Nicias

Events bore witness to his wisdom, for in the many great reverses which the city suffered at that period he had absolutely no share. It was under the leadership of Calliades[*](An error for Callias, who lost his life before Potidaea in 432 B.C. (;Thuc. 3.63). In 429, Xenophon was defeated and killed, with his two colleagues (;Thuc. 2.79).) and Xenophon that his countrymen met defeat at the hands of the Chalcidians in Thrace; the Aetolian disaster occurred when Demosthenes was in command;[*](In 426 B.C. (;Thuc. 3.91-98).) Hippocrates was general when a thousand citizens were sacrificed at Delium;[*](In 424 B.C. (;Thuc. 4.89-101).) and for the plague Pericles incurred the most blame, because he shut up the throng from the country in the city on account of the war, and the plague was the result of their change of abode and their unwonted manner of living.[*](Cf. Plut. Per. 34.3 f.)

For all these things Nicias was free from blame, while as general he captured Cythera,[*](In 424 B.C. (;Thuc. 4.53-55).) an island favorably situated for the command of Laconia and inhabited by Lacedaemonians; he captured also many places in Thrace[*](In 423 B.C. (;Thuc. 4.129-133).) which had revolted, and brought them back to their allegiance; having shut up the Megarians in their city he straightway seized the island of Minoa,[*](In 427 B.C. (;Thuc 3.51).) and shortly after, from this base of operations, got possession of Nisaea;[*](This, on the contrary, was the exploit of Demosthenes in 424 B.C. (;Thuc. 4.66-69).) he also made a descent upon the territory of Corinth,[*](In 425 B.C. (;Thuc. 4.42.1, and Thuc. 4.44).) defeated the Corinthians in battle and slew many of them, including Lycophron their general.

Here it befell him, when his dead were taken up for burial, that two of his men were left unnoticed on the field. As soon as he was made aware of this, he halted his armament and sent a herald back to the enemy asking leave to take up his dead. And yet by usage and unwritten law the side which secured the right to take up its dead by a truce, was thought to renounce all claims to victory, and for those who so obtained this right, the erection of a trophy of victory was unlawful, since they are victors who possess the field; but petitioners do not possess the field, since they cannot take what they want.

Notwithstanding this, Nicias endured rather to abandon the honor and reputation of his victory than to leave unburied two of his fellow citizens.

He also ravaged the coasts of Laconia,[*](In 424 B.C. (;Thuc. 4.54).) routed the Lacedaemonians who opposed him, captured Thyrea, which the Aeginetans held, and took his prisoners off alive to Athens.

After Demosthenes had fortified Pylos,[*](In 425 B.C. The Pylos episode is narrated at great length by Thucydides (;Thuc. 4.2-41).) the Peloponnesians came up against it by land and sea, a battle was fought, and about four hundred Spartans were shut off on the island of Sphacteria. Then the Athenians considered that their capture would be a great achievement, as was true. But the siege was difficult and toilsome, since the region afforded little fresh water. Even in summer the shipping of the necessary supplies round Peloponnesus was a long and expensive process, while in winter it was sure to be perilous if not altogether impossible. The Athenians were therefore in bad humor, and repented them of having repulsed an embassy of the Lacedaemonians which had come to treat with them for a truce and peace.

They had repulsed it because Cleon, chiefly on account of Nicias, was opposed to it. For he hated Nicias, and when he saw him zealously cooperating with the Lacedaemonians, persuaded the people to reject the truce. So when the siege grew longer and longer, and they leaned that their forces were in terrible straits, they were angry with Cleon.