READINGS IN GR> 



alkalies on eyanatos of the alcohol radical*. Similar 



may be produced with methyl, propjl, pho- 

 araenio, antimony, and bismuth, which also form oompoui. 



11 / 

 three atoms of hydrogen, as H > P, phosphorettod hydrogen. 



H ) 

 The carbon radicals are capable of replacing the H in these 



C H . ) '<,) 



compounds. Thus C t H, > P is tri-othyl phospbine ; CH. > AS 



C,H. ) CH, j 



is tri- methyl araine. 



From those foots the student will gain some idea of the wide 

 limits of Organic Chemistry. Had any of these compounds 

 any prominent part either in commerce or the process of 

 organic lift*, we should have noted thorn ; but, beyond the possi- 

 bility of their existence, little is known of them. 



READINGS IN GREEK. VI. 



THUCYDIDES. 



" THUCTDIDKS, the Athenian, compiled the history of the war 

 between the Pcloponnesiana and Athenians " these are the 

 words with which the great Greek historian commences his im- 

 mortal work, the most magnificent piece of history extant, as 

 it ia the firat trustworthy record of Grecian affairs. The war in 

 question ia that tedioua struggle for supremacy between the 

 two leading nations of Greece called the Peloponnesian war, 

 which lasted from B.C. 431 to B.C. 404. Thucydides was himself 

 a witness of mnch that ho describes, and during the course of 

 the war held an important military command. Singularly enough, 

 it is owing to his failure in this capacity that we may be 

 said to owe his history, for, being sent with a fleet to the relief of 

 the Athenian colony of Amphipolis, which was besieged by the 

 Peloponnesiana under Brosidas, he had the misfortune to miaa 

 his opportunity ; the city fell, and the Atheniana in consequence 

 sent him into exile. Ho remained in this banishment for 

 twenty years, nor did he return to Athens until after the termi- 

 nation of the war. Of this time, much was probably spent by him 

 in Thrace, where ho ia known to have had estates ; but he also 

 took the opportunity of visiting many parts of Greece, hostile 

 as well as neutral states. <; However much," says Mr. Grote, 

 the greatest of modern Greek historians, " we may deplore such 

 a misfortune on his account, mankind in general has, and ever 

 will have, the strongest reason to rejoice at it. The oppor- 

 tunities which an exile enjoyed of personally consulting 

 noutrala and enemies contributed much to form that impartial, 

 comprehensive spirit which reigns generally through his im- 

 mortal work." 



The history of Thucydides is divided into eight books. Of 

 these the last is in a somewhat imperfect state, and was pro- 

 bably given to the world after the author's death, and never 

 enjoyed tho advantage of his revision. It contains none of 

 the speeches which are such a distinctive feature in the other 

 parts of the work. These speeches the historian does not 

 profess to have been delivered in tho form in which he gives 

 them, but they rather represent what he believes, judging from 

 his intimate knowledge of the speakers and the occasions on 

 which they were uttered, might have been the sentiments ex- 

 pressed. Many of them are very fine specimens of oratory, 

 and appear to have been very carefully elaborated. The style 

 of Thucydidea is throughout elevated and stately, his informa- 

 tion is clear and precise, and his descriptions remarkably 

 minute and vivid. In tho narrative the student will find but 

 little difficulty, when ho has once mastered the technical terms of 

 warfare to which the writer faithfully adheres ; but the speeches 

 are, as a rule, very difficult, the sentences being peculiarly long 

 and involved, while occasionally the impetuosity of the speaker 

 seems to override the bounds of strict grammatical regularity. 

 Tho language is pure Attic Greek, which, at tho time of Thuoy- 

 didea, had reached its most perfect form. The following ia an 

 account of a remarkable episode in the war. The little town of 

 Plataca, on the confines of Boeotia, one of the firmest allies of 

 Athens, was besieged by the Thebans, who were always their 

 bitterest foes. Failing to take the town by assault, they 

 b'r>?kaded it. raising walls of circumvallation, which effectually 

 enclosed the besieged. After enduring the misery of this 

 blockade for some months, a number of tho besieged determined 



to try and escape through the enemy's lines to Athens. After 

 laying their plans with niiimiimiHli skill, they carried them into 

 execution as follows : 



THUCTDIDU, III. 22. 



Ol 8*, f"wttOri wipnTKtixitTro atrotf ,' rripijirayrti rinera x*'H*P"i 

 CSan teal o.vt^tfi Kal &fta iffi\rjfoy ^rjtaay rryovrro oe olwtp 

 KM riit wlpat ofrtot foar. ital vpwror pi* rr/- rd^pcr oitfavar 



\a06mt' rovt (pvAaxat, ava TO OKortn/'oi/ 1 /**y ov wpoj&orrttr 

 airr&v, \^o(f><f oe r<p in rov wpuattvat airroii irrtwarayovrrot roi 

 \ avtuou ov Ko.raKouao.vrw* &pa 8 Kal 8txorrr Ai f 

 oftnf ra SirAa pr, tepov6u.tva wpbt &AAr/Aa afoftxri* 

 riffav Of tvffraXt'tt re rfj oAi<r* ncd rbr bpiffrtpbr v6*8a 

 6ro8f8tytVot iur<pa\ti*t frtKa* rpr wpbt Tor TTjAor. KOTO ovy 

 Utrawvpyiov' wpoffifuayov wpbt Taj twaX^tit, tloortt ort V")M 9 

 ftVt, trpiarov v.tv ol rat K\in*Kat Qtpovrtt teal wpoaiBtvay Iwnrc: 

