Book II - Wilbourhall.org

Ixxii INTRODUCTION. [iv.by Pericles himself, invaded the Megarid,— this attackbeing the best answer Athens could make to the invasionof Attica.The Peloponnesian army had only been out for aboutfive weeks of the summer; in which time about half ofAttica had been ravaged. Towards the end of theseason Corinth sent a fleet of forty ships with fifteenhundred hoplites to attack Acamania and Cephallenia;but nothing of any importance was done.At the end of the campaign, Pericles delivered theFuneral Orationover the Athenians who had fallenduring the year, and took the opportunity of explainingand justifying his viewsof the Athenian democracy.He showed that the policy he had pursuedthroughout his career was the natural one for Athensthat it reflected the character of the people, and wasbased upon sound and philosophical views of life.Some persons opposed both his home and foreignpolicy. He was accused by some of corrupting thepeople by introducing pay for service on juries ;andafter his deposition in the following year, Damonides,the father of Damon the accomplished musician,philosopher, and statesman, was ostracised, becausePericles was thought to have followed his advice inforeign affairs. The statesman's intention was notmerely to pleasehis audience by praising Athens atthe expense of Sparta, but rather to convince thepeople that the higher life was only possible for themunder the system that he had encouraged. It isevident that Pericles supposed the Athenian democracycould be kept within the bounds of moderation.He justifies pay for state services on the ground that