Page:History of Greece Vol VI.djvu/17

 CONTENTS. ,j orakiot herald on seeing the great number of slain. Defenceless and feeble condition of Ambrakia after this ruinous loss. Attempt to calcu- late the loss of the Ambrakiots. Convention concluded between Am- brakia on one side, and the Akarnanians and Amphilochians on the other. Keturn of Demosthenes in triumph to Athens. Purification of Delos by the Athenians. Revival of the Dclian festival with peculiar splendor 285-313 CHAPTER LIT. 8ETEXTH TEAE OF THE WAR. CAPTURE OF SPHAKTEK1A Seventh year of the war invasion of Attica. Distress in Korkyra from the attack of the oligarchical exiles. A Peloponnesian fleet and an Athenian fleet are both sent thither. Demosthenes goes on board the Athenian fleet with a separate command. He fixes upon Pylus in La- conia for the erection of a fort. Locality of Pylus and Sphakteria. Eurymedon the admiral of the fleet insists upon going on to Kor- kyra, without stopping at Pylus. The fleet are driven into Pylus by a storm. Demosthenes fortifies the place, through the voluntary zeal of the soldiers. He is left there with a garrison while the fleet goes on to Korkyra. Slow march of the Lacedaemonians to recover Pylus. Preparations of Demosthenes to defend Pylus against them. Proceed- ings of the Lacedaemonian army they send a detachment to occupy the island of Sphakteria, opposite Pylus. They attack the place by sea and land gallant conduct of Brasidas in the attack on the sea-side. Return of Eurymedon and the Athenian fleet to Pylus. He defeats the Lacedaemonian fleet in the harbor of Pylus. The Lacedaemonian detach- ment is blocked up by the Athenian fleet in the island of Sphakteria armistice concluded at Pylus. Mission of Lacedaemonian envoys to Athens, to propose peace and solicit the release of their soldiers in Sphak- teria. The Athenians, at the instance of Kleon, require the restoration of Nisaea, Pegasa, Trrezen, and Achaia, as conditions of giving up the men in Sphakteria and making peace. The envoys will not consent to these demands Kleon prevents negotiation they are sent back to Pylus without any result. Remarks on this assembly and on the con duct of Athens. The armistice is terminated, and war resumed at Pylus. Eurymedon keeps possession of the Lacedaemonian fleet. Blockade of Sphakteria by the Athenian fleet difficulty and hardships to the sea men of the fleet. Protracted duration and seeming uncertainty of the blockade Demosthenes sends to Athens for reinforcements to attack the island. Proceedings in the Athenian assembly on receiving this news proposition of Kleon manreuvre of his political enemies to send him against his will as general to Pylus. Reflections upon this proceed- ing and upon the conduct of parties at Athens. Kleon goes to Pylus with a reinforcement condition of the island of Sphakteria numbers and positions of the Lacedaemonians in it. Kleon and Demosthenes land their forces in the island, and attack it. Numerous light troops of Demosthenes employed against the Lacedaemonians in Spliakteria. Distress of the Lacedaemonians their bravery and long resistance. They retreat to their last redoubt at the extremity of the island. They are surrounded and forced to surrender. Astonishment caused through*.