Page:History of Greece Vol X.djvu/392

 370 HISTORY OF GREECE. a fleet was equipped with the utmost activity, for the purpose of defending the insular allies, as well as of acting in the Hellespont. Vigorous efforts were required from all the trierarchs, and really exerted by some, to accelerate the departure of this fleet. But that portion of it, which, while the rest went to the Hellespont, was sent under Leosthenes to defend Peparethos, met with a defeat from the ships of Alexander, with the loss of five triremes and six hundred prisoners. 1 We are even told that soon after this naval advantage, the victors were bold enough to make a dash into the Peirseus itself (as Teleutias had done twenty-seven years be- fore), where they seized both property on shipboard and men on the quay, before there was any force ready to repel them.- The Thessalian marauders were ultimately driven back to their harbor of Pegasas ; yet not without much annoyance to the insular con federates, and some disgrace to Athens. The defeated admiral Leosthenes was condemned to death ; while several trierarchs, who, instead of serving in person, had performed the duties incum- bent on them by deputy and by contract, were censured or put upon trial. 3 Not only had the affairs of Athens in the Hellespont become worse under Ergophilus than under Timotheus, but Kallisthenes also, who had succeeded Timotheus in the operations against Am- phipolis, achieved no permanent result. It would appear that the Amphipolitans, to defend themselves against Athens, had invoked the aid of the Macedonian king Perdikkas ; and placed their city in his hands. That prince had before acted in conjunction with the Athenian force under Timotheus against Olynthus ; and their of the month Metageitnion, in the archonship of Molon, mentioned by Demosthenes adv. Polyklem, p. 1207, s. 5, 6. 1 Diodor xvi, 95 ; Polyaenus, vi, 2, 1. 2 Polyaenus, vi, 2, 2. It must have been about this time (362-361 B. c.) that Alexander of Phe- rae sent envoys into Asia to engage the service of Charidemus and his mer- cenary band, then in or near the troad. His application was not accepted (Demosth. cont. Aristokrat. p. 675, e. 192). 3 Demosthenes, de Corona Trierarch. p. 1230, s. 9 Diodorus farther states that the Athenians place; Chares in command of a fleet for the protection of the yEgean ; but tha! this admiral took him- self off to Korkyra, and did nothing but plunder the allies (Diodor. xrl