Nicias. He sent persons in whom he could confide, who were to pretend that they came from the old correspondents of that general within the town; and that their business was to desire him not to march in the night, because the Syracusans had laid several ambushes for him, and seized all the passes. The stratagem had its effect. Nicias sat still, in the simplicity of his heart, fearing he should really fall into the enemy's snares. In the morning the enemy got out before him. Then, indeed, they did seize all the difficult passes; they threw up works against the fords, broke down the bridges, and planted their cavalry wherever the ground was open and even: so that the Athenians could not move one step without fighting.

These poor men lay close all that day and the night following, and then began their march with tears and loud lamentations, as if they had been going to quit their native country, not that of the enemy. They were, indeed, in great want of provisions; and it was a miserable circumstance to leave their sick and wounded friends and comrades behind them; yet they looked upon their present misfortunes as small in comparison of those they had to expect.

But, among the various spectacles of misery, there was not one more pitiable than Nicias himself, oppressed as he was with sickness, and unworthily reduced to hard diet and a scanty provision, when his infirmities required a liberal supply. Yet, in spite of his ill health, he acted and endured many things which the more robust underwent not without difficulty. All this while his troops could not but observe it was not for his own sake, or any attachment to life, that he submitted to such labours, but that he seemed still to cherish hope on their account. When sorrow and fear brought others to tears and complaints, if Nicias ever dropped a tear among the rest, it was plain he did it from a reflection on the miserable and disgraceful issue of the war, which he hoped to have finished with great honour and success. Nor was it only the sight of his present misery that moved them, but when they recollected the speeches and warnings by which he endeavoured to dissuade the people from the expedition, they could not but think his lot much more unhappy than he deserved. All their hopes, too, of assistance from heaven abandoned them, when they observed that so religious a man as Nicias, one who had thought no expense too great in the service of the gods, had no better fortune than the meanest and most profligate person in

the army.

Notwithstanding all these difficulties, he still endeavoured, by the tone of his voice, by his looks, and every expression of kindness to the soldiers, to show himself superior to his misfortunes. Nay, through a march of eight days, though attacked and harassed all the

way by the enemy, he preserved his own division of the army tolerably entire; till Demosthenes was taken prisoner, and the troops he had the conduct of were surrounded, after a brave resistance, at a small place called Polyzelium. Demosthenes then drew his sword and stabbed himself, but as the enemy came immediately upon him and seized him, he had not time to give himself the finishing stroke.

Some Syracusans rode up to Nicias with this news, and he sent a few of his own cavalry to know the certainty. Finding, from their account, that Demosthenes and his party were really prisoners, he begged to treat with Gylippus, and offered hostages for paying the Syracusans the whole charge of the war, on condition they would suffer the Athenians to quit Sicily. The Syracusans rejected the proposal with every mark of insolence and outrage, and fell again upon a wretched man, who was in want of all manner of necessaries*.

He defended himself, however, all that night, and continued his march the next day to the river Asinarus. The enemy galled his troops all the way, and, when they came to the banks of the river, pushed them in. Nay, some, impatient to quench their burning thirst, voluntarily plunged into the stream. Then followed a most cruel scene of blood and slaughter, the poor wretches being massaered as they were drinking, At last, Nicias threw himself at the feet of Gylippus, and said, "Gylippus, you should show some compassion amidst your victory. I ask nothing for myself. What is life to a man whose misfortunes are even proverbial? But, with respect to the other Athenians, methinks you should remember that the chance of war is uncertain, and with what humanity and moderation they treated you, when they were victorious."

Gylippus was somewhat affected both at the sight of Nicias and at his speech. He knew the good offices he had done the Lacedæmonians at the last treaty of peace, and was sensible it would contribute greatly to his honour, if he could take two of the enemy's generals prisoners. Therefore, raising Nicias from the ground, he bade him take courage, and gave orders that the other Athenians should have quarter. But, as the order was slowly communicated, the number of those that were saved was greatly inferior to that of the slain, though the soldiers spared several unknown to their officers.

When the Syracusans had collected all the prisoners they could find into one body, they dressed some of the tallest and straightest trees that grew by the river, as trophies, with the arms they had

But were these brave people to blame? Was it not natural for them to use every means in their power to harass and weaken an enemy who had ambitiously considered their country as a property?

taken from the enemy. After which they marched homeward with garlands on their heads, and with their horses adorned in the most splendid manner, having first shorn those of the Athenians. Thus they entered the city as it were in triumph, after the happy termination of the sharpest dispute that ever subsisted between Grecians, and one of the most complete victories the sun ever beheld, gained by a glorious and persevering exertion of firmness and valour.

