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 Oration of the Lacede∣monyans to the Athenyans, and the aunswere that they had, and howe, the treuese failling, they beganne warre agayne. ☞The .ii. Chapter.

THe Lacedemonyans haue sente vs hither (lordes Athenyans) for to appoinct & treacte of their people, that be in the Islande. Perswading themselfe that that, whych shal redounde to their proffit in this mat∣ter, shall also redounde to your honnour. And we woll not make vn∣to you longer oration, than we haue accustomed. For our manner of proceding is, not to vse many wordes, whereas is no great matter. And also whan the case and the tyme requireth it, we speake longer. to wytt, whan it is nedefull to shew by words, what is to be done. wherfore we pray you, that if we speke a lytle more longe, ye take it not to euill intent, & thinke not, that in shewing you, that youe shulde mynde to aduyse & consult well of the matter, wherof is question: that we go about to teache you what youe haue to do, as though we repute you ignorāt people. And for to come vnto the matter, it is in your power to make your great proffitt of that good aduenture and prosperytie, that is chaunced you by hauing our people in your power. For youe may therby acquire and gett greate glory & great honnor, if you haue regarde, not to do, as many do, y^t haue not experymen∣ted, what is of goodnes & of euill. For whan a good aduenture had chaunced vn∣to them•• vnloked for: they set their fantasie to greater thinges, trustyng that for∣tune shulde alwayes contynue. But those, that haue oftentymes experymented the varyation and chaunge of humayne chaunces, thinke most reasonably ther∣of. And trust not somuch to the presente prosperyties. which thing is very cōue∣nient for your cytie, & also for ours, for the longe experyences of things, that they haue had. And although that youe vnderstāde it sufficiētly, yet ye se the experiēce therof in this presente case. For we that obteigne & haue presently the prync••pall authoritie & dignitie in all Grece, come hither for to demaūde of you that, which lately was more in our power to geue: as it semed vnto vs. And also we be not come to this inconuenient, through fault of men of armes, nother through pre∣sumption of our power. But (lyke as it happeneth in worldly chaūces) we haue bene frustrated & deceyued of our opynyon, in that, wherin all lyuinge creatures be egalle, to wytt, in thinges dependinge of fortune. wherfore it is not nowe ne∣defull, that for the present prosperytie and for the encrease of the puyssance, that hath chaunced you at this present: youe conceyue opynyon, that it ought to en∣dure perpetually. For all saige and aduysed men do holde it for mooste certayne

that there ys nothinge so vncertayne, as worldely felicitie. and by this meane be alwayes more constant and determined to beare and endure all sinister chaunces and all euills. And so noo man shulde perswade himselfe, that it may be in his power, to make warre at his pleasure whan he thinketh good: but so as fortune permytteth him. And such people, as take not greater couraige for the prosperity that happeneth vnto them, faile not veray oftene. For that, that in the greate fe∣licytie they be alwayes in feare. And if youe at this present do so vnto vs, truly ye shall fynde goodnes thereby. But if youe do yt not, but ra••ther refuse the par∣ties that we do offer youe, and afterwardes any inconuenient do happene vnto you, such as may dayly chaunce, thincke not, that youe can kepe that, which you haue at this presente gottene. Where as youe may, if youe wil, leaue a perpetual memory of your puissance and of your prudencie. For youe see that the Lacede∣monyans prouoke youe to make appoynctment and ende of warre, offeryng you peace, allyance, amytie and all other manner of familyaritie and benyuolence. In recompence of whiche thinges, they demaunde of youe theire people, that be in the Islande, and yt semeth to them that the same ys profittable to bothe parties. To witte, to youe for to exchue the hazarte by that meane, that maye followe, wheder that they saue themself, aither by any occasion and aduenture that maye happene: or if they be takene by force, to incurre a perpetuell enmytie, which can∣not so easelye be quenchede. For that, that whan one of the parties, that maketh warre, ys constrayned, by the other, that hath had the better, and is founde to be strongest, to promys and swere any appoynctment for his aduauntage: suche appoynctemente ys not so firme and so durable, as yt shulde be, whan he, that hath had the victorie, being in his power of suche appoynctment, woulde graun∣te and agre to make yt honeste, and more modeste, than he, that had bene vayn∣quished, did hope of. For he, that perceueth curtoisie, woll not studie to breke his promys, as made for feare and constrayncte. But hauinge knowlaige of the cur∣tesie, that the other hath vsed, he woll parforce hymselfe to kepe that well, which he shalle haue promysede, and shalle haue shame to faile thereof. And this same courtoisie vsed comonly the couragious men to them, that were moste puissant, raythere than towardes theym that were meaner or egalle wythe them. For it ys a naturelle thynge to pardone hym easelye, that renderethe and yeldeth him selfe wyth hys good wylle, and to persecute those, that be rebelles and oultera∣gyous, though that yt were not purposed, and that there myghte be dannger therein. Nowe, as touchynge thys presente chaunce, certaynelye: yt shall be a good and honnourable thynge, aswelle for youe, as for vs, yf we make nowe a good pea••e, better, than euer was in any tyme byfore, rather than we shulde re∣ceyue suche oultrage of youe, as by meane whereof, we be constrayned to beare vnto youe perpetuelle hatrede and rancoure, aswell in common, as in particuler, and that byfore that you lose the facultie to please vs wyth thynges, that we do requier of youe. Wherfore in the meane seasone whilest the yssue of the warre ys doubtfull, lett vs make, appoynctment. Youe, wyth youre greate glory and oure perpetuell beneuolences: we in excheuing a small shame, with an tollerable and meane losse. And sens that we haue chosene to haue peace, in steede of warre, we shall be cause to make an ende of all the greate euylles and trauailles in all Gre∣ce. Whereof they shalle geue youe the charge and the blame, if youe refuse this same. For vnto thys houre presente, they make warre withoute knowynge, who hathe bene the authoure or promotour thereof. Lykewyse, whan the ap∣poynctemente shall be made (whiche ys nowe for the moore parte in youre power) they shall repute theym••elfe to be therefore bounden vnto youe. If youe

