times they tossed the corpse which they were carrying on the top of
another that was burning, and so went off.

Nor was this the only form of lawless extravagance which owed its origin
to the plague. Men now coolly ventured on what they had formerly done
in a corner, and not just as they pleased, seeing the rapid transitions
produced by persons in prosperity suddenly dying and those who before
had nothing succeeding to their property. So they resolved to spend
quickly and enjoy themselves, regarding their lives and riches as alike
things of a day. Perseverance in what men called honour was popular with
none, it was so uncertain whether they would be spared to attain
the object; but it was settled that present enjoyment, and all that
contributed to it, was both honourable and useful. Fear of gods or law
of man there was none to restrain them. As for the first, they judged it
to be just the same whether they worshipped them or not, as they saw all
alike perishing; and for the last, no one expected to live to be brought
to trial for his offences, but each felt that a far severer sentence had
been already passed upon them all and hung ever over their heads, and
before this fell it was only reasonable to enjoy life a little.

Such was the nature of the calamity, and heavily did it weigh on the
Athenians; death raging within the city and devastation without.
Among other things which they remembered in their distress was, very
naturally, the following verse which the old men said had long ago been
uttered:

A Dorian war shall come and with it death.

So a dispute arose as to whether dearth and not death had not been the
word in the verse; but at the present juncture, it was of course decided
in favour of the latter; for the people made their recollection fit
in with their sufferings. I fancy, however, that if another Dorian
war should ever afterwards come upon us, and a dearth should happen to
accompany it, the verse will probably be read accordingly. The oracle
also which had been given to the Lacedaemonians was now remembered by
those who knew of it. When the god was asked whether they should go to
war, he answered that if they put their might into it, victory would be
theirs, and that he would himself be with them. With this oracle
events were supposed to tally. For the plague broke out as soon as the
Peloponnesians invaded Attica, and never entering Peloponnese (not
at least to an extent worth noticing), committed it