296 NICIAS.

Vain pomp 's the ruler of the life we live, And a slave's service to the crowd we give. He observed that the people, in the case of men of eloquence, or of eminent parts, made use of their talents upon occasion, but were always jealous of their abilities, and held a watchful eye upon them, taking all opportu- nities to humble their pride and abate their reputation ; as was manifest in their condemnation of Pericles, their banishment of Damon, their distrust of Antiphon the Rhamnusian, but especially in the case of Paches who took Lesbos, who, having to give an account of his con- duct, in the very court of justice unsheathed his sword and slew himself. Upon such considerations, Nicias de- clined all difficult and lengthy enterprises ; if he took a command, he was for doing what was safe ; and if, as thus was likely, he had for the most part success, he did not attribute it to any wisdom, conduct, or courage of his own, but, to avoid envy, he thanked fortune for all, and gave the glory to the divine powers. And the actions themselves bore testimony in his favor ; the city met at that time with several considerable reverses, but he had not a hand in any of them. The Athenians were routed in Thrace by the Chalcidiaiis, Calliades and Xenophon commanding in chief. Demosthenes was the general when the} 7 were unfortunate in iEtolia. At Delium, they lost a thousand citizens under the conduct of Hrppocrates; the plague was principally laid to the charge of Pericles, he, to carry on the war, having shut up close together in the town the crowd of people from the country, who, by the change of place, and of their usual course of living, bred the pestilence. Nicias stood clear of all this ; under his conduct was taken Cythera, an island most commodi- ous against Laconia, and occupied by the Lacedcemonian settlers ; many places, likewise, in Thrace, which had re- volted, were taken or won over by him ; he, shutting up