Page:History of Greece Vol VI.djvu/480

 458 HISTORY OF GKEECE. so that Athens never obtained the benefit of the truce, exactly in that region where she most stood in need of it. Only by the despatch of her armament to Skione and Mende had she main- tained herself in possession even of Pallene. Now what was the lesson to be derived from this experience, w-hen the Athenians came to discuss their future policy, after the truce was at an end ? The great object of all parties at Athens was to recover the lost possessions in Thrace, especially Amphipolis. Nikias, still urging negotiations for peace, continued to hold out hopes that the Lacedaemonians would be willing to restore that place, as the price of their captives now at Athens ; and his connection with Sparta would enable him to announce her professions even upon authority. But to this Kleon might make, and doubtless did make, a complete reply, grounded upon the most recent experi- ence : " If the Lacedasmonians consent to the restitution of Am- phipolis (he would say), it will probably be only with the view of finding some means to escape performance, and yet to get back their prisoners. But granting that they are perfectly sincere, they will never be able to control Brasidas, and those parties in Thrace who are bound up with him by community of feeling and interest ; so that after all, you will give them back their pris- oners on the faith of an equivalent beyond their power to realize. Look at what has happened during the truce ! So different are the views and obligations of Brasidas in Thrace from those of the Lacedaemonians, that he would not even obey their order when they directed him to stand as he was, and to desist from farther conquest : much less will he obey them when they direct him to surrender what he has already got: least of all, if they enjoin the surrender of Amphipolis, his grand acquisition and his cen- tral point for all future effort. Depend upon it, if you desire to regain Amphipolis, you will only regain it by energetic employ- ment of force, as has happened with Skione and Mende : and you ought to put forth your strength for this purpose immedi ately, while the Lacedaemonian prisoners are yet in your hands, instead of waiting until after you shall have been deluded into giving them up, thereby losing all your hold upon Lacedjemon. r Such anticipations were fully verified by the result : for subse- quent history will show that the Lacedaemonians, when they had bound themselves by treaty to give up Amphipolis, either would