Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 2.djvu/397

 72-7 1] DEMOCRACY AT SAMOS 389 Athenians at Samos, to whom they pledged their faith. They also joined these Athenians in other deeds of violence, and were eager to fall upon the popular party. But the people, discovering their intention, gave informa- tion to the generals Leon and Diomedon, who were impatient of the attempted oligarchy because they were respected by the multitude, to Thrasybulus and Thrasyllus, one of whom was a trierarch and the other a private soldier, and to others who were thought to be the steadiest oppon- ents of the oligarchical movement. They entreated them not to allow the Samian people to be destro3'ed, and the island of Samos, without which the Athenian empire would never have lasted until then, to be estranged. Thereupon the generals went to the soldiers one by one, and begged them to interfere, addressing themselves especially to the Parali, or crew of the ship Paralus, all freeborn Athenians, who were at any time ready to attack oligarchy, real or imaginary. Leon and Diomedon, whenever they sailed to any other place, left some ships for the protection of the Samians. And so, when the three hundred began the attack, all the crews, especially the Parali, hastened to the rescue, and the popular party gained the victor}'. Of the three hundred the}' slew about thirty, and the three most guilty were banished ; the rest the}' forgave, and hence- forward all lived together under a democracy. Chaereas the son of Archestratus, an Athenian, who had 74 been active in the movement, was ^, „ ,. , ' I he I-'atalt,wiio con- quickly despatched in the ship Paralus -.rv the report of the by the Samians and the army to Athens, revolution to At/iais, there to report the defeat of the Samian 'I'f ^'"■^' '^° ., ^. *'^'^"^' • ^ Chaereas their leader oligarchy, for as yet they did not know escapes to Santos, and that the government was in the hands /^" "'Z ">nnncr of lies of the Four Hundred. No sooner had " '"' "^ ^ 'S'^'<^"'- he arrived than the Four Hundred imprisoned two or three of the Parali, and taking away their ship transferred the rest of the crew to a troop-ship which was ordered to keep guard about Euboea. Chaereas, seeing promptly