希腊罗马名人传(Alcibiades)

alcibiades, as it is supposed, was anciently descended from eurysaces,the son of ajax, by his father's side； and by his mother's side fromalcmaeon. dinomache, his mother, was the daughter of megacles. hisfather, clinias, having fitted out a galley at his own expense, gainedgreat honour in the sea-fight at artemisium, and was afterwards slainin the battle of coronea, fighting against the boeotians. periclesand ariphron, the sons of xanthippus, nearly related to him, becamethe guardians of alcibiades. it has been said not untruly that thefriendship which socrates felt for him has much contributed to hisfame； and certain it is, that, though we have no account from anywriter concerning the mother of nicias or demosthenes, of lamachusor phormion, of thrasybulus or theramenes, notwithstanding these wereall illustrious men of the same period, yet we know even the nurseof alcibiades, that her country was lacedaemon, and her name amycla；and that zopyrus was his teacher and attendant； the one being recordedby antisthenes, and the other by plato.

it is not, perhaps, material to say anything of the beauty of alcibiades,only that it bloomed with him in all the ages of his life, in hisinfancy, in his youth, and in his manhood； and, in the peculiar characterbecoming to each of these periods, gave him, in every one of them,a grace and a charm. what euripides says, that-

"of all fair things the autumn, too, is fair," is by no means universallytrue. but it happened so with alcibiades, amongst few others, by reasonof his happy constitution and natural vigour of body. it is said thathis lisping, when he spoke, became him well, and gave a grace andpersuasiveness to his rapid speech. aristophanes takes notice of itin the verses in which he jests at theorus； "how like a colax he is,"says alcibiades, meaning a corax； on which it is remarked,-

"how very happily he lisped the truth." archippus also alludes toit in a passage where he ridicules the son of alcibiades：-

"that people may believe him like his father, he walks like one dissolved in luxury, lets his robe trail behind him on the ground, carelessly leans his head, and in his talk affects to lisp."

his conduct displayed many great inconsistencies and variations, notunnaturally, in accordance with the many and wonderful vicissitudesof his fortunes； but among the many strong passions of his real character,the one most prevailing of all was his ambition and desire of superiority,which appears in several anecdotes told of his sayings whilst he wasa child. once being hard pressed in wrestling, and fearing to be thrown,he got the hand of his antagonist to his mouth, and bit it with allhis force； and when the other loosed his hold presently, and said,"you bite, alcibiades, like a woman." "no," replied he, "like a lion."another time as he played at dice in the street, being then but achild, a loaded cart came that way, when it was his turn to throw；at first he called to the driver to stop, because he was to throwin the way over which the cart was to pass； but the man giving himno attention and driving on, when the rest of the boys divided andgave way, alcibiades threw himself on his face before the cart and,stretching himself out, bade the carter pass on now if he would； whichso startled the man, that he put back his horses, while all that sawit were terrified, and, crying out, ran to assist alcibiades. whenhe began to study, he obeyed all his other masters fairly well, butrefused to learn upon the flute, as a sordid thing, and not becominga free citizen； saying that to play on the lute or the harp does notin any way disfigure a man's body or face, but one is hardly to beknown by the most intimate friends when playing on the flute. besides,one who plays on the harp may speak or sing at the same time； butthe use of the flute stops the mouth, intercepts the voice, and preventsall articulation. "therefore," said he, "let the theban youths pipe,who do not know how to speak, but we athenians, as our ancestors havetold us, have minerva for our patroness, and apollo for our protector,one of whom threw away the flute, and the other stripped the flute-playerof his skin." thus, between raillery and good earnest, alcibiadeskept not only himself but others from learning, as it presently becamethe talk of the young boys, how alcibiades despised playing on theflute, and ridiculed those who studied it. in consequence of which,it ceased to be reckoned amongst the liberal accomplishments, andbecame generally neglected.

it is stated in the invective which antiphon wrote against alcibiades,that once, when he was a boy, he ran away to the house of democrates,one of those who made a favourite of him, and that ariphon had determinedto cause proclamation to be made for him, had not pericles divertedhim from it, by saying, that if he were dead, the proclaiming of himcould only cause it to be discovered one day sooner, and if he weresafe, it would be a reproach to him as long as he lived. antiphonalso says, that he killed one of his own servants with the blow ofa staff in sibyrtius's wrestling ground. but it is unreasonable togive credit to all that is objected by an enemy, who makes open professionof his design to defame him.

