Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 2.58

[1] The same summer Agnon the son of Nicias and Cleopompus the son of Clinias, who were joint commanders with Pericles with that army which he had employed before, went presently and made war upon the Chalcideans of Thrace and against Potidaea which was yet besieged.

[2] Arriving, they presently applied engines and tried all means possible to take it, but neither the taking of the city nor anything else succeeded worthy so great preparation. For the sickness coming amongst them afflicted them mightily indeed and even devoured the army. And the Athenian soldiers which were there before and in health catched the sickness from those that came with Agnon. As for Phormio and his sixteen hundred, they were not now amongst the Chalcideans.

[3] And Agnon therefore came back with his fleet, having of four thousand men in less than forty days lost one thousand and fifty of the plague. But the soldiers that were there before stayed upon the place and continued the siege of Potidaea.

[1] The same summer Hagnon, son of Nicias, and Cleopompus, son of Clinias, the colleagues of Pericles, took the armament of which he had lately made use, and went off upon an expedition against the Chalcidians in the direction of Thrace and Potidaea , which was still under siege. As soon as they arrived, they brought up their engines against Potidaea and tried every means of taking it,

[2] but did not succeed either in capturing the city or in doing anything else worthy of their preparations. For the plague attacked them here also, and committed such havoc as to cripple them completely, even the previously healthy soldiers of the former expedition catching the infection from Hagnon's troops; while Phormio and the sixteen hundred men whom he commanded only escaped by being no longer in the neighborhood of the Chalcidians.

[3] The end of it was that Hagnon returned with his ships to Athens , having lost one thousand and fifty out of four thousand heavy infantry in about forty days; though the soldiers stationed there before remained in the country and carried on the siege of Potidaea .

Noch in demselben Sommer nahmen Hagnon, Sohn des
Nikias, und Theopompos, des Kleinias Sohn, die Mitseldherrn des
Perikles, dieselben Schiffe, mit welchen dieser seine Unternehmungen
ausgeführt hatte, und zogen gegen die Chalkidier an der thrakifchen
Gränze und gegen Potidäa, das immer noch belagert wurde. Als sie
gelandet waren, ließen sie ihr Sturmzeug gegen Potidäa spielen und
suchten die Stadt ans jegliche Weise zu nehmen. Aber es gelang ihnen
weder die Einnahme derselben, noch hatten sie sonst einen Erfolg, der ihre
Rüstung gelohnt hätte. Denn die mitgebrachte Krankheit bedrängte
hier die Athener aus's Aergste und lichtete ihre Reihen, ja auch die
alten Belagerungstrnppen, die bis dahin gesund gewesen waren,
wurden durch die Mannschaft des Hagnon angesteckt. Phormion mit
seinen sechzeynhundert Mann stand nicht mehr im Gebiet der
Chalkidier. So kehrte nun Hagnon mit den Schissen nach Athen zurück,
nachdem er in ungefähr vierzig Tagen von vier Tausend
Schwerbewaffneten fünfzehn Hundert durch die Seuche verloren hatte. Die

430 v. Chr. alte Truppe aber bli.b am Platz, die Belagerung von Potidäa
fortzusetzen.

LVIII. Le même été ¹ , Agnon, fils de Nicias, et Cléopompe, fils de Clinias, collègues de Périclès, prirent l’armée qu’il avait commandée et se portèrent aussitôt contre les Chalcidiens de Thrace et contre Potidée, dont le siége continuait. A leur arrivée, ils dirigèrent contre la place des machines de guerre et mirent tout en oeuvre pour s’en emparer ; mais ils ne purent ni prendre la ville, ni rien faire qui répondît à leurs préparatifs. Car la peste s’étant déclarée, fit sur ce point de terribles ravages parmi les Athéniens, et ruina leur armée ; même les troupes arrivées précédemment, et qui jusque-là n’avaient ressenti aucune atteinte, gagnèrent la contagion par leur contact avec les soldats d’Agnon. Phormion avec ses seize cents hoplites n’était plus alors dans la Chalcidique. Agnon se rembarqua et ramena son armée à Athènes ; sur quatre mille hoplites, il en avait perdu par la peste mille cinquante en quarante jours. L’ancienne armée resta dans le pays et continua le siége de Potidée.

Le même été, Hagnon fils de Nicias et Cléopompos fils de Clinias, collègues de Périclès, prirent avec eux le corps d’armée qu’avait commandé ce général, et se dirigèrent contre les Chalcidéens de Thrace et contre Potidée, dont le siège durait encore. Dès leur arrivée, ils dressèrent des machines contre la ville et mirent tout en œuvre pour s’en emparer; mais ils ne parvinrent ni à la prendre ni èmrien faire qui fût digne des forces dont ils disposaient. La peste éclata dans l’armée avec une violence telle que même les troupes de la première expédition, jusqu’alors pleines de santé, furent infectées par le renfort qu’Hagnon avait amené. — Phormion et ses mille six cents hommes n’étaient plus en Chalcidique. — Ha gnon se rembarqua donc pour Athènes. Sur quatre mille hoplites, il en avait perdu par la peste quinze cents dans l’espace de quarante jours ¹ . L’ancienne armée continua le siège de Potidée.

