of your fellow
countrymen, but that if you have other designs you run a risk of being
deprived of all; and desist from reports like these, as the people know
your object and will not put up with it. If the Athenians arrive, this
city will repulse them in a manner worthy of itself; we have moreover,
generals who will see to this matter. And if nothing of this be true, as
I incline to believe, the city will not be thrown into a panic by your
intelligence, or impose upon itself a self-chosen servitude by choosing
you for its rulers; the city itself will look into the matter, and will
judge your words as if they were acts, and, instead of allowing itself
to be deprived of its liberty by listening to you, will strive to
preserve that liberty, by taking care to have always at hand the means
of making itself respected."

Such were the words of Athenagoras. One of the generals now stood up and
stopped any other speakers coming forward, adding these words of his own
with reference to the matter in hand: "It is not well for speakers to
utter calumnies against one another, or for their hearers to entertain
them; we ought rather to look to the intelligence that we have received,
and see how each man by himself and the city as a whole may best prepare
to repel the invaders. Even if there be no need, there is no harm in
the state being furnished with horses and arms and all other insignia of
war; and we will undertake to see to and order this, and to send round
to the cities to reconnoitre and do all else that may appear desirable.
Part of this we have seen to already, and whatever we discover shall
be laid before you." After these words from the general, the Syracusans
departed from the assembly.

In the meantime the Athenians with all their allies had now arrived at
Corcyra. Here the generals began by again reviewing the armament, and
made arrangements as to the order in which they were to anchor and
encamp, and dividing the whole fleet into three divisions, allotted one
to each of their number, to avoid sailing all together and being thus
embarrassed for water, harbourage, or provisions at the stations which
they might touch at, and at the same time to be generally better ordered
and easier to handle, by each squadron having its own commander. Next
they sent on three ships to Italy and Sicily to find out which of the
cities would receive them, with instructions to meet them on the way and
let them know before they put in to land.