it was manifest that the many well-born persons who were continuallyseeking his company, and making their court to him, were attractedand captivated by his brilliant and extraordinary beauty only. butthe affection which socrates entertained for him is a great evidenceof the natural noble qualities and good disposition of the boy, whichsocrates, indeed, detected both in and under his personal beauty；and, hearing that his wealth and station, and the great number bothof strangers and athenians who flattered and caressed him, might atlast corrupt him, resolved, if possible, to interpose, and preservehopeful a plant from perishing in the flower, before its fruit cameto perfection. for never did fortune surround and enclose a man withso many of those things which we vulgarly call goods, or so protecthim from every weapon of philosophy, and fence him from every accessof free and searching words, as she did alcibiades； who, from thebeginning, was exposed to the flatteries of those who sought merelyhis gratification, such as might well unnerve him, and indispose himto listen to any real adviser or instructor. yet such was the happinessof his genius, that he discerned socrates from the rest, and admittedhim, whilst he drove away the wealthy and the noble who made courtto him. and, in a little time, they grew intimate, and alcibiades,listening now to language entirely free from every thought of unmanlyfondness and silly displays of affection, finding himself with onewho sought to lay open to him the deficiencies of his mind, and represshis vain and foolish arrogance-

"dropped like the craven cock his conquered wing."

he esteemed these endeavours of socrates as most truly a means whichthe gods made use of for the care and preservation of youth, and beganto think meanly of himself and to admire him； to be pleased with hiskindness, and to stand in awe of his virtue； and, unawares to himself,there became formed in his mind that reflex image and reciprocationof love, or anteros, that plato talks of. it was a matter of generalwonder, when people saw him joining socrates in his meals and hisexercises, living with him in the same tent, whilst he was reservedand rough to all others who made their addresses to him, and acted,indeed, with great insolence to some of them. as in particular toanytus, the son of anthemion, one who was very fond of him, and invitedhim to an entertainment which he had prepared for some strangers.alcibiades refused the invitation； but, having drunk to excess athis own house with some of his companions, went thither with themto play some frolic； and, standing at the door of the room where theguests were enjoying themselves, and seeing the tables covered withgold and silver cups, he commanded his servants to take away the one-halfof them, and carry them to his own house； and then, disdaining somuch as to enter into the room himself, as soon as he had done this,went away. the company was indignant, and exclaimed at his rude andinsulting conduct； anytus, however, said, on the contrary, he hadshown great consideration and tenderness in taking only a part whenhe might have taken all.

he behaved in the same manner to all others who courted him exceptonly one stranger, who, as the story is told, having but a small estate,sold it all for about a hundred staters, which he presented to alcibiades,and besought him to accept. alcibiades, smiling and well pleased atthe thing, invited him to supper, and, after a very kind entertainment,gave him his gold again, requiring him, moreover, not to fail to bepresent the next day, when the public revenue was offered to farm,and to outbid all others. the man would have excused himself, becausethe contract was so large, and would cost many talents； but alcibiades,who had at that time a private pique against the existing farmersof the revenue, threatened to have him beaten if he refused. the nextmorning, the stranger, coming to the market-place, offered a talentmore than the existing rate； upon which the farmers, enraged and consultingtogether, called upon him to name his sureties, concluding that hecould find none. the poor man, being startled at the proposal, beganto retire； but alcibiades, standing at a distance, cried out to themagistrates, "set my name down, he is a friend of mine； i will besecurity for him." when the other bidders heard this, they perceivedthat all their contrivance was defeated； for their way was, with theprofits of the second year to pay the rent for the year preceding；so that, not seeing any other way to extricate themselves out of thedifficulty, they began to entreat the stranger, and offered him asum of money. alcibiades would not suffer him to accept of less thana talent； but when that was paid down, he commanded him to relinquishthe bargain, having by this device relieved his necessity.

though socrates had many and powerful rivals, yet the natural goodqualities of alcibiades gave his affection the mastery. his wordsovercame him so much, as to draw tears from his eyes, and to disturbhis very soul. yet sometimes he would abandon himself to flatterers,when they proposed to him varieties of pleasure, and would desertsocrates； who, then, would pursue him, as if he had been a fugitiveslave. he despised every one else, and had no reverence or awe forany one but him. cleanthes the philosopher, speaking of one to whomhe was attached, says his only hold on him was by his ears, whilehis rivals had all the others offered them； and there is no questionthat alcibiades was very easily caught by pleasure； and the expressionused by thucydides about the excesses of his habitual course of livinggives occasion to believe so. but those who endeavoured to corruptalcibiades took advantage chiefly of his vanity and ambition, andthrust him on unseasonably to undertake great enterprises, persuadinghim, that as soon as he began to concern himself in public affairs,he would not only obscure the rest of the generals and statesmen,but outdo the authority and the reputation which pericles himselfhad gained in greece. but in the same manner as iron which is softenedby the fire grows hard with the cold and all its parts are closedagain, so, as often as socrates observed alcibiades to be misled byluxury or pride, he reduced and corrected him by his addresses, andmade him humble and modest, by showing him in how many things he wasdeficient, and how very far from perfection in virtue.

when he was past his childhood, he went once to a grammar-school,and asked the master for one of homer's books； and he making answerthat he had nothing of homer's, alcibiades gave him a blow with hisfist and went away. another schoolmaster telling him that he had homercorrected by himself； "how？" said alcibiades, "and do you employ yourtime in teaching children to read？ you, who are able to amend homer,may well undertake to instruct men." being once desirous to speakwith pericles, he went to his house and was told there that he wasnot at leisure, but busied in considering how to give up his accountsto the athenians； alcibiades, as he went away, said, it "were betterfor him to consider how he might avoid giving up his accounts at all."

