greater number. My advice, therefore, is that we should by no means begin the war, though for action we ought to be fully prepared. If, indeed, there were one description of force wherewith barbarians could be resisted, and another wherewith Greeks, we might reasonably perhaps be regarded as arraying ourselves against Persia; but since all arming is of the same character, and your force must amount to the same thing-namely, the means of resisting your enemies, of succouring your allies, of preserving your valuable possessions why, when we have professed enemies, do we look out for others? why do we not rather prepare ourselves against the former, and be ready to resist the king also if he attempt to injure us?

And now you invite the Greeks to join you. But if you will not act as they desire, some of them having no good-will toward you, how can you expect they will obey your call? Because, forsooth, they will hear from you that the Persian has designs against them. And pray, do you imagine they don't foresee it themselves? I believe they do; but at present this fear outweighs not the enmity which some of them bear toward you and toward each other. Your ambassadors then will only travel round and rhapsodize. But when the time comes, if what we now expect be really brought to pass, I fancy none of the Greek community rate themselves so high that, when they see you possessed of a thousand horse, as many infantry soldiers as one could desire, and three hundred ships, they would not come with entreaties, and regard such aid as their surest means of deliverance. The consequences then are-by inviting them now you are suppliants, and if your petition be not granted you fail; whereas, by waiting your time and completing your preparations, you save men at their own request, and are sure they will all come over to you.

Swayed by these and the like considerations, men of Athens, I sought not to compose a bold harangue of tedious length, but have taken exceeding pains in devising a plan, the best and the speediest, for getting your forces ready. It will be for you to hear it, and, if it meet your approval, to vote for its adoption.

The first and most essential part of preparation, men of Athens, is to be so disposed in your minds that every citizen is willing and earnest to perform his duty. For you see, O Athenians, whenever you have had a common wish, and every man has thought afterward that the accomplishment belonged to himself, nothing has ever escaped you; but when you have wished only, and then looked to one another, each expecting to be idle while his neighbour did the work, none of your designs have been executed.

You being so animated and determined, I advise that we fill up the twelve hundred and make two thousand, adding eight hundred to them; for if you appoint that number, I reckon that, after deducting the heiresses and wards, and holders of allotments and partnership property, and persons in reduced circumstances, you will still have your twelve hundred members. Of them I think you should make twenty boards, as at present, each having sixty members. Each of these boards I would have you divide into five sections of twelve men, putting always with the wealthiest person some of the least wealth, to preserve equality. And thus, I say the members ought to be arranged; the reason you will understand when you have heard the whole scheme of arrangement. But how about the ships? I recommend you to fix the whole number at three hundred, and form twenty divisions of fifteen vessels each, giving five of the first hundred and five of the second hundred and five of the third hundred to each division; then allot one division of fifteen ships to every board of men, and let the board assign three ships to each of their own sections.

When these regulations have been made, I proposeas the ratable capital of the country is six thousand talents-in order that your supplies may be apportioned, you should divide this capital and make a hundred parts of sixty talents each; then allot five of these hundredth parts to each of the twenty larger boards, and let the board assign one hundredth part to each of their own sections; so that, if you have need of a hundred ships, sixty talents may be applied to the expense, and there may be twelve to serve as commanders; if of two hundred, there may be thirty talents applied to the expense, and six persons to serve; if of three hundred, there may be twenty talents defraying the expense, and four persons to serve.

In the same manner, O Athenians, I advise that all the furniture of the ships, which is out on loan, should be valued according to the register, and divided into twenty parts; that you then allot one good portion to every large board; that every board distribute equal shares among their own sections; that the twelve in each section call their implements in, and get the ships which are severally allotted to them in readiness. Thus do I think the supplies, the vessels, the commanders, and the collection of implements, may be most effectually provided and arranged. How the manning may be made sure and easy I proceed to explain.

I say the generals should divide the dockyards into ten departments, taking care that there be thirty docks in each as near as possible to one another; and when they have done this, let them attach two boards and thirty ships to each of these departments, then allot the tribes and the several commanders to each dockyard, so that there may be two boards, thirty ships, one tribe. And whichever department be allotted to a tribe, let them divide it in three, and the ships likewise, and then allot the third of a tribe to each, so that of the whole dockyards there may be one division belonging to every tribe, and the third of a tribe may have the third part of every division, and you may know, in case of necessity, first, where the tribe is stationed; next, where the third of the tribe; next, who are the commanders and how many ships there are; and the tribe may have thirty ships, and every third of a tribe have ten. Let the system be only put in train, and though we should forget something now-for it is difficult to make all the details perfect-it will be ascertained in the working; and there will be one arrangement for all the ships and every division.

