Page:History of Greece Vol VI.djvu/359

 CONDUCT OF KLEON. 337 prudent men had pleasure in reflecting that one or other of the two advantages was now certain : either they would get rid of Kleon, which they anticipated as the issue at once most probable and most desirable, or, if mistaken on this point, the Lacedae- monians in the island would be killed or taken. 1 The vote was accordingly passed for the immediate departure of Kleon, who caused Demosthenes to be named as his colleague in command, and sent intelligence to Pylus at once that he was about to start, with the reinforcement solicited. This curious scene, interesting as laying open the interior feel- ing of the Athenian assembly, suggests, when properly considered, reflections very different from those which have been usually connected with it. It seems to be conceived by most historians as a mere piece of levity or folly in the Athenian people, who are supposed to have enjoyed the excellent joke of putting an incompetent man against his own will at the head of this enter- prise, in order that they might amuse themselves with his blun- ders : Kleon is thus contemptible, and the Athenian people ridiculous. Certainly, if that people had been disposed to conduct their public business upon such childish fancies as are here im- plied, they would have made a very different figure from that which history actually presents to us. The truth is, that in re- gard to Kleon's alleged looseness of tongue, which excited more or less of laughter among the persons present, there was no one really ridiculous except the laughers themselves: for the an- nouncement which he made was so far from being extravagant, that it was realized to the letter, and realized, too, let us add, without any peculiar aid from unforeseen favorable accident. To show how much this is the case, we have only to contrast the jesters before the fact with the jesters after it. While the former deride Kleon as a promiser of extravagant and impossible results, we find Aristophanes, in his comedy of the Knights, about six 1 Thucyd. iv, 28. Totf <5e 'AdTjvatoie kve^sas JJ.EV TI /cat j'e/lurof rrj KOV- ^oPkOyia avTov- ua/tevoif 6' 5fiuf iyi-yvero TOI a&Qpoai T&V uv&puiruv, oyi&[j.ivoi(d- olv uya-&olv TOV eripov rsv^ty&ai $ Jot. 8 VOL. vi. 15 22oc.