whilst he was very young, he was a soldier in the expedition againstpotidaea, where socrates lodged in the same tent with him, and stoodnext to him in battle. once there happened a sharp skirmish, in whichthey both behaved with signal bravery； but alcibiades receiving awound, socrates threw himself before him to defend him, and beyondany question saved him and his arms from the enemy, and so in alljustice might have challenged the prize of valour. but the generalsappearing eager to adjudge the honour to alcibiades, because of hisrank, socrates, who desired to increase his thirst after glory ofa noble kind, was the first to give evidence for him, and pressedthem to crown him, and to decree to him the complete suit of armour.afterwards, in the battle of delium, when the athenians were routed,and socrates with a few others was retreating on foot, alcibiades,who was on horseback, observing it, would not pass on, but stayedto shelter him from the danger, and brought him safe off, though theenemy pressed hard upon them, and cut off many. but this happenedsome time after.

he gave a box on the ear to hipponicus, the father of callias, whosebirth and wealth made him a person of great influence and repute.and this he did unprovoked by any passion or quarrel between them,but only because, in a frolic, he had agreed with his companions todo it. people were justly offended at this insolence when it becameknown through the city； but early the next morning, alcibiades wentto his house and knocked at the door and being admitted to him, tookoff his outer garment, and presenting his naked body, desired himto scourge and chastise him as he pleased. upon this hipponicus forgotall his resentment, and not only pardoned him, but soon after gavehim his daughter hipparete in marriage. some say that it was not hipponicus,but his son callias, who gave hipparete to alcibiades, together witha portion of ten talents, and that after, when she had a child, alcibiadesforced him to give ten talents more, upon pretence that such was theagreement if she brought him any children. afterwards, callias, forfear of coming to his death by his means, declared, in a full assemblyof the people, that, if he should happen to die without children,the state should inherit his house and all his goods. hipparete wasa virtuous and dutiful wife, but, at last, growing impatient of theoutrages done to her by her husband's continual entertaining of courtesans,as well strangers as athenians, she departed from him and retiredto her brother's house. alcibiades seemed not at all concerned atthis, and lived on still in the same luxury； but the law requiringthat she should deliver to the archon in person, and not by proxy,the instrument by which she claimed a divorce, when, in obedienceto the law, she presented herself before him to perform this, alcibiadescame in, caught her up, and carried her home through the market-place,no one daring to oppose him nor to take her from him. she continuedwith him till her death, which happened not long after, when alcibiadeshad gone to ephesus. nor is this violence to be thought so very enormousor unmanly. for the law, in making her who desires to be divorcedappear in public, seems to design to give her husband an opportunityof treating with her, and endeavouring to retain her.

alcibiades had a dog which cost him seventy minas, and was a verylarge one, and very handsome. his tail, which was his principal ornament,he caused to be cut off, and his acquaintances exclaiming at him forit, and telling him that all athens was sorry for the dog, and criedout upon him for this action, he laughed, and said, "just what i wantedhas happened then. i wished the athenians to talk about this, thatthey might not say something worse of me."

it is said that the first time he came into the assembly was uponoccasion of a largess of money which he made to the people. this wasnot done by design, but as he passed along he heard a shout, and inquiringthe cause, and having learned that there was a donative making tothe people, he went in amongst them and gave money also. the multitudethereupon applauding him, and shouting, he was so transported at it,that he forgot a quail which he had under his robe, and the bird,being frightened with the noise, flew off； upon which the people madelouder acclamations than before, and many of them started up to pursuethe bird； and one antiochus, a pilot, caught it and restored it tohim, for which he was ever after a favourite with alcibiades.

he had great advantages for entering public life； his noble birth,his riches, the personal courage he had shown in divers battles, andthe multitude of his friends and dependents, threw open, so to say,folding-doors for his admittance. but he did not consent to let hispower with the people rest on anything, rather than on his own giftof eloquence. that he was a master in the art of speaking, the comicpoets bear him witness； and the most eloquent of public speakers,in his oration against midias, allows that alcibiades, among otherperfections, was a most accomplished orator. if, however, we givecredit to theophrastus, who of all philosophers was the most curiousinquirer, and the greatest lover of history, we are to understandthat alcibiades had the highest capacity for inventing, for discerningwhat was the right thing to be said for any purpose, and on any occasion；but aiming not only at saying what was required, but also at sayingit well, in respect, that is, of words and phrases, when these didnot readily occur, he would often pause in the middle of his discoursefor want of the apt word, and would be silent and stop till he couldrecollect himself, and had considered what to say.

his expenses in horses kept for the public games, and in the numberof his chariots, were matter of great observation； never did any onebut he, either private person or king, send seven chariots to theolympic games. and to have carried away at once the first, the second,and the fourth prize, as thucydides says, or the third, as euripidesrelates it, outdoes far away every distinction that ever was knownor thought of in that kind. euripides celebrates his success in thismanner：-

