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.