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 after the departure of Alcibiades, the other two Dukes Athenyans, hauynge done certen small thynges in Sycille, did come to assiege the cytie of Saragosse and hadde a victorye agaynste the Syracusains. ☞The .xi. Chapter.

AFter the departure of Alcibiades, the other twoo Dukes Athenyans departed all the armye into two partes: and aither of theym. dyd by lott take the charge of the one of theym. And afterwardes they bothe togiders wyth all the hoste, wente fromthence vnto Selynunte, and to Egeste for to knowe if the Egestians were determyned to delyuer the mon∣ney, whyche they had promysed, and also for to vnderstāde the affayre of the said Selynuntyns and the question or difference, whyche they had wyth the Egesta∣ins. And they saylled a length the sea, hauynge the Isle of Sycille of the coste of the sea Ionum on the lefte hande, and came to aboorde bifore the cytie of Imere: the whyche only in that same quarter is inhabyted wyth Grekes, neuerthelesse they woolde not receyue the sayd Athenyans, who, at their departure fromthēce, sailled to a towne named Hiccara.* 1.1 The whyche, though that it were inhabytedde wyth Sycaniens was yet ennemy to the Egestains. For this cause, they pillaged yt, and afterwardes did set of the Egestains wythin it. Thys dependinge arry∣ued the horsemen of the Egestains, wyth whome the fotemen Athenyans came by lande wythin the Isle, pillaginge and robbinge vntill Catana, and their ships came vnto them coastynge alongeste the sea, wherin they charged their butyes & pillage, aswell of beastes as of the other. Nycias at departure frō Heccana, wēte incontynently to Egeste. where he receiued of the Egestains thirty talentes. And hauynge geuen order for certen other thynges, retourned fromthence into the ar∣mye. And besyde that some, that they had taken for the sayd butye, whych was solde, they receyued one houndred and twenty talētes of golde. Afterwards they wente enuyroning the Isle, and in their passage dydde geue order to their allyes that they shulde sende them the nomber of men, whyche they had promysedde. And so they came wyth the moytie of the armye before the towne of Hibla in the terrytory of Gela (the whyche toke the partie againste them) thinkyng to take it,* 1.2 but they coulde not, and in this meane tyme, the ende of Somer dyd come. At be∣gynnynge of the wynter, the Athenyans prepared themself for to come to assiege Sarragosse, and on the other syde the Syracusains prepared theymselfe for to come to mete them. For insomuche as the Athenyans did not at beginning come to assaylle them, they toke dayly more and more courage. And somuche the lesse they fearedde and estemed them, that they had enuironned and compassed about the other countrey by sea very farre frome theire cytie, and also coulde not take

Hybla.* 1.3 whereupon the sayd Syracusains were so puffed vp, that they requyred of their Dukes that they shulde conducte them vnto Catana, where the enemys were, insomuch as they durste not come thider vnto them. And the lyght horse∣men Syracusains, whych ronned daylly vnto the campe of the said Athenyans, among other reproches, whiche they vsed, demanded of theym, if they were not more comme to inhabitt rather an other mans lande, than for to restore the Le∣ontins into theirs. The Athenyans, knowinge suche thyngs, essaiedde to wyth∣drawe those Syracusains so farre, as they coulde, from their cytie, to the intente that the more wyth their ease, they myght in one nyght wyth their shipps, saille to lande before the towne, and lodge theire campe in place, where they shulde thinke most mete. For they knewe well, that if at landing out of their ships, they founde the ennemyes in order and prepared for to defende theire landinge: or∣els if that they woulde take their waye fromthence by lande vnto the sayde cytie: they shuld haue much more difficultie. For their horsmen might do greate dam∣maige vnto their fotemen beynge lyght armed, and also to the reste of their fote men, considered that they had yet small nomber of horsmen there. And doing as they had enterprysed, they might w^tout any great empeschement take the place, whych they desired, before that the horsmen Syracusains shulde haue bene re∣tourned, which place had bene taught and shewed vnto them, by the bannished men of the same cytie, who followedde them, to witt, nyghe vnto the temple of Olympus. And for to execute their enterpryse, they vsedde one suche a cautelle. That is, that they sente one (whome they right wel trusted) vnto the Dukes of Syracusains, knowinge also that they wolde geue fayth vnto that, whyche he shulde shewe them, fayninge to be sente from certen of the princypalle of the cy∣tie of Catana, wherof he was, whom the said dukes did well knowe) saying that they yet helde their partie, and that if they wolde, they wold cause them to haue y^e victorie against the Athenyans by such meane: for one partie of the armye of y^e said Athenyans kept thēself w^tin the towne without armure. So that if the said Syracusains, issued fourth, at one daye named, oute of Sarragosse and arryued at the breake of the day w^t all their puissance: those same Catanyens, whome he named vnto them wyth their complices, shuld easely enclose the Athenyās, that were w^tin the towne, and also wold put fyer into their ships, which were in their port. By which doing, if the said Syracusains wolde rush out and charge vpon them that were in the feld, which was without the towne, enclosed wyth Pales, they might take it without any great difficultie, and destroy all that they shulde fynde w^tin it: saying moreouer that there were many cytezeins of Catane of thys intellygence and conspyratie, all ready and determined for to execute it: who had sente hym thyder. The dukes Syracusains, which were bolde, and besides that had already desire to go vnto the enemyes in their campe, did lightly bileue the espie. And hauing taken a day wyth him, whan they wold be at Catana, they sent him agayn vnto them, frō whom he sayd that he was come. And at the said daye failled not to issue fourth all the people of the cytie wyth the succours of the Se∣lynūtyns, and some other their allyes that were already come, and for haste they went fourth w^tout order altogiders for to lodge nygh to Catana vpon the riuer of Symethe in the lande of Leontyns.* 1.4 Than the Athenyās, vnderstanding their comyng, did charge all their people, that they had, aswell Athenyans, as Sycili∣ans and othere, in their shippes, and saylledde by nyght, towardes Sarragosse. where they arryued at breake of daye wythin the greate porte, bifore the temple of Olympus for to lande there. In thys meane tyme, the horsemen Syracu∣sains, whyche were goone to Catana, vnderstandynge that all the Athenyans

