Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/437

 AKROTAUS m SICILY. 405 well disposed towards foreign warfare. This prince, without even consulting the Ephors, listened at once to the envoys, and left Peloponnesus with a small squadron, intending to cross by Korkyra and the coast of Italy to Agrigentum. Unfavorable winds drove him as far north as Apollonia, and delayed his arri- val at Tarentum ; in which city, originally a Spartan colony, he met with a cordial reception, and obtained a vote of twenty ves- sels to assist his enterprise of liberating Syracuse from Agath- okles. He reached Agrigentum with favorable hopes, wjis re- ceived with all the honors due to a Spartan prince, and under- took the command. Bitterly did he disappoint his party. He was incompetent as a general ; he dissipated in presents or lux- uries the money intended for the campaign, emulating Asiatic despots ; his conduct was arrogant, tyrannical, and even sanguin- ary. The disgust which he inspired was brought to a height, when he caused Sosistratus, the leader of the Syracusan exiles, to be assassinated at a banquet. Immediately the exiles rose in a body to avenge this murder ; while Akrotatus, deposed by the Agrigentines, only found safety in flight.^ To this young Spartan prince, had he possessed a noble heart and energetic qualities, there was here presented a career of equal grandeur with that of Timoleon — against an enemy able indeed and formidable, yet not so superior in force as to render success impossible. It is melancholy to see Aki'otatus, from sim- ple worthlessness of character, throwing away such an opportu- nity ; at a time when Sicily was the only soil on which a glori- ous Hellenic career was still open — when no similar exploits were practicable by any Hellenic leader in Central Greece, from the overwhelming superiority of force possessed by the sun'ound- ing kino;s. The misconduct of Akrotatus broke up all hopes of active operations against Agathokles. Peace was presently concluded with the latter by the Agrigentines and their allies, under the mediation of the Carthaginian general Hamilkar. By the terms of this convention, all the Greek cities in Sicily were declared autonomous, yet under the hegemony of Agathokles ; excepting Diodor. xix. 71.