S 22 ATT 
Athenians ftill endeavoured to break the chain, and their 
enemies to defend it. At laft, however, after a very long 
and obftinate conteft, the Athenian fleet was driven on- 
fliore by the enemy, and vidtory declared in favour of the 
Syracufans. The unfortunate Athenians, not daring to 
attempt the paffage a 'fecond time, had now no other re- 
fource left, than to retreat in the night by land, and to 
abandon their fleet to the enemy. Harmocrates gueffed 
their delign, and procured falfe intelligence to be convey¬ 
ed to Nicias, of the enemy having feized the paffes. The 
Athenians, therefore, inftead of fetting out in the night, 
delayed their march till the fecond day after; fo that in 
the interval the Syracufans had time really to poffefs them- 
felves of the moft difficult paffes, to break down the brid¬ 
ges, and to pod their cavalry along the plain. 
The departure of the Athenians exhibited one of the 
moft melancholy fcenes that can well be imagined; being 
obliged to leave behind them their tick and wounded, who 
conjured them by every tender name to carry them with 
them, and called on the gods to witnefs the cruelty of their 
fellow-foldiers. Terror appeared in every countenance. 
Nicias, though worn out with licknefs, and deprived of 
common necelfaries, exerted his utmoft efforts to keep up 
their drooping fpirits ; telling them that they were ftill for¬ 
midable by their numbers, and that fortune muft at laft 
ceafe to perfecute them. The army was difpofed in two 
different columns; and the retreat was at firft conducted 
with pretty good order. But, being able to difcover no 
free paflage, the troops were continually galled by the Sy- 
racufan cavalry. Their provilions failing in the mean 
time, they altered their plan, and refolved to march in the 
night. This expedient proved fatal to them. For one 
half of the rear guard, with Demofthenes at their head, 
having loft their way in the dark, v-ere next day overtaken 
by the Syracufans, who furrounded and attacked them in 
a narrow defile. The Athenians, however, defended them- 
felves with the moft defperate bravery, till, exhaufted with 
hunger and fatigue, they were at length compelled to fur- 
jender at difcretion, together with Demofthenes their com¬ 
mander, though amounting ftill to about 6000 men. 
Nicias, after palling a river, and encamping on a riling 
ground, was likewife overtaken by the enemy, who order¬ 
ed him to lay down his arms. In this fituation he offered 
to deliver them hoftages, as a fecurity for his repaying them 
all the expences they had incurred by the war, provided 
they would permit him and his men to depart from Sicily. 
The Syracufans rejected his propofals, and immediately 
attacked his troops, who ftill defended themfelves with 
great bravery- Arriving at laft at the river Affinarus, his 
fbldiers, half dead with thirft, greedily plunged into it to 
drink. But the Syracufans, immediately renewing the at¬ 
tack, entered the river along with the Athenians, and cut 
them off w hile quenching their thirft. Nicias, feeing this 
daughter, agreed to furrender himfelf to Gylippus, if he 
would fpare the reft of his men. They were accordingly 
all taken prifoners, and conducted into the city in triumph. 
This happened in 413 B. C. 
Next day the Syracufans deliberated about the fate of the 
prifoners., and their two commanders. Diodes advifed to 
confine the other prifoners in the public prifons, and to 
put the two generals to death. This laft article (hocked 
the wiferpartof the citizens extremely ; and one of them, 
named Nickolaus , a venerable old man, mounting the fpeak- 
er’s place, pronounced a moft pathetic and (enlible fpeech, 
telling his countrymen, that fuch a grofs ad of inhumani¬ 
ty muft make them abhorred and detefted by all nations, 
more efpecially as the gods had already fufficiently punifh- 
ed the Athenians. This fpeech, which was enforced by 
many other powerful arguments, made a great impreffion 
upon the citizens, who feemed to be mercifully difpofed, 
till fome of them, who were more exafperated than the reft 
againft the Athenians by the lofsof children and relations, 
(food up, and reprefented in the ftrongeft colours the num- 
berlefs miferies brought upon their country by the Athe¬ 
nians. The recital of thofe miferies fo inflamed the re- 
1 
I C A. 
fentment of the people, that they jnftantly followed the 
advice of Diodes, and condemned to death the two Athe¬ 
nian commanders; who w’ere executed accordingly. The 
tragical fate of thofe two unhappy generals was commife- 
rated by every moderate perfon, particularly that of Nicias, 
who had always oppofed this fatal expedition. The reft 
of the prifoners were confined in the public prifons, where 
they underwent the cruelleft hardfhips, receiving every 
day a very fmall allowance of only meal and water for fuf- 
tenance. At the end of eight months, they were taken 
out of thofe dungeons, and fold for (laves. 
