The hystory writtone by Thucidides the Athenyan of the warre, whiche was betwene the Peloponesians and the Athenyans, translated oute of Frenche into the Englysh language by Thomas Nicolls citezeine and goldesmyth of London

¶ Howe the Athenyans had a victory by sea againste the Peloponesians, and howe the one partie, and the other prepared them selfe for to combattre and fight, one other tyme vpon the sea. ☞The .xiiii. Chapter.

ON the other syde, the armye by sea that the Corynthians and othere confederates shulde haue sent out of the goulphe of Crissee, to the suc¦cours of Cnemus agaynste the Acarnanyens if they woulde comme to succour them of Stratia, came not. But were constrayned, that selfe same tyme, that the battaille was bifore Stratia, to fyght againste the .xx. shippes that Phormyo helde and kepte to defende Naupacte, who spied whan they departed from the sayd goulphe of Crissee, for to assaile them in the highe or mayne sea. wherof, the Athenyans, who were not furnyshed to fight, but onely had charged the men of warre for to passe with them into Acarnanie, doubted not. thinkynge that Phormyo, that hadde but twenty shippes, durste not assaile thairs, whyche were seuen and fourty. But as they sayled alongeste the coste of Epire, for to trauerse into Acarnanye, whyche is opposite or directe agaynste yt, sawe the Athenyens comme fourth from Chalcide and oute of the floude of Euenus.* 1.1 Whoe came dyrectly againste them, for though in the nyght they were hydde in a place, yet alwayes they were in the moarnynge, at breake of daye, apparceyuedde. And by thys meane, the Corynthyans were constraynedde

to fight in the myddest of the destracite. Nowe the people of euery cytie hadde thair capytaynes. And of them of Corynthe were Capytaynes, Machon,* 1.2 Isocra¦tes,* 1.3 and Agatharcydas.* 1.4 and so the Peloponesians dyd bringe theire shippes all into a roundell, locked togyther, the fore partes forwardes, and the powpes in∣wardes, keping asmuch space, as they might in the sea. for to empeshe & lett the yssue of ennemys, and within that same roūdell they bestowed the smallest and lightest shipps, for to cause thē to go fourth in short space vpō those of thēnemis whan they shulde see it to be mete. As touchinge the Athenyans, they broughte thair shippes all in a renge. And sayled closinge aboutes those of thēnemys, faig∣nynge to be willynge fourthwyth to beginne the bataile, and in passing beyonde them, they approched so strongly, that wel nye they hurkeled togider. By meane wherof, y^e other ioygned thēself & retired always more suerlyer locked in their or∣der. But Phormyo had defended or forbydden his men, that they shuld not be∣gynne the bataille, vntill that he hadde geuē them a signe or token. And this he dydde for that, that he thoughte well that the sayde Peloponesyans coulde not maigntayne or contynue that same order w^t their shippes, as they woulde haue done, w^t their foote men, on lande. And also that the shipps would hurkle togider and woulde empesche thone the other. Specially, whan the wynde of the lande shulde aryse, whyche biganne comēly at the breake of the daye, whiche he atten∣ded, makinge in the meane seasonne a bragge or threateninge to be willinge to strike vpon them. For he toke it to be full certayne, that after that the wynd was rysenne, they coulde not be a moment of one houre firme or sure togither, & that he might than assayle them, more at this pleasure, for that, that his shippes were lightest, like as it chaunced. For after that the wynd beganne to blowe, the ship∣pes that were enclosed in the myddell of the oder of thennemys, and the othere that were lightest beganne to hurkle against the other, and successyuely the dis∣order came the one from the othere. so that the people that were within, was y^e more parte occupyed to lay fourth plankes of woode, or their glayues specially bifore, for to defende, that the shippes shulde not hurkle againste them, where they were. Wherby arose a great crye of one sort, that cryed and sayd vylaynye to other, in suche sorte, that they coulde not heare nor vnderstande the thinge that was commaunded them. And yet they that vnderstode it, coulde not tourne nor conduict their shippes, so, as they were cōmaunded, they were so greatly opprest and coustrayned. Also they were not yet instructed perfaictely in the ••eate by sea. Than Phormyo, seinge the disorder, gaue the signe or token of the battaile vn∣to his people, who charged lyuely vpon the ennemys, and at the arryuall, they did ouerronne one of the Pretoryans galleys, to wytt, vpon which was one of the Capytaines, and so drowned it. And consequently all those, that they encoū∣tred, at that the furste charge, they frushed or sonke them, with suche strenghte, that they gaue not the ennemys leasure to ioynne themselfe agayne togither, no∣ther to recouer thair courage, but they fourthwyth fledde towardes Patras & Dymen in the quartier of Achaie.* 1.5 And the Athenyans followed them so nighe, that in chasinge them, they dyd take twelue of their shippes and also dyd sleye a great nomber of their people. Afterwardes, they retourned into Mylocryte.* 1.6 And after that they hadde erected and sett vp their throphee vpon the promōtory or highest place, and consecrated a shipp to the god Neptunus, they retourned vn∣to Naupacte. Also the Peloponesyans wyth the shippes, that were eskaped from Patras and frome Dymen, retourned to Cyllene, where the Athenyans haue their hauen, to the whiche place Cnemus also came at his departure from Leu∣cade after the battaylle of Stratie with the other shippes that shulde haue ioy∣ned

