A T T I 
fuggefted and executed by defpair. The remaining half, 
difmayed at the dangers attending the attempt, continued 
in the town. But, finding themfelves unable to defend it 
any longer, they were at laft obliged to furrender at dif- 
cretion.° Eight Spartans were lent to decide their fate. 
The miferable Plateans pleaded in vain, that they had 
been forced, through necefiity, to fide with the Athenians, 
in order to obtain their protedlion againft the Thebans, by 
whom they were grievoufly oppreffed. They were all 
murdered in cold blood ; their wives were carried into 
flavery ; and their town was razed to the ground. Such 
was the melancholy fate of the Plateans, who, during the 
Perfian war, had rendered the moll important fervices to 
Greece. 
About this time a diffention between the magifirates 
and common people of Corcyra, produced a fhocking maf- 
facre in that place. The people had requefied afiiftance 
of the Athenians ; and the magifirates defired to retain 
them in the interefis of Sparta. But the former, on fee- 
iiyo- fixty Athenian fitips arrive to their liipport, of infolent 
became furious, and falling upon the magifirates and their 
adherents, nothing was to be feen but an univerfal (laugh¬ 
ter; the inhabitants murdering one another even in the 
houfes and temples. 
In the year 426 B.C. the plague broke out afrefii at 
Athens, and carried oft' multitudes. The Lacedemonians 
again invaded Attica, and the Athenians made a defeent 
on the Peloponnnefe. Each campaign was opened in Hits 
manner. The war now proceeded more vigoroully titan 
ever. Demofthenes the Athenian general, being lent with 
thirty fhips to make a defeent on zEtolia, was engaged by 
the .fEtolians, and defeated. In returning home, how¬ 
ever, he threw a reinforcement into Naupadhis, and de¬ 
feated the Ambraciotas. Then, joining his fleet with that 
deftined againft the Peloponnele, he took Pylits, a final 1 
town of Me (Tenia, and there fortified himfelf. The La¬ 
cedemonians, defirous to recover this place, befieged it 
by fea and land, and it became the feene of extraordinary 
feats of bravery. But, the Lacedemonians having thrown 
a detachment of 400 of their bed troops into the little 
ifland of Sphafferia, the Athenians furrounded the ifiand, 
and cut off all figpplies of provifions. The Lacedemo¬ 
nians, anxious to fave thofe troops, were reduced to the 
necefiity of fending ambafiadors to Athens with propofals 
of peace. The ambafiadors frankly owned the extreme 
necefiity that had obliged the Lacedemonians to fubmit to 
fo humiliating a fiep—put the Athenians in mind of the 
uncertain fate of arms, and exhorted them to embrace this 
opportunity of reftoring tranquillity to Greece. But the 
Athenians grown prefumptuous by their good fortune, 
as well as by the flattering orations of their favourite de¬ 
magogue Cleon, required, as a preliminary condition, 
that the troops confined in the ifiand fliould lay down their 
arms, and be conduced to Athens, upon the promife of 
the Athenians to fet them at liberty as foon as the La¬ 
cedemonians had delivered up the places conquered by 
them from the Athenians. The Lacedemonians refufing 
to comply with this condition, both parties prepared again 
for war. 
The Athenians, in the mean time, were very vigilant 
to prevent any provifions from pafling into the ifiand of 
Sphafleria. The Lacedemonians, on the other hand, en¬ 
gaged the whole country round to contribute their utmoft 
efforts to relieve the befieged troops, and promifed to fet 
free all the (laves who fliould fucceed in carrying them 
provifions ; which many did, at the extreme hazard of 
their lives. In the mean time, the Athenians in Pylus 
began, on their part, to be ftraitened for provifions. Cleon 
perfuaded the people, that the (lownefs of the fiege was 
owing to the inactivity of their commanders; and main¬ 
tained, that a little vigour niuft very foon reduce the ifiand, 
which he offered to accomplifh himfelf. Having been 
accordingly fent thither, and having joined Demofthenes, 
they landed together in Sphadteria, and beat the enemy to 
the extremity of the ifiand. The Lacedemonians, how- 
Vol. II. No. 86. 