knowynge that it is in your facultie and power to make the Lacedemonyans (who require youe thereof) yo••re entier and perpetuall frendes, woolde chose to do vnto theym curtoisie, rather than rudenes. And consider, what goodnes may come therof, for as you knowe, whan this same bene accordedde by youe, all Grece, that is inferiour to youe and to vs, shall approue and ratefie yt. Thus spake the Lacedemonyans, thinkinge, that the Athenyans had bene before de∣sirous of peace, if they myght haue obteigned it of them. And by thys meane that they shulde be all aised to haue yt, by delyueryng the people, that were in the Islande in their power. But the Athenyans, perswadinge theymselfe, that by re∣ceyuing of the sayd people assieged, they myght alwayes haue a better appoinct∣ment wyth the sayde Lacedemonyans: they wold haue greater parties of them, chiefly through perswation of Cleon, sonne of Cleenetus, who had at that tyme greate authorytie among the people, and a great grace to speake. By whose opy∣nyon, it was answered to the sayd Ambassadours, that furst & bifore all things, they, that were in the Islande, muste render themself wyth their armure, & shuld be brought prysonners vnto Athens, And that done, whan the Lacedemonyans had rendred vnto the Athenyans, Nyse, Pege, Trezene and the countreye of A∣chaie, whiche, they had not loste by warre, but by the former appoinctment, that they had made wyth the sayd Lacedemonyans, whan they were very lowe: had bene constraynedde to leaue and forsake them: the saide prysonners might be re∣stored, and some reasonable appointment made to the contentacyon of both par∣ties. The Lacedemonyans sayd nothinge against this answere, but they wylled certayne notable parsons to be deputed, wyth whome, they mighte debate vpon the hole matter. And afterwardes therin to be done, so, as shulde be aduysed by them to be reasonable. Wherunto Cleon did holy replye, sayinge, that he knewe well that they had not had nother than, nor bifore, any good quarell, sithēs that they mystrusted to debate bifore all the people, but wolde speake therof in small compaignie. wherfore he was of opynyon that if they hadde any thinge to speke (whyche they iudgedde to be reasonable) they oughte to speake it bifore all men. whiche the sayd Ambassadours wolde not do. For they did knowe well, that it was not liefull nor conuenyente for them, for to speake bifore all the people. And also for that•• that in so doinge, if hauinge regarde to theire nec••ssitie, and to the daunger wherin their people were, they woulde ha••e consentedde to any thinge disaduantagious vnto them, they parceyued well, that comminge to the know∣laige of their allyes, it shulde engender greate displeasure vnto them. wherfore, knowynge that they coulde not obteigne of the sayd Athenyans any reasonable thynge, they departed from Athens, wythout any conclusion. After their depar∣ture, the treuese were incontynētly expyred that were made at Pylus. By reason wherof, the Lacedemonyans demaunded that the Athenyans shulde render to them the shippes, that they had delyuered by the treatie of the treuese according to that, whyche therby was appoyncted. But the said Athenyans refused that to do, sayinge, that the sayd Lacedemonyans had done agaynste the sayde treatie, forsomuche as they had made assaultes vpon the garnysons of the sayd Atheni∣ans. And charged theym wyth some thynges, where there was no apparance of raysonne, but all theire foundation and grounde was for that, that in the sayde treatie it was concluded, that if one of the partyes dyd fayle or do againste anny thinge therin, howe lytle soeuer yt was, that they shulde not helpe themself with the sayd treatie. And whatsoeuer declaration or doleaunce that the sayd Lacede∣monyans coulde make for to shewe that it was agaynst all reasone, and against the fayth, whych they had promysed, yet they coulde obteigne none other thing.

And so they prepared thēself to warre, on both sydes. And made all their strēgthe for the feate and affaire of Pylus. In whyche place the Athenyans kepte twoo galleys for ordenary watche, aboute the Islande both day and nyghte, compas∣singe it aboute at all tymes, whan the wynde was not vehement and highe, for than they kepte themself on the shoore of the sea. And also there was sente afresh, to thei•• succours and strength, twenty other galleys, so that they were in all .lxx. On the other side the Peloponesians had their campe in the firme lande, and as∣sailled oftentymes the walles of the towne, and also espyed and wayted conty∣nually, if they might haue any meane to saue their people, y^t were in the Islande.