Page:History of Greece Vol VIII.djvu/294

 272 HISTORY OF GREECE. ably a number of their partisans, and the Lacedcemonian garrison also, retired thither along with them. The nomination of this new oligarchy of Ten was plainly a compromise, adopted by some from sincere disgust at the oligar- chical system, and desire to come to accommodation with the exiles ; by others, from a conviction that the only way of main- taining the oligarchical system, and repelling the exiles, was to constitute a new oligarchical Board, dismissing that which had become obnoxious. The latter was the purpose of the horsemen, the main upholders of the first Board as well as of the second ; and such also was soon seen to be the policy of Eratosthenes and his colleagues. Instead of attempting to agree upon terms of accommodation with the exiles in Peirseus generally, they merely tried to corrupt separately Thrasybulus and the leaders, offering to admit ten of them to a share of the oligarchical power at Athens, provided they would betray their party. This offer having been indignantly refused, the war was again resumed between Athens and Peirseus, to the bitter disappointment, not less of the exiles than of that portion of the Athenians who had hoped better things from the new Board of Ten. 1 But the forces of oligarchy were seriously enfeebled at Athens, 9 as well by the secession of all the more violent spirits to Eleusb, as by the mistrust, discord, and disaffection which now reigned within the city. Far from being able to abuse power like their predecessors, the Ten did not even fully confide in their three thousand hoplites, but were obliged to take measures for the defence of the city in conjunction with the hipparch and the horsemen, who did double duty, on horseback in the day-time, and as hoplites with their shields along the walls at night, for fear of surprise, employing the Odeon as their head-quarters. The Ten sent envoys to Sparta to solicit farther aid ; while the Thirty sent envoys thither also, from Eleusis, for the same pur- pose ; both representing that the Athenian people had revolted from Sparta, and required farther force to reconquer them. 3 1 The facts which I have here set down, result from a comparison of Lysias, Orat. xii, cont. Eratosth. sects. 53, 59, 94: Qeitiuv, aipeSeis t'/wj 6iaX?M^ai KOI Karajayelv. Diodor. xiv, 32 ; Justin, v, 9. 1 Xenoph. Hellcn. ii, 4, 24, 28.
 * Isokrates, Or. xviii, cant. Kallimach. s. 25.