Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 2.djvu/322

 314 SPEECH OF GYLIPPUS TO HIS MEN [VII slip and find no hold. When all was ready, G3'lippus and the other generals exhorted their men in the following words : — 66 ' That our actions so far have been glorious, and that Our past victories aye i" the coniing conflict we shall be a pledge of our future fighting for a glorious prize, most of success, as the defeats of Svracusans and allies, seem to be the euettty in former "^ •' ... engasewents are omin- aware : what else would have inspired ous of a defeat in this, you with SO much energy ? But if any They came hither to ^^^ j^^g f^ji^j j^ Understand our posi- enslave us ivtth their. ' navy, but now the power tion, we Will enlighten him. The of the sea has departed Athenians Came hither intending to from them to us. enslave first of all Sicily, and then, if they succeeded, Peloponnesus and the rest of Hellas, they having already the largest dominion of any PI ellenic power, past or present. But you set mankind the example of withstanding that invincible navy; which you have now defeated in several engagements at sea, and which you will probably defeat in this. For when men are crippled in what they assume to be their strength, any vestige of self-respect is more completely lost than if they had never believed in themselves at all. When once their pride has had a fall they throw away the power of resistance which they might still exert. And this we may assume to be the condition of the Athenians. 67 ' Far otherwise is it with us. The natural courage, which c-. , even in the days of our inexperience iiuccess infuses cour- •' ^ ' age. Their new inven- dared to risk all, is now better assured, tions are bad imitations and when wc have the further conviction of ours, which they can-. 1 . 1 • 1I. .. i u ■' ^ ' -r, ■ ', -^ that he is the strongest who has over- «o/ use. Thar ships <-* are weighed down with come the Strongest, the hopes of every fighting men. Theyare one are redoubled. And in all enter- simply desperate. ^^-^^^^ ^^^ highest hopes infuse the greatest courage. Their imitation of our modes of fighting will be useless to them. To us they come naturally, and we shall readily adapt ourselves to any arrangements of ours which they have borrowed. But to them the em-