Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 1.djvu/228

 112 THE RESOURCES OF ATHENS [ll B.C. 431. should be kept well in hand, for their power depended on ' "■ the revenues which they derived from them ; military successes were generally gained by a wise policy and ■~7K: / //fm«;W5 //jd-yi///^- I command of money. The state of their / nians of their eriormottsf[xxncG^ was encouraging; they had ) ueaUha,tdnviitarya>ul ^^ ^^ average six hundred talents a of I naval resources, telling I them that victory is I certain if ihey act with I prudence. tribute coming in annually from their allies, to say nothing of their other revenue ; and there were still remaining in the Acropolis six thousand talents of coined silver. (The whole amount had once been as much as nine thousand seven hundred talents^, but from this had to be deducted a sum of three thousand seven hundred expended on various buildings, such as the Propylaea of the Acropolis, and also on the siege of Potidaea.) Moreover there was uncoined gold and silver in the form of private and public offerings, sacred vessels used in processions and games, the Persian spoil and other things of the like nature, worth at least five hundred talents ^ more. There were also at their disposal, besides what they had in the Acropolis, considerable treasures in various temples. If they were reduced to the last extremity they could even take off the plates of gold with which the image of the goddess was overlaid ; these, as he pointed out, weighed forty talents, and were of refined gold, which was all removeable. They might use this treasure in self-defence, but they were bound to replace all that they had taken. By this estimate of their wealth he strove to encourage them. He added ■ that they had thirteen thousand hoplites, besides the sixteen thousand who occupied the fortresses or who / manned the walls of the city. For this was the number-^ engaged on garrison duty at the beginning of the war<i, whenever the enemy invaded Attica ; they were made up of the elder and younger men, and of such metics as bore " About Ci2o,ooo. ^ About /Ci ,940,000. " About 1 100,000.
 * • Cp. what is said of the citizens on garrison duty, vii. a8 init.