6.2
who, while he was giving the official account of his generalship, drew his sword in the very court-room and slew himself. Nicias therefore tried to evade commands which were likely to be laborious and long, and whenever he did serve as general made safety his chief aim, and so was successful for the most part, as was natural. He did not, however, ascribe his achievements to any wisdom or ability or valor of his own, but rather credited them to fortune, and took modest refuge in the divine ordering of events, relinquishing thereby part of his reputation through fear of envy.
6.3
Events bore witness to his wisdom, for in the many great reverses which the city suffered at that period he had absolutely no share. It was under the leadership of CalliadesAn error for Callias, who lost his life before Potidaea in 432 B.C. (;Thuc. 3.63). In 429, Xenophon was defeated and killed, with his two colleagues (;Thuc. 2.79). and Xenophon that his countrymen met defeat at the hands of the Chalcidians in Thrace; the Aetolian disaster occurred when Demosthenes was in command;In 426 B.C. (;Thuc. 3.91-98). Hippocrates was general when a thousand citizens were sacrificed at Delium;In 424 B.C. (;Thuc. 4.89-101). and for the plague Pericles incurred the most blame, because he shut up the throng from the country in the city on account of the war, and the plague was the result of their change of abode and their unwonted manner of living.Cf. Plut. Per. 34.3 f.
