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 Alcibiades the Athenian to the Lacedemonyans.

IT is nedeful, Lordes Lacedemonians, bifore that I propone or de∣clare other matters, to speake of that, whe••w^t I may be charged. For if you holde me suspected by reason therof, ye woll not geue fayth nor creditt my wordes speaking of the comon Welth. My progenitours, hauing by occasiō of certene accusation renoūced the fredome and ciuilitie of thys your cytie, I haue sithens had wylle to recouer yt, and for cause thereof, haue ho∣nored and saruedde youe in manye thynges, but amonge other in the losse, that youe hadde at Pylus. And I perseueringe in this affection towardes your cytie, ye made the appoynctment wyth the Athenyans, by meane wherof ye encreased the puissance of my enemyes, and dyd vnto me greate dishonnoure, whiche was the thynge, wherefore I wythdrewe my selfe vnto the Mantynyens and the Ar∣giues, wyth whome beinge bicome your ennemy, I did endomage you wherein that I might•• And if any amōgest you hated me against reason, that I than dyd hurte you, truly he oughte nowe to forbeare and cease, if he consider the thynges well. And if any other haue euil opynion of me, forsomuch as I haue susteigned and defended the estate and gouernemente of the common people, he hathe lesse

reasone for to hate or suspecte me for that, for we other Athenyans be alwayes contrarye and ennemyes of tyrantes. Nowe all that, whiche contraryeth or ys agaynst them, ys the comon people, for this cause the comon auctorytie hath al∣wayes remayned amonge vs, and durynge the same I haue oftymes bene con∣strayned to followe the time. And neuerthelas I haue contynually takene payne for to moderate and refrayne the lycence and audacytie of them, that woulde a∣gainst the fourme of reasone, conduct and order thynges at their wylle, for that, that there haue alwayes bene in tyme paste, and yet presently be some, men that haue seduced the comon people, in perswading them vnto that, that was for the woorst. Whiche be those, that haue chased and dryuene me away, although that in the tyme, that I haue had auctorytie, I haue alwayes counsailledde and per∣swaded good thinges, & that, which I had learned to be for the best, to the ende to conserue the citie in lybertie, and prosperitie lyke as they haue founde it. For all they that haue knowlaige of the comon estate, knowe what it is, but yet I, who haue al wayes despised and abhorred yt, knowe more therof. And if it were nede∣full to speake of the madnes and rashnes of it, I would tel nothyng therof, which hath not bene experymented: but it semed not to me to be a thinge right suer for to enterpryse to wyll to change it, being by you assieged and warred against. And this is ynough spokene of the thynges, that may engender suspition and hate of me towardes youe. Therefore I wyll nowe speake of the affaires, whereupon ye ought presently to deuyse. Wherein if I vnderstande annye thynge further than youe, whereof it be nedefulle to aduertise youe, ye shall therein pronounce iudge∣mente. We be gone to Sycylle in purpose furste to subdue yt, if we maye, and af∣ter those there, the Italians, and also that done, for to essay to rule and gouerne the allyes of the Chartagyans, and theymselfes also if we may. And if that were come to oure intente in all or for a good parte, than we would come to conquere and subdue Peloponese, hauynge in oure ayde and seruice, all the Grekes that be in the countreis of Sycille, and of Italie, wyth greate nomber of estrangers and barbarous people, whiche we shoulde haue hadde in soulde or wages, and specy∣ally of the Iberyens, who be wythout annye doubt at this present the best war∣ryours, that be in that same quarter. And on the other parte we woulde haue made greate nomber of galleys in the quarter of Italie, where there ys greate quantytie of woode and of other stuffe, for to make theyme, to the ende that we myght holde the sayd countrey of Peloponese assieged, aswell by the sea with the sayd gallyes, as also by lande wyth our foote men, trustynge to take parte of the cyties of the same countrey by force, and the other by lengthe of siege, whyche thynge semed to vs very assured. And hauynge subdewed the sayed countrey, we hoped easely and ryght sone to obteigne the Empire and seigniorye of all Grece, causyng the sayd landes by vs conquered to fournyshe vs w^t monney and victu∣alles besydes the reuenue whiche hath bene leuied in theis parties. Nowe youe haue vnderstande of the armye by sea, that is in Sycille, which thing is shewed vnto you by a man that knoweth fully and holy oure endes and ententes. The whiche though I be departed fromethence the other Dukes & capytaynes woll put in execution if they can. And if you do not withstande it, I perceyue nothyng there that maye empesche them, insomuche as the Syciliens be not accustomed to warre. And yet neuerthelas whan they be ioigned alll togiders, they maye re∣sist and eskape. But the Syracusains, who haue bene al vainquished in battaile, and cannot nowe saille by sea, may not alone resist & withstande the hoste of the Athenyens, whiche presentlye is there. And if this cytie were taken, all Sycille shoulde afterwars be sone subdewed, yea and consequently, Italie. That done,

