Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 2.djvu/212

204 SPEECH OF HERMOCRATES ^vi pains. Yet, when the city is in danger, fear shall not stop speech or Henno. "">" "'°"^ ' ^°^ ^ ^"^ Convinced in my aates. They are com- own mind that I have better informa- itig and you must pre- tion than anybody. The Athenians i7 Spared Jin °"^^' ^^ >'°" "'^y- ^""^ '^^"^'"g aga'^St- nothivg io fear ; Sicily US with a great fleet and army; they will imite against them; profess to be assisting their Egestaean rtfr r^l""" ^"--^ -d to be restoring the Leont- ines. But the truth is that they covet Sicily, and especially our city. They think that, if they can conquer us, they will easily conquer the rest. They will soon be here, and you must consider how with your present resources you can make the most successful defence. You should not let them take you by surprise because you despise them, or neglect the whole matter because you will not believe that they are coming at all. But to him who is not of this unbelieving temper I say: — And do not you be dismayed at their audacity and power. They cannot do more harm to us than we can do to them ; the very greatness of their armament may be an advantage to us ; it will have a good effect on the other Sicilian cities, who will be alarmed, and in their terror will be the more ready to assist us. Then, again, if in the end we over- power them, or at any rate drive them away baffled, for I have not the slightest fear of their accomplishing their purpose, we shall have achieved a noble triumph. And of this I have a good hope. Rarely have great expeditions, whether Hellenic or Barbarian, when sent far from home, met with success. They are not more numerous than the inhabitants and their neighbours, who all combine through fear; and if owing to scarcity of supplies in a foreign land they miscarry, although their ruin may be chiefly due to themselves, they confer glory on those whom they meant to overthrow. The greatness of these very Athenians was based on the utter and unexpected ruin of the Persians", who were always supposed to have directed ■ Cp. i. 69 fin.