"-but my song to you, son of clinias, is due. victory is noble； how much more to do as never greek before； to obtain in the great chariot race the first, the second, and third place； with easy step advanced to fame to bid the herald three times claim the olive for one victor's name." the emulation displayed by the deputationsof various states in the presents which they made to him, renderedthis success yet more illustrious. the ephesians erected a tent forhim, adorned magnificently； the city of chios furnished him with provenderfor his horses and with great numbers of beasts for sacrifice； andthe lesbians sent him wine and other provisions for the many greatentertainments which he made. yet in the midst of all this he escapednot without censure, occasioned either by the ill-nature of his enemiesor by his own misconduct. for it is said, that one diomedes, an athenian,a worthy man and a friend to alcibiades, passionately desiring toobtain the victory at the olympic games, and having heard much ofa chariot which belonged to the state at argos, where he knew thatalcibiades had great power and many friends, prevailed with him toundertake to buy the chariot. alcibiades did indeed buy it, but thenclaimed it for his own, leaving diomedes to rage at him, and to callupon the gods and men to bear witness to the injustice. it would seemthere was a suit at law commenced upon this occasion, and there isyet extant an oration concerning the chariot, written by isocratesin defence of the son of alcibiades. but the plaintiff in this actionis named tisias, and not diomedes.

as soon as he began to intermeddle in the government, which was whenhe was very young, he quickly lessened the credit of all who aspiredto the confidence of the people except phaeax, the son of erasistratus,and nicias the son of niceratus, who alone could contest it with him.nicias was arrived at a mature age, and was esteemed their first general.phaeax was but a rising statesman like alcibiades； he was descendedfrom noble ancestors, but was his inferior, as in many other things,so, principally, in eloquence. he possessed rather the art of persuadingin private conversation than of debate before the people, and was,as eupolis said of him-

"the best of talkers, and of speakers worst." there is extant an orationwritten by phaeax against alcibiades, in which, amongst other things,it is said, that alcibiades made daily use at his table of many goldand silver vessels, which belonged to the commonwealth, as if theyhad been his own.

there was a certain hyperbolus, of the township of perithoedae, whomthucydides also speaks of as a man of bad character, a general buttfor the mockery of all the comic writers of the time, but quite unconcernedat the worst things they could say, and, being careless of glory,also insensible of shame； a temper which some people call boldnessand courage, whereas it is indeed impudence and recklessness. he wasliked by nobody, yet the people made frequent use of him, when theyhad a mind to disgrace or calumniate any persons in authority. atthis time, the people, by his persuasions, were ready to proceed topronounce the sentence of ten years' banishment, called ostracism.this they made use of to humiliate and drive out of the city suchcitizens as outdid the rest in credit and power, indulging not somuch perhaps their apprehensions as their jealousies in this way.and when, at this time, there was no doubt but that the ostracismwould fall upon one of those three, alcibiades contrived to form acoalition of parties, and, communicating his project to nicias, turnedthe sentence upon hyperbolus himself. others say, that it was notwith nicias, but phaeax, that he consulted, and by help of his partyprocured the banishment of hyperbolus, when he suspected nothing less.for, before that time, no mean or obscure person had ever fallen underthe punishment, so that plato, the comic poet, speaking of hyperbolus,might well say-

"the man deserved the fate； deny't who can？ yes, but the fate did not deserve the man； not for the like of him and his slave-brands did athens put the sherd into our hands." but we have given elsewherea fuller statement of what is known to us of the matter.

alcibiades was not less disturbed at the distinctions which niciasgained amongst the enemies of athens than at the honours which theathenians themselves paid to him. for though alcibiades was the properappointed person to receive all lacedaemonians when they came to athens,and had taken particular care of those that were made prisoners atpylos, yet, after they had obtained the peace and restitution of thecaptives, by the procurement chiefly of nicias, they paid him veryspecial attentions. and it was commonly said in greece, that the warwas begun by pericles, and that nicias made an end of it, and thepeace was generally called the peace of nicias. alcibiades was extremelyannoyed at this, and being full of envy, set himself to break theleague. first, therefore, observing that the argives, as well outof fear as hatred to the lacedaemonians, sought for protection againstthem, he gave them a secret assurance of alliance with athens. andcommunicating, as well in person as by letters, with the chief advisersof the people there, he encouraged them not to fear the lacedaemonians,nor make concessions to them, but to wait a little, and keep theireyes on the athenians, who, already, were all but sorry they had madepeace, and would soon give it up. and afterwards, when the lacedaemonianshad made a league with the boeotians, and had not delivered up panactumentire, as they ought to have done by the treaty, but only after firstdestroying it, which gave great offence to the people of athens, alcibiadeslaid hold of that opportunity to exasperate them more highly. he exclaimedfiercely against nicias, and accused him of many things, which seemedprobable enough： as that, when he was general, he made no attempthimself to capture their enemies that were shut up in the isle ofsphacteria, but, when they were afterwards made prisoners by others,he procured their release and sent them back to the lacedaemonians,only to get favour with them； that he would not make use of his creditwith them to prevent their entering into this confederacy with theboeotians and corinthians, and yet, on the other side, that he soughtto stand in the way of those greeks who were inclined to make an allianceand friendship with athens, if the lacedaemonians did not like it.

