History of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides [best free ebook reader TXT] 📗

the democracy.

 

The design was first mooted in the camp, and afterwards from

thence reached the city. Some persons crossed over from Samos and

had an interview with Alcibiades, who immediately offered to make

first Tissaphernes, and afterwards the King, their friend, if they

would give up the democracy and make it possible for the King to trust

them. The higher class, who also suffered most severely from the

war, now conceived great hopes of getting the government into their

own hands, and of triumphing over the enemy. Upon their return to

Samos the emissaries formed their partisans into a club, and openly

told the mass of the armament that the King would be their friend, and

would provide them with money, if Alcibiades were restored and the

democracy abolished. The multitude, if at first irritated by these

intrigues, were nevertheless kept quiet by the advantageous prospect

of the pay from the King; and the oligarchical conspirators, after

making this communication to the people, now re-examined the proposals

of Alcibiades among themselves, with most of their associates.

Unlike the rest, who thought them advantageous and trustworthy,

Phrynichus, who was still general, by no means approved of the

proposals. Alcibiades, he rightly thought, cared no more for an

oligarchy than for a democracy, and only sought to change the

institutions of his country in order to get himself recalled by his

associates; while for themselves their one object should be to avoid

civil discord. It was not the King’s interest, when the Peloponnesians

were now their equals at sea, and in possession of some of the chief

cities in his empire, to go out of his way to side with the

Athenians whom he did not trust, when he might make friends of the

Peloponnesians who had never injured him. And as for the allied states

to whom oligarchy was now offered, because the democracy was to be put

down at Athens, he well knew that this would not make the rebels

come in any the sooner, or confirm the loyal in their allegiance; as

the allies would never prefer servitude with an oligarchy or democracy

to freedom with the constitution which they actually enjoyed, to

whichever type it belonged. Besides, the cities thought that the

so-called better classes would prove just as oppressive as the

commons, as being those who originated, proposed, and for the most

part benefited from the acts of the commons injurious to the

confederates. Indeed, if it depended on the better classes, the

confederates would be put to death without trial and with violence;

while the commons were their refuge and the chastiser of these men.

This he positively knew that the cities had learned by experience, and

that such was their opinion. The propositions of Alcibiades, and the

intrigues now in progress, could therefore never meet with his

approval.

 

However, the members of the club assembled, agreeably to their

original determination, accepted what was proposed, and prepared to

send Pisander and others on an embassy to Athens to treat for the

restoration of Alcibiades and the abolition of the democracy in the

city, and thus to make Tissaphernes the friend of the Athenians.

 

Phrynichus now saw that there would be a proposal to restore

Alcibiades, and that the Athenians would consent to it; and fearing

after what he had said against it that Alcibiades, if restored,

would revenge himself upon him for his opposition, had recourse to the

following expedient. He sent a secret letter to the Lacedaemonian

admiral Astyochus, who was still in the neighbourhood of Miletus, to

tell him that Alcibiades was ruining their cause by making

Tissaphernes the friend of the Athenians, and containing an express

revelation of the rest of the intrigue, desiring to be excused if he

sought to harm his enemy even at the expense of the interests of his

country. However, Astyochus, instead of thinking of punishing

Alcibiades, who, besides, no longer ventured within his reach as

formerly, went up to him and Tissaphernes at Magnesia, communicated to

them the letter from Samos, and turned informer, and, if report may be

trusted, became the paid creature of Tissaphernes, undertaking to

inform him as to this and all other matters; which was also the reason

why he did not remonstrate more strongly against the pay not being

given in full. Upon this Alcibiades instantly sent to the

authorities at Samos a letter against Phrynichus, stating what he

had done, and requiring that he should be put to death. Phrynichus

distracted, and placed in the utmost peril by the denunciation, sent

again to Astyochus, reproaching him with having so ill kept the secret

of his previous letter, and saying that he was now prepared to give

them an opportunity of destroying the whole Athenian armament at

Samos; giving a detailed account of the means which he should

employ, Samos being unfortified, and pleading that, being in danger of

his life on their account, he could not now be blamed for doing this

or anything else to escape being destroyed by his mortal enemies. This

also Astyochus revealed to Alcibiades.

 

Meanwhile Phrynichus having had timely notice that he was playing

him false, and that a letter on the subject was on the point of

arriving from Alcibiades, himself anticipated the news, and told the

army that the enemy, seeing that Samos was unfortified and the fleet

not all stationed within the harbour, meant to attack the camp, that

he could be certain of this intelligence, and that they must fortify

Samos as quickly as possible, and generally look to their defences. It

will be remembered that he was general, and had himself authority to

carry out these measures. Accordingly they addressed themselves to the

work of fortification, and Samos was thus fortified sooner than it

would otherwise have been. Not long afterwards came the letter from

Alcibiades, saying that the army was betrayed by Phrynichus, and the

enemy about to attack it. Alcibiades, however, gained no credit, it

being thought that he was in the secret of the enemy’s designs, and

had tried to fasten them upon Phrynichus, and to make out that he

was their accomplice, out of hatred; and consequently far from hurting

him he rather bore witness to what he had said by this intelligence.

