G R E 
in money, in cavalry, and in arms 5 of all which the 
Lacedaemonians were deftitiite, or, at leafl, but feebly 
provided. Whatever provocation, therefore, they had 
received, they ought in prudence to difTemble their re- 
fentment, until they could eft'edlually exert their ven¬ 
geance. Had this moderate language made any impref- 
fion on the alTembly, it would have been fpeedily obli- 
terated by the blunt boldnefs of Sthenelaides, one of 
theephori, who clofed the debate. “ Men of Sparta ! 
Of the coiidudt ot the Athenians I underftand not the 
drift. If we w'ould maintain our charadler, we muft 
not overlook their injuftice. have Ihips, nioney, 
and horles; but zue have good allies, whofe interells we 
mufl not abandon. Why do we deliberate, while our 
enemies are in arms ? Let us take the field, w'lth fpeed, 
and fight with all our might.” Tlie acclamations of 
the people follow’cd, and war was refolved. 
This refolution was taken in the fourteenth year after 
the conclulion of the thirty years’ peace, and in the 
year before Chrill 431 ; but near a twelvemonth elapfed 
before the proper meafures for invading Attica could 
be finally adjulled among the difcordant members of fo 
numerous a confederacy. It confifled of all the feven 
republics of the Peloponnefus, except Argos and Achaia, 
the firft of w'hich from ambition, and the fecond per¬ 
haps from moderation, preferved, in the beginning of 
the war, a lufpicious neutrality. Of the nine northern 
republics, Acarnania alone declined joining the allies, 
its coafl being particularly expofed to the ravages of 
the Corcyrean fleets. The cities of Naupadfus and 
Plat;ea, were totally devoted to their Athenian protec¬ 
tors ; whofe caufe was likewife embraced by feveral 
princes of Thelfaly. But all the other ftates beyond 
the ifthinus refolved to follow the ftandard of Sparta, 
and to humble the afpiring ambition of their powerful 
neighbour. 
The reprefentatives of thefe various communities 
having, according to the received pradtice of Greece, 
aflembled in the principal city of the confederacy, were 
ftrongly encouraged by the Corinthians, who, as their 
colony of Potidaea was clofely belieged, laboured to ac¬ 
celerate reprifals on Attica, by exhibiting the mofbad- 
vantageoLis profpedt of the approaching war. In order 
to gain time, however, for fettling all matters among 
themfelves, the confederates difpatched to Athens va¬ 
rious overtures of accommodation, which they well 
knew would be indignantly rejeiSted. In each embafly 
they rofe in their demands, fucceflively requiring the 
Athenians to raife the liege of Potidasa ; to repeal their 
prohibitory decree againll Megara ; to withdraw their 
garrifon from iEgina ; in fine, to declare the indepen¬ 
dence of tJieir colonies. Thele demands were heard at 
Athens with a mixture of rage and terror. The capri¬ 
cious multitude, w'ho had hitherto approved and ad¬ 
mired the alpinng views of Pericles, now trembled on 
the brink of the precipice to which he liad condudfed 
them. I'hey had hitherto puflied the fiege of Potidtea 
with great vigour, but without any near profpedt of 
fuccefs. They mult now' contend with a numerous con¬ 
federacy, expofe their boalted grandeur to the doubt, 
fill chance of war, and exchange the amulements and 
pleafures of the city for the toils and hardlhips of a 
camp. Of thefe difeontented murmurs, the rivals and 
enemies of Pericles greedily availed themfelves to tra¬ 
duce the charadter and adntiniflration of that illultrious 
llatefman. Diopeithes, Dracontides, and other dema¬ 
gogues, derided the folly of taking arms on every frivo¬ 
lous pretence ; and, prepar.itory to the impeachment of 
Pericles, the courts of juftice were fatigued with profe- 
cutions of his faithful friends. 
The accufation of Pericles himfelf foon followed. 