with them there. And they beinge there aryued, Tymocrates,* 1.7 Brasidas and Lycophron,* 1.8 whome the Lacedemonyans hadde sente for to assiste Cnemus, and had wylled hym to vse their counsaille in feate of the sea, and chiefly, that he en∣terprised agayne a battaille vpon the sea, to the intente that the ennemys, who had the lesser nomber of shippes, shuld not cōtynue maisters. For they thought well that that same battaille was loste, through faulte of thair people, by many reasons. And chiefly for that, that it was the furst tyme that they hadde foughte in the sea. wherfore they coulde not haue had the arte and industrie to conducte themselues so well, as the Athenyans, who therin were all accustomed. And ly∣kewyse that the victory was not for that, that the Athenyans were more puis∣sant wyth shippes nor with apparaille, but through the ignorance of thair peo∣ple, which was the cause that they sent y^e thre personaiges aboue named, through disdaigne and anger for to geue Cnemus & his people knowlaige of their fault. the whiche parsonnaiges, after that they were arryued, demaunded certayne nō∣ber of shippes of the cyties, and caused them, that were there, to be repayred, like as they thought good. On y^e other side, Phormyo sent his messengers to Athēs for to signefye the victorie vnto the Athenyans, and also to aduertyse them of of the apparaille and preparation, that the ennemys did make afreshe, and that it was nedefull that they shulde sende fourthwith renforte and more power of people, and of shippes. whiche the Athenya••s dyd. and sent hym twenty shipps wyth good nomber of people. By the conductor whet of, they commaunded him that he shulde incontynently and bifore all thinge, come with all the armye into Crete. And this did they, for that, that a citezein of Crete, named Nycias Gerty∣nyus,* 1.9 that was thair frende, had aduertised them, that if they wolde sende thider their armye he wolde cause them to wynne the cytie of Cydonie, whoe toke the contrary parte. But he willed that this were done by meane of the Polichnytes,* 1.10 who were neighbours of the said Cydonyans. Phormyo than, ensuyng the com∣maundement of the Athenyans, came into Crete, and from thence into Cydonye, and with the Polichnytes he pillaiged and wasted all the terrytorye of Cydo∣nians, and also was constrayned by force of cōtrary wyndes to tary there longer, than he was willinge. Duringe this tyme, the Peloponesyans, that were in Cyl∣lene, hauing prepared all that whych they thought good for to comme againste their ennemys, they came to Panorme,* 1.11 whiche ys in Achaye, at which place, was the hooste of land that the Peloponesyans had sente thider for to succour & ayde that same by sea. On the other syde, Phormyo, wyth the .xx. shippes that he had the daye o•• the date of the battayle came directly vnto the promountory of Mi∣locryte. And lodged themself all roūde aboute, wythout that same, for that, that it dyd take their parte and straight against it of the same coaste of Peloponese, there was one other, distant or beinge a sunder the space of seuen stades or thera∣boutes by sea, whyche caused the mouthe and the entrye of the Goulphe of Eris∣see. The Peloponesians also came to an other promountorie of Achaie, whiche was not so farre distant from the cytie of Panorme. where they had their armye by lande. And they had the nomber of .lxxvii. shippes armed. Than the twoo ar∣myes, beinge in sight the one of the othere, they kepte themselues sixe or seuen daies in their fort, for to make their preparations, and to aduise of the manner of the battaile. For the Peloponesians, by reason of the feare, and remembrance that they had of the former discomfiture, durste not issue fourth at large into the mayne sea. Also the Athenyans woulde not enter into the distroicte, knowinge that it was for their disaduauntage. And in the meane tyme, Cnemus & Brasi∣das and the other capytaynes of the Peloponesians, seinge that thair souldyars

were astonyed and afrayed by meanes of the former ouerthrowe, they causedde them all to assemble and did speake vnto them in this manner.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The fludde of Eue∣nus.
• * 1.2

  Machō.
• * 1.3

  Isocra∣tes.
• * 1.4

  Aga∣tharchi∣das.
• * 1.5

  Patre. vrbs. Dyme oppidū.
• * 1.6

  Molycri¦cum.
• * 1.7

  Tymo∣crates.
• * 1.8

  Brasi∣das. Lyco∣phron.
• * 1.9

  Nycias.
• * 1.10

  Polich∣nyte.
• * 1.11

  Panhor¦mus.