st Amphipolis, under the command of Nicias, son of
Niceratus, which had to be broken up mainly because of his desertion.
He was therefore proclaimed an enemy. And thus the winter ended, and the
fifteenth year of the war ended with it.

CHAPTER XVII

_Sixteenth Year of the War--The Melian Conference--Fate of Melos_

The next summer Alcibiades sailed with twenty ships to Argos and seized
the suspected persons still left of the Lacedaemonian faction to the
number of three hundred, whom the Athenians forthwith lodged in the
neighbouring islands of their empire. The Athenians also made an
expedition against the isle of Melos with thirty ships of their own, six
Chian, and two Lesbian vessels, sixteen hundred heavy infantry, three
hundred archers, and twenty mounted archers from Athens, and about
fifteen hundred heavy infantry from the allies and the islanders.
The Melians are a colony of Lacedaemon that would not submit to the
Athenians like the other islanders, and at first remained neutral and
took no part in the struggle, but afterwards upon the Athenians using
violence and plundering their territory, assumed an attitude of open
hostility. Cleomedes, son of Lycomedes, and Tisias, son of Tisimachus,
the generals, encamping in their territory with the above armament,
before doing any harm to their land, sent envoys to negotiate. These the
Melians did not bring before the people, but bade them state the object
of their mission to the magistrates and the few; upon which the Athenian
envoys spoke as follows:

Athenians. Since the negotiations are not to go on before the people, in
order that we may not be able to speak straight on without interruption,
and deceive the ears of the multitude by seductive arguments which would
pass without refutation (for we know that this is the meaning of our
being brought before the few), what if you who sit there were to pursue
a method more cautious still? Make no set speech yourselves, but take
us up at whatever you do not like, and settle that before going any
farther. And first tell us if this proposition of ours suits you.

The Melian commissioners answered:

Melians. To the fairness of quietly instructing each other as you
propose there is nothing to object; but your military preparations are
too far advanced to agree with what you say, as we see you are come to
be judges in your own cause, and that all we can reasonably expect
from this negotiation is war, if we prove to hav