300 NICIAS.

Already, too, Alcibiades was beginning to show his strength at Athens, a popular leader, not, indeed, as utterly violent as Cleon, but as the land of Egj 7 pt, through the richness of its soil, is said, great plenty to produce. Both wholesome herbs, and drugs of deadly juice, so the nature of Alcibiades was strong and luxuriant in both kinds, and made way for many serious innova- tions. Thus it fell out that after Nicias had got his hands clear of Cleon, he had not opportunity to settle the city perfectly into quietness. For having brought matters to a pretty hopeful condition, he found every thing carried away and plunged again into confusion by Alcibi- ades, through the wildness and vebemence of his ambi- tion, and all embroiled again in war worse than ever. "Which fell out thus. Tbe persons who had principally hindered the peace were Cleon and Brasidas. War set- ting off the virtue of the one, and hiding the villany of the other, gave to the one occasions of achieving brave actions, to tbe other opportunity of committing equal dis- honesties. Now when these two were in one battle both slain near Amphipolis, Nicias was aware that the Spartans had long been desirous of a peace, and that the Atheni- ans had no longer the same confidence in the war. Both being alike tired, and, as it were by consent, letting fall their hands, he, therefore, in this nick of time, employed his efforts to make a friendship betwixt the two cities, and to deliver the other States of Greece from the evils and calamities they labored under, and so establish his own good name for success as a statesman for all future time. He found the men of substance, the elder men, and the land-owners and fanners pretty generally, all inclined to peace. And when, in addition to these, by conversing and reasoning, he had cooled the wishes of a good many