CHAP. XXIV. with the Athenians made a series of annoying inroads into his territories. Sparta could devise no method of succouring her ally but by sending an embassy to the Chalcidians to induce them to exert themselves in his behalf. But they were not disposed to sacrifice themselves either for Sparta or for Perdiccas, and continued to prolong their precarious truce with Athens. 355 CHAPTER XXV. THE SICILIAN EXPEDITION BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF Events at Leontium. Embassy of Phaax. - Embassy from Segesta to Athens. - Alcibiades threatened with Östracism. Nicias, Alcibiades, and Lamachus appointed to command in Sicily. - Debate on the Expedition.- Warnings of Nicias. Omens and Prophecies. - Mutilation of the Hermes-Busts. Charges against Alcibiades. - Departure of the Armament.-Its Strength.—Its Reception at Rhegium. Proposition of Hermocrates. Consultation of the Athenian Generals. The Athenians admitted into Catana. Alarm at Athens. Information of Dioclides. - Andocides. - Recall of Alcibiades. - His Escape. Operations of Nicias and Lamachus. Landing at Syracuse. Victory of the Athenians. The Athenians winter at Naxos. Preparations for Defence at Syracuse. - Debate at Camarina. Alcibiades at Sparta. Appointment of Gylippus. -The Athenians occupy Epipola. - Operations before SyDeath of Lamachus. - Despondency prevails at racuse. Syracuse. - THE tameness with which Sparta had looked on during the siege of Melos, the feeble resistance which she offered to the incursions of the Athenian garrison at Pylus, the vacillation and timidity which she betrayed in her transactions with Argos, and with her allies in Macedonia and Thrace, encouraged Athens to resume the projects of aggrandizement which the events of the war had compelled her for a time to lay aside. We have seen how ill she brooked the disappointment which she had suffered through the sudden termination to which the quarrels of the Sicilian Greeks had been brought by Hermocrates; and she had since shown that she only waited for an opportunity of renewing her enterprises in their island. Such an opportunity had appeared to present itself not long CHAP. СНАР. after the departure of the armament commanded by Eurymedon. The Leontines, when they saw the Athenians withdrawn, thought it expedient to prepare themselves, as well as they could, against the attacks which, notwithstanding the counsels of Hermocrates, they had always reason to apprehend from Syracuse. It seems to have been chiefly with this view that they admitted a large body of new citizens. But it was necessary to provide for these new settlers; and this could not be done without in some way disturbing the previous state of property. A proposal was accordingly made, and obtained general approbation among the commonalty, for a repartition of land. We have no information as to the precise nature of the measure, so as to be able to say, whether it was an arbitrary act of power, or the exercise of a right. The changes caused by the revolution which followed the death of Hiero leave just as much room for the one supposition as the other. But the burden or expense of the proposed measure fell upon the rich; and as it hurt their interest it was felt by them as a grieTheir indignation as we may safely conclude from the experience of all ages and countries, as well as from that of the Roman patricians-would have been just as strong if they were called upon to resign what they had occupied by abuse and held by sufferance, as if they were deprived of what they had enjoyed by the clearest of titles. But seeing themselves not strong enough to maintain their right or their wrong, before any step had been taken to dispossess them, they called in the aid of the Syracusans, and ejected the commonalty. They had now too much room to feel safe, and therefore consented to abandon Leontium, and to transfer their abode to Syracuse, where they were received as citizens. There was however a party among them which had either yielded to this sacrifice with regret, or found its new vance. situation unpleasant, and it quitted Syracuse and returned, not indeed to the deserted city where it could not have defended itself, but to two strongholds in the Leontine territory, called Phocææ and Bricinniæ. Here they were joined by the greater part of the expelled commonalty, and together they carried on a war against Syracuse. When this state of things became known to the Athenians in 422, about the time of Cleon's last expedition, they sent two galleys with three ambassadors headed by Phæax, whom we have already mentioned as a rival of Alcibiades, to use this handle, if he could, for the purpose of forming a new league among the Siceliots against Syracuse, and at the same time to promote the Athenian interest in the south of Italy. Phæax possessed talents well suited for negotiation, and he succeeded in his object at Camarina and Agrigentum; but at Gela he met with such opposition as to deter him from proceeding further on the business of his mission. But on his way back he stopt at Bricinniæ to animate the resistance of the Leontines, and in Italy, on his passage both to and fro, opened negotiations with several of the Greek cities, and even concluded a treaty with Locri, which had before refused to become a party to the peace between Athens and the Siceliots, but now, being engaged in a war with two of its colonies, thought it prudent to come to terms with Phæax. It is not quite clear whether this was the last attempt made by Athens to regain her footing in Sicily before 415. We are informed of an embassy which seems to have been a different one, on which Andocides was sent not only to Italy and Sicily, but also to Epirus, Thessaly, and Macedonia, for purposes similar to that of Phæax.1 But no distinct prospect 1 Andocides, c. Alcib. § 41. ἐγὼ γὰρ, πρεσβεύσας εἰς Θετταλίαν καὶ Μακεδονίαν καὶ εἰς Μολοσσίαν καὶ εἰς Θεσπρωτίαν καὶ εἰς Ἰταλίαν καὶ εἰς Σικελίαν, τοὺς μὲν δια CHAP. XXV. CHAP. seems to have been opened to the Athenians of again dividing the Siceliots, and threatening Syracuse, until, soon after the reduction of Melos, they received a new and apparently an unsolicited invitation to interfere in the affairs of Sicily. A quarrel had arisen between the neighbouring cities of Segesta and Selinus, partly out of disputed claims to land in their marches, and partly it would seem out of private feuds. Selinus called in the aid of Syracuse, with which she threatened to overpower her weaker neighbour. The Segestans, who were perhaps originally more nearly related to the Phoenicians than to the Greeks, are said to have applied in vain to Syracuse and Agrigentum, and then to have sought aid from Carthage; but being rejected there also, they finally had recourse to Athens. Their envoys found willing listeners, when they represented the danger which would arise, if the Syracusans should be permitted to proceed as they had begun with Leontium, should crush the states of different origin one after another, and then should combine all the Dorians of the island in a league to assist their kinsmen in Peloponnesus against Athens. They magnified the opulence of Segesta, gave a dazzling description of the treasures contained in the temples as well as in the coffers of the state, and undertook to defray the cost of the expedition which should be sent to its relief. If the fears of the Athenians were not alarmed, their ambition was inflamed by the thought, that the power of Syracuse might be made to serve as an instrument for subduing their Peloponnesian enemies. They knew enough of Sicily to covet it as a most valuable conquest, but not rightly to appreciate the difficulty of the attempt. Notwithstanding the ample means of information which they possest, great ignorance and many erroneous opinions φόρους ὄντας διήλλαξα, τοὺς δ ̓ ἐπιτηδείους ἐποίησα, τοὺς δ ̓ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἀπέστησα. But see Appendix II. |