Page:History of Greece Vol VI.djvu/273

 FOURTH YEAR OF THE WAR-REVOLT OF MITYLENE. 251 and though we cannot certainly determine what were the circum stances which determined Thucydides in his selection of speeches, yet this cause, as well as the signal defeat of Kleon, whom he disliked, may probably be presumed to have influenced him here. That orator came forward to defend his proposition passed on the preceding day, and denounced in terms of indignation the unwise tenderness and scruples of the people, who could not bear to treat their subject-allies, according to the plain reality, as men held only by naked fear. He dwelt upon the mischief and folly of reversing on one day what had been decided on the day pre- ceding, upon the guilty ambition of orators, who sacrificed the most valuable interests of the commonwealth either to pecuniary gains, or to the personal credit of speaking with effect, triumph- ing over rivals, and setting up their own fancies in place of fact and reality. He deprecated the mistaken encouragement given to such delusions by a public " wise beyond what was written," who came to the assembly, not to apply their good sense in judg- ing of public matters, but merely for the delight of hearing speeches. 1 He restated the heinous and unprovoked wrong com- mitted by the Mitylenaeans, and the grounds for inflicting upon them that maximum of punishment which "justice" enjoined. He called for " justice " against them ; nothing less, but nothing more: warning the assembly that the imperial necessities of Athens essentially required the constant maintenance of a senti- ment of fear in the minds of unwilling subjects, and that they must prepare to see their empire pass away if they suffered themselves to be guided either by compassion for those who, if victors, would have no compassion on them, 2 or by unseason- able moderation towards those who would neither feel nor requite 1 Thucyd. iii, 37. ol /lev yap TUV re vofiuv ao^urepoi j3ovhovTai (f>aivet?dai r TUV re usl Xsyo/tEvuv ej rb Koivbv Trepr/iyveafiai ol d' umarovv-ef T$ lavruv ^vveaei afia&eaTepoi /J.EV TUV vo/iuv u^iovatv elvat, utivvarurepot. de TOV KaXuf elirovToe [ie/npaadai "koyov. Compare the language of Archidamus at Sparta in the congress, where he takes credit to the Spartans for heing djuatfeorepov TUV vopuv TJJC iiire- poipiaf jraidevo/ievot, etc, (Thucyd. i, 84) very similar in spirit to tha remarks of Kleon about the Athenians. 8 Thucyd. iii, 40. [iqde rpiol rotf dtyz0opwrar apxy, oluru, xal fl6ovy Myuv, icql