Page:History of Greece Vol VI.djvu/254

 232 HISTORY OF GREECE. finances was not so destitute of foundation : for the whole treasure in the acropolis, six thousand talents at the commencement of the war, was now consumed, with the exception of that reserve of one thousand talents which had been solemnly set aside against the last exigences of defensive resistance. This is not surpris- ing, when we learn that every hoplite engaged for near two years and a half in the blockade of Potidaea, received two drachmas per day, one for himself and a second for an attendant : there were during the whole time of the blockade three thousand hop- lites engaged there, and for a considerable portion of the time, four thousand six hundred ; besides the fleet, all the seamen of which received one drachma per day per man. Accordingly the Athenians were now for the first time obliged to raise a direc/ contribution among themselves, to the amount of two hundred talents, for the purpose of prosecuting the siege of Mitylene : and they at the same time despatched Lysikles with four col- leagues, in command of twelve triremes, to collect money. "Vhat relation these money-gathering ships bore to the regular tribute paid by the subject-allies, or whether they were allowed to visit these latter, we do not know : in the present case, Lysikles landed ev evl -&epei diaKoatai KOI irevTijKovTa. Kal TU xpyfiara TOVTO /uu/ucrra i>7ra- vul.uae IJ.ETU. TloTidaiaf, etc. I have endeavored to render as well as I can this obscure and difficult passage ; difficult both as to grammar and as to sense, and not satisfactorily explained by any of the commentators, if, indeed, it can be held to stand now as Thucydides wrote it. In the preceding chapter, he had mentioned that this fleet of one hundred sail was manned largely from the hoplite class of citizens (iii, 16). Now we know from other passages in his work (see v, 8; vi, 31) how much difference there was in the appearance and efficiency of an armament, according to the class of citizens who served on it. "We may then refer the word /cdA/lof to the excellence of outfit hence arising : I wish, indeed, that any instance could be produced of /cuA/lof in this sense, but we find the adjective aA/iiV7;Mev. In v, 8, Thucydides employs the word at-iupa to denote the same meaning ; and in vi, 31, he says : irapaoKevj) yap CLVTTI npu-ij iK^l.svaaaa pius -xol.Eus dvvuue: EiMqvmy KOVTE7.EaTurrj 6rj nal evirpeireaTUTjj TUV elf enelvov Tbv xpuvov eyivsTo. It may be remarked that in that chapter too, he contrasts the expedition against Sicily with two other Athenian expeditions, equal to it in number, but inferior in equipment: the same comparison wh'ch I believe he means to take in this passage.