took by storm, and abandoned to the mercy of the soldiers. 5. The Athenians, who followed him close, upon the news of his success, steered forward toward Oles'tus, and thence, sailing along the coast, halted over against the enemy at Æ'dos Pot'amos, or the goat's river, a town situated on a small river of the same name in the Thracian Chersone'sus, a place fatal to the Athenians. 6. The Hel'lespont is not above two thousand paces broad in that place. The two fleets, seeing themselves so near to each other, expected only to rest that day, and hoped to come to an engagement on the next. 7. But Lysan'der had another design in view. He commanded the seamen and pilots to go on board the galleys, and hold themselves in readiness, as if they were really to fight next morning. He likewise commanded the land army to be drawn up in battle array upon the coast, and to wait his orders in profound silence. 8. On the morrow, as soon as the sun was risen, the Athenians rowed towards them with their whole fleet, and offered them battle; which, however, Lysan'der did not think proper to accept, even though his ships were ranged in perfect order, with their heads towards the enemy. 9. The Athenians, ascribing this conduct to fear or cowardice, retired in the evening, and thinking they were in no danger, went ashore to amuse and regale themselves, as if no enemy had been nigh. Of this last circumstance Lysan'der was fully informed, by some galleys he sent out to observe their motions. 10. To throw them, therefore, into still greater security, and to put them more off their guard, he allowed the three following days to pass in the same manner, during each of which the Athenians came regularly up and offered him battle, which he as regularly persisted to decline. 11. In the mean time, Alcibi'ades, who since his disgrace had lived in Thrace, and was much better acquainted with the character of the Lacedæmo'nians, and particularly with that of Lysan'der, than the present Athenian generals, came and warned them of their danger: he even offered, with a body of Thracian troops, to attack the enemy by land, and thus force them to a battle. 12. But the Athenian generals, jealous of their honour, and fearing that if the event proved successful, Alcibi'ades would enjoy all the glory, and if otherwise, that the whole blame would fall upon them, not only refused his assistance, but even rejected his salutary advice.* 13. The consequence was, that, on the evening of the fifth day, when they had retired as usual, and their men were all gone on shore, and dispersed up and down the country, Lysan'der came suddenly upon them with his whole force, and attacking them in this unprepared and defenceless condition, easily made a capture of their whole fleet, except nine galleys, (including the sacred ship,) with which Co'non contrived to escape to Cy'prus, where he took refuge with Evag'oras, king of Sal'amis, the principal city in that island, who had been long remarkable for his love of the Athenians. 14. This was one of the most masterly strokes of generalship that ever was performed in ancient, or perhaps even in modern times; for by it Lysan'der, in the space of an hour, put an end to a war that had already lasted twenty-seven years, and but for him would probably have lasted much longer. 15. The number of prisoners amounted to three thousand, and the fate of these is a shocking proof of the barbarous manners of the age; these unhappy men were instantly put to death, though this was said to be only by way of retaliation; for that the Athenians had caused to be thrown down a precipice all the men that were taken in two Lacedæmonian galleys, and had likewise made a decree for cutting off the thumb of the right hand of all the prisoners of war, in order to disable them from handling the pike, and that they might be fit only to serve at the oar. 16. Philoc'les, the chief author both of this barbarous act and this severe deeree, was now called upon to show what he could urge in his defence, when he haughtily replied-" Accuse not people of crimes who have no judges, but as you are victors use your right, and do by us as we had done by you if we had conquered." The only person who was saved out of the whole number was Adiaman'tus, who had opposed the decree. 17. The Athenians were no sooner informed of the entire defeat of their army, than they were overwhelmed with consternation. They already thought they saw Lysan'der at their gates nor was it long before he came there. 18. But before he did so, he commanded all the Athenians * The manner in which his advice and assistance were rejected was insulting in the extreme. They told him that they wondered at his assurance, who was an exile and a vagabond, to come and give laws to them, threatening, if he came any more, to seize him and send him to Athens. that were scattered up and down in different parts of Greece, to take shelter in Athens on pain of death. This he did with a design so to crowd the city, that he might be able soon to reduce it by famine. 19. His scheme succeeded; for Agis and Pausa'nias, the two kings of Sparta, having besieged it by land, and Lysan'der himself blocking it up by sea, the wretched Athenians, after undergoing the most intolerable hardships, were driven to such extremity, that they sent deputies to Agis, with offers of abandoning all their possessions, their city and port only excepted. 