Page:History of Greece Vol VII.djvu/25

7 IMi'KUOI'JNCE OF NIKIAJS 7 not less valuable to Sparta herself than to Athens. There can be little doubt that, if the game of Athens had now been played with prudence, she might have recovered Amphipolis in exchange for the captives : for the inability of Klearidas to make over the place, even if we grant it to have been a real fact and not merely simulated, might have been removed by decisive cooperation on the part of Sparta with an Athenian armament sent to occupy the place. In fact, that which Athens was now induced to grant was precisely the original proposition transmitted to her by the Lacedaemonians four years before, when the hoplites were first inclosed in Sphakteria, but before the actual capture. They then tendered no equivalent, but merely said, through their envoys, " Give us the men in the island, and accept in exchange peace, together with our alliance." 1 At that moment there were some plausible reasons in favor of granting the proposition : but even then, the case of Kleon against it was also plausible and powerful, when he contended that Athens was entitled to make a better bargain. But now, there were no reasons in its favor, and a strong concurrence of reasons against it. Alliance with the Spartans was of no great value to Athens : peace was of ma- terial importance to her ; but peace had been already sworn to on both sides, after deliberate discussion, and required now only to be carried into execution. That equal reciprocity of conces- sion, which presented the best chance of permanent result, had been agreed on ; and fortune had procured for her the privilege of receiving the purchase-money before she handed over the goods. Why renounce so advantageous a position, accepting in exchange a hollow and barren alliance, under the obligation of handing over her most precious merchandise upon credit, and upon credit as delusive in promise as it afterwards proved unpro- ductive in reality ? The alliance, in fact, prevented the peace from being fulfilled: it became, as Thucydides himself 2 admits, no peace, but a simple suspension of direct hostilities. Thucydides states on more than one occasion, and it was the 1 Thucyd. iv, 19. AaKedaifiovLOL <5e ty/uf TtpoKO^ovvrai ef atrovdaf Kai diu- vaiv KO?I.E[J.OV, 6i66vT<; fj.lv elprjvr/v KOL Zvpftax'iav nal aTJ^rjv tyMav TtoM.ijii tal oiKeioTT); a k<; uTJki^ovg inrupxeiv, uvraiTovvTSf 6e rot)f t/c TJ?f vr/aot
 * Thucyd. v, 26. oi'K s'tKOf bv dprjvriv avrrfv Kpi&f/vai, otc.