Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 1.djvu/225

 lo, ii] SPEECH OF ARCIIIDAMUS 109 of invading Attica. The various states made their pre- r.c. 431. parations as fast as they could, and at the appointed time, °'- ^7, 2. with contingents numbering two-thirds of the forces of each, met at the Isthmus. When the whole army was assembled, Archidamus, the king of the Lacedaemonians, and the leader of the expedition, called together the generals of the different states and their chief officers and most distinguished men, and speech of Ardnda- spoke as follows : — ""<5. 'Men of Peloponnesus, and you, allies, many are the 11 expeditions which our fathers made Wc have had great both within and without the Pelo- experience in ivar, and ponnese, and the veterans among our- T ""Z^ ''"' ""'"' , ., , Jt>'<:*- But ivc must selves are experienced m war; and bcivare of haste, and yet we never went forth with a greater not hold our enemy too army than this. But then we should "^• remember that, whatever may be our numbers or our valour, we are going against a most powerful city. And we are bound to show ourselves worthy of our fathers, and not wanting to our own reputation. For all Hellas is stirred by our enterprise, and her eyes are fixed upon us : she is friendly and would have us succeed because she hates the Athenians. Now although some among you, surveying this great host, may think that there is very little risk of the enemy meeting us in the field, we ought not on that account to advance heedlessly ; but the general and the soldier of every state should be always expecting that his own division of the army will be the one first in danger. War is carried en in the dark ; attacks are generally sudden and furious, and often the smaller arm}', animated by a proper fear, has been more than a match for a larger force which, disdaining their opponent, were taken unprepared by him. When invading an enemy's country, men should always be confident in spirit, but they should fear too, and take measures of pre- caution ; and thus they will be at once most valorous in attack and impregnable in defence.