Page:History of Greece Vol IX.djvu/182

 JGO HISTORY OF GREECE This speech completely arrested the impetuous impulse of th army, brought them to a true sense of their situation, and induced them to adopt the proposition of Xenophon. They remained un- moved in their position on the Thrakion, while three of the captains were sent to communicate with Anaxibius. While they were thus waiting, a Theban named Koeratadas approached, who had once commanded in Byzantium under the Lacedaemonians, during the - previous war. He had now become a sort of professional Condot- tiero or general, looking out for an army to command, wherever he could find one, and offering his services to any city which would engage him. He addressed the assembled Cyreians, and offered, if they would accept him for their general, to conduct them against the Delta of Thrace (the space included between the north-west corner of the Propontis and the south-west corner of the Euxine), which he asserted to be a rich territory presenting great opportu- nity to plunder ; he farther promised to furnish them with ample subsistence during the march. Presently the envoys returned, bearing the reply of Anaxibius, who received the message favor- ably, promising that not only the army should have no cause to regret their obedience, but that he would both report their good conduct to the authorities at home, and do everything in his own power to promote their comfort. 1 He said nothing farther about taking them into pay ; that delusion having now answered its pur- pose. The soldiers, on hearing his communication, adopted a resolution to accept Koeratadas as their future commander, and then marched out of the town. As soon as they were on the out- side, Anaxibius, not content with closing the gates against them, made public proclamation that if any one of them were found in the town, he should be sold forthwith into slavery. There are few cases throughout Grecian history in which an able discourse has been the means of averting so much evil, as was averted by this speech of Xenophon to the army in Byzan- tium. Nor did he ever, throughout the whole period of his ^command, render to them a more signal service. The miserable consequences, which would have ensued, had the army persisted in their aggressive impulse, first, to the cr.tizens of the town, ultimately to themselves, while Anaxibius, the only guilty person, 1 Xcn. Anab. viii, 1, 32-35.