it happened, at the very time when nicias was by these arts broughtinto disgrace with the people, that ambassadors arrived from lacedaemon,who, at their first coming, said what seemed very satisfactory, declaringthat they had full powers to arrange all matters in dispute upon fairand equal terms. the council received their propositions, and thepeople were to assemble on the morrow to give them audience. alcibiadesgrew very apprehensive of this, and contrived to gain a secret conferencewith the ambassadors. when they were met, he said： "what is it youintend, you men of sparta？ can you be ignorant that the council alwaysact with moderation and respect towards ambassadors, but that thepeople are full of ambition and great designs？ so that, if you letthem know what full powers your commission gives you, they will urgeand press you to unreasonable conditions. quit, therefore, this indiscreetsimplicity, if you expect to obtain equal terms from the athenians,and would not have things extorted from you contrary to your inclinations,and begin to treat with the people upon some reasonable articles,not avowing yourselves plenipotentiaries； and i will be ready to assistyou, out of good-will to the lacedaemonians." when he had said thus,he gave them his oath for the performance of what he promised, andby this way drew them from nicias to rely entirely upon himself, andleft them full of admiration of the discernment and sagacity theyhad seen in him. the next day, when the people were assembled andthe ambassadors introduced, alcibiades, with great apparent courtesy,demanded of them, with what powers they were come？ they made answerthat they were not come as plenipotentiaries.

instantly upon that, alcibiades, with a loud voice, as though he hadreceived and not done the wrong, began to call them dishonest prevaricators,and to urge that such men could not possibly come with a purpose tosay or do anything that was sincere. the council was incensed, thepeople were in a rage, and nicias, who knew nothing of the deceitand the imposture, was in the greatest confusion, equally surprisedand ashamed at such a change in the men. so thus the lacedaemonianambassadors were utterly rejected, and alcibiades was declared general,who presently united the argives, the eleans, and the people of mantinea,into a confederacy with the athenians.

no man commended the method by which alcibiades effected all this,yet it was a great political feat thus to divide and shake almostall peloponnesus, and to combine so many men in arms against the lacedaemoniansin one day before mantinea； and, moreover, to remove the war and thedanger so far from the frontier of the athenians, that even successwould profit the enemy but little, should they be conquerors, whereas,if they were defeated, sparta itself was hardly safe.

after this battle at mantinea, the select thousand of the army ofthe argives attempted to overthrow the government of the people inargos, and make themselves masters of the city； and the lacedaemonianscame to their aid and abolished the democracy. but the people tookarms again, and gained the advantage, and alcibiades came in to theiraid and completed the victory, and persuaded them to build long walls,and by that means to join their city to the sea, and so to bring itwholly within reach of the athenian power. to this purpose he procuredthem builders and masons from athens, and displayed the greatest zealfor their service, and gained no less honour and power to himselfthan to the commonwealth of athens. he also persuaded the people ofpatrae to join their city to the sea, by building long walls； andwhen some one told them, by way of warning, that the athenians wouldswallow them up at last, alcibiades made answer, "possibly it maybe so, but it will be by little and little, and beginning at the feet,whereas the lacedaemonians will begin at the head and devour you allat once." nor did he neglect either to advise the athenians to lookto their interests by land, and often put the young men in mind ofthe oath which they had made at agraulos, to the effect that theywould account wheat and barley, and vines and olives, to be the limitsof attica； by which they were taught to claim a title to all landthat was cultivated and productive.

but with all these words and deeds, and with all this sagacity andeloquence, he intermingled exorbitant luxury and wantonness, in hiseating and drinking and dissolute living； wore long purple robes likea woman, which dragged after him as he went through the market-place；caused the planks of his galley to be cut away, that so he might liethe softer, his bed not being placed on the boards, but hanging upongirths. his shield, again, which was richly gilded, had not the usualensigns of the athenians, but a cupid, holding a thunderbolt in hishand, was painted upon it. the sight of all this made the people ofgood repute in the city feel disgust and abhorrence, and apprehensionalso, at his free living, and his contempt of law, as things monstrousin themselves, and indicating designs of usurpation. aristophaneshas well expressed the people's feelings toward him-

"they love, and hate, and cannot do without him." and still more strongly,under a figurative expression,-

"best rear no lion in your state, 'tis true； but treat him like a lion if you do."

