Textus Originalis

Traduzione

come with the great and giorious successes which he had hoped to achieve. Besides, it was not merely the sight of him now, but also the memory of the arguments and exhorta- tions with which he had once tried to prevent the sailing of the expedition, that led men to think him all the more unworthy to suffer such hardships now ; and they had no courage to hope for aid from the gods when they reflected that a man so devout as he, and one who had performed so many great and splendid religious services, now met with no seemlier fortune than the basest and most obscure man in his army. XXVIII. However, it was this very Nicias who tried, both by words and looks and kindly manner, to show himself superior to his dreadful lot. And during all the march which he conducted for eight successive days, though suffering from the missiles of the enemy, he yet succeeded in keeping his own forces from defeat, until Demosthenes and his de- tachment of the army were captured. These fell behind as they fought their way along, and were surrounded on the homestead of Polyzelus. Demos- thenes himself drew his sword and gave himself a thrust; he did not, however, succeed in killing himself, since the enemy quickly closed in upon him and seized him. When the Syracusans rode up and told Nicias of this disaster, he first sent horsemen to make certain that the force of Demosthenes was really taken, and then proposed to Gylippus a truce permitting the Athenians to depart from Sicily after giving hostages to the Syracusans for all the moneys which they had