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

¶The exhortation of the dukes Lacedemonyens to their souldyars. ☞The .xv. Chapter.

IF there be any of youe, lordes Peloponesyans, that feareth to come vnto this battaille by reasone of the other, which we loste: he groun∣deth his feare nother wel, nor vpon good cause. For our preparation and apparaille was not than suche, as apperteigned. For that menne thought not to come to fight by sea. But rather that voyage was onely to cary and transporte our armye into the lande. wherein, inconuenyences chaunced vn∣to vs, whyche were not small, by mysfortune, and it might be partly by ignorāce, beinge the furste tyme that youe hadde fought by sea. wherefore, knowinge and consyderinge that we were not vainquished by the force and vertue of our enne∣mys, but rather that there be raysons to y^e cōtrary: It is not raisonable, that we shulde nowe be destitute of couraige. But we ought to consider, that albeit that oftimes men of estymation do faile and lose by fortune of warre: yet neuerthelas they haue and reteigne their vertue and hardynes of harte. the which they iudge not to haue lost by the former faulte and imprudentie. & likewyse they be neuer descouraiged nor tired. And as touchinge your parte, truly, though you haue not so much knowlaige in this busynes by sea, as our ennemys haue, yet haue you as∣muche and more hardynes and vertue. And as touchinge the industrie of them here, whome youe feare, if the same be accōpaigned with hardynes, yt shal know well how to execute in great daungers, that, which it shall haue learned by excer∣cise. But if that be lackinge, the arte shall sarue nothinge at all. For feare taketh awaye the memory. And the arte, without the vertue of harte and couraige, pro∣fiteth nothinge in daungers. wherfore it behoueth you, for somuche as they haue more experyēce: to haue against it, more audacytie. And for the feare, which youe haue, for y^t, that ye were vainquished, ye ought to call to remēbrance, y^t you were not prepared nor disposed for to fight. And besides this, cōsider, y^t we haue many more ships thā our ennemis, & that you shal fight in y^e sight of our army, y^t is here on lande, for to do vs pleasure & that by reasone, those, that be in greatest nōbre & best appoincted, shuld haue the better. Also we parceyue not one onely raisone, wherby we shuld haue any fear, but the fault, that we heretofore haue done, ma∣keth vs by the experience the better instructed. Haue youe all than good courage, aswell capytaines & souldyars, as maronners, and do euery one his offyce, with∣out habandoninge and forsakynge the places, wherinto youe arne ordeyned. For also we, that be your dukes & heddes, wol not geue youe lesse cōmodytie to fight, thā those, y^• shulde conducte you to the other battaile•• nor also any occasion or ex∣ample to be wery & fayntharted. And if there be any, that shal shewe himself such, he shalbe punyshed accordynge to his deserte. Likewyse those, that shall shewe themself to be valyaunt, shalbe recōpensed & reputed according to the merytt of their vertue. By such words & declaratiōs, they did animate & encourage the Pe¦loponesiās, their souldyars. On y^e other side, Phormio, seing that hys souldyars were also afraide for the great nōber of ships that they sawe against them, caused them likewise to assemble, & comforted thē, sor that, that alwayes he had assured them, that there coulde not comme againste them one so greate an armye by sea,

that they were not hable to resiste. And they themselues, for that they were Athenyans, had conceyued thys presumption in their mynde, that they neuer would recueile bifore any armye by sea, that they shulde se of the Peloponesians, howe great so euer it were. But parceyuinge them to be afrayde, he deliberated to put them againe in courayge, and so spake vnto them in this manner.