Book II - Wilbourhall.org

xvi INTRODUCTION. [lbeen done in another country, that the study of themruins the character instead of building it up.Thucydides, rather than Herodotus, deserves to beconsidered the father of history, since it was he whodiscovered what isthe proper task of the historianthat one supremely difficult task which has been universallyrecognised as the historian's proper task afterthe long experience of allsucceeding centuries— thatis to say, to unite in just proportion, truth of substance,and beauty of form.Forewarned of the diversity of grounds on whichThucydides is worthy of attention, the reader hasnow but to be told what are the particular meritsof the Second Book of his history. The divisionof the work into books is due to Alexandrinecritics, and there were inancient times two systemsof division, the one making eight books, theother thirteen. But the system which has prevailedwas decidedly the better one. Accordingto this division, the principal matters dealt within the Second Book are the night attack of theThebans on Piataea, the first invasion of Attica bythe Peloponnesians, the measures of Pericles offensiveand defensive, the Funeral Oration, the * })l;igueat Athens, the self-defence of Pericles, which isfollowed by a general survey of his policy : andthe rest of the book, from the sixty-sixth chapter,contains the siege of Piataea, the two victories ofPhormio, and the abortive expedition of Sitalcesagainst Macedon. These events, with others ofless importance, occurred in the first three yearsof the war. It is universally ackuowledged that