Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 5.8

[1] Brasidas, as soon as he saw the Athenians remove, came down also from Cerdylium and put himself into Amphipolis.

[2] He would not suffer them to make any sally nor to face the Athenians in order of battle, mistrusting his own forces, which he thought inferior, not in number (for they were in a manner equal) but in worth (for such Athenians as were there were pure, and the Lemnians and Imbrians which were amongst them were of the very ablest); but prepared to set upon them by a wile.

[3] For if he should have showed to the enemy both his number and their armour, such as for the present they were forced to use, he thought that thereby he should not so soon get the victory as by keeping them out of sight and out of their contempt till the very point.

[4] Wherefore choosing to himself a hundred and fifty men of arms and committing the charge of the rest to Clearidas, he resolved to set suddenly upon them before they should retire, as not expecting to take them so alone another time if their succours chanced to arrive. And when he had called his soldiers together to encourage them and to make known unto them his design, he said as followeth:

[1] As soon as Brasidas saw the Athenians in motion he descended himself from Cerdylium and entered Amphipolis .

[2] He did not venture to go out in regular order against the Athenians: he mistrusted his strength, and thought it inadequate to the attempt; not in numbers—these were not so unequal—but in quality, the flower of the Athenian army being in the field, with the best of the Lemnians and Imbrians. He therefore prepared to assail them by stratagem.

[3] By showing the enemy the number of his troops, and the shifts which he had been put to to arm them, he thought that he should have less chance of beating him than by not letting him have a sight of them, and thus learn how good a right he had to despise them.

[4] He accordingly picked out a hundred and fifty heavy infantry, and putting the rest under Clearidas determined to attack suddenly before the Athenians retired; thinking that he should not have again such a chance of catching them alone, if their reinforcements were once allowed to come up; and so calling all his soldiers together in order to encourage them and explain his intention, spoke as follows:—

BrasidaS aber, sobald er die Bewegungen der Athener
wahrnahm, verließ sogleich auch seine Stellung bei Kerdylion und zog
hinab in die Stadt. Dock unternahm er es nicht gegen die Athener
auszuziehen und sich in Schlachtordnung aufzustellen, denn er scheute ¹
den Zustand seiner Streitmacht, die er für schwächer hielt, nicht in
Hinsicht der Zahl, denn die hielt sich auf beiden Seiten so ziemlich
das Gleichgewicht, sondern in Rücksicht des inneren Werthes — denn
was von den Athenern mit ausgezogen war, waren ächte
Kerntruppen, und so auch von Seiten der Lemnier und Jmbrier die
Tüchtigsten. Er wollte also bei seinem Angriff List anwenden. Wenn er
nämlich, dachte er, den Gegnern die Zahl und die nothdürftige
Ausrüstung seiner Truppen zeigte, so werde ihm der Sieg wohl mehr
Schwierigkeit machen, als wenn jene sie vorher nicht mit Augen
gesehen und aus Kenntniß ihrer wirklichen Zustände sie verachten
gelernt hätten. Er wählte sich also hundert und fünfzig
Schwerbewaffnete aus und theilte die Andern dem Klearidas zu, in der
Absicht die Athener sogleich anzugreifen, bevor sie wieder abzögen; denn
er dachte, daß sich ihm wohl eine ähnliche Gelegenheit, sie so
vereinzelt zu treffen, nicht zum zweiten Mal bieten werde, wenn erst der
Zuzug sich mit ihnen vereinigt hätte. Er rief also sämmtliche
Soldaten zusammen und redete zu ihnen, um sie zu ermuthigen und seine
Absicht wissen zu lassen, wie folgt:

VIII. Brasidas, dès qu’il vit le mouvement des Athéniens, quitta de son côté Cerdylion et descendit dans Amphipolis. Il ne voulut ni sortir ni se mettre en ligne contre les Athéniens; car il se défiait de ses propres forces et se croyait inférieur, non par le nombre (il y avait à peu près égalité), mais par la qualité des troupes, l’armée ennemie étant composée exclusivement d’Athéniens et des meilleurs soldats de Lemnos et d’Imbros ¹ . Il se disposa donc à attaquer par surprise; car s’il eût à l’avance montré aux ennemis la force réelle et le misérable équipement de son armée, il se croyait moins assuré de vaincre qu’en la dérobant à la vue, pour éviter le mépris que ne manquerait pas d’inspirer son état. Il prit avec lui cent cinquante hoplites choisis, et laissa le reste à Cléaridas : son dessein était de brusquer l’attaque avant le départ des Athéniens, n’espérant pas, s’ils venaient à être secourus, retrouver jamais l’occasion de les combattre ainsi réduits à leurs propres forces. Ayant rassemblé tous ses soldats pour les encourager et leur faire connaître son dessein, il leur parla ainsi :

