When Plato was a child, the war into which he had been born turned its brazen face to the insignificant little island of Melos, which had been colonized by Spartan colonists who, by definition, owed their allegiance to Sparta. These colonists, who were governed by an oligarchy, had steadfastly tried to maintain their neutrality during the struggle to the death between the two great powers of Athens and Sparta. The story of tiny Melos, related by Thucydides in his Peloponnesian War, may be compressed in American English into a précis, which is my simple intent. It is my hope that any reader might take himself or herself to Thucydides' book itself for the wisdom and pathos it exhibits. The story of Melos is a melancholy footnote in mankind's tragic history.
In 416 b.c., an Athenian fleet augmented by allies from Chios and Lesbos attacked the people on the island of Melos. The Athenians maintained that it was not their intent to ravage the island; instead they wanted to court its allegiance to their cause; hence, before the Athenians devastated the island, they talked to the Melians.
The Athenians said that they knew why the Melian leaders would not let the Athenians talk to the whole populace; it was because the people would see that they were hopelessly outnumbered, and that they had no chance. So, the Athenians said, we are not here to deliver any sort of speech. We are here to ask you people some questions to which you had better give the correct answers.
The Melians said that they understood that they had two chances: slim and none; and that the outcome of the talk would be that they were to be slaves or to be dead.
