Book 3
He was convinced [by these arguments], and set at liberty all the Chians he had still in his hands, and some of the others. [ Some such clause as this seems necessary, as the following paragraph intended to account for his having made so many prisoners. And there had been very many taken by him]; for at the sight of his ships the men did not fly, but rather came to them, thinking they were from Athens; and they had not even the slightest expectation, that while the Athenians had command of the sea, Peloponnesian ships would dare to cross over to Ionia.
From Ephesus Alcidas sailed as quickly as possible, and took to flight. For while still lying at anchor off Clarus, he had been seen by the Salaminian and the Paralus ships, (which happened to be sailing from Athens,) and fearing pursuit, he took his course across the open sea, intending to make no land voluntarily but the Peloponnese.
Now tidings of him had been sent to Paches and the Athenians from the Erythraean country, and indeed from every quarter; for as Ionia had no fortified towns, the alarm was great lest the Peloponnesians in coasting along, even though they did not intend to stay, might at the same time assault and plunder the cities. And now the Paralus and Salaminian, having seen him at Clarus, themselves brought intelligence of the fact. Accordingly he made chase with all speed, and continued in pursuit of him as far as the isle of Patmos, but returned when he found that he was not within distance to be overtaken.
He considered it, however, a lucky thing, as he did not fall in with them out at sea, that they had not been overtaken any where near shore, and obliged to form an encampment, and so give his forces the trouble of watching and blockading them.
As he coasted along on his return, he touched, amongst other places, at Notium, [the port] of the Colophonians, where they had settled after the capture of the upper city by Itamenes and the barbarians, who had been called in by individuals on the ground of a factious quarrel. The city was taken about the time that the second irruption of the Peloponnesians into Attica took place.
Those then who had fled for refuge to Notium, and settled there, having again split into factions, one party introduced and kept in the fortified quarter of the town an auxiliary force of Arcadians and barbarians sent by Pisuthnes; and those of the Colophonians in the upper city who formed the Median party, went in with them and joined their community;
while those who had retired from them, and were now in exile, introduced Paches. He invited Hippias, the commander of the Arcadians in Properly the cross-wall, which divided one part of the town from the rest. the fortified quarter, to a parley, on condition that if he proposed nothing to meet his wishes, he should restore him safe and sound to the fortress; but when he went out to him, he kept him in hold, though not in bonds; and having assaulted the place on a sudden and when they were not expecting it, he took it, and put to the sword the Arcadians and all the rest that were in it. Having afterwards taken Hippias into it, as he had agreed to do, he seized him when he was inside, and shot him through.
He then gave up Notium to the Colophonians, excepting the Median party; and the Athenians subsequently sent out colonists, and settled the place according to their own laws; having collected all the Colophonians, wherever there was one in any of the cities.
On his arrival at Mytilene Paches reduced Pyrrha an Eresus, and having seized Salaethus the Lacedaemonian in the city, where he was hiding, he despatched him to Athens, and with him the Mytilenaeans at Tenedos, whom he had deposited there, and whomever else he thought implicated in the revolt. He also sent back the greater part of his forces.
With the remainder he stayed there, and settled the affairs of Mytilene and the rest of Lesbos, as he thought proper.
On the arrival of the men with Salaethus, the Athenians immediately put the latter to death, though he held out certain promises, and amongst others, that he would obtain the retreat of the Peloponnesians from Plataea (for it was still being besieged):
but respecting the former they deliberated what to do; and in their anger they determined to put to death, not only those that were there, but all the Mytilenaeans also that were of age; and to make slaves of the women and children. For they both urged against them [the aggravated character of] their revolt in other respects, namely, that they had executed it without being subject to their dominion, like the rest; and the fact of the Peloponnesian ships having dared to venture over to Ionia to assist them, contributed also no little to their wrath;
for they thought it was with no short premeditation that they had revolted. They sent therefore a trireme to Paches with intelligence of their resolution, and commanded him to despatch the Mytilenaeans as quickly as possible.
