Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 2.djvu/217

 37,38] SPEECH OF ATHENAGORAS 209 immense supplies'^. Nay, I venture to assert that if they came hither, having at their command another city close upon our border as large as Syracuse, and could there settle and carry on war against us from thence, they would still be destroyed to a man ; how much more when the whole country will be their enemy (for Sicily will unite), and when they must pitch their camp the moment they are out of their ships, and will have nothing but their wretched huts and meagre supplies, being prevented by our cavalry from advancing far beyond their lines? Indeed I hardly think that they will effect a landing at all. So far superior, in my judgment, are our forces to theirs. 'The Athenians, I repeat, know all that I am telling 3^ you, and do not mean to throw away The Athenians are what they have got : I am pretty sure « s/"«w^ people and -, _, - , not likely to rum thetn- of that. But some of our people are ^^^^,^^ ^j^^^^ ,.^^^^^^ fabricating reports which neither are, are fabncated by olig- nor are ever likely to be, true. I know, ardmai conspirators, , , , , 1^1 J ^'Ito want to get the and have always known, that bywords ^^^,,,„„,,,/ -^^ //,^y like these, and yet more mischievous, hands. I shall resist if not by acts, they want to intimidate *^^"' 'o *''^ ^«*'- you, the Syracusan people, and make themselves chiefs of the state. And I am afraid that if they persevere they will succeed at last, and that we shall be delivered into their hands before we have had the sense to take precautions or to detect and punish them. This is the reason why our city is always in a state of unrest and disorganisation, fighting against herself quite as much as against foreign enemies, and from time to time subjected to tyrants and to narrow and wicked oligarchies. If the people will only support me I shall endeavour to prevent any such mis- fortunes happening in our day. With you I shall use persuasion, but to these conspirators I shall apply force ; and I shall not wait until they are detected in the act (for who can catch them ?), but I shall punish their intentions " Cp. vi. 21 med.