Page:History of Greece Vol VIII.djvu/127

 ATHENIAN SQUADRON AT SESTOS. lya llarmatus, however, opposite to and almost within sight of the Athenian station at Methymna, its progress could no longer remain a secret. As it advanced still farther along the Troad, the momentous news circulated everywhere, and was promulgated through numerous fire-signals and beacons on the hill, by friend as well as by foe. These signals were perfectly visible, and perfectly intelligible, to the two hostile squadrons now on guard on each side of the Hellespont: eighteen Athenian triremes at Sestos in Europe, sixteen Peloponnesian triremes at Abydos in Asia. To the form- er it was destruction, to be caught by this powerful enemy in the narrow channel of the Hellespont. They quitted Sestos in the middle of the night, passing opposite to Abydos, and keeping a, southerly course close along the shore of the Chersonese, in the direction towards Elseus at the southern extremity of that pen- insular, so as to have the chance of escape in the open sea and of joining Thrasyllus. But they would not have been allowed to pass even the hostile station at Abydos, had not the Pelopon- nesian guardships received the strictest orders from Mindarus, transmitted before he left Chios, or perhaps even before he left Miletus, that, if he should attempt the start, they were to keep a vigilant and special lookout for his coming, and reserve them- selves to lend him such assistance as might be needed, in case he were attacked by Thrasyllus. When the signals first announced the arrival of Mindarus, the Peloponnesian guardships at Aby dos could not know in what position he was, nor whether the main Athenian fleet might not be near upon him. Accordingly they acted on these previous orders, holding themselves in reserve understand the words in the sense which I 'propose, the change of tense is perfectly admissible, since the two verbs do not both refer to the same movement or to the same portion of the voyage. " The fleet starts from Chios out by the sea-side of the island; but when it came to have Lesbos on th left hand, it sailed straight to the continent." I hope that I am not too late to make good my ypaQr/v geviaf, or protest, against the unwarranted right of Thucydidean citizenship which the recent editors have conferred upon this word ov, in c. 101. The old text ought certainly to be restored ; or, if these editors maintain their views, they ought at least to inclose tho word in brackets. In the edition of Thucyjides, pub- lished at Leipsic, 1845, by C. A. Kotli, I observe that the text is still cor rectly printed, without the negative. 5*