The next day they felt immediately a degree of repentance, and reflected that the resolution they had passed was a cruel and sweeping one, to put a whole city to the sword, instead of those who were guilty.
When the Mytilenaean ambassadors who were present, and those of the Athenians who co-operated with them, perceived this, they got the authorities to put the question again to the vote; and the more easily prevailed on them to do it, because they also saw plainly that the majority of the citizens wished some one to give them another opportunity of deliberating.
An assembly therefore being immediately summoned, different opinions were expressed on both sides; and Cleon, son of Cleaenetus, who had carried the former resolution, to put them to death, being on other subjects also the most violent of the citizens, and by far the most influential with the commons, at that time came forward again, and spoke as follows:
"On many other occasions before this have I been convinced that a democracy is incapable of maintaining dominion over others, and I am so more than ever from your present change of purpose respecting the Mytilenaeans.
For owing to your daily freedom from fear, and from plotting against each other, you entertain the same views towards your allies also. And you do not reflect, in whatever case you may either have made a mistake through being persuaded by their words, or may have given way to pity, that you show such weakness to your own peril, and at the same time too gain no gratitude from your allies; not considering that it is a tyrannical dominion which you hold, and over men who are plotting against you, and involuntarily subject to you;
and who obey you not from any favours you confer on them to your own hurt, but from the fact of your being superior to them through your power, rather than their good feeling. But of all things is the most fearful if nothing of what we have resolved stedfast; and if we are not convince that a state with inferior laws which are unchanged is better than one with good ones which are not authoritative; the homely wit with moderation is more useful than cleverness with intemperance;
and the duller class of men, compared with the more talented, Generally speaking, manage public affairs better. For the latter wish to appear wiser than the laws, and to overrule what is ever spoken for the public good—think in that they could not show their wisdom in more important matters—and by such means they generally ruin their country. But the former, distrusting their own talent deign to be less learned than the laws and less able than to find fault with the words of one who has spoken well; and being judges on fair terms, rather than rivals or a prize they are more commonly right in views.
So then rivals to do, and not to advise your people contrary to our real opinion, urged on by cleverness and rivalry of talent.
"I, then, continue of the same opinion; and am astonished at those who have proposed to discuss a second time the case of the Mytilenaeans, and caused in it a delay of time, which is all for the advantage of the guilty (for so the sufferer proceeds against the offender with his anger less keen; whereas when retribution treads most closely on the heels of suffering, it best matches it in wreaking vengeance). I wonder, too, who will be the man to maintain the opposite opinion, and to pretend to show that the injuries done by the Mytilenaeans are beneficial to us, and that our misfortunes are losses to our allies. It is evident that either trusting to his eloquence he would strive to prove, in opposition to us, that what we consider most certain has not been ascertained;
or, urged on by the hope of gain, will endeavour to lead us away by an elaborate display of specious language. But in such contests as these the state gives the prizes to others, and takes only the dangers itself.
And it is you who are to blame for it, through unwisely instituting these contests;
inasmuch as you are accustomed to attend to speeches like spectators [in a theatre], and to facts like mere listeners [to what others tell you]; with regard to things future, judging of their possibility from those who have spoken cleverly about them; and with regard to things which have already occurred, not taking what has been done as more credible from your having seen it, than what has been only heard from those who in words have delivered a clever invective.
And so you are the best men to be imposed on with novelty of argument, and to be unwilling to follow up what has been approved by you; being slaves to every new paradox, and despisers of what is ordinary. Each of you wishes, above all, to be able to speak himself;
but if that is not possible, in rivalry of those who so speak, you strive not to appear to have followed his sentiments at second-hand; but when he has said any thing cleverly, you would fain appear to have anticipated its expression by your applause, and are eager to catch beforehand what is said, and at the same time slow to foresee the consequences of it.