the truth is, his liberalities, his public shows, and other munificenceto the people, which were such as nothing could exceed, the gloryof his ancestors, the force of his eloquence, the grace of his person,his strength of body, joined with his great courage and knowledgein military affairs, prevailed upon the athenians to endure patientlyhis excesses, to indulge many things to him, and, according to theirhabit, to give the softest names to his faults, attributing them toyouth and good nature. as, for example, he kept agatharcus, the painter,a prisoner till he had painted his whole house, but then dismissedhim with a reward. he publicly struck taureas, who exhibited certainshows in opposition to him and contended with him for the prize. heselected for himself one of the captive melian women, and had a sonby her, whom he took care to educate. this the athenians styled greathumanity, and yet he was the principal cause of the slaughter of allthe inhabitants of the isle of melos who were of age to bear arms,having spoken in favour of that decree. when aristophon, the painter,had drawn nemea sitting and holding alcibiades in her arms, the multitudesseemed pleased with the piece, and thronged to see it, but older peopledisliked and disrelished it, and looked on these things as enormities,and movements towards tyranny. so that it was not said amiss by archestratus,that greece could not support a second alcibiades. once, when alcibiadessucceeded well in an oration which he made, and the whole assemblyattended upon him to do him honour, timon the misanthrope did notpass slightly by him, nor avoid him, as did others, but purposelymet him, and taking him by the hand, said, "go on boldly, my son,and increase in credit with the people, for thou wilt one day bringthem calamities enough." some that were present laughed at the saying,and some reviled timon； but there were others upon whom it made adeep impression； so various was the judgment which was made of him,and so irregular his own character.

the athenians, even in the lifetime of pericles, had already casta longing eye upon sicily； but did not attempt anything till afterhis death. then, under pretence of aiding their confederates, theysent succours upon all occasions to those who were oppressed by thesyracusans, preparing the way for sending over a greater force. butalcibiades was the person who inflamed this desire of theirs to theheight, and prevailed with them no longer to proceed secretly, andby little and little, in their design, but to sail out with a greatfleet, and undertake at once to make themselves masters of the island.he possessed the people with great hopes, and he himself entertainedyet greater； and the conquest of sicily, which was the utmost boundof their ambition, was but the mere outset of his expectation. niciasendeavoured to divert the people from the expedition, by representingto them that the taking of syracuse would be a work of great difficulty；but alcibiades dreamed of nothing less than the conquest of carthageand libya, and by the accession of these conceiving himself at oncemade master of italy and peloponnesus, seemed to look upon sicilyas little more than a magazine for the war. the young men were soonelevated with these hopes and listened gladly to those of riper years,who talked wonders of the countries they were going to； so that youmight see great numbers sitting in the wrestling grounds and publicplaces, drawing on the ground the figure of the island and the situationof libya and carthage. socrates the philosopher and meton the astrologerare said, however, never to have hoped for any good to the commonwealthfrom this war； the one, it is to be supposed, presaging what wouldensue, by the intervention of his attendant genius； and the other,either upon rational consideration of the project or by use of theart of divination, conceived fears for its issue, and, feigning madness,caught up a burning torch, and seemed as if he would have set hisown house on fire. others report, that he did not take upon him toact the madman, but secretly in the night set his house on fire, andthe next morning besought the people, that for his comfort, aftersuch a calamity, they would spare his son from the expedition. bywhich artifice he deceived his fellow citizens, and obtained of themwhat he desired.

together with alcibiades, nicias, much against his will, was appointedgeneral； and he endeavoured to avoid the command, not the less onaccount of his colleague. but the athenians thought the war wouldproceed more prosperously, if they did not send alcibiades free fromall restraint, but tempered his heat with the caution of nicias. thisthey chose the rather to do, because lamachus, the third general,though he was of mature years, yet in several battles had appearedno less hot and rash than alcibiades himself. when they began to deliberateof the number of forces, and of the manner of making the necessaryprovisions, nicias made another attempt to oppose the design, andto prevent the war； but alcibiades contradicted him, and carried hispoint with the people. and one demostratus, an orator, proposing togive the generals absolute power over the preparations and the wholemanagement of the war, it was presently decreed so. when all thingswere fitted for the voyage, many unlucky omens appeared. at that verytime the feast of adonis happened in which the women were used toexpose, in all parts of the city, images resembling dead men carriedout to their burial, and to represent funeral solemnities by lamentationsand mournful songs. the mutilation, however, of the images of mercury,most of which, in one night, had their faces all disfigured, terrifiedmany persons who were wont to despise most things of that nature.it was given out that it was done by the corinthians, for the sakeof the syracusans, who were their colony, in hopes that the athenians,by such prodigies, might be induced to delay or abandon the war. butthe report gained no credit with the people, nor yet the opinion ofthose who would not believe that there was anything ominous in thematter, but that it was only an extravagant action, committed, inthat sort of sport which runs into licence, by wild young men comingfrom a debauch. alike enraged and terrified at the thing, lookingupon it to proceed from a conspiracy of persons who designed somecommotions in the state, the council, as well as the assembly of thepeople, which were held frequently in a few days' space, examineddiligently everything that might administer ground for suspicion.during this examination, androcles, one of the demagogues, producedcertain slaves and strangers before them, who accused alcibiades andsome of his friends of defacing other images in the same manner, andof having profanely acted the sacred mysteries at a drunken meeting,where one theodorus represented the herald, polytion the torch-bearer,and alcibiades the chief priest, while the rest of the party appearedas candidates for initiation, and received the title of initiates.these were the matters contained in the articles of information whichthessalus, the son of cimon, exhibited against alcibiades, for hisimpious mockery of the goddesses ceres and proserpine. the peoplewere highly exasperated and incensed against alcibiades upon thisaccusation, which being aggravated by androcles, the most maliciousof all his enemies, at first disturbed his friends exceedingly. butwhen they perceived that all the seamen designed for sicily were forhim, and the soldiers also, and when the argive and mantinean auxiliaries,a thousand men at arms, openly declared that they had undertaken thisdistant maritime expedition for the sake of alcibiades, and that,if he was ill-used, they would all go home, they recovered their courage,and became eager to make use of the present opportunity for justifyinghim. at this his enemies were again discouraged, fearing lest thepeople should be more gentle to him in their sentence, because ofthe occasion they had for his service. therefore, to obviate this,they contrived that some other orators, who did not appear to be enemiesto alcibiades, but really hated him no less than those who avowedit, should stand up in the assembly and say that it was a very absurdthing that one who was created general of such an army with absolutepower, after his troops were assembled, and the confederates werecome, should lose the opportunity, whilst the people were choosinghis judges by lot, and appointing times for the hearing of the cause.and, therefore, let him set sail at once, good fortune attend him；and when the war should be at an end, he might then in person makehis defence according to the laws.

