第 10 节
作者:缘圆      更新:2024-07-17 14:41      字数:9322
  cried out against him and were angry at his management; although there
  were a great many of his friends that urged him with requests; and
  many of his enemies threatened and accused him for doing as he did;
  and many made songs and lampoons upon him; which were sung about the
  town to his disgrace; reproaching him with the cowardly exercise of
  his office of general; and the tame abandonment of everything to the
  enemy's hands。
  Cleon; also; already was among his assailants; making use of the
  feeling against him as a step to the leadership of the people; as
  appears in the anapaestic verses of Hermippus…
  〃Satyr…king; instead of swords;
  Will you always handle words?
  Very brave indeed we find them;
  But a Teles lurks behind them。
  〃Yet to gnash your teeth you're seen;
  When the little dagger keen;
  Whetted every day anew;
  Of sharp Cleon touches you。〃
  Pericles; however; was not at all moved by any attacks; but took all
  patiently; and submitted in silence to the disgrace they threw upon
  him and the ill…will they bore him; and; sending out a fleet of a
  hundred galleys to Peloponnesus; he did not go along with it in
  person; but stayed behind; that he might watch at home and keep the
  city under his own control; till the Peloponnesians broke up their
  camp and were gone。 Yet to soothe the common people; jaded and
  distressed with the war; he relieved them with distributions of public
  moneys; and ordained new divisions of subject land。 For having
  turned out all the people of Aegina; he parted the island among the
  Athenians according to lot。 Some comfort also; and ease in their
  miseries; they might receive from what their enemies endured。 For
  the fleet; sailing round the Peloponnese; ravaged a great deal of
  the country; and pillaged and plundered the towns and smaller
  cities; and by land he himself entered with an army the Megarian
  country; and made havoc of it all。 Whence it is clear that the
  Peloponnesians; though they did the Athenians much mischief by land;
  yet suffering as much themselves from them by sea; would not have
  protracted the war to such a length; but would quickly have given it
  over; as Pericles at first foretold they would; had not some divine
  power crossed human purposes。
  In the first place; the pestilential disease; or plague; seized upon
  the city; and ate up all the flower and prime of their youth and
  strength。 Upon occasion of which; the people; distempered and
  afflicted in their souls; as well as in their bodies; were utterly
  enraged like madmen against Pericles; and; like patients grown
  delirious; sought to lay violent hands on their physician; or; as it
  were; their father。 They had been possessed; by his enemies; with
  the belief that the occasion of the plague was the crowding of the
  country people together into the town forced as they were now; in
  the heat of the summer…weather; to dwell many of them together even as
  they could; in small tenements and stifling hovels; and to be tied
  to a lazy course of life within doors; whereas before they lived in
  a pure; open; and free air。 The cause and author of all this; said
  they; is he who on account of the war has poured a multitude of people
  in upon us within the walls; and uses all these men that he has here
  upon no employ or service; but keeps them pent up like cattle; to be
  overrun with infection from one another; affording them neither
  shift of quarters nor any refreshment。
  With the design to remedy these evils; and do the enemy some
  inconvenience; Pericles got a hundred and fifty galleys ready; and
  having embarked many tried soldiers; both foot and horse; was about to
  sail out; giving great hope to his citizens; and no less alarm to
  his enemies; upon the sight of so great a force。 And now the vessels
  having their complement of men; and Pericles being gone aboard his own
  galley; it happened that the sun was eclipsed; and it grew dark on a
  sudden; to the affright of all; for this was looked upon as
  extremely ominous。 Pericles; therefore; perceiving the steersman
  seized with fear and at a loss what to do; took his cloak and held
  it up before the man's face; and screening him with it so that he
  could not see; asked him whether he imagined there was any great hurt;
  or the sign of any great hurt in this; and he answering No; 〃Why;〃
  said he; 〃and what does that differ from this; only that what has
  caused that darkness there; is something greater than a cloak?〃 This
  is a story which philosophers tell their scholars。 Pericles;
  however; after putting out to sea; seems not to have done any other
  exploit befitting such preparations; and when he had laid siege to the
  holy city Epidaurus; which gave him some hope of surrender; miscarried
  in his design by reason of the sickness。 For it not only seized upon
  the Athenians; but upon all others; too; that held any sort of
  communication with the army。 Finding after this the Athenians
  ill…affected and highly displeased with him; he tried and
  endeavoured what he could to appease and re…encourage them。 But he
  could not pacify or allay their anger; nor persuade or prevail with
  them any way; till they freely passed their votes upon him; resumed
  their power; took away his command from him; and fined him in a sum of
  money; which by their account that say least; was fifteen talents;
  while they who reckon most; name fifty。 The name prefixed to the
  accusation was Cleon; as Idomeneus tells us; Simmias; according to
  Theophrastus; and Heraclides Ponticus gives it as Lacratidas。
  After this; public troubles were soon to leave him unmolested; the
  people; so to say; discharged their passion in their stroke; and
  lost their stings in the wound。 But his domestic concerns were in an
  unhappy condition; many of his friends and acquaintance having died in
  the plague time; and those of his family having long since been in
  disorder and in a kind of mutiny against him。 For the eldest of his
  lawfully begotten sons; Xanthippus by name; being naturally
  prodigal; and marrying a young and expensive wife; the daughter of
  Tisander; son of Epilycus; was highly offended at his father's economy
  in making him but a scanty allowance; by little and little at a
  time。 He sent; therefore; to a friend one day and borrowed some
  money of him in his father Pericles's name; pretending it was by his
  order。 The man coming afterward to demand the debt; Pericles was so
  far from yielding to pay it; that he entered an action against him。
  Upon which the young man; Xanthippus; thought himself so ill…used
  and disobliged that he openly reviled his father; telling first; by
  way of ridicule; stories about his conversations at home; and the
  discourses he had with the sophists and scholars that came to his
  house。 As; for instance; how one who was a practicer of the five games
  of skill; having with a dart or javelin unawares against his will
  struck and killed Epitimus the Pharsalian; his father spent a whole
  day with Protagoras in a serious dispute; whether the javelin; or
  the man that threw it; or the masters of the games who appointed these
  sports; were; according to the strictest and best reason; to be
  accounted the cause of this mischance。 Besides this; Stesimbrotus
  tells us that it was Xanthippus who spread abroad among the people the
  infamous story concerning his own wife; and in general that this
  difference of the young man's with his father; and the breach
  betwixt them; continued never to be healed or made up till his
  death。 For Xanthippus died in the plague time of the sickness。 At
  which time Pericles also lost his sister; and the greatest part of his
  relations and friends; and those who had been most useful and
  serviceable to him in managing the affairs of state。 However; he did
  not shrink or give in upon these occasions; nor betray or lower his
  high spirit and the greatness of his mind under all his misfortunes;
  he was not even so much as seen to weep or to mourn; or even attend
  the burial of any of his friends or relations; till at last he lost
  his only remaining legitimate son。 Subdued by this blow; and yet
  striving still; as far as he could; to maintain his principle; and
  to preserve and keep up the greatness of his soul; when he came;
  however; to perform the ceremony of putting a garland of flowers
  upon the head of the corpse; he was vanquished by his passion at the
  sight; so that he burst into exclamations; and shed copious tears;
  having never done any such thing in his life before。
  The city having made trial of other generals for the conduct of war;
  and orators for business of state; when they found there was no one
  who was of weight enough for such a charge; or of authority sufficient
  to be trusted with so great a command regretted the loss of him; and
  invited him again to address and advise them; and to reassume the
  office of general。 He; however; lay at home in dejection and mourning;
  but was persuaded by Alcibiades and others of his friends to come
  abroad and show himself to the people; who having; upon his
  appearance; made their acknowledgments; and apologized for their
  untowardly treatment of him he undertook the public affairs once more;
  and; being chosen general; reques