The Historical Library of Diodorus the Sicilian/Book XIII/Chapter IX

Chapter IX

 * Theramenes and Alcibiades return to Athens; are admired by the people. Lysander made general by the Lacedæmonians. Antiochus, one of the Anthenian generals, beaten at Ephesus, in a sea-fight. Agis surprises part of the walls of Athens; but was beaten off. Alcibiades accused for assaulting Cuma, a confederate city. Conon made admiral in his place.

After the end of the year, Euctemones was made archon of Athens, and the Romans constituted Marcus Papirius and Spurius Nautius consuls. Then was celebrated the ninety-third olympiad, in which Eubatas of Cyrene got the victory. At this time the Athenian generals (now possessed of Byzantium) gained all the cities of the Hellespont, except Abydos. Then they left Diodorus and Mantitheus, with sufficient forces, governors in the Hellespont; and they themselves, after they had performed many famous exploits for the honour and safety of their country, returned with the fleet, laden with spoils, to Athens. When they drew near, all the people thronged out with great joy to meet them, and a great number of strangers, both women and children, ran together int the Piræus; the arrival of the generals filling all persons with admiration. For they brought along with them no less than two hundred ships, which they had taken, and a multitude of prisoners, with much spoil; and their own ships were gloriously adorned with arms, rich spoils, and golden crowns, and such like. Every body thronged one upon another to see Alcibiades, so as the city was even left without an inhabitant, whilst both bond and free longed to have a view of him. For he was so highly admired at that time, that none of the former Athenians wen judged comparable to this man, who so openly and confidently had stood it out against the people. They who were poor, and under mulcts and fines, now hoped they had an excellent advocate, who by raising tumults and disturbances in the city, could free them from their penuries and pressing necessities. He was a man daring above all others, and an excellent speaker: in times of war a brave soldier, and as skilful a commander; ready in undertaking any desparate enterprise, of a very comely and beautiful countenance, of a noble spirit, and aspiring mind. All were so filled with expectation form him, that they concluded his return, and the prosperity of the city, were coupled together. For as the Lacedæmonians were successful apd victorious whilst he assisted them, so they hoped that by his return, their affairs would change to the better.

As soon as the fleet entered into the harbour, all eyes wen fixed upon Alcibiades's ship; and upon his landing, they received him with great acclamations, and congratulated his return and victories. After he had with all courteous behaviour saluted the people, he called an assembly, where, having made a long defence for establishing his innocency, he so insinuated himself into the good-will of the people, that all cast the blame of the dooms and judgments against him upon the city itself: and therefore they restored all his estate, not long before confiscated, and threw the records of his condemnation into the sea; and reversed all other things that were decreed against him: and a decree was made, that the Eumolpidæ should take away, and absolve him from that curse they had pronounced against him, when he was supposed to have been guilty of prophaning the sacred mysteries. At last they made him general, and gave him full power, both by sea and land, and committed all their forces to his command; upon which he constituted other generals, as he thought fit: that is to say, Adimantus and Thrasybulus; and he himself, with a hundred sail, passed over to Andros, and there possessed himself of the fort Gaurium, and enclosed it with a wall. But the Andrians, with the whole strength of the city, and the succours sent them from Peloponnesus, sallied out against them, whereupon a sharp engagement followed, in which the Athenians were conquerors; a great part of them that came out of the town being cut off. Of those that escaped, some were scattered abroad in the fields, others got within the walls. After he had several times attempted to take the city by assault, and saw he could not prevail, he left a sufficient garrison in the fort, (by him before fortified), under the command of Thrasybulus, and he himself sailed off with the rest of the army, and wasted and spoiled Cos and Rhodes, and there got a great deal of provision for his soldiers. As for the Lacedæmonians, althongh they had lost most of their fleet, and the command of the sea, together with their general Mindarus, yet they were not discouraged, but created Lysander admiral of their navy, a most expert soldier, bold and daring, and ready to undertake any thing, through all hazards whatsoever. As soon as he entered upon his command, he raised no small number of soldiers, throughout all Peloponnesus, and furnished the fleet wilh seamen, as well as in the present circumstances he was able; and presently arriving at Rhodes, he got together as many ships from thence, and the rest of the towns, as he could, and then departed with whaf ships he had, to Ephesus and Miletus; where, being fuither supplied from these cities, and with others from Chios, he set forth from Ephesus with a fleet of seventy sail. But when he understood that Cyrus, the son of Darius, was sent from his father, with orders to assist the Lacedæmonians in the war, he made a journey to him at Sardis; and after several arguments adduced to encourage the young man to prosecute the war against the Athenians, he forthwith received from him ten thousand Daricans, for the pay of his soldiers, with command from Cyrus to proceed, without doubting his assistance; for that he was commanded by his father to spare no cost for the supply of the Lacedæmonians, in whatsoever they should undertake.

