ATT 
nians, to require them to relinquifli their pretentions. But 
the Athenians commanded the meflenger to retire, with¬ 
out deigning even to give him an audience. The Lace¬ 
demonians thereupon advanced towards Attica with an ar¬ 
my of 60,000 men, while that of the Athenians amounted 
to no more than 18,000; but, to makeup the odds, the 
latter had a fleet of 300 galleys. On the approach of the 
Lacedemonian army, the inhabitants of the country aban¬ 
doned their habitations, and, carrying away every thing 
they could, took refuge in Athens. 
The plan of operations purfued at this time by the Athe¬ 
nians, on the fuggeftion of Pericles, was, to weary out 
the enemy, by protracting the war. The Lacedemonians, 
entering Attica, laid fiege to Enoe. But being obliged, 
after a few fruitlefs affaults, to relinquifli that attempt, 
they advanced flill nearer to Athens, and encamped within 
half a league of the city. Pericles, unwilling, while fo 
much inferior in point of numbers, to hazard the fate of 
the republic in a general battle, found it difficult to pre¬ 
vent the Athenians, exafperated at the tight of the ravages 
committed on their country, from tallying forth upon the 
enemy. But, by means of his admirable art in managing 
the multitude, he kept both the fenate and people from 
affiembling to deliberate, though at the expence of num- 
berlefs intuits from his enemies; in fpite of which he per- 
fitted in his plan, unmoved either by threats or intreaties. 
In the mean time he difpatched a fleet of 100 thips to ra¬ 
vage the coaftsof the Peloponnefe; which, being joined by 
that of the allies, made a defcent upon Laconia, and laid 
watte the territory of Sparta. The Lacedemonians, find¬ 
ing all their endeavours to draw the Athenians out of their 
city ineffectual, and receiving intelligence of the ravages 
committed in Laconia by the Athenian fleet, found them- 
felves under the necetlity of withdrawing from Attica. 
On the fetting out of the expedition againtt the coaff of 
Laconia, an extraordinary eclipfe of the fun happened, 
juft as Pericles was going on board his galley. Pericles 
perceiving the Athenians to be terrified at this phenome¬ 
non, which they confidered as an unlucky prefage, threw 
his cloak over the face of the pilot, and atked him if he 
faw ? The pilot having anfwered in the negative, Pericles 
explained to the by-ftanders, that the body of the moon, 
being in like manner interpofed at that inftant between 
their light and the fun, prevented them from feeing his 
light. When the Lacedemonians retired out of Attica, 
the Athenians appropriated 100 talents of money, and 100 
of their bell fliips, for the more immediate defence of their 
country in cafe of a freffi invafion, prohibiting any per- 
fon, under pain of death, from propoling a different ap¬ 
plication of thofe refources. They then expelled from 
the ifland of Egina its inhabitants, whom they regarded 
as the principal cattle of the war; and they divided that 
ifland by lot among the citizens of Athens. They made 
an alliance with the kings of Macedon and Thrace ; fub- 
dued the ifland of Cephalonia; laid wade the territory of 
Megara ; and took the harbour of Nifeum. This con¬ 
cluded the firti campaign. 
The Athenians next celebrated funeral rites to the me¬ 
mory of thole w ho had fallen lince the beginning of the 
war. For this purpofe, a large tent was conftrudted, 
wherein they expofed the bones of the (lain, .which were 
covered with flowers and perfumes thrown on them by 
thofe that Went to tee them. Then the bones were car¬ 
ried with much pomp and folenmity to a fuburb of the 
city called Ceramicus, where they w'ere depofited in a 
monument deftined to be the tomb of thofe who fell in 
war. And laftly, one of the citizens pronounced a fune¬ 
ral oration in their praife; a charge which on this occalion 
was undertaken by Pericles himfelf. Though always fu- 
perlatively eloquent, he at this time feemed to outdo him¬ 
felf ; and iiv pronouncing the eulogium of thofe who were 
no more, he omitted no argument that might inflame the 
courage of thofe who remained. Thucydides has preferv- 
ed this famous oration, of which the beautiful expreffions 
and lofty fentiments are equally admired. 