alcibiades perceived the malice of this postponement, and, appearingin the assembly, represented that it was monstrous for him to be sentwith the command of so large an army, when he lay under such accusationsand calumnies； that he deserved to die, if he could not clear himselfof the crimes objected to him； but when he had so done, and had provedhis innocence, he should then cheerfully apply himself to the war,as standing no longer in fear of false accusers. but he could notprevail with the people, who commanded him to sail immediately. sohe departed, together with the other generals, having with them near140 galleys, 5,100 men at arms, and about 1,300 archers, slingers,and light-armed men, and all the other provisions corresponding.

arriving on the coast of italy, he landed at rhegium, and there statedhis views of the manner in which they ought to conduct the war. hewas opposed by nicias； but lamachus being of his opinion, they sailedfor sicily forthwith, and took catana. this was all that was donewhile he was there, for he was soon after recalled by the atheniansto abide his trial. at first, as we before said, there were only someslight suspicions advanced against alcibiades, and accusations bycertain slaves and strangers. but afterwards, in his absence, hisenemies attacked him more violently, and confounded together the breakingthe images with the profanation of the mysteries, as though both hadbeen committed in pursuance of the same conspiracy for changing thegovernment. the people proceeded to imprison all that were accused,without distinction, and without hearing them, and repented now, consideringthe importance of the charge, that they had not immediately broughtalcibiades to his trial, and given judgment against him. any of hisfriends or acquaintance who fell into the people's hands, whilst theywere in this fury, did not fail to meet with very severe usage. thucydideshas omitted to name the informers, but others mention dioclides andteucer. amongst whom is phrynichus, the comic poet, in whom we findthe following：-

"o dearest hermes！ only do take care, and mind you do not miss your footing there； should you get hurt, occasion may arise for a new dioclides to tell lies." to which he makes mercury returnthis answer：-

"will so, for i feel no inclination to reward teucer for more information." the truth is, his accusersalleged nothing that was certain or solid against him. one of them,being asked how he knew the men who defaced the images, replying,that he saw them by the light of the moon, made a palpable misstatement,for it was just new moon when the fact was committed. this made allmen of understanding cry out upon the thing； but the people were aseager as ever to receive further accusations, nor was their firstheat at all abated, but they instantly seized and imprisoned everyone that was accused. amongst those who were detained in prison fortheir trials was andocides the orator, whose descent the historianhellanicus deduces from ulysses. he was always supposed to hate populargovernment, and to support oligarchy. the chief ground of his beingsuspected of defacing the images was because the great mercury, whichstood near his house, and was an ancient monument of the tribe aegeis,was almost the only statute of all the remarkable ones which remainedentire. for this cause, it is now called the mercury of andocides,all men giving it that name, though the inscription is evidence tothe contrary. it happened that andocides, amongst the rest who wereprisoners upon the same account, contracted particular acquaintanceand intimacy with one timaeus, a person inferior to him in repute,but of remarkable dexterity and boldness. he persuaded andocides toaccuse him and some few others of this crime, urging to him that,upon his confession, he would be, by the decree of the people, secureof his pardon, whereas the event of judgment is uncertain to all men,but to great persons, such as he was, most formidable. so that itwas better for him, if he regarded himself, to save his life by falsity,than to suffer an infamous death, as really guilty of the crime. andif he had regard to the public good, it was commendable to sacrificea few suspected men, by that means to rescue many excellent personsfrom the fury of the people. andocides was prevailed upon, and accusedhimself and some others, and, by the terms of the decree, obtainedhis pardon, while all the persons named by him, except some few whohad saved themselves by flight, suffered death. to gain the greatercredit to his information, he accused his own servants amongst others.but notwithstanding this, the people's anger was not wholly appeased；and being now no longer diverted by the mutilators, they were at leisureto pour out their whole rage upon alcibiades. and, in conclusion,they sent the galley named salaminian to recall him. but they expresslycommanded those that were sent to use no violence, nor seize uponhis person, but address themselves to him in the mildest terms, requiringhim to follow them to athens in order to abide his trial, and clearhimself before the people. for they feared mutiny and sedition inthe army in an enemy's country, which indeed it would have been easyfor alcibiades to effect, if he had wished it. for the soldiers weredispirited upon his departure, expecting for the future tedious delays,and that the war would be drawn out into a lazy length by nicias,when alcibiades, who was the spur to action, was taken away. for thoughlamachus was a soldier, and a man of courage, poverty deprived himof authority and respect in the army. alcibiades, just upon his departure,prevented messena from falling into the hands of the athenians. therewere some in that city who were upon the point of delivering it up,but he, knowing the persons, gave information to some friends of thesyracusans, and so defeated the whole contrivance. when he arrivedat thurii, he went on shore, and, concealing himself there, escapedthose who searched after him. but to one who knew him, and asked himif he durst not trust his own native country, he made answer, "ineverything else, yes； but in a matter that touches my life, i wouldnot even my own mother, lest she might by mistake throw in the blackball instead of the white." when, afterwards, he was told that theassembly had pronounced judgment of death against him, all he saidwas, "i will make them feel that i am alive."

