8^6 G R E 
aTiioiinted to eighteen thoufand ; the Athenians were 
little lefs numerous. An engagement enfued, which 
national emulation rendered bloody and obltinate. Be¬ 
fore the battle Pagondas had detached a fmall fquadron 
of horfe, with orders to ride up after the commence¬ 
ment of the action. This (Iratagem was decilive. The 
Athenians, terrified at the fight of a reinforcement, 
which their fears magnified into a new army, were 
thrown into diforder, and put to flight. Approaching 
darknefs faved them from total deftrudtion. They el- 
caped difgracefully into Attica, after leaving in the 
field of battle a thoufand pikemen, with their com¬ 
mander Hippocrates. 
The Athenians had fcarcely time to lament their 
lolfes in Boeotia, when they received intelligence ot a 
calamity in another quarter, equally unexpected, and 
flill more alarming. This event is the more remarka¬ 
ble, becaufe it naturally arofe out of the preceding 
profperity of Athens, and the part misfortunes of Sparta. 
The train of fuccefs which liad attended the arms of 
Nicias and Demofthenes in the eigltth year of the war, 
alarmed the citizens of Olynthus and other places ot 
the Chalcidice, which, having embraced the earliefl; op¬ 
portunity of revolting from the Athenians, now dreaded 
the vengeance of an incenled atid victorious people. 
Every foutherly wind threatened them w’ith the ap¬ 
proach of an Athenian fleet. But, as none of thele 
dreaded dangers were realifed, the inhabitants of the 
Chalcidice gradually refumed courage, put their towns 
in a pofiure of defence, and craved aflittance from their 
Peloponnclian allies. At the fame time Perdiccas, 
king of Macedon, who regarded the Athenians as his 
ancient and natural enemies, font money into the fouth 
of Greece, for the purpole of hiring fddiers, w horn he 
intended to employ in refifting the encroachments of 
that ambitious people. 
Such were the enemies whom Athens had roufed ; 
while the calamities of Sparta prompted her to fupply 
the reinforcement of troops, which Perdiccas and the 
Chalcidians demanded. They lent feven hundred He¬ 
lots to the ftandard of Brafidas, the Spartan chief, w hofe 
merit had recommended him to Perdiccas and the Chal¬ 
cidians, as the general befl; qualified to manage the 
Macedonian war. About a thoufand foldiers where le¬ 
vied in the neighbouring cities of Peloponneftis ; feve- 
ral Spartans cheerfully accompanied a leader wltom 
they admired ; and with this inconliderable force Bra¬ 
fidas undertook an expedition highly important in its 
confequences, and conduced with confummate pru¬ 
dence and bravery. 
Having traverled the friendly countries of Bceotia 
and Phocis, he arrived at the foot of Mount Oeta, and 
penetrated througli the narrow defiles confined between 
that fteep and woody range of hills, and the boilterous 
waves of the Malian gull. The fight of Thermopylae 
animated tlie enthuliafm of the Spartans, and encou¬ 
raged them to force their way through the hoftile plaitis 
ol ThelTaly ; a country adfually torn by domellic. dif- 
cord, but always friendly to the Athenians. The cele¬ 
rity of Brafidas anticipated the flow oppofition of a 
divided enemy. Having reached tiie Macedonian town 
of Dium, he joined forces with Perdiccas, who propofed 
directing the firft operations of the coiiiLined aruiy 
againll Arribaeus, leader of the barbarous Lyncclfae. 
But even this barbarian knew the valour of the Spar¬ 
tans, and the equity of Brafidas. To tiie decifion of 
the Grecian general he lubmitted the dilFerence be¬ 
tween Perdiccas and himfelf, and engaged to abide by 
tlie award, however luif.vourable to tiis interefi. 
Brafidas now hafiened to join the Chalcidians, by 
whom he was received with a degree of joy fuitabie to 
the impatience with wJiich he had been expefted. 