The army of the Lacedemonians, and their allies, re¬ 
turned into Attica, and laid every thing watle with fire 
and Avoid. But the plague which then raged among the 
Athenians, was dill more pernicious to them, depriving 
them ot their beft citizens and braved foldiers ; and A r 
thens exhibited nothing but a melancholy fcene of ficknefs 
and death. From remote!! antiquity down to the prefent 
times, Egypt has been noted as the unlucky region where 
this fatal fcourge of the human race has been generated : 
and the plague which now defolated the city of Athens is 
particularly mentioned as having proceeded from the banks 
of the Nile. Thucydides, who was himfelf feized by this 
plague, has given a defcription of it. Some authors 
write, that Hippocrates, the famous father of the healing 
art, who was a native of Cos, having been Cent for by the 
Athenians, employed every relource of phytic to flop the 
infection. As the fame plague w’as then raging in Pertia, 
where Greek phyficians were in high eftimation, Artax- 
erxes hoped to prevail on Hippocrates, by the mod fplen- 
did offers, to come to his court. But all his promifes were 
ineffectual. For that celebrated phyfician, polfeffing a 
foul that looked on-gold with contempt, anfwered the 
Perfian monarch, That his (kill and care were devoted to 
the relief of his fellow-citizens, not of the enemies of 
Greece; and, without regarding the refentment denounc¬ 
ed againtt him and his country by that prince, continued 
in Athens till the plague had entirely ceafed. The Athe¬ 
nians, as a reward for his ufefiil care, pretented him with 
the freedom of their city, affigned himahandfome main¬ 
tenance for life in the Prytaneum, and gave him a crown 
of gold, of the value of 200I. ftei'ling. 
Pericles, in the mean time, tent out a detachment of 
4000 foot, and 300 horfe, on-board a fleet of 100 galleys, 
with orders to ravage the Peloponnefe. This divertion 
obliged the Peloponnetians to return home to the delence 
of their own country. But the Athenians, diftrelied by 
the watte committed on their territories by the enemy, 
murmured bitterly at the conduct of Pericles, and font 
piopofals of peace to Sparta. The Lacedemonians hav¬ 
ing refufed to hearken to any accommodation, the com¬ 
plaints were renewed againtt Pericles, who at lull affetn- 
bled the people, and endeavoured to juftify his meafures. 
But their prefent fufferings out-weighed his eloquence ; 
and they not only deprived him of all power, but likewife 
impofed on him a heavy fine. Nor were the dittrelfesof that 
great man confined to his public ftation alone. They were 
heightened by others of a domeltic nature. HisVovvn fon 
Xantippus, a young man of an expenfive turn, unable to 
bear the ftridt economy of his father, was the firtt to com¬ 
plain of his conduct; as if it were not the duty of a fon 
to fubmit with patience to the meafures of his father, 
even although he fhould carry his frugality to an ex¬ 
treme. Pericles had the misfortune to lofe this fon, with 
feveral others of his relations and friends, by the plague. 
But,amidft all his afflictions,his fortitude neverforfook him. 
The Athenians beginning to be hardened by their fuf¬ 
ferings, repented of their fevere treatment of Pericles; 
and finding by experience, that they had no other perlon 
capable of directing their affairs, they intreated him once 
more to ttep forth and undertake the adminiftration. Po- 
tidea, in the mean time, unable any longer to fupport the 
miferies of famine, which had produced the molt dread¬ 
ful calamities among its inhabitants, was obliged to fur- 
render. Its few remaining citizens were forced to aban¬ 
don it for ever; and the place was repeopled with Athe¬ 
nians. About this time the Athenians, to repair the de- 
vaftations occafioned by the plague, palled a law, allowing 
all the male citizens to marry each two wives. Socrates is 
faid to have been the firtt who took the benefit of this law. 
The Peloponnetians, about this time, inverted Platea, 
a city in alliance with Athens. This fiege is not only re¬ 
markable for the obftinate reliftance of the befieged, but 
for being the firtt recorded in hittory which was conducted 
with any fort of regularity. Both parties here made life 
of mounds of earth, the one to attack, the other to de¬ 
fends 
