ere still
felt at the moment a heavy burden, especially when they contrasted the
splendour and glory of their setting out with the humiliation in which
it had ended. For this was by far the greatest reverse that ever befell
an Hellenic army. They had come to enslave others, and were departing in
fear of being enslaved themselves: they had sailed out with prayer
and paeans, and now started to go back with omens directly contrary;
travelling by land instead of by sea, and trusting not in their fleet
but in their heavy infantry. Nevertheless the greatness of the danger
still impending made all this appear tolerable.

Nicias seeing the army dejected and greatly altered, passed along the
ranks and encouraged and comforted them as far as was possible under the
circumstances, raising his voice still higher and higher as he went from
one company to another in his earnestness, and in his anxiety that the
benefit of his words might reach as many as possible:

"Athenians and allies, even in our present position we must still hope
on, since men have ere now been saved from worse straits than this;
and you must not condemn yourselves too severely either because of your
disasters or because of your present unmerited sufferings. I myself who
am not superior to any of you in strength--indeed you see how I am in
my sickness--and who in the gifts of fortune am, I think, whether in
private life or otherwise, the equal of any, am now exposed to the same
danger as the meanest among you; and yet my life has been one of much
devotion toward the gods, and of much justice and without offence toward
men. I have, therefore, still a strong hope for the future, and our
misfortunes do not terrify me as much as they might. Indeed we may hope
that they will be lightened: our enemies have had good fortune enough;
and if any of the gods was offended at our expedition, we have been
already amply punished. Others before us have attacked their neighbours
and have done what men will do without suffering more than they could
bear; and we may now justly expect to find the gods more kind, for we
have become fitter objects for their pity than their jealousy. And
then look at yourselves, mark the numbers and efficiency of the heavy
infantry marching in your ranks, and do not give way too much to
despondency, but reflect that you are yourselves at once a city wherever
you sit down, and that there is no other in Sicily that could easily
resist your attack, or exp