Page:History of Greece Vol VI.djvu/434

 412 HISTORY OF GREECE. that general counted in part to the credit of his country, if was believed that Sparta, now for the first time shaking off her languor, 1 had taken to herself the rapidity and enterprise once regarded as the exclusive characteristic of Athens. But besides all these chances of evil to the Athenians, there was another yet wore threatening, the personal ascendency and position of Brasidas himself- It was not merely the boldness, the fertility f aggressive resource, the quick movements, the power of stim- ulating the minds of soldiers, which lent efficiency to that gen- eral ; but also his incorruptible probity, his good faith, his mod- eration, his abstinence from party-cruelty or jobbing, and from all intermeddling with the internal constitutions of the different cities, in strict adherence to that manifesto whereby Sparta had proclaimed herself the liberator of Greece. Such talents and such official worth had never before been seen combined. Set off as they were by the full brilliancy of successes such as were deemed incredible before they actually occurred, they inspired a degree of confidence and turned a tide of opinion towards this eminent man which rendered him personally one of the first powers in Greece. Numerous solicitations were trans- mitted to him at Amphipolis from parties among the subject- allies of Athens, in their present temper of large hopes from him and diminished fear of the Athenians : the anti- Athenian party in each was impatient to revolt, the rest of the population less restrained by fear.2 Of those who indulged in these sanguine calculations, many had yet to learn by painful experience that Athens was still but little abated in power : but her inaction during this important autumn had been such as may well explain their mistake. It might have been anticipated that, on hearing the alarming news of the junction of Brasidas with the Chalkidians, and Perdikkas so close upon their dependent allies, they would forthwith have sent a competent force to Thrace, which, if despatched at that time, would probably have obviated all the subsequent disasters. 1 Thucyd. iv, 108. To de pl-yiarov, SLU rb f/dovi/v e^ov tv TV avriica, ai In rb irp&Tov A.aKeda.iftoviuv bpyuvruv efiehliov ireipda dot, Kiv6vveiiEiv Tcavrl rpo-i.) irolfiot rjoav (the subject-allies of Athens). Thucj-d iv, 108