Thus you look, so to speak, for something different from the circumstances in which we are actually living; while you have not a sufficient understanding of even that which is before you. In a word, you are overpowered by the pleasures of the ear, and are like men sitting to Literally, as spectators of them. be amused by rhetoricians rather than deliberating upon state affairs.
"Wishing then to call you off from this course, I declare to you that the Mytilenaeans have injured you more than any one state ever did.
For I can make allowance for men who have revolted because they could not endure your government, or because they were compelled by their enemies. But for those who inhabited an island with fortifications, and had only to fear our enemies by sea, on which element, too, they were themselves not unprotected against them by a fleet of triremes, and who lived independent, and were honoured in the highest degree by us, and then treated us in this way; what else did those men do than deliberately devise our ruin, and rise up against us, rather than revolt from us, (revolt, at least, is the part of those who are subject to some violent treatment,) and seek to ruin us by siding with our bitterest enemies? Yet surely that is more intolerable than if they waged war against you by themselves for the acquisition of power.
Again, neither were the calamities of their neighbours, who had already revolted from us and been subdued, a warning to them; nor did the good fortune they enjoyed make them loath to come into trouble; but being over-confident with regard to the future, and having formed hopes beyond their power, though less than their desire, they declared war, having determined to prefer might to right; for at a time when they thought they should overcome us, they attacked us, though they were not being wronged.
But success is wont to make those states insolent to which it comes most unexpected and with the shortest notice; whereas the good fortune which is according to men's calculation is generally more steady than when it comes beyond their expectation so to say, they more easily drive off adversity than they preserve prosperity.
The Mytilenaeans, then, ought all along to have been honoured by us on the same footing as the rest, and in that case they would not have come to such a pitch of insolence; for in other instances, as well as theirs, man is naturally inclined to despise those who court him and respect those who do not stoop to him.
But let them even now be punished as their crime deserves; and let not the guilt attach to the aristocracy, while you acquit the commons. For at any rate they all alike attacked you; since they might have come over to us, and so have been now in possession of their city again. Thinking, how ever, the chance they ran with the aristocracy to be the safer, they joined them in revolting. And now consider;
if you attach the same penalties to those of the allies who were compelled by their enemies to revolt, and to those who did it voluntarily, which of them, think you, will not revolt on any slight pretext, when he either gains his liberation, if he succeed, or incurs no extreme suffering, if he fail?
And so we shall presently have to risk both our money and our lives against each separate state. And if we are successful, by taking possession of a ruined city, you will hereafter be deprived of all. future revenue from it—in which our strength consists; while if we fail, we shall have fresh enemies in addition to those we have already; and during the time that we ought to be opposing our present foes, we shall be engaged in hostilities with our own allies.
You ought not therefore to hold out any hope, either relying on oratory or purchased with money, of their receiving allowance for having erred through human infirmity. For they did not involuntarily hurt you, but wittingly plotted against you; and it is only what is involuntary what can claim allowance.
I, then, both on that first occasion [so advised you], and now contend that you should not rescind your former resolutions, nor err through three things, the most inexpedient for empire, namely, pity delight in oratory, and lenity.
For pity is properly felt towards those of a kindred temper, ad not towards those who will not reel it in return, but are of necessity our enemies for ever. And the orators who delight us with their language will have a field in other subjects of less importance, instead of one in which the state, after being a little pleased, will pay a great penalty; while they themselves from their good speaking will receive good treatment in return. And lenity is shown to those who will be well-disposed in future, rather than to those who remain just what they were, and not at all less hostile. To sum up in one word, if you are persuaded by me, you will do what is just towards the Mytilenaeans, and at the same time expedient;
but if you decide otherwise, you will not oblige them, but will rather pass sentence upon yourselves. For if they were right in revolting you cannot properly maintain your empire. If, however, you determine to do so, even though it is not proper, you must also, overlooking what is right, punish these men from regard to expediency, or else give up your empire, and act the honest man without danger. Resolve, then, to requite them with the same penalty; and not to show yourselves, in escaping their designs, more insensible than those who formed them against you;