From thence he returned to Ephesus, and sent for the principal men of every neighbouring town; and having entered into a leagus and confederacy with them, promised, if the war succeeded, he would make every one of them a prince in his own city. Upon this each strove to exceed another, and supplied him with more than was required; insomuch as they abundantly furnished Lysander with all things necessary for the war, sooner than could in reason be imagined.

When Alcibiades understood that Lysander was preparing a fleet at Ephesus, he made thither with his whole navy; when he entered the port without opposition, and anchored with many of his vessels near Notium, and gave the command to Antiochus, the captain of his own vessel, with strict charge not to fight till he returned. In the mean time he himself sailed with several men of war to Clazomenæ, which city (yet standing firm to the Athenians) was greatly oppressed by the devastations made by some exiles. But Antiochus, naturally rash and hasty, earnestly desirous to perform something remarkable by his own contrivance, without any regard to the command of Alcibiades, mans ten of the best gallies, and commands the captains and officers of the fleet, to be ready and prepared, with the rest of the ships, to fall in where there should be occasion: upon this he makes up to the enemy, and dares them to battle. Lysander, being informed by some deserters, that Alcibiades, with the best of the men of war, were gone off, now conceived he had a fit opportunity put into his hands, to do something worthy of the Spartan name: in order thereunto, he makes forth the whole fleet against Antiochus; and one of the ten (which sailed before the rest, and in which Antiochus was) he presently sinks, and puts all the rest to flight, and pursues them till the Athenian officers in the other vessels, in great confusion, came up to their assistance. And now the fleets on both sides were wholly engaged not far off from the land: in short, the Athenians (by reason of the disorder they were in) were beaten, with the loss of two-and-twenty of their ships. Some few of the men were taken, but the rest swam on shore. As soon as Alcibiades heard of the defeat, he returned with all speed to Notium; and having sufficiently manned and refitted his gallies, he sailed into the enemy's port; buy Lysander not daring to engage, it was determined to go for Samos.

While these things were done, Thrasybulus the Athenian general, with fifteen gallies, came up to Thasos, where he routed the citizens, and killed about two hundred of them; and so closely besieged them, that at length they were forced to receive again those that favoured the Athenians into the city, and to take in a garrison, and renew their confederacy with the Athenians. Thence he sailed to Abdera, the most potent city of Thrace, and brought them over to the Athenians. These were the things done by the Athenian generals from the time they left Athens.

About this time Agis, the Lacedæmonian king, lay encamped with his army at Decelea; where, having intelligence that the flower and strength of the Athenians were gone off with Alcibiades, he marched up to Athens silently in a dark night, having with him eight-and-twenty thousand foot, half of which were old soldiers, very well armed: the other half were but raw, and lightly armed. Besides these, there followed him twelve hundred horse, nine of which were Bœotians, aud the rest from Peloponnesus. He was not discerned by the watch, till he was close at hand; and so fell upon them unawares, and slew some, and forced the rest within the walls. Hereupon the Athenians, both young and old, were commanded generally to betake themselves to arms, to oppose the enemy; upon which, the walls round the city were presently filled with them that ran thither from all quarters. As soon as it was light, and the Athenian commanders saw the army of the enemy drawn up into a body, four in depth, and eight furlongs or stages in front, they were at first not a little terrified, especially two parts of the walls being now possessed by the enemy.

