Page:Thucydides, translated into English Vol 2.djvu/406

 398 ENVOYS OF THE OLIGARCHY AT SAMOS [vill was the reason of the enmit}' which he conceived" against him. And so Astyochus, the Milesians, and Hermocrates sailed away to Lacedaemon. Alcibiades had by this time returned from Tissaphernes to Samos. 86 The envoys whom the Four Hundred had sent to pacify ^,, , the army and give explanations left The envoys of the •" ° " Four Hundred come to -Uelos '^ and came to Samos after the Santos after the return return of Alcibiades, and an assembly • of Alcibiades. They y^^^s held at which they endeavoured to are roughly received by . a r- , , . ihe multitude who spcak. At hrst the soldiers would not Tvant to sail at once to listen to them, but shouted ' Death to the Piraeus Bui they j^g subverters of the democracy.' pre prevented by Alah- ,,^ . ■ j , • i i-/v i iades, ivho dismisses When quict had been with difficulty the envoys tvith smooth restored, the envoys told them that the words A greater service change was not meant for the destruc- never done to At hois. • i <• i • /- i tion but lor the preservation of the state, and that there was no intention of betraying Athens to the enemy, which might have been effected by the new government already if they had pleased during the recent invasion. They declared that all the Five Thousand were in turn to have a share in the administration ^ ; and that the families of the sailors were not being outraged, as Chaereas slanderously reported, or in any way molested ; they were living quietly in their several homes. They defended themselves at length, but the more they said, the more furious and unwilling to listen grew the multitude. Various proposals were made ; above all they wanted to sail to the Piraeus. Then Alcibiades appears to have done as eminent ^ a service to the state as any man ever did. For if the Athenians at Samos in their excitement had been allowed to sail against their fellow-citizens, the enemy would instantly have obtained possession of Ionia and the Hellespont. This he prevented, and at that moment no one else could have restrained the multitude : but he did restrain them, and with sharp words protected ■ Or, ' displayed.' '' Cp. viii. 77. « Cp. viii. 93 med.
 * • Reading trpu/Tos.