Page:History of Greece Vol VIII.djvu/31

 OLIGARCHICAL CONSPIRACY. 9 make known the new prospects, and to put the standing oligar- chical clubs, or hetoeries, into active cooperation for the purpose of violently breaking up the democracy, and farther to establish oligarchical governments in all the remaining dependencies of Athens. They imagined that these dependencies would be thus induced to remain faithful to her, perhaps even that some of those which had already revolted might come back to their alle giance, when once she should be relieved from her democracy, and placed under the rule of her " best and most virtuous citizens." Hitherto, the bargain tendered for acceptance had been, sub- version of the Athenian democracy and restoration of Alkibiades, on one hand, against hearty cooperation, and a free supply of gold from Persia, on the other. But what security was there that such bargain would be realized, or that when the first part should have been brought to pass, the second would follow? There was absolutely no security except the word of Alkibiades, very little to be trusted, even when promising what was in his own power to perform, as we may recollect from his memorable dealing with the Lacedaemonian envoys at Athens, and on the present occasion, vouching for something in itself extravagant and preposterous. For what reasonable motive could be imagined to make the Great King shape his foreign policy according to the interests of Alkibiades, or to inspire him with such lively interest in the substitution of oligarchy for democracy at Athens? This was a question which the oligarchical conspirators at Samos not only never troubled themselves to raise, but which they had every motive to suppress. The suggestion of Alkibiades coin- cided fully with their political interest and ambition. Their object was to put down the democracy, and get possession of the able initiative of putting down the Athenian democracy, is to me quite suf- ficient evidence that the taunts of the comic writers agaiiut his cowardice are unfounded. Xcnophon in the Symposion repeats this taunt (ii, 14) which also appears in Aristophanes, Eupolis, Plato Comicus, and others vol. i, p. 178, etc. Modern writers on Grecian history often repeat such bitter jests as if Jiey were so much genuine and trustworthy evidence against the per.01 libelled 1*
 * ce the passages collected in Meincke, llistor. Critit. Comicor. Grsecorum,