CLEON AND ALCIBIADES.
[TO THE EDITOR Or THE " SPECTATOR."' SIR,—In a recent number of your paper I saw a reference to the legions of Varna. Perchance the following quotations from Langhorne's " Plutarch " may not seem to read amiss at this time of day.—I am, Sir, &c., Waterhouse, Bath. HAROLD B. HARRIsoN.
"Nicias, in this affair, was not only unjust to himself, but to the state. He suffered Cleon by this means to gain such an ascendency, as led him to a degree of pride and effrontery that was insupport- able. Many evils were thus brought upon the commonwealth, of which Nicias himself had his full share. We cannot but consider it as one great corruption, that Cleon now banished all decorum from the general assembly. It was he who in his speeches first broke out into violent exclamations, threw back his robes, smote upon his thigh, and ran from one end of the rostrum to the other. This soon introduced such a licentiousness and disregard to decency among those who directed the affairs of state, that it threw the whole government into confusion. At this time there sprung up another orator at Athens. This was Alcibiades. He did not prove so totally corrupt as Cleon. As it is said of the land of Egypt, that, on account of its extreme fertility,
`There plenty sows the land with herbs salubrious, But scatters many a baneful weed between '—
so in Alcibiades there were very different qualities but all in extremes ; and these extremes opened a door to many innovations. So that when Nicias got clear of Cleon he had no time to establish any lasting tranquillity in Athens : but as soon as he had gotten things into a safe track, the ambition of Alcibiades came upon him like a torrent, and bore him back into the storms of war. As the Corinthians and Emotions were displeased at these proceed- ings, andendeavoured by sowing jealousies between the contracting powers, to renew the war, Nicias persuaded the Athenians and Lacedtemonians to confirm the peace, and to support each other by a league offensive and defensive. This he expected would intimidate those who were inclined to fly off. In a little time he [Alcibiades] saw the Athenians did not look upon the Lacethe- =onions with so obliging an eye as before, because they thought themselves injured by the alliance which their new friends had entered into with the Emotions. They [the Lacedzemonians] gave credit to his insinuations, and went over from Nicias to him. Then Alcibiades, beyond all their expectation changing sides, called the Senate to bear witness to their [the Lacethemonians'] former declaration, and desired the people 'Not to give the least credit or attention to such manifest prevaricators, who upon the same point asserted one thing one day and another thing the next.' Their confusion was inexpressible, as may well be imagined, and Nicias was struck dumb with grief and astonishment. But at that very moment there happened a slight shock of an earthquake, which, favourably for Nicias, broke up the assembly. The Athenianv being divided into two factions, the subtlest and most profligate wretches gained ground. Such was Hyperbolas, a man whose boldness was not owing to any well-grounded influence, but whose influence was owing to his boldness ; and who disgraced the city-by the credit he acquired. This wretch had no apprehensions of banishment by the honourable suffrage of the ostracism, because he knew himself fitter for a gibbet."
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