ships were departed out of the porte of Catana, aduertysed the fotemen thereof, and all togyders dyd take their way for to retourne to the succours of their cytie. But for that, that the waye was longe, byfore that they coulde aryue, the Athe∣nyans had already landed, and taken their lodging in the place, whyche they had chosen: out of the whych, they myght defende themself to their aduantaige, with out beinge in dangier before that they had made their rampares, nother yet by makynge of them, insomuche as they were shadowed couered or defended wyth walles and buildinges in that same quarter. And moreouere there was manye trees, a standing water, and hollowe or broken places. So that none could come vpon them out of the same quarter, specyally horsmen. And on the other parte, they had already hewed downe a great quantytie of the sayd trees, whyche they had caryed to the sea syde, and there planted and locked togiders in manner of o∣uerthwarte crosses, for to defende and let, that no man shulde issue fourthe into theirs ships Moreouer in that same quarter, where their campe was most lowe, and where the cōming therinto was most easy, they had rampared it with great stoanes and wyth woode in haste, so that yt was very harde to enter there, and afterwardes they dyd breake the bridge, whyche they had made for to goo vnto their ships. All whyche woorke they dyd at their ease, without thys, that annye man yssued oute of the citie for to empesche them, for they were all gone fourth & were not yet retourned from Catana, of whom the horsmen were the firste that came agayne, and sone after all the people that were issued fourthe, and came di∣rectely agaynste the Athenyans, to presente theym bataylle. But seing that they yssued not fourth, they wythdrewe and wente to lodge themselfe on the othere syde of the way, whyche leadeth to Heloryne. The morowe after, the Athenyans yssued fourth for to fyght, and they ordeyned their battaille in this sorte. For at the ryght poyncte they sett the Argiues and the Mantynyans, at the lefte, the o∣ther their allyes, and in the myddell the Athenyans. And also the one moytie of the army was of the thicknes of eyght renkes in the fronte•• & the othere moytie, whyche was on the syde towards the Pauillyons or Tentes, asmuch, the whole beynge foore squared. And a certayne parte was ordeyned to comme to succour that same moytie that was the riere warde, if they shulde see that the other were oppressed, betwene thies twoo battailles, they bestowed the baggage and the mē that were not mete to fyght. On the other syde, the Syracusains dyd putt all in armure, aswell those of the towne as estrangers, whome they had welle armed. Amonge whome, were the Selynimtyns that came furst thider. And after, those of Gele, whyche were aboute twoo houndred horsmen, and those of Cameryne aboutes lxx. Arbalestriers or crosbowes. Also they dyd put all their horsmen on y^e ryght poynct, and after followynge, the archers or slyngers. The battails than beynge ordered, for that, that the Athenyans shulde fyrste begynne to marche, Nycias, wente ronnynge to and fro a lenghe wythout hys battaylle, and dydde speake to euery renke in thys manner.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Hiccara.
• * 1.2

  Hybla.
• * 1.3

  Hybla.
• * 1.4

  Syme∣thus.