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 Demosthenes Duke of Athenians, beinge bifore Leucade departed frō thence to come to make warre agaynste the Etholians. And howe he was by them ouercome, and some other thynges that were done by the Athenyans. in Sycille. ☞The .xiiii. Chapter.

IN that same somer, and durynge y^e tyme that the Athenyans were bifore Melus: thirty shippes, that wente saylling aboute the coūtrey of Peloponese, came furste to lande nighe to Ellomene in the coun∣trey of Leucade.* 1.1 And there layde a lytle embusthement, by meanes

wherof they dyd take certayne of the men of warre, that were there in garnis••n, and afterwardes wyth all their armye, came bifore the cytie of Leucade, hauing all the Acarnanyans in their compaignie, resarued those of Eniade,* 1.2 those of za∣cynthe,* 1.3 and those of zephalenie.* 1.4 And they had moreouer fiftene shipps wyth Cor¦cirians. whyche altogider being in so greate puissance wasted and pillaged al the contrey and all the lande of Leucade, aswell nighe, as a farre of, and chieflye the temple of Apollo, whiche was ioygninge to the cytie. And yet notwythstanding, the cytezeins, for the euyll that was done in their lande, wold not issue fourthe, but kepte themself sure w^tin their cytie. whyche seynge the Acarnanyans, made great instance to Demosthenes, duke of the Athenyans, that he would assiege & locke them in wyth walles. Hoping that the towne might easely be takene. And by that meane, they shulde be in suertie, for that the Leucadyans were their an∣cyent ennemys. But Demosthenes, who for that tyme gaue more creditt to the Messenyans, was by thē perswaded to leue y^e enterpryse & to go to make warre against the Etholiens, hauing so great an armye, aswell for that, that they were mortall enemys of Naupacte, as also for that, that they sayde, that in vainquis∣shinge and subdewynge the sayd Etholyens, they shulde after reduce and bring easely all the remenaunt of the countrey of Epyre, to the obeyssance of the Athe∣nyans. And although that the sayd Etholians were a great nomber of people & good warryours, yet it semed to the sayd Messenians, that they might easely be vainquished, aswell for that their townes were not closed wyth walles, and al∣so were farre distant the one from the other, wherby they myght not easely suc∣cour the one the othere: as also for that they were all ill armed and after the sligh∣test manner. And their aduise was, that the Apadotes shulde be furst assaylled, afterwardes the Ophioniens, and consequently the Eurytanyens.* 1.5. whyche is the greatest partie of Etholyens. whyche be people, in manner sauaige and wylde of manners, and of language. And they be commonly called, Omophages whiche is asmuche to saye,* 1.6 as eatynge rawe fleshe. For hauynge subdued them there, it semedde well, that the othere myghte afterwardes be easely subdued. To thys counsaille Demosthenes consented, aswell for the credytte, that he gaue to the Messenyans: as also for that it semed well to hym, that hauynge the Epirates w^t hym and the Etholyens, he myghte wythoute othere armye of the Athenyans, come by lande to warre against the Beotiens, taking his waye through the con∣treys of Locres, of Ozoles & of Cytynyans••* 1.7 and by the quarter of Dorie, whiche ys on the lefte hande of the mounte Parnasus,* 1.8 and discendynge fromthence into the countrey of Phocyens, who be ioygninge to the coūtrey of Beoce, the which he hoped to induce & intreate to geue hym passage and ayde, for the auncyente amytie, that they had wyth the Athenyans, orels to constraigne them therunto, by force. Upon this enterpryse, he than wythdrewe all his army frō bifore Leu∣cade, and went fromthence by sea in to Solye,* 1.9 maulgre and agaynst the wyl of y^e Acarnanyens. Unto whome, hauinge cōmunycated and rehersed his enterprise, and seinge that they allowed it not to be good, but rather were angry agaynste him, for that, that he had not assieged Leucade: he wēt wythout them to his said enterpryse w^t the rest of his armye, wherin were onely the Cephalenicus and the Messenyens with thre hoūdred Athenyans marrōners, y^e he had in his shippes. For y^• .xv. shipys with the Corcyrians were already departed. And he wente frō Oenone,* 1.10 which is in the coūtrey of Locriens, who were confedered w^t Ozoles, & were obliged and bounde to the Athenyās to sarue them wyth their power, whā they shulde make warre in the countreys Mediterranie. whiche succours semed to be muche vtile and profytable to that enterpryse, for that, that they were

