Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 2.djvu/323

 66-68] SPEECH OF GY LI FPUS TO HIS MEN 315 ployment of troops on deck is a novelty ; they will be encumbered with crowds of hoplites and crowds of javehn- men, Acarnanians and others, who are mere awkward landsmen put into a ship, and will not even know how to discharge their darts when they are required to keep their places. Will they not make the ships unsteady? And their own movements will be so unnatural to them that they will all fall into utter confusion. The greater number of the enemy's ships will be the reverse of an advantage to him, should any of you fear your inequality in that respect ; for a large fleet confined in a small space will be hampered in action and far more likely to suffer from our devices. And I would have you know what I believe on the best authority to be the simple truth. Their misfortunes paralyse them, and they are driven to despair at finding them- selves helpless. They have grown reckless, and have no confidence in their own plans. They will take their chance as best they can, and either force a way out to sea, or in the last resort retreat by land ; for ihey know that they cannot in any case be worse off than they are. 'Against such disorder, and against hateful enemies 68 whose good fortune has run away from ^ow is the lime for .1 . 1 . 1 •,! r revetiee, wlikh is the them to us, let us advance with fury. * ' ^ „ ,, . ' _ -^ sweetest of all things. We should remember in the first place Safety k'c have already. that men are doing a most lawful act ^^^ »*" (^'^ '" '*»« "^ when they take vengeance upon an "^ '"°"J'i ''"'" "^""l' •^ " '■ to lis. 11 e may sratn A' enemy and an aggressor, and that they everything, a,idan,iot have a right to satiate their heart's lose much. animosity; secondly, that this vengeance, which is pro- verbially the sweetest of all things, will soon be within our grasp. I need not tell you that they are our enemies, and our worst enemies. They came against our land that they might enslave us, and if they had succeeded they would have inflicted the greatest sufferings on our men, and the worst indignities upon our wives and children, and would have stamped a name of dishonour upon our