Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 1.djvu/335

 48-51] TAKING OF MI NO A 219 whilst they ate their barley, kneaded with wine and oil, and slept and rowed by turns. Fortunately no adverse wind sprang up, and, the first of the two ships sailing in no great hurry on her untoward errand, and the second hastening as I have described, the one did indeed arrive sooner than the other, but not much sooner. Paches had read the decree and was about to put it into execu- tion, when the second appeared and arrested the fate of the city. So near was Mytilene to destruction. The captives whom Paches had sent to Athens as being 50 the most guilty numbered about a ^, 11 I hecapttvesat Athens thousand, or rather more ^ ; these the are put to death. The Athenians, upon the motion of Cleon, lands of Lesbos are di- put to death. They razed the walls of '^!^' "'"^"^ ^//'.m«« the Mytilenaeans and took away their fleet. Then, instead of imposing tribute on them, they divided the whole island, exclusive of the territory of Methymna, into three thousand portions, of which they dedicated three hundred to the Gods ; the remainder they let out to cleruchi ^ taken from their own citizens, whom they chose by lot and sent to Lesbos. The Lesbians undertook to pay them a yearl}' rent of two minae ^ for each portion and cultivated the land themselves. The Athenians also took possession of the towns on the conti- nent which the Mytilenaeans held*!, and these hence- forward were subject to Athens. Thus ended the revolt of Lesbos. During the same summer, after the recovery of Lesbos, 5^ the Athenians, under the command of The Athenians umler Nicias the son of Niceratus, made an Nkias capture and for- expedition against the island of Minoa, m'*he island o/M.noa. which lies in front of Megara ; the Megarians had built a fort there and used the island as a military station. But » See note. The number muse be considered doubtful. "" Cleruchi, literally ' portioners,' Athenians who received land in a conquered country, but remained citizens. « f.(> IS^- 4^- *' ^P- iv. 52 nied.