 \j/t\ol ou&tKa vv t<ptoi(? Kal OupOKt avt^atifuf, uv rtyeiro 'Afifitat 

 6 Kopolfiov Kul wpSnot dv'/3r/, fj.tra ot atrrbr 01 two^tyoi ${ iq? 

 i.KO.rtpov ruv wvpyuv avf^aivov twtira ifxAol AlAAoi tura rovrovt 

 {uf oopartott ix.upovv, olt Srtpoi Kardwiv rat iurwloat f<ptpor, owttt 

 iKtivoi (iaov wpoo-Qaivoitv, teal lfit\\oif oufffiv* twort wpbt roTt 

 wo\tft.loit tlriffay. &>t ot art* ir\tiovt iytvorro, fo-Qorro ol in 

 riav wvpyuv <pv\aKts- Kart0a\t ydp rtt ruv nAarcua-x dja-iAa^- 

 0av6fttvot awb ruv iwd\twv Ktpa^iSa, ri wtffovtra. oovwov twoiriat. 

 Kal aurixa POT] %v, rb 8t ffrparo-wt&ov iwl rb rtl)(ot tpnnfftr ou 

 yap tiSfi o n rjf rb tiuvbv ffKortiyr)t rvitrbt Kal xtiiuavot orror, 

 Kal a/ua o tv rfj ToAct ray ll\araia>v vwo\t Atft^xVot i^tKBovrtt 

 wpoo-ffta\ov r$ rtlx.fi rwv lit \oirovtrr\aitav ite. roCft.wa\iy 9 ^ ol 

 aVSpts avruv uwfptftaivov, owtat ffKiffra wpbt avrovt rbv roCr 

 f-Xoitv. tQopuf&ovvro fjitv ovv Kara Ywpay uttfoyrtt QojiQttv ot 

 ouStlt cToA/xa in rf)s iavruf <t>v\ax^t, oAA" iv awoptf fifrav ftxdVat 

 rJ) ytyvofifvov. Kal ol rptaKOfftoi avruv, olt irirojcro vapa/3or/0ir 

 t Tt ocot, txpypow to) rov Tctyoi/s wpbt ri)it fbor\v. Apvtcroi^ rt 

 ypovro t j TO j Qrjfias wo\t'/j.ioi' wapa*io~xov '" 8i (cal ot /c TT) j ir6\g; 

 IlAaTatTJl OT(5 row Tf t'xouj ippvKrovs iroAAouj wportpov waptaitfvaa- 

 fjitvovt ft avrb rovro, owvs atra^i) 13 TO (TTj/ucTo T^J Qputcrupiat rott 

 iro\t/jLioit j; Kat ^tTj fioriOoifv, &AAo Tt vou.io~a.yrtt rb yiyvofitvov 

 tlvai ij rb &p, irpit' o-^cSj/ ot &f8p of lidircr Staipvyoitv KCU roi 



NOTES. 



1. Avror r> dat. of the agent. After they had mide their preparation*. 



2. Aatfuvrcf, having escaped the tentinelt' notice. 



3. 'Avci TO <rKOTeiv6i>, through the darkness, or rather, amid the darbua. 

 AVTK refers to the sentinels. 



4. Ov naraxooirdtiTui/, genitire absolute agreeing with ovrwr, and not 

 hearing them, at the noite of the wind drowned the clatter of their approach. 

 tixjxa, dat., is governad by am in tarngmHfftSnmt, the wind roaring m 

 oppontion to the noise. Avruvr goes with vpo^itvai, and the joint phrase 

 is used as a substantive ; in rov wpo*t*at avrovt being equivalent to ea 



5. AifxoT" *o\i, L-eeptng teid apart. 



6. 'A<rf>u\<iac *VCKU. The left was shod to prevent its slippin? in the 

 mud (1) as being the weakest; (2) because he who is going to strike 

 with his right arm wants a firm purchase for his left foot. 



7. Merairvp7<ov is the spaae in the enemy's wall between two of the 

 towers (M^Ta-rup7ot) that were erected at regular intervals upon it. 



8. ^uiactv, to give them into their hand. 



9. 'Ex tovnira\t, on the tide oppotite to that on which Ouir comrade wen 

 climbing. 



10. 'Edopvftovrro pi* oi', they caught th alarm, it it true, and rtm*i*ed in 

 their ttationa. 



11. <t>pmcroi TO\C'MIO<, beacons vere raited by the enemy to give the alarm 

 at Thebet. 



12. iiapu<rxo, held up to counteract them. 



13. 'A<ra<pn. The object was to confuse the friends of the bosimen by 

 raising a duplicate signal. 



11. tjflonOolef. The reason for this change of mood appears to be 

 that the first is intended to express the imnudiaU, the second suggests 

 the mor remote consequence. 



The following extract is a part of the funeral speech delivered 

 by Pericles, the greatest of Athenian statesmen, over the bodies 

 of those who had fallen in the service of their country in the 

 war of the previous year. The passage may be thus para- 

 phrased : Athens, as a nation, is the school of Greece, and her 

 citizens are more accomplished than those of any other country. 

 This is not an idle boast, bat is a fact which experience prorcs. 

 Every land feels the greatness of her powers, and the best 

 evidence of this is found in the fear or the gratitude of the rest 