Amkllt the general defection of their neighbours, the 
towhs.of Acanthus and Stagirus ItiU maintained their 
allegiance to Athens. Bralidas appeared before the 
E C E. 
gates of AcantTfus, while the peaceful inhabitants were 
preparing for the labours of the vintage. He fent a 
meflenger, craving leave to enter the place, and to ad- 
drefs the aflTembly. The Acanthians were divided in 
opinion ; but the majority, fearing to expol'e their ripe 
fields and vineyards to the refentment of his army,, 
agreed to admit the general alone and unattended, and 
impartially to weigh whatever he propofed for their 
deliberation. Brafidas, though a Spartan, was an able 
fpeaker. He engaged the Acanthians to accept the 
friendfliip of Sparta. Stagirus, another city on the 
Strymonic gulf, readily followed the example, and 
opened its gates to the deliverer. During the enfuing 
winter, the meafures of the Spartan general were con¬ 
duced with equal ability and enterprife. His fuccefs- 
ful operations againft the inland towns facilitated the 
furrender of fuch places as, by their maritime or infu- 
lar fituation, were mofl: expofed to the vengeance of 
Athens, and therefore molt averfe to revolt. His mo¬ 
derate life of victory enfured the good-will of the yan- 
quirtied. The various parts of a plan, thus artfully 
combined, mutually aliilled each other; the fuccefs of 
one undertaking contributed to that of the next which 
folio-wed it ; and, at length, v/ithout any confiderable 
mifearriage, he had rendered himlelf matter of laott 
places in the peninfulas ol ACta, Sithonia, and Pallene. 
The lofs of Amphipolis was that which molt deeply 
afflicted the Athenians, and which at once fliewed the 
fuperior addrefs and dexterity ot Brafidas. He formed 
a coni piracy with the malcontents iu the place, tkil- 
fully difpoled his army before -.he w .11s, and harangued 
the altembly of the people. A mott tealoriable prompti¬ 
tude difiinguillied all his incafiircs ; yet the Athenian 
Eucleus, who commanded the garritbn, found time to 
fend a velfel to Th.iloi-, requetting immediate and effec¬ 
tual relief. 'I'he Athenians had committed the govern¬ 
ment of that ifland, as well as the direction of ihe mines 
on the oppofite continent, to the celebrated hifiorian of 
a war, in w'hich he was a meritorious, though unfortu¬ 
nate, aCtor. Without a moment’s delay, Thucydides 
put to fea with feven gallies, and'arrived in the mouth 
of the Strymon on the tame day on which his alTiftance 
had been demanded. But it was too late to fave Am¬ 
phipolis. Tlie Spartan general, who had exact infor¬ 
mation of all the meafures of the belieged, well knew 
the importance of anticipating the arrival of Tliucy- 
dides, whofe name was highly refpeifled by the Greek 
colonies in Th.race, and whofe influence was confidera- 
ble among the native barbarians. Brafidas, therefore, 
propofed fuch a capitulation to the Amphipolitans as 
it feemed imprudent to refufe. They were to be re¬ 
leafed from the tribute which they had hitherto paid 
the Athenians ; to enjoy the utmolt degree of political 
independence, not inconlillent with the alliance of 
Sparta ; even the Athenian garrifon, if they continued 
in the place, were to be entitled to all the rights of citi¬ 
zens ; and fuch perfons as cliofe to leave it, were grant¬ 
ed a reafonable time to remove their families and their 
property. The laft condition was embraced by the 
Athenians, and their more determined partizans. T hey 
retired to the neighbouring town of Eion, fituate near 
the fea, on the northern branch of the Strymon ; a 
place lecured againft every lioftile aftault by the Ikill 
and activity of T hucydides. 
Towards the end of winter, the full extent of Brafi- 
das’s fuccefs was made known at Atiiens. The aftem- 
bly was in commotion; and the populace were the 
more enraged at their lolfes, as it now appeared fo eafy 
to have prevented them, either by guarding the narrow 
defiles which led to their Macedonian poireffions, or by 
fending their fleet with a feafonable reinforcement to 
their feeble garrifons in thofe parts. Their own neglect 
had occafioned the public difgrcice ; but, with the iifual 
ihjultice and abfurdity accompanying popular difeon- 
teats, they exculpated themfelves, and banillied their 
generals. 
