Book II - Wilbourhall.org

Ixxviii INTRODUCTION. [iv.been encouraging. It may be doubted -whetherPericles had to wait tillthe Panathenaic Festival totake up his duties. As three strategi had fallen inChalcidice, it is possible that the ecclesia requestedhim to resume office at once, as we know that theecclesia did sometimes appoint extraordinary strategiin time of war. The extraordinary powers over hiecolleagues were again conferred on him.The force of the epidemic had not abated atAthens. Consequently the Peloponnesians did notinvade Attica this year, but attacked Plataea instead.After a parley with Archidamus, the authorities ofthe town sent to Athens as their protector, askingwhether Plataea should become neutral, assuggestedby the Peloponnesians, or should trust to her for aid.Athens solemnly promised to help them, but didnothing. The plague had broken the spirit of thegovernment for the moment ; so that no aggressivemeasures were undertaken this year.probable that Pericles was himself inMoreover, it isbad health, andit is uncertain whether he was now taking any partin public affairs.In addition to prodigious efforts to capture Plataea,the Peloponnesians triedan offensive war on a considerablescale in Acarnania.This was unsuccessful,and was followed by the two defeats which theirfleet suffered at the hands of Phormio. But noneof the credit of Phormio's successes was due toAthens.Indeed the home authorities committed thegrave indiscretion of sending off the reinforcements,which Phormio had sent for and greatly needed, on apreliminary mission to Crete, the result of which was