Page:History of Greece Vol VI.djvu/227

 SECOND 4ND THIRD YEARS OF THE WAR. 205 ished : ] a topic rarely touched upon by ancient generals in their harangues on the eve of battle, and demonstrating conspicuously the reluctance of many of the Peloponnesian seamen, who had been brought to the fight again chiefly by the ascendency and strenuous commands of Sparta. To this reluctance Phormio pointedly alluded, in the encouraging exhortations which he on his side addressed to his men : for they too, in spite of their habitual confidence at sea, strengthened by the recent victory, were dispirited by the smallness of their numbers. He reminded them of their long practice and rational conviction of superiority at sea, such as no augmentation of numbers, especially with an enemy conscious of his own weakness, could overbalance : and he called upon them to show their habitual discipline and quiet apprehension of orders, and above all to perform their regular movements in perfect silence during the actual battle, 2 useful in all matters of war, and essential to the proper conduct of a sea-fight. The idea of entire silence on board the Athenian ships while a sea-fight was going on, is not only striking as a feature in the picture, but is also one of the most powerful evi- dences of the force of self-control and military habits among these citizen-seamen. The habitual position of the Peloponnesian fleet off Panormus was within the strait, but nearly fronting the breadth of it, op- posite to Phormio, who lay on the outer side of the strait, as well as off the opposite cape : in the Peloponnesian line, therefore, the right wing occupied the north, or northeast side towards Naupaktus. Knemus and Brasidas now resolved to make a for- ward movement up the gulf, as if against that town, which was the main Athenian station ; for they knew that Phormio would be under the necessity of coming to the defence of the place, and they hoped to pin him up and force him to action close under the 1 Thucyd. ii, 87. Tuv 6e rrpoTspov fjyefiuvui' oi> %Eipov rr/v f/uelf KapaaK.EVuaofiEV, Kal OVK ivduao/nsv irpotpaaiv ovdevl KaK& ytvecrdaf qv c; rif upa Kal /3oiMj?i9?7, Ko7.aa-&rjae-ai ry TrpeKovay Zqpia, ol 6e uyudol riftfjaovrai rolg TrpcajjKovcftv u#/leHf rjyf upsrjif. b If TE ru 7ro^.A.
 * Thucyd. ii, 89. Kai EV r<p epj'w nuanov Kal atyrjv Trspl irfeiarot