A general assembly of the people of Syracuse and of its allies was then held, in which Eurycles* the orator proposed a decree, "That, in the first place, the day they took Nicias should be observed as a festival, with the title of Asinaria, from the river where that great event took place, and that it should be entirely employed in sacrifices to the gods." This was the twenty-seventh day of the month Carneus, called by the Athenians Metagitnion t. "As to the prisoners, he proposed that the Athenian servants and all the allies should be sold for slaves; that such of the Athenians as were freemen, and the Sicilians their partisans, should be confined to the quarries; and that the generals should be put to death." As the Syracusans accepted the bill, Hermocrates rose up and said, "It was a more glorious thing to make a good use of victory than to gain one." But his motion raised a great ferment in the assembly. Gylippus expressing his desire to have the Athenian generals, that he might carry them prisoners to Lacedæmon, the Syracusans, now grown insolent with their good fortune, loaded him with reproaches. Indeed, they could not well bear his severity and Lacedæmonian rigour in command, while the war lasted. Besides, as Timæus observes, they had discovered in him an avarice and meanness, which was a disease he inherited from his father Cleandrides, who was banished for taking of bribes. The son, out of the thousand talents which Lysander sent by him to Sparta, purloined thirty, and hid them under the tiles of his house. Being detected in it, he fled his country with the utmost disgrace, as we have related more at large in the life of Lysander.

Timæus does not agree with Philistus and Thucydides, that Demosthenes and Nicias were stoned to death by the Syracusans. Instead of that, he tells us, that Hermocrates sent one of his people to acquaint those two generals with what was passing in the assembly, and the messenger being admitted by the guards before the court

Diodorus Siculus calls him Diocles.

Though it is not easy, as we have observed in a former note, to bring the Grecian months to tally with ours, yet we agree in this place with Dacier, that September is probably meant, or part of it; because Plutarch had said above, that the sickness bad set in with autumn.

was dismissed, the unhappy men despatched themselves. Their bodies were thrown without the gates, and lay there expsoed to the view of all those who wanted to enjoy the spectacle. I am informed that a shield, said to be that of Nicias, is shown to this day in one of the temples at Syracuse; the exterior texture of which is gold and purple, and executed with surprising art.

As to the other Athenians, the greatest part perished in the quarries to which they were confined, by diseases and bad diet; for they were allowed only a pint of barley a-day, and half a pint of water. Many of those who were concealed by the soldiers, or escaped by passing as servants, were sold for slaves, and stigmatized with the figure of a horse upon their foreheads. Several of these, however, submitted to their fate with patience; and the modesty and decency with which they behaved were such, that they were either soon released, or treated in their servitude with great respect by their

masters.

Some there were who owed their preservation to Euripides. Of all the Grecians, his was the muse whom the Sicilians were most in love with. From every stranger that landed in their island, they gleaned every small specimen or portion of his works, and communicated it with pleasure to each other. It is said, that on this occasion a number of Athenians, upon their return home, went to Euripides, and thanked him in the most respectful manner for their obligations to his pen; some having been enfranchised for teaching their masters what they remembered of his poems, and others having got refreshments, when they were wandering about after the battle, for singing a few of his verses. Nor is this to be wondered at, since they tell us, that when a ship from Caunus, which happened to be pursued by pirates, was going to take shelter in one of their ports, the Sicilians at first refused to admit her; upon asking the crew whether they knew any of the verses of Euripides, and being answered in the affirmative, they received both them and their vessel.

The Athenians, we are told, did not give credit to the first news of this misfortune, the person who brought it not appearing to deserve their notice. It seems, a stranger who landed in the Piræus, as he sat to be shaved in a barber's shop, spoke of it as an event already known to the Athenians. The barber no sooner heard it, but, before the stranger could communicate it to any other person, he ran into the city, and applying to the magistrates, informed them of the news in open court. Trouble and dismay seized all that heard it. The magistrates immediately summoned an assembly, and introduced the informant. There he was interrogated, of whom he had the intelligence; and, as he could give no clear and pertinent answer, he

was considered as a forger of false news and a public incendiary*. In this light he was fastened to the wheel, where he bore the torture for some time, till at length some credible persons arrived, who gave a distinct account of the whole disaster. With so much difficulty did the misfortunes of Nicias find credit among the Athenians, though he had often forewarned them that they would certainly happen.

MARCUS CRASSUS.

MARCUS CRASSUS, whose father had borne the office of cen sor, and been honoured with a triumph, was brought up in a small house with his two brothers. These married while their parents were living, and they all ate at the same table. This, we may suppose, contributed not a little to render him sober and moderate in his diet. Upon the death of one of his brothers, he took the widow and children into his house. With respect to women, there was not a man in Rome more regular in his conduct; though, when somewhat advanced in years, he was suspected of a criminal commerce with one of the vestal virgins, named Licinia. Licinia was impeached by onė Plotinus, but acquitted upon trial. It seems the vestal had a beautiful country-house, which Crassus wanting to have at an under price, paid his court to the lady with great assiduity, and thence fell under that suspicion. His judges, knowing that avarice, was at the bottom of all, acquitted him of the charge of corrupting the vestal; and le never let her rest till she had sold him her house.

The Romans say, Crassus had only that one vice of avarice, which cast a shade upon his many virtues. He appeared, indeed, to have but one bad quality, because it was so much stronger and more pow erful than the rest, that it quite obscured them. His love of money is very evident from the size of his estate, and his manner of raising it: at first it did not exceed three hundred talents; but, during his public employments, after he had consecrated the tenth of his substance to Hercules, given an entertainment to the people, and a sup ply of bread-corn to each citizen for three months, he found, upon an exact computation, that he was master of seven thousand one hundred

Casaubon would infer from hence, that the Athenians had a law for punishing the forgers of false news. But this person was punished, not so much as a forger of false news as a public incendiary, who, by exciting groundless terrors in the people, aided and abetted their enemies.