Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 1.djvu/373

 102-104] OPERATIONS IN SICILY 257 lochia and Acarnania, declaring that, if they gained posses- sion of these places, all the tribes of the mainland would at once come over to the Lacedaemonians. Eurylochus assented and, dismissing the Aetolians, waited with his army in that region until the time for the Ambraciots to make their expedition and for him to join them in the neighbourhood of Argos. Thus the summer ended. In the following winter the Athenians in Sicily and their 103 Hellenic allies made an attack upon 7-;,, ^//,,„,-^„, „,., the Sicel fort of Inessa, a Sicel town defeated at luessa, but of which the citadel was held by the ("c vido.-ious in Loais. Syracusans. They were joined by many of the Sicels, who had formerly been allies to the Syracusans, and, having been held dov/n by them, had now revolted to the Athenians. The attempt failed, and they retreated. But during their retreat the Syracusans sallied out and fell upon the allies who were in the rear of the Athenians, routed them, and put to flight a part of their forces with great loss. Soon afterwards, Laches and the Athenians in the fleet made several descents upon Locris. At the river Caecinus they defeated about three hundred Locrians who came out to meet them under Proxenus the son of Capaton, took arms from the slain, and returned. In the same winter the Athenians, by command of an 104 oracle, purified the island of Delos. The Athenians renew Pisistratus the tyrant had already the purification of Delos purified it, but imperfectly, for the and restore the Delian • r~ • 1 111 games. purification only extended to that part which was within sight of the temple. The whole island was now purified in the following manner :— The Athenians took away all the coffins of the dead which were in Delos^ and passed a decree that henceforward no one should die or give birth to a child ihere, but that the inhabitants when they were near the time of either should be carried across to Rhenea. Now Rhenea is near to Delos, so near " Cp. i. 8 init. ; v. i. VOL. I. S