Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 2.djvu/247

 78-80] SPEECH OF HERMOCRATES 239 anticipated all this, and not be so slack in your alliance. Instead of our coming to you, you should have come to us. Suppose the Athenians had gone to Camarina first, would you not at this moment be begging and praying for assistance ? Then why did not you present yourselves at Syracuse, and say to us in our time of danger, " Never yield to the enemy " ? But, hitherto, neither you nor any of the Sicilians have shown a spirit like this. ' You may perhaps disguise your cowardice under the 79 pretence of impartiality; you may y,„ „,^^^,,,,„^ .,^. balance between us and the invaders, partiality, but you -will and plead that you have an alliance really be conspiring with with the Athenians. But that alliance yo''^ euenjies against . . yonrjrtends. was made on the supposition that you were invaded by an enemy, not against a friend ; and you promised to assist the Athenians if they were wronged by others, not when, as now, they are doing wrong them- selves. Are the Rhegians who are Chalcidians so very anxious to join in the restoration of their Leontine kins- men'^? And yet how monstrous that they, suspecting the real meaning of this plausible claim, should display a prudence for which they can give no reason ; and that you, who have every reason for a like prudence, should be eager to assist your natural enemies, and to conspire with them for the destruction of those who by a higher law are your still more natural kinsmen. This should not be. You must make a stand against them. And do not be afraid of their armament. There is no danger if we hold together; the danger is in disunion, and they want to disunite us. Even when they engaged with our unaided forces'', and defeated us in battle, they failed in their main purpose, and quickly retired. ' If then we can once unite, there is no reason for dis- 80 couragement. But there is every reason why you, who are our allies, should meet us more cordially. We may Cp. vi. 44 fin., 46 init. ^ But cp. vi. 65 init, 67 med.