Page:History of Greece Vol VIII.djvu/236

 214 HISTORY OF GKEJiCK. along with Kallikratidas, were all put to death ; and a .still larger number of citizens, not less than one thousand, fled into exile* Miletus thus passed completely into the hands of the friends and partisans of Lysander. 1 It would appear that factious movements in other towns, less revolting in respect of bloodshed and perfidy, yet still of similar character to that of Miletus, marked the reappearance of Lysan- der in Asia ; placing the towns more and more in the hands of his partisans. While thus acquiring greater ascendency among the allies, Lysander received a summons from Cyrus to visit him at Sardis. The young prince had just been sent for to come and visit his father Darius, who was both old and dangerously ill, in Media. About to depart for this purpose, he carried his confi- dence in Lysander so far as to delegate to him the management of his satrapy and his entire revenues. Besides his admiration for the superior energy and capacity of the Greek character, with which he had only recently contracted acquaintance ; and besides his esteem for the personal disinterestedness of Lysander, attested as it had been by the conduct of the latter in the first visit and banquet at Sardis ; Cyrus was probably induced to this step by the fear of raising up to himself a rival, if he trusted the like power to any Persian grandee. At the same time that he handed over all his tributes and his reserved funds to Lysander, he assured him of his steady friendship both towards himself and towards the Lacedaemonians ; and concluded by entreating that he would by no means engage in any general action with the Athenians, unless at great advantage in point of numbers. The defeat of Arginusaj having strengthened his preference for this dilatory policy, he promised that not only the Persian treasures, but also the Phenician fleet, should be brought into active employment for the purpose of crushing Athens. 2 Thus armed with an unprecedented command of Persian treas- ure, and seconded by ascendent factions in all the allied cities, Lysander was more powerful than any Lacedaemonian com- mander had ever been since the commencement of the war. Having his fleet well paid, he could keep it united, and direct ii 1 Diodor. xiii, 104; Plutarch, Lysand. c. 8.
 * Xenoph. Hellen. ii, 1, 14; Plutarch, Lysand. c. 9.