During this time, the most horrible dissensions were raging in Corcyra, which terminated in a bloody triumph of the party to Athens. The Athenians then conceived the hope, that, by the aid of the Acarnanians, of a party of revolted Messe nians, who had taken refuge at Naupactus, and of the neighbouring islands of Cephalenia and Zacyn thus, they might succeed in reducing all /Etolia to subjection. They accordingly overran great part of the country, and even stormed the capital /Egitium ; but the /Etolians, carrying on a desultory warfare, harassed them to suclaa degree, that they were obli ged to renounce the enterprize, and return, in a very shattered state, to Naupactus. The enemy, how ever, having in their return ventured to attack, were repulsed and defeated with great loss; which saved the reputation of Demosthenes, who commanded the armament.
Their attempts to penetrate into the country ha ving thus proved abortive, the Athenians, with their allies, next undertook an expedition to the western coast of Peloponnesus. Passing near Pylus, the Messenians were seized with an ardent desire of again establishing themselves in their native seats. De mosthenes could not, at first, persuade his colleagues to enter into this plan ; till, a storm happening to drive them t. the very spot, it was in a manner forced upon them. They accordingly began to fortify the place with great activity. The Lacedcmonians has tened to assemble their forces, in order to crush, at once, a scheme so alarming. The attack, however, was unsuccessful : their fleet was defeated, and their army repulsed. These disasters were accompanied by another still more serious, which gave a decisive turn to the state of affairs : To forward their opera tions against Pylus, they had thrown. 400 'Spartans into Sphacteria, a small island opposite the. harbour. After the overthrow of the fleet, this body of men were entirely cut off from the continent. Incon ceivable is the dismay which this event excited in Sparta. The Spartans were so few in number, and yet so completely the vital part of the community, that the loss of this small party became a public ca lamity of the first magnitude. Their pride was hum bled ; they sent ambassadors to Athens to sue for peace, and even delivered up sixty ships. as a pledge of their sincerity. Athens had now an opportunity of terminating the war with equal glory and advan tage : but she had no longer a Pericles to guide her councils ; they, were chiefly governed by Cleon, a worthless haranguer, who raised himself into favour by flattering the worst passions of his countrymen. At his instigation, they made'.demands so enormous, as convinced the Lacedemonians that they had no-. thing to hope from negociation. The -Athenians even refused, on the most frivolous pretences, to re store the sixty ships, which had been only yielded as a deposit during the negociation.
Meanwhile the reduction of the island'did not ceed so rapidly as was 'expected. It was strong by nature, and the Spartans defended themselves with obstinacy ; so that Demosthenes placed his chief fidence, in a blockade, which could not be• ed very strict, from the proximity of the opposite shore. Cleon, humouring the natural impatience of a popular assembly, indulged in daily declamation against the generals employed. He concluded by declaring, that, with a little valour, nothing could be more easy than to take it without delay. Upon
this Nicias proposed to confer the command upon Cleon at first pretended to accept it ; but, on finding that the people were really disposed to place him in a situation for which he was conscious of being totally unqualified, he endeavoured to draw The people, however, amused at the dilemma into which they imagined him to have fallen, would listen to no apology. Cleon was forced to set out.' It so happened, that, by the time of his arrival, mosthenes had reduced the Spartans on the island to the last extremity, so that in a few days they were obliged to surrender ; and Cleon, to the surprise of every one, returned in triumph to Athens.
The Athenians now, elated with their good for tune, lost all moderation, and thought only of extend ing their power in every direction. Nicias took the important island of Cythera, lying at the south-east point of Laconia. Soon after they took Nis ea, the sea-port of Megara, and ravaged the whole coast of Peloponnesus. Fortune, however, soon began to change. A scheme had been formed to invade Bceo tia, in concert with the smaller towns of that district, which wished to throw off the dominion of Thebes. The plan, however, was discovered and frustrated ; and an Athenian army, advancing to Tanagra, was shamefully defeated. The Bceotians then made them selves masters of Dclium.
Meanwhile a still severer storm burst forth on the coast of Macedonia and Thrace. The principal towns in the peninsula of Chalcidice, dreading the resentment of Athens, entered into a league with the Lacedemonians, and with Perdiccas, king of Mace-. don. The former- sent, under Brasidas, a force, small indeed, but rendered formidable by the con, summate wisdom of its. commander. Brasidas passed the straits of Thermopylw, which the supine security of the Athenians prevented them from.making any attempt to guard. He then. advanced into Chalch. dice, and, though feebly supported by Macedon, con trived, by the united power of valour and to possess himself of Acanthus, Stagira, and 'most of the cities on that peninsula, not reducing them to subjection, but establishing in power the party fa vourable to Lacedemon. He even gained Amphipolis, a most important town, commanding the navi gation of the river Strymon, and the access into the Interior of Thrace. The Athenians, who were ex ulting in all the pride of success, were struck with the deepest dismay by'the intelligence of these mul= tiplied disasters. Thucydidcs, the historian, who had commanded on this station, but with a force wholly inadequate, was recalled and banished ; and reinforcements were prepared. The Lacedemonians, however, having prudently taken advantage of this success to solicit an armistice, it was granted, and a negociation entered into. It was soon broken, how ever, by the clamours of Cleon, who called upon his countrymen to employ his own experienced talents in retrieving the disasters of the republic. He was dispatched accordingly with a respectable force, which enabled him, in the first instance, to take Mcnda and Torone. Flushed with success, he ven tured on a rash attack upon Amphipolis ; but here his army was totally defeated, and himself slain. This calamity was only compensated by the death of Brasidas, who fell in the same engagement.