neyghbours of the Etholyans, and armed themselfe all in one facion. And mo¦reouer they knewe all theyr country and theyr maner of fyght. A••d Demosthe∣nes made his assembly in the temple of Iupiter Nemeus,* 1.11 in the which as men saye, Hestodus the poete was slayne by the paisās,* 1.12 wherof he had no boubt. For that, that it had bene shewed hym afore, that, that shulde happene vnto hym in Nemea, wherby, he thought that the Oracle mente and vnderstode of the cytie of Nemea. But experyence sheweth that it was in that same place that was sur∣named Nemyan. From that selfe place departed Demosthones at the breake of the daye wyth all his Armye, for to enter into Etholye. And the furst daye he dyd take the towne of Potydanie,* 1.13 the seconde, that same of Crossilyon,* 1.14 and the thyrde, that of Tithyon,* 1.15 in the which he soiourned a certayne small tyme, and fromethence sente the bowtye that he had taken vnto the Cytie of Eupolion,* 1.16 in the countrey of Locres, hauynge in wylle, after that he had subdued all the rest of the countrey and that he shulde be returned to Naupacte, to go fromethence also to subdue the Ophionyens, if they wolde not yelde with theyr good wyll. But of that same preparacion, the Etholiens were suffyciently aduertised, and that from the tyme chiefly that he hade enterprised for to ouerronne thē. Wher vpon incontynently, as they were entred into theyr countrey, they assembled to¦gither from all partes, and chiefly came thyder, those of Ophionie, which be in y^e vttermoste parte of the countrey nygh the Goulphe of the sea,* 1.17 y^t is called Mali∣aquus.* 1.18 And lykewyse the Bomiens and the Galliens durynge this tyme that they assembled themselfe, the Messeniens, folowynge the counsaylle, that they had geuen to Demosthenes, perswadinge hym that the sayde Etholiens were easye to vaniquishe, they counsaylled him to go as sone as he myght, to wynne the townes and vyllages of the countrye, byfore the enemys were all assembled. Ensuyng which counsaille, and trustyng in his good fortune (forsomuche as he∣therto nothinge had chaunced hym to the contrary) wythout tarying succours of the Locriens, which myght haue bene verye necessarye for hym, for that they were people of trect, lyghtly armed, he wente agaynst the towne of Egytie,* 1.19 the which he dyd take wythout resystyng, for that that the inhabytāce had forsakē it and were retired into the mountaignes, that be aboute the towne, whiche is situated in a hygh place, aboute soore stades, frome the sea. Nowe there was ariued the other Etholiens and were lodged in dyuers quarters of the sayde mountaynes, all the whiche, at one fronte, came to assayle the Athenians and theyr allies on all sides w^t greate strockes of shotte and casting with the hande. And when the same Athenians, charged vpon them, they retired. Afrerwardes when they withdrewe themselfe, they folowed them, and this manner of feigh∣••inge endured a longe tyme, wherin the Athenians had alwaies the woorste aswell in assayllinge: as in defendinge. yet so longe as theyr people of shott, had wherewyth to shoote, they defended themselfe indifferently wel. For the Etho∣liens, that were yll armedde, whan they perceyued the sayde people with shotte to drawe nighe, they retired. A••d after that the captayne of those people wyth shoote were slayne•• the other that nowe were trauaylled and weryed, being also ouercome by the enemyes, they returned and put themselfe in flight, togethere wyth the remenaunte of the Athenyans and of theyr allyes. And in flyinge they came to reste and passe throughe thee roockes, where no waye was. For Crenon Messenyan,* 1.20 that was theyr guyde, was slayne. By meane wher∣of there was manye deade in the flyghte. For that that the Etholyens, whiche were lyghtly armed incontynently ouertoke them specyallye those that knewe not whythere to flyee. And for that, that one parte was sauyde

by passynge thwart a woode, they put fyer wythin it, and were all burnedde. So that there was no manner of flyinge and of deathe, that was not thanne sene in the hoste of Athenyans, And with greate payne, a very small nomber of theyme, that escaped from that battaille, might saue themselfe in the place of Eneone, in the countrey of Locres, from whence they were departed. And there died of the confederates a veray great nomber, and of the Athenyans sixe skoore, all yonge menne, and of the beste warryours that they had, togiders wyth procles, one of the beste Dukes and Capytains. After that discomsiture, they, that were vain∣quished, confessinge to the ennemyes the victorye: recouered their deade. And re∣tourned (that done) vnto Naupacte. And fromthence to Athenes. Resarued De∣mosthenes, who taryed there and in places nighe adioygninge, for feare that he had of the Athenyans, by cause of that ouerthrowe, that he had hadde. In that same sommer tyme the Athenyans, that sailed aboutes Sycile, beinge comme by sea agaynste the Locryens, and hauinge wonne one conflicte againste him at the entry of a passage, whiche they kepte, they did take one of their townes that ys sytuated vpon the ryuer of Haleces, named Peripolyon.* 1.21

Notes

• * 1.1

  Ellome¦nus.
• * 1.2

  Oenia∣des.
• * 1.3

  zachin∣thii.
• * 1.4

  Cephalē••ses.
• * 1.5

  Euryta∣nes
• * 1.6

  Omo∣phagi.
• * 1.7

  Cytinei.
• * 1.8

  Parnas∣sus.
• * 1.9

  Solion.
• * 1.10

  Oenoe.
• * 1.11

  Iupiter nemeus
• * 1.12

  Hesto∣dus
• * 1.13

  Potida∣nya
• * 1.14

  Crossy∣lyan.
• * 1.15

  Tichion
• * 1.16

  Eupoliō
• * 1.17

  The goulphe
• * 1.18

  Maly∣cu••.
• * 1.19

  Agitum
• * 1.20

  Chro∣mon.
• * 1.21

  The ry∣uer of Halex Peripo∣lion.