Book 1
knowing that this is that very crisis, in which he that helps is most a friend, and he that opposes, a foe.
And for these Corcyraeans, neither receive them as allies in spite of us, nor help them in doing wrong.
By thus acting, you will both do what becomes you, and advise the best for yourselves. To this effect then did the Corinthians also speak.
Now the Athenians, after hearing both sides, when an assembly had been The great importance of the subject prevented their deciding in a single day. even twice held, in the former rather admitted the arguments of the Corinthians; but in the one held the next day they changed their minds, and determined, not indeed to make an alliance with the Corcyraeans, so as to have the same enemies and friends, (for if the Corcyraeans had desired them to sail against Corinth, the treaty with the Peloponnesians would have been broken by them;) but they made a defensive alliance, to succour each other's country, should any one go against Corcyra, or Athens, or their allies. For they thought that, even as it was, they should have the war with the Peloponnesians;
and they wished not to give up Corcyra to the Corinthians, with so large a navy as it had, but to wear them out as much as possible against each other, that both the Corinthians and the rest who had navies might be in a weaker condition when they went to war with them, if it should be necessary to do so.
And at the same time the island appeared to them to lie well in the line of voyage along shore to Italy and Sicily.
With such a view of the case the Athenians admitted the Corcyraeans into alliance; and when the Corinthians had departed, they sent ten ships to assist them.
Tile commanders of them were Lacedaemonius, the son of Cimon, Diotimus, the son of Strombichus, and Proteas, the son of Epiclees.
They charged them not to engage with the Corinthians, unless they should sail against Corcyra, and threaten to land, or against any of the places belonging to them; but in that case to prevent them to their utmost: and this charge they gave them with a view to not breaking the treaty. So the ships arrive at Corcyra.
But the Corinthians, when they had made their preparations, set sail against Corcyra with a hundred and fifty ships. There were ten of the Eleans, of the Megareans twelve, of the Leucadians ten, of the Ambraciots seven and twenty, of the Anactorians one, and of the Corinthians themselves ninety.
In command of these there were different men for the different forces according to their states, and of the Corinthians, Xenoclides, the son of Euthycles, with four others.
And when, in their course from Leucas, they made land on the continent opposite Corcyra, they came to anchor at Chimerium in the territory of Thesprotis.
It Bloomfield, in his new edition, has a long note to prove that it ought to be translated. there is a harbour, instead of it is: but I cannot see the force of his argument; as the quotation from Colonel Leake, on which he chiefly relies, establishes no more than what Arnold had already observed, that in sect. 6, the point of Chimerium seems to be distinguished by Thucydides from the port of Chimerium; of which he clearly is speaking in this section. is a harbour, and a city named Ephyre lies beyond it, away from the sea, in the Elean district of Thesprotis. By it the Acherusian lake empties itself into the sea; and into this lake the river Acheron, which flows through Thesprotis, empties itself; from which also it takes its name. The river Thyamis also flows there, bounding Thesprotis and Cestrine; and between these rivers the promontory of Chimerium rises.
The Corinthians then came to anchor at that part of the continent, and formed their encampment.
But the Corcyraeans, when they perceived them sailing up, manned a hundred and ten ships, which were commanded by Miciades, Aesimides, and Eurybates; and encamped on one of the islands which are called Sybota; and the ten Athenian ships were with them.
And on the promontory of Leucimna was their land force, and a thousand heavy-armed of the Zacynthians, who had come to their assistance.
The Corinthians also had on the mainland many of the barbarians, who had joined them to give assistance; for the people in that part of the continent have always Literally, always in former times; like the expression ever of old in the Psalms. been friendly with them.
When the preparations of the Corinthians were made, taking three days' provision, they put out from Chimerium by night, with the purpose of engaging;
and in the morning, while on their course, they observed the ships of the Corcyraeans out at sea, and sailing against them.
And when they saw each other, they drew up in opposite lines of battle. On the right wing of the Corcyraeans were the Athenian ships, but the rest of the line they themselves occupied, having formed three squadrons of their ships, which were commanded each by one of the three generals.
In this way did the Corcyraeans form their line. On the side of the Corinthians, the Megarean and Ambraciot ships occupied the right wing; in the centre were the rest of the allies severally; while the left wing was occupied by the Corinthians themselves with their best sailing ships, opposed to the Athenians and the right of the Corcyraeans.
As soon as the signals on each side were raised, they closed, and fought; both sides having many heavy-armed on the decks, and many bowmen and dartmen; as they were still rudely equipped in the old fashion.
And the battle was well contested; not so much in point of skill, but more like a land fight.
