Page:History of Greece Vol VII.djvu/239

221 BATTLE NEAU THE OLYMPIE1OX 221 ians, and Athenians, as compared to the Syracusan levy in mass, who were full of belief in their own superiority, this is a striking confession of the deplorable change which had been wrought by his own delay, but who would come short in actual conflict, from want of discipline. 1 Moreover, he reminded them that they were far away from home, and that defeat would render them victims, one and all, of the Syracusan cavalry. He little thought, nor did his prophets forewarn him, that such a calamity, serious as it would have been, was even desirable for Athens, since it would have saved her from the far more overwhelming disasters which will be found to sadden the coming chapters of this history. While the customary sacrifices were being performed, the slingers and bowmen on both sides became engaged in skirmish- ing. But presently the trumpets sounded, and Nikias ordered his first division of hoplites to charge at once rapidly, before the Syracusans expected it. Judging from his previous backwardness, they never imagined that he would be the first to give orders for charging ; nor was it until they saw the Athenian line actually advancing towards them that they lifted their own arms from the ground and -came forward to give the meeting. The shock was bravely encountered on both sides, and for some time the battle continued hand to hand with undecided result. There happened to supervene a violent storm of rain, with thunder and lightning, which alarmed the Syracusans, who construed it as an unfavor- able augury, while to the more practised Athenian hoplites, it seemed a mere phenomenon of the season, 2 so that they still farther astonished the Syracusans by the unabated confidence 1 Thucyd. vi, 68, 69. uTiXuf 6s KOI rpbf avSpa<; 7rav67jfj.el re ap)vo(j.E- vovs, Kal OVK a-ohEKTOvf oxnrep f/fiuf Kal Trpoaen 'ZiKsTiiuTdf, ol vtrep Qpovovai fiv fj/iuf, viro/j.vovai 6s oi>' diu TCI Tr/v tTnoTij/x This passage illustrates very clearly the meaning of the adverb nav ompare Travdapfl, Travofti?^^ ^Eschylus, Sept. Theb. 275. 2 Thucyd. vi, 70. To2f S 1 Efj.TripoTpoi<;, r& JJ.KV yiYvojiEva, Kal iipq. doKslv, roiif <5e dn^eoruraf, Tro/lt) fiiu EKTT^IJ^IV fj.r) The Athenians, unfortunately for themselves, were not equally unmoved by eclipses of the moon. The force of this remark will be seen in the nexl chapter but one.