Excerpt from History of the Peloponnesian War Thucydides makes few reflections in the course of his narrative; but occasionally he has a chapter of political and moral observations, ani mated by the keenest perception of the motives of action and of moral character. His opportunities, his talents, his personal qualities, and the nature of his subject, all combined to produce a work which stands alone, and, in its kind, has neither equal nor rival. His pictures are frequently striking and tragic, from his severe simplicity and minute particularity, as in the description of the plague in Athens, and in the incomparable account of the Athenian expedition into Sicily and its melancholy termination. Everywhere, his style is concise, vigorous, energetic, and significant. Thucydides has been translated into English by Nichols, Hobbes, Smith, and Bloomfield; but, while all the versions in our language have excellences, that of Dr. Smith is admitted by all judicious critics to be decidedly the best in literal and artistic fidelity, and in every quality desirable in such a performance. The present edition combines the latest corrections, and is as perfect, at least, as any ever printed. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.