284 HISTORY OP GREECE. confidence of future success, while their enemies were in a pw* portional degree disheartened. It was in this temper that they first departed from the conservative precept of Perikles, and attempted to recover (in 424 B.C.) both Megara and Boaotia. Had the great statesman been alive, 1 he might have turned this moment of superiority to better account, and might perhaps have contrived even to get possession of Megara a point of un- speakable importance to Athens, since it protected her against invasion in exchange for the Spartan captives. But the general feeling of confidence which then animated all parties at Athens, determined them in 424 B.C. to grasp at this and much more by force. They tried to reconquer both Megara and Bceo- tia : in the former they failed, though succeeding so far as to capture Nisaea ; in the latter they not only failed, but suffered the disastrous defeat of Delium. It was in the autumn of that same year 424 B.C., too, that Brasidas broke into their empire in Thrace, and robbed them of Akanthus, Stageira, and some other towns, including their most precious possession, Amphipolis. Again, it seems that the Athe- nians, partly from the discouragement caused by the disaster at Delium, partly from the ascendency of Nikias and the peace party, departed from the conservative policy of Perikles ; not by ambitious over-action, but by inaction, omitting to do all that might have been done to arrest the progress of Brasidas. We must, however, never forget that their capital loss, Amphipolis, was owing altogether to the improvidence of their officers, and could not have been obviated even by Perikles. But though that great man could not have prevented the loss, he would assuredly have deemed no efforts too great to recover it ; and in this respect his policy was espoused by Kleon, in opposition to Nikias and the peace party. The latter thought it wise to make the truce for a year ; which so utterly failed of its effect, that Nikias was obliged, even in the midst of it, to conduct an armament to Pallene in order to preserve the empire against yet farther losses. Still, Nikias and his friends would hear of noth- ing but peace ; and after the expedition of Kleon against Amphip- olis in the ensuing year, which failed partly through his mill- See vol. vi, ch. lii, p. 353 of this History