20. The haughty Lacedæmo'nians referred their deputies to the state itself; and when these suppliants made known their commission to the Eph'ori, they were ordered to depart, and come again with other proposals, if they expected peace. 21. At length Therame'nes, an Athenian, undertook to manage the treaty with Lysander; and after a conference, which lasted three months, he received full powers to treat at Lacedæ'mon. 22. When he, attended by nine others, arrived before the Eph'ori, some of the confederates represented the necessity of destroying Athens entirely, without listening to any further proposals. 23. But the Lacedæmo'nians would not consent to the destruction of a city which had preserved the general independence of Greece in the most critical juncture: they therefore agreed to a peace upon these conditions: that the long walls and fortifications of the Peiræ'eus should be demolished; that they should deliver up all their ships but twelve; that they should restore their exiles; that they should make a league offensive and defensive with the Lacedæmo'nians, and serve them in all their expeditions, both by sea and land. 24. Therame'nes, being returned with the articles to Athens, was asked why he acted in a manner so contrary to the intentions of Themis'tocles, and gave those walls into the hands of the Lacedæmo'nians which he built in defiance of them? 25. "I have my eye," said he, "upon Themistocles' design; he raised those walls for the preservation of the city, and I for the very same reason would have them destroyed; for if walls only secure a city, Sparta, which has none, is in a very bad condition." 26. Such an answer would not have satisfied the Athenians at any other time; but, being now reduced to the last extremity, it did not admit of a long debate whether they should accept the treaty. B.C. 27. At last Lysan'der, coming to the Peira'eus, de404.molished the walls with great solemnity, and all the insulting triumphs of music.* Thus was a period put to the famous Peloponne'sian war, the longest, the most expensive, and the most bloody, in which Greece had ever been engaged. Questions for Examination, 1. What was the situation of the Athenians after their defeat at Syracuse? 2. To whom did the enemy have recourse? 3. Was Lysander again appointed? 4. What was his first enterprise? 5. How did the Athenians act on the occasion! 6. Were the hostile fleets near each other? 7. Were their hopes fulfilled? 8. What happened on the morrow? 9. To what was this conduct ascribed by the Athenians? 10. What farther steps did Lysander take? 11. By whom were the Athenian troops warned of their danger! 12. How were his offers received? 13. What was the consequence? 14. Was this a masterly manœuvre? 15. How were the prisoners treated? 16. How did the authors of these cruelties behave in adversity? 17. How did the Athenians receive the news of this calamity? 18. What previous measures did he adopt? 19. Was his scheme successful? 20. Were their offers accepted? 21. Who undertook to manage the treaty ? 22. What measures were represented as necessary? 23. Did the Lacedæmonians adopt this harsh expedient? 24. How were these terms received? 25. What was Theramenes' answer? 26. Was this answer satisfactory ? 27. Was it executed? This mortifying occurrence took place on the very day of the year on which the Athenians beat the Persians at Salamis. R 2 CHAPTER X. FROM THE DEMOLITION OF THE ATHENIAN POWER TO THE PEACE OF AUTALCIDAS. SECTION I. THE THIRTY TYRANTS. 1. THOUGH the Lacedæmo'nians would not consent to the entire destruction of Athens, as they would not be guilty, they said, of putting out one of the eyes of Greece, yet they not only reduced it to the lowest condition in point of political consequence, but even altered the form of its government; for they compelled the people to abolish the democracy, and submit to the government of thirty men, who were commonly known by the name of the thirty tyrants. 2. Instead of compiling and publishing a more perfect body of laws, which was the pretence for their being chosen, they began to exercise a power of life and death; and though they appointed a senate, and other magistrates, they made no farther use of them than to confirm their own authority, and see their commands executed. At first, it is true, they proceeded with some caution, and condemned only the most profligate sort of citizens, viz. such as lived by informing and giving evidence against their neighbours. But this was only to blind the eyes of the populace; their real design was to make themselves absolute: and, as they well knew that this could not be done without a foreign power, they next contrived to have a guard sent from Sparta. This guard was commanded by one Callib'ius, whom they soon won over to their designs; and from this time forward they proceeded to act without control, filling the city with the blood of those, who, on account of their riches, interests, or good qualities, were most likely to oppose them. 3. One of their first acts of cruelty was to procure the death of Alcibi'ades, who had taken refuge in the dominions of Persia. This man, though driven from his country, did not cease to interest himself in its welfare; and the tyrants, dreading that, by his popularity at Athens, where he was still much beloved, he would thwart all their schemes, en treated the Lacedæmo'nians to rid them of so formidable |