Thucydides is for his part a difficult author; his style is sufficient proof that he did not mind putting readers to the test at times. But this difficulty is only in the expression; the clarity with which he organizes the historical material and the reliance itself on reasoning that characterizes its elaboration show that, when it comes to history, it is clarity that is the quality toward which he most naturally strives. And the type of evidence that his account includes surely attests that he achieved it.