Nicias   

either kill the enemy, upon the place, or bring them alive to Athens.
This the Athenians were readier to launch at than to believe, as on
other occasions, also, his bold assertions and extravagances used
to make them sport, and were pleasant enough. As, for instance, it
is reported that once when the people were assembled, and had waited
his coming a long time, at last he appeared with a garland on his
head, and prayed them to adjourn to the next day. "For," said he,
"I am not at leisure to-day; I have sacrificed to the gods, and am
to entertain some strangers." Whereupon the Athenians, laughing, rose
up, and dissolved the assembly. However, at this time he had good-fortune,
and in conjunction with Demosthenes, conducted the enterprise so well
that, within the time he had limited, he carried captive to Athens
all the Spartans that had not fallen in battle.
This brought great disgrace on Nicias; for this was not to throw away
his shield, but something yet more shameful and ignominious, to quit
his charge voluntarily out of cowardice, and voting himself, as it
were, out of his command of his own accord, to put into his enemy's
hand the opportunity of achieving so brave an action. Aristophanes
has a jest against him on this occasion in the Birds:-
"Indeed, not now the word that must be said
Is, do like Nicias, or retire to bed." And, again, in his Husbandmen:-
"I wish to stay at home and farm,
What then?
Who should prevent you?
You, my countrymen;
Whom I would pay a thousand drachmas down,
To let me give up office and leave town.
Enough; content; the sum two thousand is,
With those that Nicias paid to give up his."
Besides all this, he did great mischief to the city by suffering the
accession of so much reputation and power to Cleon, who now assumed
such lofty airs, and allowed himself in such intolerable audacity,
as led to many unfortunate results, a sufficient part of which fell
to his own share. Amongst other things, he destroyed all the decorum
of public speaking; he was the first who ever broke out into exclamations,
flung open his dress, smote his thigh, and ran up and down whilst
he was speaking, things which soon after introduced, amongst those
who managed the affairs of state, such licence and contempt of decency
as brought all into confusion.
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 Egypt, 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 innovations. 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 everything carried away and plunged again into
confusion by Alcibiades, through the wildness and vehemence of his
ambition, and all embroiled again in war worse than ever. Which fell
out thus. The persons who had principally hindered the peace were
Cleon and Brasidas. War setting off the virtue of the one and hiding
the villainy of the other, gave to the one occasions of achieving
brave actions, to the other opportunity of committing equal dishonesties.
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 Athenians 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 laboured 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