[1] In the same summer Hagnon son of Nicias and Cleopompus son of Clinias, colleagues of Pericles, taking the armament which he had employed, ¹ at once set out on an expedition against the Chalcidians in Thrace and against Potidaea, which was still under siege, ² and on their arrival they brought siege-engines to bear upon Potidaea, and tried in every way to take it.

[2] But no success commensurate with the appointments of the expedition attended their efforts, either in their attempt to capture the city or otherwise; for the plague broke out and sorely distressed the Athenians there, playing such havoc in the army that even the Athenian soldiers of the first expedition, ³ who had hitherto been in good health, caught the infection from Hagnon's troops. Phormio, however, and his sixteen hundred men, were no longer in Chalcidice.

[3] Accordingly Hagnon took his fleet back to Athens, having lost by the plague in about forty days one thousand and fifty out of a total of four thousand hoplites; but the soldiers of the former expedition remained where they were and continued the siege of Potidaea.

[1] The same summer Hagnon son of Nicias, and Cleopompus son of Clinias, who were colleagues with Pericles, took the army which he had employed, and went straightway on an expedition against the Chalcidians Thrace-ward, and Potidaea, which was still being besieged: and on their arrival they brought up their engines against Potidaea, and endeavoured to take it by every means.

[2] But they neither succeeded in capturing the city, nor in their other measures, to any extent worthy of their preparations: for the plague attacked them, and this indeed utterly overpowered them there, wasting their force to such a degree, that even the soldiers of the Athenians who were there before were infected with it by the troops which came with Hagnon, though previously they had been in good health. Phormio, however, and his sixteen hundred, were no longer in the neighbourhood of the Chalcidians [and so escaped its ravages].

[3] Hagnon therefore returned with his ships to Athens, having lost by the plague fifteen hundred out of four thousand heavy-armed, in about forty days. The soldiers who were there before still remained in the country, and continued the siege of Potidaea.

[1] Eadem aestate Hagno Niciae et Cleopompus Cliniae filius, Periclis in praetura collegae, sumptis copiis, quibus ille usus erat, Chalcidensibus, qui sunt in Thracia, et Po-lidaeae adhuc obsessae bellum statim intulerunt. Quum autem venissent, machinas ei admovebant omnique ope expugnare conabantur.

[2] Sed neque urbis expugnatio, neque cetera pro apparatus magnitudine ipsis succedebant; nam morbus superveniens hic Athenienses graviter afQixit, absumens exercitura, adeo ut et priores Atheniensium milites morbum contraxerint ex contagio copiarum, quae cum Hagnone venerant, quamvis antea recte valerent. Phormio vero et ejus mille ac sexcenti milites apud Chalcidenses non amplius erant.

[3] Hagno igitur cum navibus Athenas rediit, ex quatuor millibus militum mille et quinquaginta morbo amissis intra dies ferme quadraginta; priores vero milites in loco remanentes Potidaeam obsidebant.

[1] Männer von Sicilien! Ihr wisset, nicht die Ohnmacht meiner Vaterstadt oder ihre Erschöpfung durch den Krieg ist es, was mir diese Worte eingibt, sondern allein die uneigennützige Absicht, dem gesamten Sicilien den besten Rath zu ertheilen, den es nach meiner Ueberzeugung für dasselbe gibt. Ich möchte von dem Krieg und seinen Leiden anheben und über seine zahllosen Uebel mich verbreiten; indes ihr kennet sie ja. Denn so wenig Unkunde die Schuld trägt an einem aufgenöthigten Kriege, ebensowenig lässt sich die Eroberungslust durch Furcht von ihm zurückschrecken. Natürlich; ihr ¹ erscheinen die Vortheile grösser als die Gefahren, während man dort sich lieber den Kriegsgefahren aussetzen will, um einem gewissen Verlust zu entgehen. Aber eben wenn es sich ergibt, dass beide Grundsätze zur Unzeit in Anwendung gebracht werden, dann ist eine Mahnung zur Friedfertigkeit am Platze. Dies ist gerade unser Fall, und es liegt alles daran, dass wir uns davon überzeugen.

Hat uns nicht alle bisher die Erwägung unserer Sonderinteressen geleitet in diesem Kriege wie heute bei unsern Friedensvorschlägen, wo wieder hin und hergerechtet wird, und falls es nicht jedem gelingt, zu seinem Rechte zu kommen, der Wiederausbruch des Krieges in gewisser Aussicht steht?

Nella medesima estate Agnone figliolo di Nicia e Cleopompo di Clinia , colleghi di Pericle nel comando, presero l' armata di cui egli aveva usato , e portarono subitamente la guerra contro i Calcidesi della Tracia, e contro Potidea cinta tuttora d’assedio. Giunti a questa città approssimarono le macchine alle mura, e fecero ogni prova per espugnarla : ma né l’espugnazione della città, nè le altre operazioni riuscivano loro in corrispondenza di tanto apparecchio ; essendo che il morbo sopravvenuto costà afflisse per ogni modo gli Ateuiesi, e distrusse l’esercito con tanto furore, che i soldati stessi che vi erano di prima mantenutisi sani fino allora, contrassero la malattia per le soldatesche venute con Agnone. Formione coi mille seicento non era più intorno ai Calcidesi ; il perchè Agnone tornò con la flotta ad Atene, avendo in circa quaranta giorni perduto per la peste mille cinquanta di quei quattromila. La gente che vi era innanzi restò ferma al suo posto continovando Tassodio di Potidea.