Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 1.djvu/265

 65] ERRORS OF THE ATHENIANS 149 ^had they been successful, would only have brought-'^ honour and profit to individuals, and, when unsuccessful, cripplec the city in the conduct of the war. The reason of the differ^ ence was that he, deriving authority from his capacity and acknowledged worth, being also a man of transparent intcgrit}^ was able to control the multitude in a free spirit ; he led them rather than was led by them ; for, not seeking power byi^dishonest arts, he had no need to say pleasant things, but, on the strength of his own high character, could venture to oppose and even to anger them. When he saw them unseasonably elated and arrogant, his words humbled and awed them ; and, when they were depressed by groundless fears, he sought to reanimate their con- fidence. Thus Athens, though still in name a democracy, r was in fact ruled by her greatest citizen. But his sue- J cessors were more on an equality with one another, and, each one struggling to be first himself, they were ready to sacrifice the whole conduct of affairs to the whims of the people. Such weakness in a great and imperial city led to many errors, of which the greatest was the Sicilian expedition ; not that the Athenians miscalculated their enemy's power, but they themselves, instead of consulting for the interests of the expedition which they had sent cut, were occupied in intriguing against one another for the leadership of the democracy '', and not only hampered the operations of the army, but became embroiled, for the first time, at home. And yet after they had lost in the Sicilian expedition the greater part of their ^^^,^ ^^^^^. ^,^^ ^.^._ fleet and army, and were now distracted i,a,i disaster they held by revolution, still they held out three o' cg»i"st their old . • . .1 • r eiieinies a)id mauv neii) years not only against their former ^„^^„„j,^,,,,„tlast enemies, but against the Sicilians who only mined by them- had combined with them, and against ^<'/^^- So that Pericles r, • II- 1 1 J • ivas quite rtqht after all. most of their own allies who had risen in revolt. Even when Cyrus the son of the King joined " Or, ' wliile thej' continued to succeed, only brought.' •* Cp. vi. 28.