Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 1.djvu/171

 78-81J SPEECH OF ARCHIDAMUS 55 king, who was held to be both an able and a prudent man, came forward and spoke as follows : — 'At my age, Lacedaemonians, I have had experience of 80 many wars, and I see several of you who are as old as I am, and who will ,. "] «'^"^ match for ' the Athenians. not, as men too often do, desire war because they have never known it, or in the belief that it is either a good or a safe thing. Any one who calmly reflects will find that the war about which you are now deliberating is likely to be a very great one. When we encounter our neighbours in the Peloponnese, their mode of fighting is like ours, and they are all within a short march. But when we have to do with men whose country is a long way off, and who are most skilful seamen and thoroughly provided with the means of war, — having wealth, private and public, ships, horses, infantry, and a population larger than is to be found in any single Hellenic territor}^, not to speak of the numerous allies who pay them tribute,— is this a people against whom we can lightl}' take up arms or plunge into a contest unpre- pared? To what do we trust? To our navy? There we are inferior ; and to exercise and train ourselves until we are a match for them, will take time. To our money ? Nay, but in that we are weaker still ; we have none in a common treasury, and we are never willing to contribute out of our private means. ' Perhaps some one may be encouraged by the superior 81 equipment and numbers of our infantry, j^-v, ;,^^^ „,or^ hop- which will enable us regularly to in- Utes, but their empire vade and ravage their lands. But their f.'"f ''f^f^'f. 3'" ° _ . tries, bywhtcli thetr navy empire extends to distant countries, /^ supported; and to and they will be able to introduce ravage their land is use- supplies by sea. Or, again, we may ^^'" try to stir up revolts among their allies. But these are mostly islanders, and we shall have to employ a fleet in their defence, as well as in our own. How then shall we carry on the war ? For if we can neither defeat them at