In regard to money and real supplies, I know that I am about to make an extraordinary statement, yet still it shall be made; for I am persuaded that, on a correct view, I alone shall be found to have declared and predicted the truth. I say we ought not at present to speak of money; a supply there is, if occasion require it, ample, honourable, and just; if we look for it immediately we shall not think we have it even in reserve. So far shall we be from providing it now; but if we leave it alone we shall have it. What, then, is this supply, which hath no being now, but will exist hereafter?-for certainly it is like a riddle. I will explain.

In

You see the extent of this city, men of Athens. It contains treasures equal, I may almost say, to the rest of the states put together. But the owners are so minded that, if all your orators alarmed them with intelligence that the king was coming, that he was at hand, that the danger was inevitable; if, besides the orators, an equal number of persons gave oracular warning, so far from contributing, they would not even discover their wealth or acknowledge the possession. Yet if they knew that these proceedings, so terrible in report, were actually begun, there is not a man so foolish who would not be ready to give and foremost to contribute. For who would rather perish with all his possessions than contribute a part of his possessions to preserve himself and the remainder? Thus, I say, we have money against the time of actual need, but not before. And therefore I advise you not to search for it now. deed, what you would raise, if you determined to raise it, would be more ridiculous than nothing at all. For example: Let a tax be proposed of one per cent-there are sixty talents. Let twice as much, namely, two per cent, be proposed there are a hundred and twenty. But what is this to the twelve hundred camels, which, these men say, carry the king's gold? Let me suppose, however, that we contributed the twelfth of our property, five hundred talents. This you would not submit to; but if you did pay it, the sum would be sufficient for the war. Your proper course, then, is to complete your other preparations; let the owners retain their money for the present (it can not be in better keeping for the state); and should the ocсаsion ever arrive, then take it from them in voluntary contributions.

These, O my countrymen, are practicable measures, these are honourable and advantageous, fit to be reported as your proceedings to the king; and by them no little terror would be excited in him. He knows right well that by three hundred galleys, whereof we furnished a hundred, his ancestors lost a thousand ships; and he will hear that we ourselves have now equipped three hundred. So that, were he ever so mad, he could hardly deem it a light matter to provoke the hostility of our republic. Should he, however, entertain an overweening confidence in his wealth, even this he will find to be a weaker support than yours. He is coming, they say, with gold. But if he give it away he will lack supplies, for even wells and fountains are apt to fail if you draw from them constantly and by wholesale. He will hear that the valuation of our land is a capital of six thousand talents. That we shall defend it against invaders from that quarter his ancestors who were at Marathon would know best; and certainly, as long as we are victorious, money can never fail us.

Nor is there, as it appears to me, any ground for what some persons fear, that having money he will collect a large body of mercenaries. I do indeed believe that against Egypt 10 and Orontes,11 and any other barbarians, many of the Greeks would be willing to serve in his paynot that he may subdue any of those adversaries, but in order to obtain supplies for themselves to relieve their several necessities. Against Greece, however, I do not believe that any Grecian would march. For whither could he betake himself afterward? Go to Phrygia and be a slave?-Remember, a war with the barbarian can be for no other stake than for country and life and customs and freedom and everything of the kind. Who, then, is so wretched that he would sacrifice himself, parents, sepulchres, fatherland, for the sake of a paltry pittance? I believe, no man. But, further, it is not even the king's interest that mercenaries should conquer the Greeks. For they that conquer us must have been his masters already; and he desires, not to subdue us and then be dependent on others, but to rule, if possible, over all; if that be not possible, at least over his present subjects.

Should any one think the Thebans will be on his sideI know it is difficult to speak to you about that people; you hate them so, you will not like to hear even the truth or anything favourable of them however, men who are considering important questions must not omit any useful argument on any pretext. My opinion then is, the Thebans, so far from being likely to join him in any attack