Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 2.djvu/42

This page needs to be proofread.

34 BATTLE OF SOLYGEA [iV the ships. Meanwhile the rest of the two armies had been fighting steadily. On the right wing of the Corinthians, where Lycophron was opposed to the Athenian left, the defence was most energetic ; for he and his troops were apprehensive that the Athenians would move on the village 44 of Sol3'gea. For a long time neither would give wa}', but at length the Athenians, having an The Athenians en in . . , • i i • i i a pmiial victory, but, advantage in cavalry, with which the alarmed at the approach Corinthians Were unprovidcd, drove of a reinforcement, they t^em back, and they retired to the retreat to their ships. • r i • i i i summit of the ridge ; where they grounded their arms and remained inactive, refusing to come down. In this defeat of their right wing the Corin- thians incurred the heaviest loss, and L3'cophron their general was slain. The whole arm}' was now forced back upon the high ground, where they remained in position ; the}' were not pursued far, and made a leisurely retreat. The Athenians seeing that they did not return to the attack, at once erected a trophy and began to spoil the enemies' dead and take up their own. The other half of the Corinthians who were keeping guard at Cenchreae, lest the Athenians should sail against Crommyon, had their view of the battle intercepted by Mount Oneum. But when they saw the dust and knew what was going on, tiicy instantly came to the rescue. The elder men of Corinth hearing of the defeat likewise hastened to the spot. The united army then advanced against the Athenians, who fancying that a reinforcement had come from the neigh- bouring states of Peloponnesus, quickly retreated to their ships, taking their spoils and their own dead, with the exception of two whom they could not find ; they then embarked and sailed to the neighbouring islands. Thence they sent a herald asking for a truce, and recovered the two dead bodies which were missing. The Corinthians lost two hundred and twelve men ; the Athenians hardly so many as fifty. 45 On the same day the Athenians sailed from the islands to