Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 2.djvu/216

2o8 SPEECH OF ATHENAGORAS [vi private reasons for being afraid, they want to strike terror , r Aji into the whole city^ that they may hide Speech of Allien- -^ j j agoias. These alartns themselves ^ Under the shadow of the are spread by traitors, common fear. And now, what is the who want to divert meaning of these rumours ? They do ptibtic attention from ° •' their own designs. The not grow of themselves ; they have whole story is exceed- been got up by persons who are the ingly improbable. troublers of our state. And you, if you are wise, will not measure probabilities by their reports, but by what we may assume to be the intentions of shrewd and experienced men such as I conceive the Athenians to be. They are not likely to leave behind them a power such as Peloponnesus. The war which they have already on their hands is far from settled, and will they go out of their way to bring upon themselves another as great? In my opinion they are only too glad that we are not attacking them, considering the number and power of our states. 37 'Even if the rumour of their coming should turn out to Sicily is more than be true, I am sure that Sicily is more a match for the Athen- fit than Peloponnesus to maintain a tans; and another „j,gg(. ^y^r. The whole island is better Svracttse, if they had ° ,. , . , possession of it f could Supplied m every way, and our own not conquer Syracuse, city is herself far more than a match for the army which is said to be threatening us; aye, and for another as great. I know that they will not bring cavalry with them, and will find none here, except the few horsemen which they may procure from Egesta. They cannot provide a force of hoplites equal to ours, for they have to cross the sea ; and to come all this distance, if only with ships and with no troops or lading, would be work enough c. I know too that an armament which is directed against so great a city as ours will require » Or, ' that they may hide their own consciousness of guilt.' *• Cp. vi. 23 init. ' Placing a colon after iKOCi'Tui and taking ^^a fdp . . . HOfiiaOiji'ai as a parenthesis.