52 ® ATT 
confternation among the Syracufans, who immediately ap- 
plied themfelves, with the utmoft diligence, to make the 
neceffary preparations for repelling the attack of the ene¬ 
my. The backwardnefs of Nicias contributed' not a little 
to revive the courage of the Syracufans; a party of whofe 
horfe approached to the very fkirtsof the Athenian camp. 
Nicias, not daring to difembark his troops in the face of an 
enemy prepared to receive them, procured falfe intelli¬ 
gence to be conveyed to the Syracufans, who in confe- 
quence thereof, hoping to furprife his camp, marched all 
their forces towards Catana. But Nicias, in the mean 
time, reimbarked his men, and, failing towards the neigh¬ 
bourhood of Syracnfe, effected a landing at Olympia, and 
there pitched his camp. 
The Syracufan troops, finding themfelves deceived, re¬ 
turned to Syracnfe, and drew themfelves up in battle or¬ 
der before the walls of the city. Nicias did not decline 
the combat, which proved long and obllinate. The Sy¬ 
racufans, however, were at laft obliged to give ground, 
and under cover of their cavalry to retreat into the city. 
The. Athenians, being too weak to attack the city, failed 
back to Catana, where they took up their winter-quarters, 
intending to return to Syracnfe in the fpring. But, being 
in want both of money and provifions, they font to Athens 
for both. The Syracufens, in the mean time, acquiring 
frefh courage, chofe for "teir general Hermocrates, a man 
of diftiriguiHied bravery, and very (kilful in the art of war. 
By his advice, they difpatched ambaftadors to Corinth and 
Sparta to renew their former alliances, and to beg aftilt- 
ance; which accordingly they obtained. Alcibiades, who 
was then at Sparta, meditating vengeance againft his un¬ 
grateful countrymen, fupported the requeft of the Syra¬ 
cufans, and p'erfuaded the Lacedemonians to fend Gylip- 
pus as general into Sicily, and, at the fame time, to make 
a diverfion to the Athenian arms, by attacking them in 
Attica. The Syracufans, in the mean time, were dili¬ 
gently fortifying their city. They raifed a wall along one 
fide of the fuburb of Epipolis, and, getting intelligence 
that the Athenians were at Naxus, ordered their army to 
march and burn the Athenian camp at Catana. 
Nicias, having received 300 talents, and a reinforcement 
of feme troops of horfe, advanced towards Syracnfe. 
Though this general was very flow in entering upon ac¬ 
tion, yet, when once in motion, he proceeded with much 
fpirit and diligence. Sailing from Catana, he arrived with¬ 
in lefs than a mile of Epipolis; and, having there landed 
his forces, he retired with the fleet towards Thapfus, a 
part of Syracnfe that forms a peninfula, of which he flint 
up the entry. A body of Syracufans, to the number of 
700 men, having attacked the Athenians, were repul fed, 
after lofing 300 of their number on the fpot. The victors 
ereCted a trophy, and formed the defign of throwing up 
a fortification on the higheft part of the Epipolis. Nicias, 
at the fame time, received a reinforcement of 300 horfe 
from the Egiftians, which, joined to 250 lately fent him 
from Athens, and the few he had before, formed all toge¬ 
ther a body of 650 cavalry. Encouraged by this afliflance, 
he raifed a line of circumvallation on the Tyche fide, to 
fhut up the city all the way from Tyche to the fea on the 
north. This work advanced very brifkly, in fpite of the 
repeated attacks made by the Syracufans, in one of which 
their cavalry was routed. The Syracufans, on the other 
hand, began to ereCt a fortification that might prevent the 
Athenians from carrying on their line of circumvallation. 
But the Athenians attacked thofe who guarded it, purfued 
them into the city, and then deftroyed the fortification. 
Having completed the line along the north fide, the Athe¬ 
nians proceeded to conftruCt another that might complete¬ 
ly (hut up the city. The Syracufans, to prevent their ex¬ 
tending this fecond wall to the fea.fide, threw up a ditch 
acrofs a marfli, and lined it with pallifadoes; but the A- 
thenians, defeending fuddenly from Epipolis, filled up the 
ditch. On this occafion they had an engagement with the 
Syracufans, in which they were at firft fuccefsful; but, in 
attempting to cut off the flight of fche enemy, their right 
I C A. 
wing was charged by the Syracufan cavalry, and thrown 
into diferder; and Lantachus, advancing to its afliflance 
with the Argive auxiliaries, was killed. The Syracufans, 
animated by this advantage, determined to attack the 
Athenian fort on Epipolis. But Nicias, though then fick, 
faved it by a flratagem ; giving orders to fet the wood be¬ 
tween the entrenchments on fire ; the flames of which de¬ 
terred the Syracufans from their enterprife. 
