Page:History of Greece Vol VI.djvu/493

 RETREAT OF KLECM. 471 himself went close to the gate, and satisfied himself of this cir- cumstai ce : we must recollect that there was no defender on the walls, and no danger from missiles. Anxious to avoid coming to any real engagement before his reinforcements should arrive, he at once gave orders for retreat, which he thought might be accomplished before the attack from within could be fully organ- ized ; for he imagined that a considerable number of troops would be marched out, and ranged in battle order, before the attack was actually begun, not dreaming that the sally would be instantaneous, made with a mere handful of men. Orders having been pro- claimed to wheel to the left, and retreat in column on the left flank towards Eion, Kleon, who was himself on the top of the hill with the right wing, waited only to see his left and centre actually in march on the road to Eion, and then directed his right also to wheel to the left and follow them. The whole Athenian army were thus in full retreat, marching in a direction nearly parallel to the Long Wall of Amphipolis, with their right or unshielded side exposed to the enemy, when Brasidas, looking over the southernmost gates of the Long Wall with his small detachment ready marshalled near him, burst out into contemptuous exclamations on the disorder of their array. 2 " These men will not stand us ; I see it by the quivering of their spears and of their heads. Men who reel about in that way, never stand an assailing enemy. Open the gates for me instantly, and let us sally out with confidence." With that, both the gate of the Long Wall nearest to the pal- isade, and the adjoining gate of the palisade itself, were suddenly thrown open, and Brasidas with his one hundred and fifty chosen TOTE KOTU TTJV i?eav) oTi rj TE aTpaTiu. u~aaa ipavepa TUV TroAe/uwv kv ry Truhei, etc. Kleon did not himself see Brasidas sacrificing, or see the enemy's army within the city ; others on the lower ground were better situated for seeing what was going on in Amphipolis, than he was while on the high ridge. Others saw it, and gave intimation to him. iopuTuv rij KLvfiaei Kal TUV KEa7i.uv' ol( yup av TOVTO yi] VIJTOI, OVK tlu&aat UEVSLV Tot>f imovTas. This 3 i remarkable illustration of the regular movement of heads and pears, which characterized a well-ordered body of Grecian hoplitcs.
 * Thucyd. v, 10. Ol uvtipes #/zf ov /levovai (q. fj.evovat' 1 .) 1 di^ot 6e TUV rr