Page:History of Greece Vol VIII.djvu/66

 44 HISTORY OF GREECE. among them to pass a vote of restoration to all persons undei sentence of exile. But this was rejected by the majority in ordei that Alkibiades might not be among the number ; nor did the} think it expedient, notwithstanding, to pass the law, reserving him as a special exception. They farther despatched a messenger to Agis at Dekeleia, intimating their wish to treat for peace ; which, they affirmed, he ought to be ready to grant to them, now that " the faithless De- mos" was put down. Agis, however, not believing that the Athenian people would thus submit to be deprived of their liberty, anticipated that intestine dissension would certainly break out, or at least that some portion of the Long Walls would be found unguarded, should a foreign army appear. While therefore he declined the overtures for peace, he at the same time sent for reinforcements out of Peloponnesus, and marched with a consid- erable army, in addition to his own garrison, up to the very walls of Athens. But he found the ramparts carefully manned : no commotion took place within : even a sally was made, in which some advantage was gained over him. He therefore speedily retired, sending back his newly-arrived reinforcements to Pelo- ponnesus ; while" the Four Hundred, on renewing their advances to him for peace, now found themselves much better received, and were even encouraged to despatch envoys to Sparta itself. 1 As soon as they had thus got over the first difficulties, and placed matters on a footing which seemed to promise stability, they despatched ten envoys to Samos. Aware beforehand of the danger impending over them in that quarter from the known aversion of the soldiers and seamen to anything in the nature of oligarchy, they had, moreover, just heard, by the arrival of Chre- reas and the paralus, of the joint attack made by the Athenian and Samian oligarchs, and of its complete failure. Had this event occurred a little earlier, it might perhaps have deterred even some of their own number from proceeding with the revolution at Athens, which was rendered thereby almost sure of failure, from the first. Their ten envoys were instructed to represent at Samos that the recent oligarchy had been established with no views injurious to the city, but on the contrary for the genera) 1 Thucyd. viii, 71.