The Persian King, who
was formerly our enemy, has now nearly become our friend, and our
danger is not now Persia, but Rome. Therefore, with the future in
view, I say to you Athenians, 'Let us go to Italy and Sicily. With
Sicily as our base, we can dispute with the Romans the possession of
Spain and the Pillars of Hercules. In Sicily we have the Key to
Egypt; by means of Sicily we protect the threatened Tarentum, and
can, in case of need, save sinking Hellas. The world is wide; why
should we sit here and moulder in the wilderness? Hellas is an
exhausted country; let us break up new ground. Hellas is an outworn
ship; let us build a new one, and undertake a new Argonautic
enterprise to a new Colchis to win another Golden Fleece, following
the path of the sun westward. Athenians! let us go to Sicily!'"
These new prospects which the speaker opened to them pleased the
people, who were tired of the everlasting Sparta and the Persian
King; and stimulated by fear of Rome, the growing wolf's-cub, they
received the ill-considered proposal with applause, and raised their
hands in token of assent.
Nicias sought an opportunity to speak, and warned them, but no one
listened to him. The Scythian police who kept order in the Pnyx
could procure him no audience. And when Nicias saw that he could not
prevent the enterprise, he placed his services at Alcibiades'
disposal, and began to equip the fleet.
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