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 Gylippus entred into the cytie of Sarragosse, with the succour of the other cy∣ties of Sycille, whiche toke his parte, loste one battaille and dyd wynne an other against the Athenyans. And howe the Syracusains and Cor∣ynthyens sente Ambassade to Lacedemonie for to haue newe suc∣cours, and lykewyse Nycyas wryteth to the Atheniās for the self same cause. ☞The first Chapter.

AFter that Gylippus and Pythan had repayred & newe tacled their shipps at Tharente, they departed frōthence for to saille towardes the Locryans in the west quarter. A••d being aduertised, that the cytie of Sarragosse was not yet inclosed on all sydes, but that men myght enter into yt by Epipole, they were in doubte whither they shuld drawe to the right hande of Sycille and essay for to enter in∣to the citie, or for to kepe the left hande, and furst to go to aboorde at Imera, and there to assemble the moste people that they myghte, aswelle of those of the towne, as of other Syracusayns, afterwardes to goo fromethence to succoure the sayed Syracusayns. And fynally they arrestedde and concluded to go to I∣mera,* 1.1 specially being aduertised that the foore Athenyans shyppes, whiche Ny∣cyas had sente, were not yet arryuedde at Rhege, whiche Nycyas hadde sent thi∣der, vnderstāding that those same were yet at Locres. So Gylyppus & Pythan wyth their shyppes passed the distreate, bifore that the other were arryuedde at Rhege. And afterwardes saillynge alongeste frome Missena they came directlye vnto Imera. Beynge aryued in whiche place, they intreated and perswaded the Imerens to enter into their allyance, and to fournyshe them with shyppes, and harnois for their men, that lacked it. And afterwardts they sente vnto the Sely∣nuntyns, that they shulde be in a certene place, that they named vnto them, assu∣ring them, one bende (not very great) of their people to go with thē. It happened also that the Gelians & some other Sycilliens were the more encouraiged for to enter into this allyance of the Peloponesyens, than they had bene bifore time, for that, that Archonides,* 1.2 who had gouernedde some of those Syciliens, was dead a small tyme bifore, who in his lyfe tyme, hadde great amytie, confederation and intelligence wyth the Athenyans, and also for the bruyte whiche was, that Gy∣lippus came diligently & manfully wyth hys people to the succours of the Sy∣racusayns, who hauyng taken aboutes seuene houndred of his oune men, aswel souldiars, as maroners which he had armed, a thousande Imeryens aswell wel armed, as lightly armed, & a houndred horsemen, a certene nomber of Selinun∣tyns all horsemen or lightly armed and also a ryght small nomber of Gelyens, wyth some other Syciliens to the nomber of a thousande: marched towardes Sarragosse. And on the other syde the Corynthians departed from Leucade, for to come with the most diligence, that they coulde, into that same quarter, with al the other shyppes. Amongest whome, the same, whereof Gongylus was Capy∣taine,* 1.3 arryued first at Sarragosse, although that he was the last that departed. And sone after arryuedde Gylippus, who vnderstandynge that the Syracusa∣yns were in doubte for to enter in treatie with the Athenyans: aduertised them of the succours, wherof they were ryght ioyfulll & all recomforted. So they dyd

