Many opinions were expressed on both sides; and the representatives of the different cities wrangled and put in claims for the redress of their several grievances. At length Hermocrates the son of Hermon, a Syracusan, [1] whose words chiefly influenced their decision ", addressed the conference in the following speech :-
59
Sicilians, the city to which I belong is not the least in
Speech of Hermocrates. Why do men go to war? Because they expect to gain more than they will lose. But if they will lose more than they gain they had better make peace.
Sicily, nor am I about to speak because
Syracuse suffers more than other cities
in the war, but because I want to lay
before you the policy which seems to
me best fitted to promote the common
good of the whole country. You well
know, and therefore I shall not rehearse
to you at length, all the misery of war. Nobody is driven
into war by ignorance, and no one who thinks that he will
gain anything from it is deterred by fear. The truth is
that the aggressor deems the advantage to be greater than
the suffering; and the side which is attacked would sooner
run any risk than suffer the smallest immediate loss. But
when such feelings on the part of either operate unseason-
ably, the time for offering counsels of peace has arrived,
and such counsels, if we will only listen to them, will be
at this moment invaluable to us. Why did we go to war?
Simply from a consideration of our own individual interests,
and with a view to our interests we are now trying by
means of discussion to obtain peace; and if, after all,
we do not before we separate succeed in getting our re-
spective rights, we shall go to war again.
60 But at the same time we should have the sense to see that this conference The interests of the whole country and not of individual cities only are at stake. For the Athenians are upon us.
is not solely concerned with our private interests, but with those of the whole country. Sicily is in my opinion at this moment imperilled by the designs of the Athenians, and we must try, if not too late, to save her. The Athenians are a much more
- ↑ Or, 'who had been the chief agent in bringing them together.'
