Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 2.djvu/70

 62 BRASIDAS AT ACANTHUS [iV his difficulties, lest, when they were wanting him for their own affairs, his ardour should cool. Besides, the envoys of Perdiccas when at Sparta had said something to the Lacedaemonians about his making many of the neighbour- ing tribes their allies, and on this ground Brasidas claimed to act jointly with Perdiccas in the matter of Arrhibacus. But Perdiccas answered that he had not brought Brasidas there to arbitrate in the quarrels of Macedonia ; he had meant him to destroy his enemies when he pointed them out. While he, Perdiccas, was maintaining half the Lace- daemonian arm}', Brasidas had no business to be holding parley with Arrhibacus. But in spite of the opposition and resentment of Perdiccas, Brasidas communicated with Arrhibaeus, and was induced by his words to withdraw his army without invading the country. From that time Perdiccas thought himself ill-used, and paid only a third instead of half the expenses of the army. 84 During the same summer, immediately on his return Brasidas is admiued ^^om Lyncus, and a little before the into Acautiitis and ad- vintage, Brasidas, reinforced by Chal- dicsses,the citizens. cidian troops, marched against Acan- thus, a colony of Andros. The inhabitants of the city were not agreed about admitting him ; those who in concert with the Chalcidians had invited him being opposed to the mass of the people. So he asked them to icccive him alone, and hear what he had to say before they decided ; and to this request the multitude, partly out of fear for their still ungathered vintage, were induced to consent. Whereupon, coming forward to the people (and for a Lacedaemonian he was not a bad speaker), he ad- dressed them as follows : — 85 ' Men of Acanthus, the Lacedaemonians have sent me out at the head of this army to justify the declaration which we made at the beginning of the war— that we were going to fight against the Athenians for the liberties of Hellas. If we have been long in coming, the reason is that we were disappointed in tiie result of the war nearer