take couraige agayne, and yssuedde with all their strength out of the cytie for to me••e Gylyppus, who attended and taryed for theym already in the waye. Who, hauinge in his iourney taking by force the towne of Igete,* 1.4 came wholy in order, as for to fyght, towardes Epipole, and beynge aboorded on the coaste from Eu∣ticle, by the which the Athenians were at the furst tyme there amounted, he ioig∣ned with the Syracusains, and altogether marched towardes the wal of the A∣thenians, which at that houre conteigned seuen or eight stades, from the campe of the Athenyans vnto the sea, & also it was through out double, except in some place nigh the sea, where they yet builded. And of the other syde towardes Trogi∣le, they hadde alreadye broughte plenty of stoanes and othere stuffe and in some place acheued & fynysshed their worke, in some place halfe sett it vp, and in an o∣ther place there was nothynge done from the begynnynge, for that, that on that syde the largenes was so great. In suche danger were already the Syracusains, whan the succours came vnto them. The Athenyans than perceiuing Gylippus and the Syracusains to come so soubdainly againste them, they were at begyn∣ninge afrayde, neuerthelas they afterwardes recouered their couraige, and came all in battayle agaynste thennemyes. But bifore that they approched, Gylippus sente an heraulte for to declare vnto theyme, that if they woulde departe out of Sycille wythin fyue dayes, he was contente to make treatie wyth them. Which thynge the Athenyans regardedde not, but sente agayne the heraulte wythoute annye aunswere. Than both parties preparedde theymeself to come to battaile, But Gylippus, seynge that the Syracusayns were in disorder: & that he coulde not welle brynge theyme into renckes, he deuysedde for the beste to wythdrawe theyme into a place more spacious. Nycyas also on the other syde caused not his people to marche fourthe, but rather made theyme to kepe all in bataylle ray vpon their walles and rampares. Whiche perceyuedde, Gylyppus retyred wyth hys people into a mounte named Temenitie where he lodgedde hys campe.* 1.5 And the morowe after he conductedde the greateste partie of hys men in battaylle e∣uene harde to the walles of the Athenyans, for to defende that the one shoulde not succoure the othere. And on the othere syde he sente one parte of hys people agaynste one of the Castelles whyche the Athenyans dydde holde, namedde La••dalum, the whiche they dydde take and slewe all those, that they founde within, without this, that the other Atheniās coulde parceyue any thyng therof. And the same day the Syracusayns toke a galley of the Athenyans, as it would haue entred into the greate porte. After that, the Syracusayns begonne a walle from the cytie vntil the heigh of Epipole. And they reysed an other fromthence o∣uerthwart that same of the Athenyans, for to lett and defende thē (if they would suffer theyme to acheue and fynyshe it) frome enuironynge and enclosynge the towne on all sydes. But they hauynge acheued the walle, whiche they determy∣ned to make fro their campe vnto the sea, were retyredde into their forte in the vppermoste parte. But for that, that one parte of their walle was lowe, Gylyp∣pus wente wyth hys people in the night, thynkinge to take it, neuerthelas being perceyued by them whiche warded yt, who kept their watche wythout, and mett hym, retyred softely wythout makynge any noyse. And afterwardes the Atheny∣ans did heighthen the sayed wall, & appoincted their oune people to the warding thereof, and those of their allyes vnto other places. It semedde moreouer vnto Nycias to be expedient to enclose wyth wall the place, that is called Plēmyryū,* 1.6 whiche is a rocke in the promontorie foreanempste the cytie, the whiche entreth into the sea, and commeth vnto the entrynge of the great poorte. For it semedde vnto him that if he had fortefyed it, the victuailles & other thynges that came

by sea, myght come more easely, hauynge garnysone so nyghe vnto the poorte, where as at that houre they coulde not abyde, but afarre of fromthence. Wher∣by yf any alarme shulde chance to be made on the sea syde, they coulde not so so∣ne come vnto the succours. And that dyd he, intendynge to ayde hymself moore wyth the armye by sea, than wythe that same by lande, sythens that Gylippus was come. And so he charged one partie of his armye into hys ships, & brought them to the sayde place, whyche he caused to be enclosed and fortefyed with thre walles and rampares: and afterwardes he bestowed one parte of hys baggage there: and vndernethe the same they myghte wythdrawe hys shyppes bothe great and small: by occasyon wherof many of hys maronners fromthence for∣wardes, through faulte of freshe water, did dye, for that, that they were forcedde to fatche their water afarre of, and moreouer whan they issuedde fourthe to fat∣che woode, the horsemen Syracusains, that kepte the teldes, dyddeslaye them, specyallye those that were in a towne in Olympus, the whyche were placedde there for to defende that the Athenyans, whyche were in the sayd place of Plem∣myrum shulde do no hurte. In thies entrefeates Nycias, vnderstandinge the cō∣mynge of the galleys wyth Corinthyans: sente, twenty of hys for to preuente and soubdainly to mete and take them. Geuyng them charge, that they shuld at tende and lye in wayte for theym, betwene Lo••res and Rhege, and there in the distreacte of Sycille that they shulde assaulte theym. In the meane tyme Gylip∣pus caused lykewyse the walle betwene the Cytie and Epipole, to be reysed and fynyshed, and for to make yt, he aydeth hymselfe wyth the suffre, whyche the A∣thenyans had for themself gathered togyther. And that done, he issued many ty∣mes out of the cytie wyth hys people and wythe the Syracusayns in battaille. And the Athenyans on the other syde did the lyke. And whan it semed vnto him, to be tyme to assaille, he went furste for to charge vpon them. But insomuch as the combate and fighting was amonge the rāpares of both partes, whych was a place nothyng easy for the horsmen, wherof the Syracusains had great nom∣ber: the Syracusains and Peloponesians were vainquished. For the which vic∣torie, the Athenyans, hauyng rendred the dead, reysed and sett vp a Trophee.

An Oration and ouerthwarte declaration of Gylippus vnto his souldyars and men at armes.