For whenever they happened to run on board one another, they did not easily get clear again, owing to the numbers and confusion of the ships; and because they trusted for victory, in a greater measure, to the heavy-armed on deck, who set to and fought, Bloomfield says that καταστάντες denotes maintaining the ' pugna stataria,' fighting hand to hand. Such a meaning may perhaps be inferred from the following words, ἡσυχαζουσῶν τῶν νεῶν; but I think nothing more is intended than might be otherwise expressed by ἐς μάχην κατέστησαν. Compare the expression καταστάντες ἐπολέμουν. II. 1; and V. 4, 5. while the ships remained stationary. There was no breaking through the line, but they fought with fierceness and strength, more than with science.
On all sides then there was much confusion, and the battle was a disorderly one; and during it the Athenian vessels coming up to the Corcyraeans, if they were pressed at any point, struck fear into the enemy, but did not begin fighting, as the commanders were afraid of the charge given by the Athenians.
It was the right wing of the Corinthians which was most distressed; for the Corcyraeans with twenty ships having routed and pursued them in a scattered condition to the continent, sailed up to their encampment, and having made a descent upon them, burnt the deserted tents, and plundered their goods.
On that side then the Corinthians and their allies were worsted, and the Corcyraeans were victorious: but where the Corinthians themselves were, on the left, they had a decided victory; as twenty ships of the Corcyraeans, from a number [originally] smaller, had not returned from the pursuit.
But the Athenians, seeing the Corcyraeans hard pressed, assisted them now more unequivocally; though at first they refrained from charging any vessel; but when the rout had clearly taken place, and the Corinthians were lying close on them, then indeed every one at length set to work, and there was no longer any distinction, but it had come to such urgent necessity, that the Corinthians and Athenians attacked each other.
Now when the rout had taken place, the Corinthians did not take in tow and haul off the hulls of the vessels which they might happen to have sunk, καταδύειν ναῦν does not mean to sink a ship to the bottom, but to make her water-logged, so that she was useless, although she did not absolutely go down. The Greek triremes were so light and so shallow that they would float in a manner under water, or rather with parts of the vessel still out of water, on which the crew used to take refuge. —Arnold. but turned their attention to the men, sailing throughout to butcher, rather than to make prisoners; and some of their own friends, not being aware that those in the right wing had been worsted, they unwittingly killed.
For as both fleets were numerous, and extended over a wide space of the sea; when they closed with each other, they did not easily distinguish, who were conquering, or being conquered; for this engagement, for one of Greeks against Greeks, was greater in the number of vessels than any of those before it.
After the Corinthians had pursued the Corcyraeans to land, they turned their attention to the wrecks, and their own dead, and got possession of most of them, so as to take them to Sybota, where their land force composed of the barbarians had come to their assistance. Now Sybota is a desert port of Thesprotis.
Having done this, they mustered again, and sailed against the Corcyraeans, who with their seaworthy ships, and such as were left, Probabilis est opinio Popponis, τὰς λοιπάς intelligi decem illas naves, quae ex 120 navibus Corcyraeorum superabant; nam pugnam ingressi erant cum navibus 110 (vid. cap. 47. 1) habebant autem universas 120. Vid cap. 25. 5. Göller. in conjunction with those of the Athenians, on their side also sailed out to meet them, fearing lest they should attempt to land on their territory.
It was now late, and the Paean had been sung by them for the advance, when the Corinthians suddenly began to row sternwards, on observing twenty ships of the Athenians sailing up; which the Athenians had sent after the ten to help them fearing, (as was the case,) that the Corcyraeans might be conquered, and their own ten ships be Arnold compares II. 61. ταπεινὴ ὑμῶν ἡ διάνοια ἐγκαρτερεῖν ἅ ἔγνωτε and Herodotus VI. 109. ὀλίγους γὰρ εἶναι στρατῇ τῇ μήδων συμβάλλειν. too few to aid them.
These, then, the Corinthians having first seen, and suspecting that they were from Athens, [and were] not merely as many as they saw, but more, began to retreat.
But by the Corcyraeans they were not seen, (for they were advancing more out of their view,) and they wondered at the Corinthians rowing astern, till some saw them and said, There are slips yonder sailing towards us. Then they also withdrew;
for it was now growing dark, and the Corinthians by turning back had occasioned the suspension of hostilities.
In this way they parted from each other, and the battle ceased at night. And when the Corcyraeans were encamped on Leucimna, these twenty ships from Athens, which were commanded by Glauco, the son of Leager, and Andocides, the son of Leogoras, coming on through the dead bodies and the wrecks, sailed up to the camp not long after they had been descried.
Now the Corcyraeans (it being night) were afraid they might be enemies; but afterwards they recognised them, and they came to anchor.
The next day the thirty Athenian ships, and as many of the Corcyraean as were sea-worthy, put out and sailed to the harbour at Sybota, in which the Corinthians were anchored, wishing to know whether they would engage.
But they, having put out with their ships from the land, and formed them in line at sea, remained quiet; not intending voluntarily to begin a battle, since they saw that fresh ships from Athens had joined them; and that they themselves were involved in many difficulties, with regard to the safe keeping of the prisoners they had on board, and because there were no means of refitting their ships in so deserted a place.