Page:History of Greece Vol VI.djvu/399

 THE ATHENIANS RETIRE FKOM MEGARA. 377 Brasidas was well aware that, if the Athenians refused to light, Megara would be preserved from falling into their hands, which loss it was his main object to prevent, and which had in fact been prevented only by his arrival. If he attacked and was beaten, he would forfeit this advantage, while, if victorious, he could hardly hope to gain much more. The Athenian gen- erals on their side reflected, that they had already secured a material acquisition in Nisaea, which cut off Megara from their sea ; that the army opposed to them was not only superior in number of hoplites, but composed of contingents from many different cities, so that no one city hazarded much in the action ; while their own force was all Athenian, and composed of the best hoplites in Athens, which would render a defeat severely ruinous to the city : nor did they think it worth while to encoun- ter this risk, even for the purpose of gaining possession of Me- gara. With such views in the leaders on both sides, the two armies remained for some time in position, each waiting for the other to attack : at length the Athenians, seeing that no aggres- sive movement was contemplated by their opponents, were the first to retire into Nisaea. Thus left master of the field, Brasidas retired in triumph to Megara, the gates of which were now opened without reserve to admit him. 1 The army of Brasidas, having gained the chief point for which it was collected, speedily dispersed, he himself resuming his preparations for Thrace ; while the Athenians on their side also returned home, leaving an adequate garrison for the occupation both of Nisaea and of the Long Walls. But the interior of Megara underwent a complete and violent revolution. While the leaders friendly to Athens, not thinking it safe to remain, fled forthwith and sought shelter with the Athenians, 2 the opposite party opened communication with the exiles at Pegae and read- mitted them into the city ; binding them however, by the most solemn pledges, to observe absolute amnesty of the past and to study nothing but the welfare of the common city. The new- comers :nly kept their pledge during the interval which elapsed 1 Thucyd. iv, 73. as light-armed troops in the Sicilian expedition (Thucyd. vi, 43)
 * We find some of them afterwards in the service of Athens, employed