NEuerthelas Gylippus, aftere that same battaille, assembledde the men of warre, and shewed them, that the losse chaunced not through their faulte, but rather through his, forsomuche as he had takene frō them the ayde of their horsmē and of their Casters of dartes, causing them to fyght in one so strayte a place, wherein they coulde not helpe themselfe, wherefore he was determyned to cause theym for to issue a freshe to fyghte in a place more reasonable, prayinge them to remember that they were Doryens & Peloponesyans, and that it shulde be their greate shame to be vaynquished and chased by the Ionyans and Islanders and other people gathered togiders oute of all sortes, beinge in as great nōber, as they. And afterwards whan he thought it tyme, he ledde them fourthe agayne to battaylle. Nycias also had determyned, if they wolde not haue issuedde fourth to haue gone to presente theym battaille. For he was determyned not to suffre them to fynishe their rampares and wals that they made nygh vnto theirs: the whyche were already so farre forwardes, as thiers, and they parceyued well that if they suffredde that they shulde extende them further, those same Athenyans shulde be more assieged by the Syracusa∣ins, than the Syracusains by theym, and in danger to be vainquished. Therfore

he likewise yssued fourth to the battaille. Nowe Gylippus had ordeynedde his horsmen & casters of darts to be more further ••ro the walles, thā they had bene at the other tyme, in a spa••ious place, where the walles and rampares on both sydes failled from the coast of thennemyes. Who after the battaill was begonne, came to russhe and charge vpon the lefte poinct of the Athenyans and put them to flyght: wherby it chanced that the Syracusains and Peloponesians, had the victorie, for that, that the other partie, seinge the Athenyans flye dyd the lyke, & wythdrewe themself into their fortes and holdes. And the nyghte ensuynge, the Syracusains made their walle egall with the same of thennemyes, and yet fur∣ther and greatter, so that the ennemyes coulde not empesche nor lette them, but that they myghte make and extende their sayd wall, so farre and so large as they woolde, and though afterwardes they had bene vainquished in battail, yet could they be no more enclosed wyth walle. Sone after arryued the shipps of the Co∣rynthians, of the Leucadyans, and of the Ambracians, to the nomber of twelue, wherof Thrasonides the Corynthian was chief,* 1.7 who had deceyued the Atheniās shippes that came to rencounter theym, and ayded the Syracusayns to fynyshe their walle, whyche they hadde begonne vnto the same, that came ouerthwarte yt. That done Gylippus, perceyuing the towne to be in suertie, did go fromthēce through the other cyties of Sycille, practisinge thē to enter into allyance against the Athenyans, those, that were in doubte, or that vtterly abhorredde the warre. And besydes thys the Syracusains and the Corynthians that were comme to their ayde, sente Ambassadours to Lacedemonye, and to Corynthe to haue newe succours, in whatsoeuer manner that they myght: were it in galleys, in Barques or other shipps, what that they were, so that they brought men of warre. On the other syde the Syracusains, presupposinge that the Athenyans woolde lykewise sende some newe succours to their campe equipped and tacled their shyppes for to fyght with them by sea, and made all necessary preparatyons for warre. Whi∣che parceyued by Nycias, and that the force and strength of hys ennemyes dyd daylly increase, and hys decrease and lessene: he determyned lykewyse for to sende to Athens to do them to vnderstande the estate, wherin they were in the campe: whyche was suche, that he reputed them to be but vainquished and destroyed, if ayther that they were not caused to retyre, orels that succours were sente vnto them so puissante and mighty, as they were. And ••earynge that those, whyche he sente, shulde not happely haue eloquence for to expoūde and declare their charge, or that they shulde forgett one parte thereof, or rathere shulde feare to telle the whole for displeasynge of the comynaltie, he determyned to aduertyse the whole by hys letters, presupposynge, that whan the comons shuld intierly vnderstande the trouth, they wolde determyne therin as the case required. And so the Ambas∣sadours wente fromthence wyth hys letters and instructions vnto Athens. And in the meane time Nycias toke more care and studie to warde & kepe his campe, than for to go to assaille hys ennemyes. In that same somer Euetion Athenyan Duke w••th Perdiccas and many Thracyens,* 1.8 wente to assiege the Cytie of Am∣phipolis,* 1.9 but seinge that he coulde not take it by lande: he causedde Gallions to passe and mounte vp the ryuer of Strymone:* 1.10 whyche he made to comme out of Imereum, and this endurynge ended the sommer. In begynnynge of wynter the messengers, whyche Nycias hadde despeched, arryuedde at Athenes, and ha∣uynge declaredde their charge, they afterwardes answered to that wherof they were demaunded: but furste they presented the letters of Nycias, whyche were of thys tenoure.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Imera.
• * 1.2

  Archo∣nides.
• * 1.3

  Gongy∣lus.
• * 1.4

  Igeta.
• * 1.5

  Teme∣nites.
• * 1.6

  Plem∣myriū.
• * 1.7

  Thraso∣nides,
• * 1.8

  Euetiō.
• * 1.9

  Amphi∣polis.
• * 1.10

  Stry∣mon.