 

After this Alcibiades set to work to persuade Tissaphernes to become

the friend of the Athenians. Tissaphernes, although afraid of the

Peloponnesians because they had more ships in Asia than the Athenians,

was yet disposed to be persuaded if he could, especially after his

quarrel with the Peloponnesians at Cnidus about the treaty of

Therimenes. The quarrel had already taken place, as the Peloponnesians

were by this time actually at Rhodes; and in it the original

argument of Alcibiades touching the liberation of all the towns by the

Lacedaemonians had been verified by the declaration of Lichas that

it was impossible to submit to a convention which made the King master

of all the states at any former time ruled by himself or by his

fathers.

 

While Alcibiades was besieging the favour of Tissaphernes with an

earnestness proportioned to the greatness of the issue, the Athenian

envoys who had been dispatched from Samos with Pisander arrived at

Athens, and made a speech before the people, giving a brief summary of

their views, and particularly insisting that, if Alcibiades were

recalled and the democratic constitution changed, they could have

the King as their ally, and would be able to overcome the

Peloponnesians. A number of speakers opposed them on the question of

the democracy, the enemies of Alcibiades cried out against the scandal

of a restoration to be effected by a violation of the constitution,

and the Eumolpidae and Ceryces protested in behalf of the mysteries,

the cause of his banishment, and called upon the gods to avert his

recall; when Pisander, in the midst of much opposition and abuse, came

forward, and taking each of his opponents aside asked him the

following question: In the face of the fact that the Peloponnesians

had as many ships as their own confronting them at sea, more cities in

alliance with them, and the King and Tissaphernes to supply them

with money, of which the Athenians had none left, had he any hope of

saving the state, unless someone could induce the King to come over to

their side? Upon their replying that they had not, he then plainly

said to them: “This we cannot have unless we have a more moderate form

of government, and put the offices into fewer hands, and so gain the

King’s confidence, and forthwith restore Alcibiades, who is the only

man living that can bring this about. The safety of the state, not the

form of its government, is for the moment the most pressing

question, as we can always change afterwards whatever we do not like.”

 

The people were at first highly irritated at the mention of an

oligarchy, but upon understanding clearly from Pisander that this

was the only resource left, they took counsel of their fears, and

promised themselves some day to change the government again, and

gave way. They accordingly voted that Pisander should sail with ten

others and make the best arrangement that they could with Tissaphernes

and Alcibiades. At the same time the people, upon a false accusation

of Pisander, dismissed Phrynichus from his post together with his

colleague Scironides, sending Diomedon and Leon to replace them in the

command of the fleet. The accusation was that Phrynichus had

betrayed Iasus and Amorges; and Pisander brought it because he thought

him a man unfit for the business now in hand with Alcibiades. Pisander

also went the round of all the clubs already existing in the city

for help in lawsuits and elections, and urged them to draw together

and to unite their efforts for the overthrow of the democracy; and

after taking all other measures required by the circumstances, so that

no time might be lost, set off with his ten companions on his voyage

to Tissaphernes.

 

In the same winter Leon and Diomedon, who had by this time joined

the fleet, made an attack upon Rhodes. The ships of the Peloponnesians

they found hauled up on shore, and, after making a descent upon the

coast and defeating the Rhodians who appeared in the field against

them, withdrew to Chalce and made that place their base of

operations instead of Cos, as they could better observe from thence if

the Peloponnesian fleet put out to sea. Meanwhile Xenophantes, a

Laconian, came to Rhodes from Pedaritus at Chios, with the news that

the fortification of the Athenians was now finished, and that,

unless the whole Peloponnesian fleet came to the rescue, the cause

in Chios must be lost. Upon this they resolved to go to his relief. In

the meantime Pedaritus, with the mercenaries that he had with him

and the whole force of the Chians, made an assault upon the work round

the Athenian ships and took a portion of it, and got possession of

some vessels that were hauled up on shore, when the Athenians

sallied out to the rescue, and first routing the Chians, next defeated

the remainder of the force round Pedaritus, who was himself killed,

with many of the Chians, a great number of arms being also taken.

 

After this the Chians were besieged even more straitly than before

by land and sea, and the famine in the place was great. Meanwhile

the Athenian envoys with Pisander arrived at the court of

Tissaphernes, and conferred with him about the proposed agreement.

However, Alcibiades, not being altogether sure of Tissaphernes (who

feared the Peloponnesians more than the Athenians, and besides

wished to wear out both parties, as Alcibiades himself had

recommended), had recourse to the following stratagem to make the

treaty between the Athenians and Tissaphernes miscarry by reason of

the magnitude of his demands. In my opinion Tissaphernes desired

this result,