In the mean time, the Athenian fleer, which lay at an¬ 
chor at Thapfus, having received orders to come before 
the city, entered the large harbour, and obliged the Syra¬ 
cufans to fhut themfelves up within the walls. The Athe¬ 
nians, not fatisned with their fortifications on the top of 
Epipolis, threyv up two walls at the bottom of it, one for 
a defence againft the Syracufans within the city, and the 
other againft their army, which was encamped without the 
walls. When all thefe works were completed, Nicias en¬ 
tertained the moft fanguine hopes of taking Syracnfe; and 
his expectations were confirmed on his being joined by fc- 
veral of the Hates of Sicily, and receiving a frefh fupply 
of provifions. The Syracufans now looked upon them¬ 
felves as loft ; and a rumour prevailed, that the Athenians 
were become mafters of the whole ifland. But the arri¬ 
val of Gylippus, with fuccours from Lacedemon, gave a 
new turn to their affairs. 
Nicias, from too great a confidence in his own ftrength, 
was not at all alarmed at his arrival, nor took any trouble 
to oppofe his landing. The event, however, was deci- 
five; for Syracnfe was capable of making no farther re- 
fiftance, and its citizens were confulting about the articles 
of capitulation, when they received notice, that Gylippus 
was come to their affiftance with feveral galleys. They 
immediately fent out a body of troops to cover his land¬ 
ing; which was no feoner effected, than they advanced in 
order of battle towards Epipolis. The Athenians, tho’ 
taken unprepared, made difpofitions for fighting; but, in 
their confufion, Gylippus attacked the fortification on the 
top of Epipolis, and carried it by affault. Nicias’s Whole 
hope being now confined to his naval force, he thought it 
neceffary to fortify the promontory of Plemmyrus, which 
narrows the entrance into the great harbour, and for that 
purpofe ereCted on it three different forts. But a large 
detachment of his foldiers and failors, haying gone in queft 
of wood and water, were intercepted by the enemy's horfe. 
Gylippus, on his part, completed the fortification which 
had been begun by the Syracufans; and daily offered bat¬ 
tle to the Athenians. He was beaten in the firft engage¬ 
ment, chiefly on account of the narrownefs of his ground. 
But, having next day drawn up his men on a more exten- 
five fpot, he charged the left wing of the Athenian army, 
broke them, and purfued them to their camp. This fuc- 
cefs raifed the courage of the Syracufans, whofe horfe fal- 
lied out upon the enemy, and took feveral prifoners. Af¬ 
ter this victory, they fitted out feme galleys, and fent to 
Lacedemon and Corinth to implore frefh fuccours. 
Nicias, finding his troops diminifliing every day, wrote 
to Athens a very prefling letter, in which he pathetically 
deferibed the ruinous condition of his galleys, and the 
alarming decreafe both of his failors and foldiers by mor¬ 
tality, and by the ufual operations of war ; the latter chief¬ 
ly occafioned by the fuperiority of the enemy’s cavalry. 
He likewife informed his countrymen, that Gylippus was 
employing every artifice to unite againft them all the ftates 
of the ifland : and he concluded with intreating them ei¬ 
ther to recal him, or to fend out anotlver armament as pow¬ 
erful as the firft, with money and provifions in proportion; 
and, in any event, to look out for a fucceffor to him in the 
command, his infirmities incapacitating him to difeharge 
that duty any longer. This letter fpread an univerfal de¬ 
jection over Athens. After feveral deliberations, they 
appointed two officers, Menander and Euthydemus, as af- 
fiftants only to Nicias, not to fuperfede him in the com¬ 
mand ; and other two, Eurymedon and Demofthenes, 
to fupply the place of Lamachus. Eurymedon fet out 
before the reft with ten galleys, and feme money. 
The 