He was reproached with embezzling the public trea- 
fure ; but, on this occafion, plain fadts confounded the 
artifices of his enemies. It was proved, that his pri¬ 
vate expences were jufliy proportioned to the meafure 
VoL.VlIl. No. 551, 
E C E. 873 
of his patrimony ; many inflances were brought of his 
generous contempt of wealth in the fervice of his coun¬ 
try ; and it appeared, after the flridleft examination, 
that his fortune had not inere^fed fince he was intrufted 
with the exchequer. This honourable difplay of un- 
fliaken probity, which had ever formed the bafis of the 
authority of Pericles, again reconciled to him the affec¬ 
tions of his countrymen, and gave irref ftil ie force to 
tliat famous and fatal fpeech, which unalterably deter- 
mined the war of Peloponnefus. 
“ Often have I declared, Athenians ! that we mtifl 
not obey the unjufi commands of our enem es. I am 
Hill firmly of that mind, convinced as I am of the dan¬ 
gerous viciflitudes of war and fortune ; and that human 
hopes, defigns, and puiTuits, are all fleeting and falla¬ 
cious. Yet, in the prefent crifis, ncceftity and glory 
fhould alike fix us to this immoveable refoluiion. The 
decree againfl: Megara, wliich the embafly required us 
to repeal, is not the caufe of that hoftile jealouf'y which 
has long fecretly envied our greatnefs, and v/hicli has 
now more openly confpired our defirudfion. Yet that 
decree, of which fome men have fpoken fo lightly, in¬ 
volved the honour of our councils and the flabiliiy of 
our empire. By pufillanimoufly repealing it, we fliould 
have emboldened that malignant enmity, whicli, not- 
with/Ianding our proper firmnefs in the firfl inflance,. 
has yet fucceflively rifen to higher and more arbitrary 
demands; demands which merit to be anfwered, not by 
embaflies, but by arms. 
“The flourilhing refources, and adlual ftrength, of 
the republic, afford us the moft flattering prof'pedl: of 
military fucceT. Impregnably fortified by land, our 
fliores are defended by three hundred gallies ; befides 
a body of cavalry, to the number of twelve hundred, 
together with two thoufand archers, we can immedi¬ 
ately take the field with thirteen tlioufand pikemen, 
witiiout draining our foreign garrifons, or diininifliing 
the complete number of fixteen thoufand men who de¬ 
fend the walls and fortreffes in Attica. The wealtliy 
fea-ports of Thrace and Macedon ; the floiirifliing colo¬ 
nies of Ionia, Eolia, and Doria; in a word, the whole 
extenfive coafl: of the Aflatic peninfula, acknowledge, 
by annual contributions, the fovereigniy of our guar¬ 
dian navy, whole ftrengtli is increafed by tiie fliips of 
Chios, Lefbos, and Corcyra, while the fmaller iflands 
furnifh us, according to their ability, with money and 
troops. Athens thus reigns queen of a thoufand tri¬ 
butary republics ; and notwithfianding the expences in¬ 
curred by the fiege of Potidaea, and the arcliitedlural 
ornaments of the city, fhe polfelfes fix thoufand talents 
in her treafury. 
“ The fituation of our enemies is totally the reverfe. 
Animated by rage, and emboldened by numbers, they 
may be rouf’ed to a tranfient defultory aflault ; but del- 
titute of refources, and divided in interefls, they are to¬ 
tally incapable of any fleady perfevering exertion. 
With fixty thoufand men they may enter Attica ; and 
if oar unfeafonable courage gives them an opportunity, 
may win a battle; but unlefs our rafli imprudence allifls 
and enables them, they cannot poflibly profecute a fuc- 
cefsful war. Indeed, Athenians! I dread lefs the power 
of the enemy, than your own ungovernable fpirit. In- 
flead of being feduced from your fecurity, by a vain 
defire to defend, againfl: fuperior numbers, your planta¬ 
tions and villas in the open country, you ought to de- 
ftroy thofe fuperfluous pofleflions with your own hands. 
To you, who receive the conveniences of life from fo 
many diftant dependencies, the devaflation of Attica is 
a matter of fmall moment; but how can your enemies 
repair, how can they fiirvive, the devaflation of the Pe¬ 
loponnefus ? How can they prevent, or remedy, this 
fatal, this intolerable, calamity, while the fquadrons of 
Athens command the furrounding leas ? If thefe conli- 
derations be allowed their full weight ; if real'on, not 
paflion, conduits the war ; it leems fcarcely in the 
10 N powee 