c A. $17 
ever, took poffeflion of a fortification, and defended, with 
the molt defperate courage, the only pafi'age by which 
they could be attacked. But tire general of the Mcfi'e- 
nians, having difeovered a difficult- pafs that led to the for¬ 
tification, marched that way, and, appearing unexpectedly 
on the rear of the Lacedemonians, called aloud to them 
to lay down their arms. The Lacedemonians, exhaufted 
with heat and fatigue, obeyed the fummons, by laying 
their fiiields on the ground ; and, after a (liort conference, 
they furrendered at diferetion. The Athenians, after 
ereCting a trophy, reimbarked on-board their fleet. This 
fiege continued (ixty-two days. Cleon is (aid to have 
caufed 128 of thofe unhappy Spartans to be murdered. 
The reft were conveyed to Athens, and thrown into pri- 
(on till peace fliould take place; the Athenians threaten¬ 
ing, at the fame time, to put them all to death, if the La¬ 
cedemonians made any more incurfions into their country. 
Nicias, being cliofen one of the Athenian commanders, 
reduced the ifiands of Cythera and Thyrea, and extermi¬ 
nated all the Eginetae who had taken refuge there. Tliefe 
Eginetse were the profeffed and inveterate enemies of the 
Athenians. The war of Sicily now begins. It was occa- 
fioned by a difpute between the cities of Syraciife and 
Leontium ; the latter of which, having procured the fup- 
port of the Athenians, prevailed with them to fend out 
a fleet of twenty (hips to their affiftance. But, in the 
mean time, the Greeks of Sicily grow ing jealous of tiie 
Athenians, whom they fufpeCted of a defign to make them- 
felves matters of the ifiand under the pretence of affifting 
one of the parties, made peace with each other. The fe- 
dition of Megara happened next. The inhabitants of 
that town, after expelling their magifirates, quarrelled 
among themfelves, one party being for recalling their ma¬ 
gifirates, the other for delivering their town into the hands 
of the Athenians. Brafidas, in the mean time, the bed 
officer the Lacedemonians then had, having come before 
Megara, its gates were immediately thrown open to him. 
The exiled magifirates returning foon after, and refuming 
their authority, condemned to death 100 inhabitants of 
the oppofite faction. Brafidas advanced into Thrace, 
fubdued feveral cities, and laid fiege to Amphipolis, a 
place of much importance to the Athenians, who thence 
got the greateft part of their wood. They therefore dif- 
patched Thucydides, the famous hiftorian, to its relief; 
but the place was taken before his arrival. His country¬ 
men, however, imputed to him the lofs of the place, and 
bani(lied him at the inftigation of Cleon. The Athenians 
having about the fame time advanced into Boeotia, under 
the command of Demofthenes and Hippocrates, were de¬ 
feated near Delium by the Thebans; who, after their 
victory, befieged and took the town. 
No decifive advantage had been hitherto obtained by 
either party. The Athenians and Lacedemonians, there¬ 
fore, agreed on a truce for a year; which Brafidas, who 
had been fuccefsful in all his enterprizes, bore with great 
impatience. Cleon, on the other hand, who had acquired 
much authority in Athens, by means of his bold and ve¬ 
hement eloquence, incited his countrymen to refume the 
war. Being more prefumptuous than (kilful in,military 
operations, he refolved to attempt the retaking of Amphi¬ 
polis, hoping to be afiified by a body of troops from Per- 
diccas king of Macedon. But Brafidas got the ftart of 
him, and threw himfelf into the town. To increafe the 
prefufnption of Cleon, the Spartan general, who was well 
acquainted with his character, ufteCted to be afraid to en¬ 
counter him. But, after making the proper difpofitions, 
Brafidas fallied forth unexpectedly, and attacked the left 
wing of the Athenians, which, being the flower of their 
army, made a vigorous refiflance. Bralidas, however, at 
laft broke them, and killed 600 of them, with very little 
lofs on his own fide. This attack difconccvted and ter¬ 
rified Cleon, who was killed by a Spartan foldier as he was 
flying from the battle. Brafidas -was of the number of 
the (lain on the fide of the Lacedemonians. He was an 
excellent officer, equally brave and prudent, and deferves 
6 Q., to 