the danger, whereof I haue made mencyon vnto youe shall not be farre of from you, nor so retarded or slacked that you shall not perceyue yt commyng. Where∣fore none of youe ought to perswade hymselfe that this question is for Sycille onely. For wythoute doubte, the question and varyance ys for Peloponese•• yf ye doo not readely prouyde for it. And for to do that, it is requisitte to sende ryghte sone thider an armye by sea, in the whiche the veray maroners oughte to be war∣ryours. And that whiche is pryncipall, that there be for capytayne, a couragious man of Sparte. For the presence of hym shalbe for to enterteigne in youre amy∣tie, those that be there at thys presente, and for to constrayne the other, there. For that, that they, which be youre frendes, shall haue by this doyng more hope, and those, that be in wauerynge or doubte, shall haue lesser feare to comme to youre allyance. And moreouer ye ought most openly to begyn warre against the Athe∣nynans. For in that doinge, the Syracusayns shall knowe, that ye care and be myndefulle for their affaire. By occasion whereof, they shall take more couraige for to resist, and the Athenyans shall haue the lesser meane for to sende succours to their people, whiche bene there. And also me thynketh, that ye oughte to take and to fortefye soubdainely wyth walles the towne of De••elea, whiche is in the terrytorye of Athens, insomuche as it ••s the thyng, that the Athenyans do most feare. And yet neuerthelas it is the onely towne, wherof no parte hath bene tou∣ched, durynge all this warre. And truly a man cannot endomage hys ennemye more greatly, than to doo that vnto hym, whiche he perceyueth, that he feareth most, for it is to be bileued, that euerye man knoweth and feareth those thinges, which may be most preiudiciall, & hurtfull vnto hym. And therfore I wolle geue you to vnderstande the proffytt, that shalbe yours by enclosyng the sayd towne with walles, and the dommage that it shall bryng vnto your ennemyes. And al∣so I will shewe onely the most waighty therof sommarely or in fewe woordes. That is, that whan ye shall haue fortefied that same place w^tin our lande, many of our townes shall rendre both themself vnto you, & also ye shall take the other more easely. And moreouer, the reuenue whiche we perceyue of the mynes of syl∣uer at Laurium, & the other reuenues that are taken aswell of the lāde, as of the Iurisdictiō shall ceasse, and specially those, which we do leuie of our frendes, who perceiuing you to come againste vs with all youre strength, wille praise vs very smally. All which thinges be in your power for to cause to come readely to effect, yf you woll, for y^t, that I thinke not to erre in this matter, but that they may be easely done. And none of you ought to blame me nother to repute me euill, if ha∣uyng bene hertofore your great ennemy and chief or capytaine of oure people: I come and speake nowe bitterly against the comon weale of my countrey, nother also to suspect me, nor to preseume that the same, whiche I say, is for to acquire and gett your fauour, bicause of my bannishment. And I am exiled for trouth, & it is through the malice and naughtynes of theym that hate me, but it shall not be to your domage, if ye woll bileue me. And I ought not to repute youe at thys present somuche my ennemyes, who, sometime being our ennemyes, haue endo∣maged vs: as those, which haue constrayned my frendes to be my ennemyes, not nowe as I am oultraged & wronged: but than whan I had auctorytie ouer the people, wherfore being by them chased out of my coūtrey, I recoen that I do no longer against it as mine, but rather I thinke y^• I laboure rather to recouer that whiche no more is mine. For he ought to be more truly reputed the louer of his countrey: whiche for the desire that he hath to recouer yt, doth all that he canne, for to retourne thider: than he, that beinge vniustly chased fromethence, dare not goo for to inuade yt. For the whyche reasons I repute my selfe suche (Lordes

Lacedemonyans) as with whome•• ye ought to sarue yourselues in all dangers and in all trauailes. For you knowe that it ys a comon prouerbe, that he, which beinge ennemye doth endomage: if it becometh frende•• may also proffyt. And so∣muche the more, for that I knowe the affaires of Athens, and also do well nygh vnderstande yours by coniecture. Therefore I requyre youe insomuche as there is question of thinges, which be of so great importance, that it greue you not for to enterpryse, to reyse, and leuye twoo armyes, the one by sea, for to go into Sy∣cille, and the other by lande, for to go into the countrey of Athens. By which do∣yng, ye may with a small puissance atteigne great thynges in Sycille, and clerely subuerte the puissance of the Athenyans aswell present as for to come, whereby your estate shalbe herafter bothe in whole and all suertie, and also ye shall haue the superyorytie ouer all Grece: not by constraincte, but wyllyngly. After that Alcibiades hadde thus spokene, the Lacedemonyans, who, wythout that, had al∣ready purposed to make warre agaynst the Athenyans (though that they wente about delayingly & were not fully resolued) were by the sayd declarations great∣ly establyshed in that same opynion, presupposing that they had bene aduertised of all thynges accordynge to the trouthe, by hym that knewe yt welle. And so fromthensforth they conceyued in their fantasie for to take and fortefie Decelea, and for to sende incontynently some succours, into Sycile, and dydde chose Gy∣lippus, sonne of Cleander, for chief of that same enterpryse, to whome they com∣manded that he shulde treate with the ambassadours, of the Syracusayns and with the Corinthians. And by their aduise, he launched & sailled fourth, with the best, and most soubdaine and ready succours that he coulde gett, and didde geue order to the Corynthyans that they shoulde sende theyme twoo galleys fourh∣with vnto Asine, and moreouer that they shulde putt the other (whiche they had appoyncted to sende) in estate to make saille as sone as they coulde, so that they myght be ready: whan that it shulde be tyme to saille. And vpon this determy∣nation the ambassadours departed from Lacedemonie. In thies enterfaictes the galley whiche the Dukes Athenyans had sente frome Sycille vnto Athens, for to demande renforte or newe succours of victuailes, of men and of monney: ary∣ued. And they, that were come, hauynge expounded and declared their charge, yt was ordeyned that the said newe succours shulde be sent, and in that meane time drewe nere the ende of the wynter, whiche was the .xvii. yeare o•• this warre, that Thucydides hath wryttone.