History of The Peloponnesian War - Book V   

dissatisfied, and leaving Syracuse occupied Phocaeae, a quarter of the
town of Leontini, and Bricinniae, a strong place in the Leontine
country, and being there joined by most of the exiled commons
carried on war from the fortifications. The Athenians hearing this,
sent Phaeax to see if they could not by some means so convince their
allies there and the rest of the Sicilians of the ambitious designs of
Syracuse as to induce them to form a general coalition against her,
and thus save the commons of Leontini. Arrived in Sicily, Phaeax
succeeded at Camarina and Agrigentum, but meeting with a repulse at
Gela did not go on to the rest, as he saw that he should not succeed
with them, but returned through the country of the Sicels to Catana,
and after visiting Bricinniae as he passed, and encouraging its
inhabitants, sailed back to Athens.
During his voyage along the coast to and from Sicily, he treated
with some cities in Italy on the subject of friendship with Athens,
and also fell in with some Locrian settlers exiled from Messina, who
had been sent thither when the Locrians were called in by one of the
factions that divided Messina after the pacification of Sicily, and
Messina came for a time into the hands of the Locrians. These being
met by Phaeax on their return home received no injury at his hands, as
the Locrians had agreed with him for a treaty with Athens. They were
the only people of the allies who, when the reconciliation between the
Sicilians took place, had not made peace with her; nor indeed would
they have done so now, if they had not been pressed by a war with
the Hipponians and Medmaeans who lived on their border, and were
colonists of theirs. Phaeax meanwhile proceeded on his voyage, and
at length arrived at Athens.
Cleon, whom we left on his voyage from Torone to Amphipolis, made
Eion his base, and after an unsuccessful assault upon the Andrian
colony of Stagirus, took Galepsus, a colony of Thasos, by storm. He
now sent envoys to Perdiccas to command his attendance with an army,
as provided by the alliance; and others to Thrace, to Polles, king
of the Odomantians, who was to bring as many Thracian mercenaries as
possible; and himself remained inactive in Eion, awaiting their
arrival. Informed of this, Brasidas on his part took up a position
of observation upon Cerdylium, a place situated in the Argilian
country on high ground across the river, not far from Amphipolis,
and commanding a view on all sides, and thus made it impossible for
Cleon's army to move without his seeing it; for he fully expected that
Cleon, despising the scanty numbers of his opponent, would march
against Amphipolis with the force that he had got with him. At the
same time Brasidas made his preparations, calling to his standard
fifteen hundred Thracian mercenaries and all the Edonians, horse and
targeteers; he also had a thousand Myrcinian and Chalcidian
targeteers, besides those in Amphipolis, and a force of heavy infantry
numbering altogether about two thousand, and three hundred Hellenic
horse. Fifteen hundred of these he had with him upon Cerdylium; the
rest were stationed with Clearidas in Amphipolis.
After remaining quiet for some time, Cleon was at length obliged
to do as Brasidas expected. His soldiers, tired of their inactivity,
began also seriously to reflect on the weakness and incompetence of
their commander, and the skill and valour that would be opposed to
him, and on their own original unwillingness to accompany him. These
murmurs coming to the ears of Cleon, he resolved not to disgust the
army by keeping it in the same place, and broke up his camp and
advanced. The temper of the general was what it had been at Pylos, his
success on that occasion having given him confidence in his
capacity. He never dreamed of any one coming out to fight him, but
said that he was rather going up to view the place; and if he waited
for his reinforcements, it was not in order to make victory secure
in case he should be compelled to engage, but to be enabled to
surround and storm the city. He accordingly came and posted his army
upon a strong hill in front of Amphipolis, and proceeded to examine
the lake formed by the Strymon, and how the town lay on the side of