But after some time, they sent out a body of horse, equal in number to the Lacedæmonians: upon which the horse on both sides engaged, in the face of them upon the walls: and the contest was sharp for a considerable time: for the foot drawn up, as is said before, were as yet five stages from the walls; and the horse fought close under them. On the one side the Bœotians, who had formerly routed the Athenians at Delium, looked upon it as a dishonourable thing to be worsted by them, whom they had before conquered. On the other, the Athenians, in regard they were known by all them upon the walls, who were then eye-witnesses either of their valour or cowardice, resolved, through all difficulties whatsoever, to be conquerors: accordingly at length they routed the Lacedæmonians, and made a great slaughter, and pursued those that fled, even close up to the body of their foot; who making up to them, the horse returned into the city. Hereupon Agis (not conceiving it now a fit time to besiege the city) encamped in Academia. The next day, when the Athenians erected a trophy, he drew out his army in battalia, and challenged them to battle. Upon which the Athenians marched out, and drew up in a body under the walls. The Lacedæmonians gave the onset; but by reason of the showers of darts wherewith they were galled from the walls, they were forced to draw off from the city. And after great devastations made in the rest of Attica, they returned to Peloponnesus.

As for Alcibiades, he went with his whole fleet from Samos to Cuma, where, under colour and pretence of feigned crimes laid to the charge of the inhabitants, he wastes and spoils the country. And at the first takes a great multitude of prisoners, and forces them away to his ships; but the Cumeans, with the whole power of the city, made out against him, for the defence and rescue of their countrymen: Alcibiades for a while bore the brunt, but being overcome by fresh supplies both out of the city, and from the country, the army was forced to fly to their ships, and leave their captives behind them.

Alcibiades being much troubled to be thus baffled, sent for the regiments from Mitylene, and drew up his army against the city, challenging the Cumeans to a battle. But none coming forth, after many devastations, he returned to Mitylene: but the Cumeans sent to Athens, and put in their bill against Alcibiades in form of law, for that he had wasted and spoiled a confederate city and country, which had not in the least done them any injury; and many other accusations they brought against him; for some of the garrison in Samos (bearing him a grudge) passed over to Athens, and accused him in the public assembly, that he was a secret friend to the Lacedæmonians, and kept a close and intimate correspondence with Pharnabazus, for this very purpose__That when the war was ended, he might gain the sovereignty of Athens. These calumnies being easily credited by the common people, the glory of Alcibiades began to decline: and the rather by reason of his late ill success at sea, and his miscarriages at Cuma.

Henceforward the people of Athens began to be jealous of Alcibiades, and created ten other commanders, Conon, Lysias, Diomedon, Pericles, Erasmides, Aristocrates, Archestratus, Protomachus, Thrasybulus, and Aristogenes. From among these they chose Conon to be admiral; and forthwith sent him to Alcibiades, to demand the fleet from him, who gave up his charge accordingly; but not daring to return to Athens, sailed only with one ship to Padyen in Thrace. For, besides the rage of the common people, he was afraid many crimes would be laid to his charge; many (now he lay under the hatches) contriving how to load him with accusations, and to upbraid him with his former faults: the greatest of which was that concerning the horses, for which there was set upon him a mulct of fifty talents. For when Diomedes, his friend, lent him a chariot with four horses, to go along with him to Olympia, when he subscribed his name (as the custom was) he affirmed the horses to he his own; and when he was victor by that chariot and horses, he not only carried away the glory, but detained the horses from him that so friendly and kindly reposed a trust in him. Revolving therefore all these things in his mind, he was afraid the Athenians, now they had an advantage against him, would rip up all his former miscarriages, and lay the greater load upon him. Therefore he banished himself.