Pour Brasidas, il ne vit pas plus tôt les Athéniens en moevement, qu’il descendit des hauteurs de Cerdylion et rentra dans Amphipolis. Il renonça à faire des sorties et à se déployer devant les Athéniens. Il se défiait de ses forces et les croyait “trop inférieures, non pas en nombre (elles se balançaient presque), mais en qualité ; eu effet l’armée athénienne était exclusivement composée de milices d’Athènes et des meilleurs soldats de Lemnos et d’Imbros. Il méditait un stratagème. S’il eût montré l’effectif de ses troupes et leur chétive tenue, il aurait eu moins de chances de vaincre qu’en les dérobant à la vue et en laissant les Athéniens dans un mépris mal fondé. Il choisit donc cent cinquante hoplites et confia le reste à Cléa-ridas. Son dessein était d’attaquer subitement les Athéniens ayant leur retraite ; car il ne croyait pas qu’il fût possible, lorsqu’ils auraient reçu leurs renforts, de les trouver une autre fois réduits à eux-mêmes. Ayant donc rassemblé ses soldats pour les animer et leur exposer son projet, il leur parla en ces termes :

[1] But Brasidas, as soon as he saw the Athenians stirring, went down himself from Cerdylium and entered Amphipolis.

[2] But he did not march out and draw up against the Athenians, because he mistrusted his own force, believing them to be inferior, not in numbers—as they were about equal—but in quality; for the force that was in the field were Athenians of pure blood and the pick of the Lemnians and Imbrians. So he was preparing to attack by means of a stratagem;

[3] for he thought that if he showed the enemy the number and the barely sufficient equipment of the troops with him he should be less likely to gain a victory than if they had no previous sight of his forces and did not look upon them with contempt from seeing their real character.

[4] Accordingly, picking out for himself one hundred and fifty hoplites and assigning the rest to Clearidas, he determined to make a sudden attack before the Athenians withdrew, thinking that he could not again cut them off thus isolated if once reinforcements should reach them. So calling together all the soldiers, wishing to encourage them and explain his plan, he spoke to them as follows:

[1] Immediately that Brasidas saw the Athenians in motion, he too went down from Cerdylium, and entered Amphipolis. Now for any regular sally, and array of troops against the Athenians, he made none;

[2] being afraid of his own resources, and considering them inferior to the enemy; not so much in numbers, (for they were pretty nearly equal,) but in character; (for ¹ it was the flower of the Athenian force that was in the field, and the best of the Lemnians and Imbrians;) but he prepared to attack them by means of a stratagem.

[3] For if he showed the enemy his numbers, and the equipment of the troops with him, which was such as ² necessity alone dictated, he did not think that he should conquer them so well as he should without their seeing his forces beforehand, ³ and despising them on sufficient grounds.

[4] Having therefore himself picked out a hundred and fifty heavy-armed, and having put the rest under the command of Clearidas, he purposed making a sudden attack on the Athenians before they could retire; as he did not think that he should catch them again so isolated, if once their reinforcements should have joined them. Calling therefore all his soldiers together, and wishing to encourage them and acquaint them with his design, he spoke to the following effect:

[1] Brasidas vero simul atque Athenienses castra movere videt, et ipse degressus a Cerdylio Amphipolin intrt-x it.

[2] Et eruptionem quidem aut proelii potestatem Atheniensibus numquam fecit, de apparatu suo metuens et suos ratus impares hosti esse, non numero (nam propemo-dum pares erant), sed dignitate (nam in illa expeditione militabat electus ipsorum Atheniensium flos, et Lemniorum atque Imbriorum robur), sed parabat eos dolo aggredi.

[3] Si enim suorum numerum et vilem armaturam, quam ipsa necessitas ministraral, hostibus ostendisset,existimabat se non facilius victorem fore, quam si ab iis ante conflictum conspectus non esset, neque propter id, quod res erat, in ipsorum contemptionem venisset.

[4] Brasidas igitur quum centum et quinquaginta gravis armatura' milites delegisset, et reliquos Clearidae ducendos commisis- set, repente Athenienses, priusquam abirent, adoriri cogitabat, existimans illos non pariter nudatos a se iterum interceptura iri, si auxilia ad ipsos venissent.

[5] Conio* catis autem militibus universis, quod eorum animos confirmare suuraque consilium iis aperire vellet, haec verba fecit

Brasida poiché vide mossi gli Ateniesi, scende subito anch’egli da Cerdilio ed entra in Àmfipoli, donde non faceva sortite, né si presentava in ordinanza contro gli Ateniesi, come quegli che temeva delle proprie forze, le quali giudicava inferiori, non quanto al numero perchè i due eserciti erano presso a poco uguali, ma sì quanto al merito. Imperciocché nell’esercito nemico militava il fiore degli Ateniesi, e il nerbo dei Lesbii e degl’Imbrii : onde si preparava ad attaccarli con astuzia. Discorreva egli che celandosi ai nemici prima della battaglia e così fuggendo il disprezzo che veramente meritava la sua situazione, più facilmente li vincerebbe che col mostrar loro il minor numero di sue genti e Tannatura di che per necessità usavano. Il perchè affidati gli altri a Clearida, egli scelse centocinquanta di grave armatura, e voleva assalire improvvisamente gli Ateniesi, prima che si ritirassero ; considerando che non potrebbe un’altra volta coglierli soli, se per avventura venisse loro il rinforzo. E convocati tutti i soldati, e volendo rincorarli ed aprir loro il suo animo , parlò così: