Transcript

025 - Bk 7 pt 3 · Anabasis

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Speaker 1: Book seven, Part three of Xenophons and Abbasis. This is
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Speaker 1: Anabasis by Xenophon, translated by H. G. Dawkins, Book seven,
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Speaker 1: Part three. After listening to these proposals, they gave and
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Speaker 1: accepted pledges of good faith, and so the deputation rode off.
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Speaker 1: Before day they were back again in camp and severally
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Speaker 1: rendered a report to those who sent them. At dawn,
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Speaker 1: Aristarchus again summoned the generals and officers, but the latter
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Speaker 1: resolved to have done with the visit to Aristarchus and
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Speaker 1: summoned a meeting of the army in full conclave. The
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Speaker 1: soldiers met, with the exception of Neon's men, who remained
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Speaker 1: about ten furlongs off. When they were met together, Xenophon
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Speaker 1: rose and made the following announcement. Men, Aristarchus, with his
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Speaker 1: ships of war, hinders us from sailing where we fain
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Speaker 1: would go. It is not even safe to set foot
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Speaker 1: on board a vessel. But if he hinders us here,
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Speaker 1: he hastens us there be off to the Chersonnes. He says,
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Speaker 1: force a passage through the sacred mountains. If we master
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Speaker 1: it and succeed in getting to that place, he has
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Speaker 1: something in store for us. He promises that he will
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Speaker 1: not sell you any more as he did at Byzantium.
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Speaker 1: You shall not be cheated again. You shall have pay.
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Speaker 1: He will no longer as now suffer you to remain
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Speaker 1: in want of provisions. That is his proposal. But Suthus
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Speaker 1: says that if you will go to him, he will
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Speaker 1: treat you well. What you have now to consider is
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Speaker 1: whether you will stay to debate this question or leave
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Speaker 1: its settlement till we have gone up into a land
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Speaker 1: of provisions. If you ask me my opinion, it is this.
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Speaker 1: Since here we have neither money to buy nor leave
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Speaker 1: to take without money what we need, why should we
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Speaker 1: not go up into these villages where the right to
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Speaker 1: help ourselves is conferred by might. There, unhampered by the
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Speaker 1: want of bare necessaries, you can listen to what this
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Speaker 1: man and the other wants of you, and choose whatever
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Speaker 1: sounds best. Let those he added who agree to this,
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Speaker 1: hold up their hands. They all held them up. Retire, then,
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Speaker 1: said he, and get your kit together, and at the
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Speaker 1: word of command, follow your leader. After this, Xenophon put
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Speaker 1: himself at the head, and the rest followed. Neon Indeed,
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Speaker 1: and other agents from Aristarchus tried to turn them away
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Speaker 1: from their purpose, but to their persuasions, they turned to
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Speaker 1: deaf ear. They had not advanced much more than three
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Speaker 1: miles when Suthus met them, and Xenophon, seeing him, bade
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Speaker 1: him ride up. He wished to tell him what they
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Speaker 1: felt to be conducive to their interests, and in the
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Speaker 1: presence of as many witnesses as possible. As soon as
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Speaker 1: he had approached, Xenophon said, we are going where the
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Speaker 1: troops will have enough to live upon. When we are there,
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Speaker 1: we will listen to you and to the emissaries of
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Speaker 1: the Laconian, and choose between you both whatever seems best.
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Speaker 1: If then you will lead us where provisions are to
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Speaker 1: be got in plenty, we shall veel indebted to you
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Speaker 1: for your hospitality. And Southus answered, for the matter of that,
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Speaker 1: I know many villages close packed and stalked with all
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Speaker 1: kinds of provisions, just far enough off to give you
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Speaker 1: a good appetite for your breakfasts. Lead on, then, said Xenophon.
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Speaker 1: When they had reached the villages in the afternoon, the
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Speaker 1: soldiers met and Sothus made the following speech. My request
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Speaker 1: to you, sirs, is that you will take the field
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Speaker 1: with me, And my promise to you is that I
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Speaker 1: will give every man of you as citizen, and to
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Speaker 1: the officers and generals at the customary rate. Besides this,
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Speaker 1: I will honor those who shall special merit. Food and drink.
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Speaker 1: You shall get as now for yourselves from the country.
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Speaker 1: But whatever is captured I shall claim to have myself,
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Speaker 1: so that by distribution of it I may provide you
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Speaker 1: with pay. Let them flee, let them creep into hiding places.
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Speaker 1: We shall be able to pursue after them. We will
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Speaker 1: track them out, or if they resist, along with you,
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Speaker 1: we will endeavor to subdue them to our hands. Xenophon answered,
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Speaker 1: and how far from the sea shall you expect the
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Speaker 1: army to follow you? Nowhere more than seven days journey,
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Speaker 1: he answered, and in many places less After this permission
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Speaker 1: was given for all who wish to say, speak, And
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Speaker 1: many spoke, but ever to one and the same tune.
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Speaker 1: What Suthus said was very right. It was winter, and
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Speaker 1: for a man to sail home, even if he had
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Speaker 1: the will to do so, was impossible. On the other hand,
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Speaker 1: to continue long in a friendly country, where they must
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Speaker 1: depend upon what they could purchase, was equally beyond their power.
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Speaker 1: If they were to wear away time and support life
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Speaker 1: in a hostile country, it was safer to do so
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Speaker 1: with Suthos than by themselves. Not to speak of all
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Speaker 1: these good things, but if they were going to get
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Speaker 1: pay into the bargain, that indeed was a godsend. To
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Speaker 1: complete the proceedings, Xenophon said, if any one opposes the measure,
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Speaker 1: let him state his views. If not, let the officer
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Speaker 1: put the provision to the vote. No one opposed, They
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Speaker 1: put it to the vote, and the resolution was carried
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Speaker 1: and without loss of time. He informed Cethus that they
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Speaker 1: would take the field with him. After this, the troops
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Speaker 1: messed in their separate divisions, but the generals and officers
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Speaker 1: were invited by Suthus to dinner at a neighboring village
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Speaker 1: which was in him possession. When they were at the doors,
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Speaker 1: and on the point of stepping into dinner, they were
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Speaker 1: met by a certain heraclets of Meronia. He came up
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Speaker 1: to each guest, addressed himself, particularly to those, who, as
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Speaker 1: he conjectured, ought to be able to make a present
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Speaker 1: to Suthus. He addressed himself first to some Parians who
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Speaker 1: were there to arrange a friendship with Medocus, the king
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Speaker 1: of the Odrysians, and were bearers of presents to the
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Speaker 1: king and his wife. Heracledes reminded them, Medocus is up country,
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Speaker 1: twelve days journey from the sea. But Suthus, now that
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Speaker 1: he has got this army, will be lord on the
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Speaker 1: sea coast as your neighbor. Then he is the man
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Speaker 1: to do you good or do you ill. If you
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Speaker 1: are wise, you will give him whatever he asks of you.
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Speaker 1: On the whole. It will be laid out at better
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Speaker 1: interest than if you have it to Medocus, who lives
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Speaker 1: far off. That was his mode of persuasion in their case.
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Speaker 1: Next he came to Timasion, the Dardanian, who some one
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Speaker 1: had told him was the happy possessor of certain goblets
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Speaker 1: and oriental carpets. What he said to him was, it
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Speaker 1: is customary when people are invited to dinner by Sythus
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Speaker 1: for the guests to make him a present. Now, if
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Speaker 1: he should become a great person in these parts, he
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Speaker 1: will be able to restore you to your native land,
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Speaker 1: or to make you a rich man. Here. Such were
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Speaker 1: the solicitations which he applied to each man in term
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Speaker 1: whom he accosted. Presently, he came to Xenophon and said,
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Speaker 1: you are at once a citizen of no mean city,
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Speaker 1: and with Cythos also your own name is very great.
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Speaker 1: Maybe you expect to obtain a fort or two in
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Speaker 1: this country, just as others of your countrymen have done
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Speaker 1: and territory. It is only right and proper therefore that
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Speaker 1: you should honor Sythus in the most magnificent style. Be sure,
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Speaker 1: I give this advice out of pure friendliness, for I
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Speaker 1: know that the greater the gift you are ready to
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Speaker 1: bestow on him, the better the treatment you will receive
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Speaker 1: at his hands. Xenophon, on hearing this, was in a
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Speaker 1: sad dilemma, for he had brought with him when he
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Speaker 1: crossed from Perriam nothing but one boy, and just enough
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Speaker 1: to pay his traveling expenses. As soon as the company
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Speaker 1: consisting of the most powerful Thracians were present, with the
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Speaker 1: generals and captains of the Hellenes and any embassy from
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Speaker 1: a state which might be there had arrived, they were
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Speaker 1: seated in a circle, and the dinner was served. Thereupon,
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Speaker 1: three legged stools were brought in and placed in front
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Speaker 1: of the assembled guests. They were laiden with pieces of
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Speaker 1: meat piled up, and there were huge leavened loaves fastened
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Speaker 1: on to the pieces of meat with long skewers. The tables,
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Speaker 1: as a rule, were set beside the guests at intervals.
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Speaker 1: That was the custom, and Cethus set the fashion of
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Speaker 1: the performance. He took up the loaves which lay by
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Speaker 1: his side, and broke them into little pieces, and then
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Speaker 1: through the fragments, here to one and there to another,
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Speaker 1: as seemed good to him, and so with the meat, likewise,
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Speaker 1: leaving for himself the merest taste. Then the rest fell
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Speaker 1: to following the fashion set them, that is, those who
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Speaker 1: had tables placed beside them. Now there was an Arcadian
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Speaker 1: Aristos by name, a huge eater. He soon got tired
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Speaker 1: of throwing the pieces about, and seized a good three
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Speaker 1: quarters loaf in his two hands, placed some pieces of
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Speaker 1: meat upon his knees, and proceeded to discuss his dinner.
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Speaker 1: Then beakers of wine were brought round, and every one
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Speaker 1: per took in turn. But when the cupbearer came to
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Speaker 1: arists and handed him the bowl, he looked up, and,
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Speaker 1: seeing that Xenophon had done eating give it him, quoth
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Speaker 1: he he is more at leisure. I have something better
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Speaker 1: to do at present, Sothus, hearing a remark, asked the
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Speaker 1: cupbearer of what was said, and the cupbearer, who knew
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Speaker 1: how to talk Greek, explained, then followed a peal of laughter.
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Speaker 1: When the drinking had advanced somewhat in came a Thracian
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Speaker 1: with a white horse, who snatched the brimming bowl and said,
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Speaker 1: here's a health to thee Ocethus. Let me present thee
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Speaker 1: with this horse mounted on him. Thou shalt capture whom
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Speaker 1: thou choosest to pursue, or retiring from battle, thou shalt
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Speaker 1: not dread the foe. He was followed by one who
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Speaker 1: brought in a boy and presented him in proper style,
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Speaker 1: with here's a health to thee Ocethus. A third had
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Speaker 1: clothes for his wife to mation. The Dardanian pledged Cethus
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Speaker 1: and presented silver bowl and a carpet worth ten mine. Genesippus,
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Speaker 1: an Athenian, got up and said it was a good
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Speaker 1: old custom, and a fine one too, that those who
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Speaker 1: had should give to the king for honor's sake, but
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Speaker 1: to those who had not. The king should give whereby
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Speaker 1: my lord, he added, I too may one day have
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Speaker 1: the wherewithal to give thee gifts an honor. Xenophon, the
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Speaker 1: while was racking his brains what he was to do.
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Speaker 1: He was not the happier because he was seated in
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Speaker 1: the seat next Cephus as a mark of honor, and
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Speaker 1: Heracledes bade the cup bearer hand him the bowl the
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Speaker 1: wine had, perhaps a little mounted to his head. He
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Speaker 1: rose and manfully seized the cup and spoke, I also, Cethys,
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Speaker 1: have to present you with myself and these dear comrades
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Speaker 1: to be your trusty friends, and not one of them
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Speaker 1: against his will. They are more ready one and all
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Speaker 1: still more than I to be your friends. Here they are.
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Speaker 1: They ask nothing from you in return. Rather, they are
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Speaker 1: forward to labor in your behalf. It will be their
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Speaker 1: pleasure to bear the brunt of the battle in voluntary
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Speaker 1: service with them. God willing, you will gain vast territory.
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Speaker 1: You will recover what was once your forefathers. You will
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Speaker 1: win for yourself new lands, and not lands only, but
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Speaker 1: horses many, and of men, a multitude, and many a
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Speaker 1: fair dame. Besides, you will not need to seize upon
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Speaker 1: them in robber fashion. It is your friends here, who
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Speaker 1: of their own accord shall take and bring them to you.
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Speaker 1: They shall lay them at your feet as gifts. Up
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Speaker 1: got Cethus and drained with him the cup, and with
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Speaker 1: him sprinkled the last drops fraternally. At this stage entered musicians,
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Speaker 1: blowing upon horns such as they used for signal calls,
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Speaker 1: and trumpeting on trumpets made of raw ox hide, tunes
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Speaker 1: and airs like the music of the double octave harp.
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Speaker 1: Sothus himself got up and shouted, trolling forth a war song.
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Speaker 1: Then he sprang from his place and leaped about as
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Speaker 1: though he would guard himself against a missile in right
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Speaker 1: nimble style. Then came in a set of clowns and gestures.
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Speaker 1: But when the sun began to set, the Hellenes rose
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Speaker 1: from their seats. It was time, they said, to place
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Speaker 1: the night sentinels, and to pass the watchword. Further, they
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Speaker 1: begged of Sethus to issue an order that none of
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Speaker 1: the Thracians were to enter the Hellenic camp at night,
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Speaker 1: since between your Thracian foes and our Thracian friends there
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Speaker 1: might be some confusion. As they sallied forth, Southus rose
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Speaker 1: to accompany them like the soberst of men. When they
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Speaker 1: were outside. He summoned the generals apart and said, Sirs,
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Speaker 1: our enemies are not aware as yet of our alliance.
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Speaker 1: If therefore we attack them before they take precautions not
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Speaker 1: to be caught or are prepared to repel assault, we
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Speaker 1: shall make a fine haul of captives and other stock.
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Speaker 1: The generals fully approved of these views, and bade him
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Speaker 1: lead on. He answered, prepare and wait. As soon as
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Speaker 1: the right time comes, I will be with you. I
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Speaker 1: shall pick up the peltasts and yourselves, and with the
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Speaker 1: help of the gods, I will lead on. But consider
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Speaker 1: one point, urged Xenophon. If we are to march by night,
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Speaker 1: is not the Hellenic fashion best? When marching in the daytime,
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Speaker 1: that part of the army leads the van, which seems
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Speaker 1: best suited to the nature of the country to be
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Speaker 1: traversed heavy or light infantry or cavalry. But by night
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Speaker 1: our rule is that the slowest arm should take the lead.
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Speaker 1: Thus we avoid the risk of being pulled to pieces.
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Speaker 1: And it is not easy for a man to give
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Speaker 1: his neighbor the slip without intending. Whereas the scattered fragments
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Speaker 1: of an army are apt to fall foul of one another,
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Speaker 1: and to cause damage or incur it in sheer ignorance
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Speaker 1: to this, soethis replied you reason well, and I will
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Speaker 1: adopt your custom. I will furnish you with guides chosen
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Speaker 1: from the oldest experts of the country, and I will
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Speaker 1: myself follow with the cavalry in the rear. It will
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Speaker 1: not take me long if need be to present myself
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Speaker 1: at the front. Then, for kinship's sake, they chose Athenaea
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Speaker 1: as their watchword. With this they turned and sought repose.
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Speaker 1: It was about midnight when Sethus presented himself with his
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Speaker 1: cavalry troopers armed with corslets, and his light infantry under arms.
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Speaker 1: As soon as he had handed over to them the
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Speaker 1: promised guides, the heavy infantry took the van, followed by
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Speaker 1: the light tree in the center, while the cavalry brought
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Speaker 1: up the rear. At daybreak, Suthus rode up to the front.
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Speaker 1: He complimented them on their method. So often had he himself,
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Speaker 1: when marching by night, with a mere handful of men,
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Speaker 1: been separated with his cavalry from his infantry. But now
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Speaker 1: said he, we find ourselves at dawn of day. All
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Speaker 1: happily together, just as we ought to be. Do you
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Speaker 1: wait for me here, he proceeded, and recruit yourselves. I
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Speaker 1: will take a look round and rejoin you, so saying,
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Speaker 1: he took a certain path over hill and rode off.
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Speaker 1: As soon as he had reached deep snow, he looked
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Speaker 1: to see whether there were footprints of human beings leading
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Speaker 1: forward or in the opposite direction, and having satisfied himself
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Speaker 1: that the road was untrodden, back he came, exclaiming, God
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Speaker 1: willing sirs, it will be all right. We shall fall
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Speaker 1: on the fellows before they know where they are. I
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Speaker 1: will lead on with the cavalry, so that if we
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Speaker 1: catch sight of any one he shall not escape and
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Speaker 1: give warning to the enemy. Do you follow, and if
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Speaker 1: you are left behind, keep to the trail of the horses.
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Speaker 1: Once on the other side of the mountains, we shall
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Speaker 1: find ourselves in numerous thriving villages. By the middle of
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Speaker 1: the day he had already gained the top of the
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Speaker 1: pass and looked down upon the villages below. Back he
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Speaker 1: came riding to the heavy infantry and said, I will
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Speaker 1: at once send off the cavalry into the plain below,
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Speaker 1: and the peltasts too, to attack the villages. Do you
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Speaker 1: follow with what speed you may, so that in case
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Speaker 1: of resistance you may lend us your aid. Hearing this,
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Speaker 1: Xenophon dismounted, and the other asked, why do you dismount
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Speaker 1: just when speed is the thing we want. The other answered,
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Speaker 1: but you do not want me alone. I am sure
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Speaker 1: the Hoplites will run all the quicker and more cheerily
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Speaker 1: if I lead them on foot. Thereupon Sothus went off intimation,
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Speaker 1: with him, taking the Hellene squadron of something like forty troopers.
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Speaker 1: Then Xenophon passed the order the active young fellows up
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Speaker 1: to thirty years of age from the different companies to
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Speaker 1: the front, and off with these he went himself, bowling
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Speaker 1: along while Cleonor led the other Hellenes. When they had
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Speaker 1: reached the villages, Sethus, with about thirty troopers, rode up, exclaiming, well, Xenophon,
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Speaker 1: this is just what she said. The fellows are caught.
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Speaker 1: But now look here, my cavalry have gone off unsupported.
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Speaker 1: They are scattered in pursuit, one here, one there, And
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Speaker 1: upon my word, I am more than half afraid the
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Speaker 1: enemy will collect somewhere and do them a mischief. Some
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Speaker 1: of us must remain in the villages, for they are
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Speaker 1: swarming with human beings. Well, then, said Xenophon, I will
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Speaker 1: seize the heights with the men I have with me.
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Speaker 1: And do you bid cleonor extend his line along the
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Speaker 1: level beside the villages. When they had done so, there
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Speaker 1: were enclosed of captives for the slave market one thousand,
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Speaker 1: of cattle two thousand, and of other small cattle ten thousand.
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Speaker 1: For the time being, they took up their quarters there.
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Speaker 1: End of Book seven, Part three,