We may eafily conceive the confternation of the Athe¬ 
nians, when they heard of the miferable event of the Si¬ 
cilian expedition, and the entire ruin both of their army 
and fleet. This unfortunate enterprife gave a fatal blow 
to their power. Never before had they been reduced to 
fo diftrefsful a fituation, without money, without any ar¬ 
my, without a fleet. However, after having vented their 
refentment againft thofe who had been principally inftru- 
mental in engaging them in that expedition, they refumed 
their courage, u(ed every means to procure money, and 
applied themfelves with all poffible diligence to equip a 
new fleet. But their difficulties and misfortunes continued 
to multiply upon them. Their Greek allies, particularly 
thofe of Euboea, Chios, and Lefbos, weary of furnifhing 
contributions to carry on the war, thought this difafter 
prefented them with a favourable opportunity forafferting 
their independency, and throwing oft' the Athenian yoke. 
They applied therefore to the Lacedemonians to take them 
under their protection. But this was not all. Tiffapher- 
nes, the Perfian governor of Lydia and Ionia, provoked at 
the oppofition made by the Athenians to his levying the 
ufual contributions in his province, promifed to furniffi the 
Lacedemonians with the neceffary expences of their war¬ 
like preparations, to incite them to proceed againft the 
Athenians with more diligence and alacrity ; and Pliarna- 
bazus, the Perfian governor of the Hellefpont, made them 
a like offer. Alcibiades, however, perfuaded the Lacede¬ 
monians to rejeCt the propofals of Tifi'aphernes. That fa¬ 
mous Athenian had been long uniformly employed in plot¬ 
ting mifchief againft his countrymen, in revenge of their 
unjuft treatment of him ; and with that view he had made 
a journey to Chios, and had prevailed on feveral cities of 
Ionia to revolt. Nothing was done in Sparta but by the 
interpofition of Alcibiades. But his exorbitant power in 
that city at laft drew upon him the jealoufy of its king Agis, 
and the principal Spartans, who devifed a plan for the de- 
ftruCtion of fo aCtive an adverfary. 
Alcibiades, informed of his danger, fled to Sardis, and 
put himfelf under the protection of Tiffaphernes. His 
engaging manners, and the charms of his converfation, 
foon procured him the friendffiip of that fatrap, who, tho’ 
of a haughty difpofition, freely communicated all his fe- 
crets to Alcibiades. But of what value are wit, bravery, 
and the fined exterior accomplifhments, when they cover 
a bad heart ? Alcibiades, on this occafion, (hewed himfelf 
to be a man of no principle, and void of all affeCtion for 
his country. He advifed Tiffaphernes to keep up the ani- 
mofity between Athens and Sparta, and to affift them 
againft each other, that they might exhauft their refour- 
ces in their mutual deftruCtion, and fo become in the end 
an eafy prey to the Perfian monarch. Tiffaphernes adopt¬ 
ed this plan; and, from that time forward, the Perfians, 
who durft not now attack the Greeks with open force, em¬ 
ployed their money and influence to foment quarrels among 
the different dates; fending confiderable fums fometimes 
to Athens, fometimes to Sparta, as the neceftities of each 
required, to keep the balance even between the two, and 
to enable them to ruin each other. 
The Athenians, hearing of the great credit of Alcibia¬ 
des at the court of Tiffaphernes, repented heartily of their 
harili ufage of him. For, though by means of their fleet 
they had lately been able to reduce the revolted iflands to 
obedience, yet they entertained ftrong apprehenfions of 
TiflapherneSj who was loon to receive 1 jo veffels from 
Phoenicia^ 
