians.—Relations between Athens and the Peloponnesians—no
progress made towards definitive peace—Lacedæmonian reinforcement
on its way to Brasidas, prevented from passing through
Thessaly.—Incidents in Peloponnesus—the temple of Hêrê near Argos
accidentally burnt.—War in Arcadia—battle between Mantineia and
Tegea.—Bœotians at peace _de facto_, though not parties to the
truce.—Hard treatment of the Thespians by Thebes.—Expiration of
the truce for one year. Disposition of both Sparta and Athens
at that time towards peace; but peace impossible in consequence
of the relations of parties in Thrace.—No actual resumption
of hostilities, although the truce had expired, from the
month of March to the Pythian festival in August.—Alteration
in the language of statesmen at Athens—instances of Kleon
and his partisans to obtain a vigorous prosecution of the
war in Thrace.—Brasidas—an opponent of peace—his views and
motives.—Kleon—an opponent of peace—his views and motives
as stated by Thucydidês. Kleon had no personal interest in
war.—To prosecute the war vigorously in Thrace was at this
time the real political interest of Athens.—Question of peace
or war, as it stood between Nikias and Kleon, in March 422
B.C., after the expiration of the truce for one year.—Kleon’s
advocacy of war at this moment perfectly defensible—unjust
account of his motive given by Thucydidês.—Kleon at this time
adhered more closely than any other Athenian public man to the
foreign policy of Periklês.—Dispositions of Nikias and the
peace-party in reference to the reconquest of Amphipolis.—Kleon
conducts an expedition against Amphipolis—he takes Torônê.—He
arrives at Eion—sends envoys to invite Macedonian and Thracian
auxiliaries.—Dissatisfaction of his own troops with his
inaction while waiting for these auxiliaries.—He is forced
by these murmurs to make a demonstration—he marches from
Eion along the walls of Amphipolis to reconnoitre the top
of the hill—apparent quiescence in Amphipolis.—Brasidas, at
first on Mount Kerdylium—presently moves into the town across
the bridge.—His exhortation to his soldiers.—Kleon tries to
effect his retreat.—Brasidas sallies out upon the army in
its retreat—the Athenians are completely routed—Brasidas and
Kleon both slain.—Profound sorrow in Thrace for the death of
Brasidas—funeral honors paid him in Amphipolis.—The Athenian
armament, much diminished by its loss in the battle, returns
home.—Remarks on the battle of Amphipolis—wherein consisted
the faults of Kleon.—Disgraceful conduct of the Athenian
hoplites—the defeat of Amphipolis arose partly from political
feeling hostile to Kleon.—Important effect of the death of
Brasidas, in reference to the prospects of the war—his admirable
character and efficiency.—Feelings of Thucydidês towards Brasidas
and Kleon.—Character of Kleon—his foreign policy. Internal
policy of Kleon as a citizen in constitutional life.—Picture
in the Knights of Aristophanês.—Unfairness of judging Kleon
upon such evidence.—Picture of Sokratês by Aristophanês is
noway resembling.—The vices imputed by Aristophanês to Kleon
are not reconcilable one with the other.—Kleon—a man of strong
and bitter opposition talents—frequent in accusation—often on
behalf of poor men suffering wrong.—Necessity for voluntary
accusers at Athens—general danger and obloquy attending the
function.—We have no evidence to decide in what proportion of
cases he accused wrongfully.—Private dispute between Kleon
and Aristophanês.—Negotiations for peace during the winter
following the battle of Amphipolis.—Peace called the Peace of
Nikias—concluded in March 421 B.C.—Conditions of peace.—The peace
is only partially accepted by the allies of Sparta.—The Bœotians,
Megarians, and Corinthians, all repudiate it. 426-494

HISTORY OF GREECE.