Now was the time to display their known courage and
patience. Let them think of the glory of Athens, and her imperial
fame.
This memorable speech, the last recorded utterance of Pericles, had
the desired effect. It was resolved to continue the war, and no
further embassies were sent to Sparta. But resentment still smouldered
in the hearts of the Athenians against their great statesman. How
fearful was the contrast between the high hopes with which they had
embarked in this struggle, and the scenes of horror and desolation
which lay around them! From the walls they could see their trampled
fields, their ravaged plantations, and the blackened ruins of their
homes. Within, the pestilence still raged undiminished, and the city
was filled with sounds and sights of woe. Under the pressure of these
calamities the ascendency of Pericles went through a brief period of
eclipse, and he was condemned to pay a fine. Soon, however, he
recovered all his influence, and remained at the head of affairs until
his death, which occurred in the autumn of the following year.
Pericles is the representative figure in the golden age of Athenian
greatness, the most perfect example of that equable and harmonious
development in every faculty of body and mind which was the aim of
Greek civic life at its best.
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