Page:History of Greece Vol VIII.djvu/90

 65 HISTORY OF GREECE. The perilous excitement of this temporary crisis, which brought into full daylight every man's real political sentiments, proved the oligarchical faction, hitherto exaggerated in number to be far less powerful than had been imagined by their oppo- nents. And the Four Hundred had found themselves too much embarrassed how to keep up the semblance of their authority even in Athens itself, to be able to send down any considerable force for the protection of their citadel at Ectioneia ; though they were reinforced, only eight days before their fall, by at least one supplementary member, probably in substitution for some prede- cessor who had accidentally died. 1 Theramenes, on reaching Peiraeus, began to address the mutinous hoplites in a tone of sim- ulated displeasure, while Aristarchus and his oligarchical com- panions spoke in the harshest language, and threatened them with the force which they imagined to be presently coming down from the city. But these menaces were met by equal firmness on the part of the hoplites, who even appealed to Theramenes himself, and called upon him to say whether he thought the construction of this citadel was for the good of Athens, or whether it would not be better demolished. His opinion had been fully pronounced beforehand ; and he replied, that if they thought proper to demol ish it, he cordially concurred. Without farther delay, hoplites and unarmed people mounted pell-mell upon the walls, and commenced the demolition with alacrity ; under the general shout, " Whoever is for the Five Thousand in place of the Four Hundred, let him lend a hand in this work." The idea of the old democracy was in every one's mind, but no man uttered the word ; the fear of the imaginary Five Thousand still continuing. The work of demolition seems to have been prosecuted all that day, and not to have been completed until the next day; after which the hoplites released Alexikles from arrest, without doing him any injury. 2 1 See Lysias, Orat. xx, pro Polystrato. The fact that Polystratus was only eight days a member of the Four Hundred, before their fall, is repeated three distinct times in this Oration (c. 2, 4, 5, pp. 672, 674, 679, Reisk.), ai3 has all the air of truth. against Theokrines (c. 17, p. 1343), the speaker, Epichares, makes allusion to this destruction of the fort at Ectioneia by Aristokratcs uncle of his
 * Thucyd. viii, 92, 93. In the Oration of Demosthenes, or Deinarchus,