the information against him was conceived in this form：-

"thessalus, the son of cimon, of the township of lacia, lays informationthat alcibiades, the son of clinias of the township of the scambonidae,has committed a crime against the goddesses ceres and proserpine,by representing in derision the holy mysteries, and showing them tohis companions in his own house. where, being habited in such robesas are used by the chief priest when he shows the holy things, henamed himself the chief priest, polytion the torch-bearer, and theodorus,of the township of phegaea, the herald； and saluted the rest of hiscompany as initiates and novices, all which was done contrary to thelaws and institutions of the eumolpidae, and the heralds and priestsof the temple at eleusis."

he was condemned as contumacious upon his not appearing, his propertyconfiscated, and it was decreed that all the priests and priestessesshould solemnly curse him. but one of them, theano, the daughter ofmenon, of the township of agraule, is said to have opposed that partof the decree, saying that her holy office obliged her to make prayers,but not execrations.

alcibiades, lying under these heavy decrees and sentences, when firsthe fled from thurii, passed over into peloponnesus and remained sometime at argos. but being there in fear of his enemies, and seeinghimself utterly hopeless of return to his native country, he sentto sparta, desiring safe conduct, and assuring them that he wouldmake them amends by his future services for all the mischief he haddone them while he was their enemy. the spartans giving him the securityhe desired, he went eagerly, was well received, and, at his very firstcoming, succeeded in inducing them, without any further caution ordelay, to send aid to the syracusans； and so roused and excited them,that they forthwith despatched gylippus into sicily to crush the forceswhich the athenians had in sicily. a second point was to renew thewar upon the athenians at home. but the third thing, and the mostimportant of all, was to make them fortify decelea, which above everythingreduced and wasted the resources of the athenians.

the renown which he earned by these public services was equalled bythe admiration he attracted to his private life； he captivated andwon over everybody by his conformity to spartan habits. people whosaw him wearing his hair close cut, bathing in cold water, eatingcoarse meal, and dining on black broth, doubted, or rather could notbelieve, that he ever had a cook in his house, or had ever seen aperfumer, or had worn a mantle of milesian purple. for he had, asit was observed, this peculiar talent and artifice for gaining men'saffections, that he could at once comply with and really embrace andenter into their habits and ways of life, and change faster than thechameleon. one colour, indeed, they say the chameleon cannot assume：it cannot itself appear white； but alcibiades, whether with good menor with bad, could adapt himself to his company, and equally wearthe appearance of virtue or vice. at sparta, he was devoted to athleticexercises, was frugal and reserved； in ionia, luxurious, gay, andindolent； in thrace, always drinking； in thessaly, ever on horseback；and when he lived with tisaphernes the persian satrap, he exceededthe persians themselves in magnificence and pomp. not that his naturaldisposition changed so easily, nor that his real character was sovariable, but, whether he was sensible that by pursuing his own inclinationshe might give offence to those with whom he had occasion to converse,he transformed himself into any shape, and adopted any fashion, thathe observed to be most agreeable to them. so that to have seen himat lacedaemon, a man, judging by the outward appearance, would havesaid, "'tis not achilles's son, but he himself； the very man" thatlycurgus designed to form； while his real feeling and acts would haverather provoked the exclamation, "'tis the same woman still." forwhile king agis was absent, and abroad with the army, he corruptedhis wife timaea, and had a child born by her. nor did she even denyit, but when she was brought to bed of a son, called him in publicleotychides, but, amongst her confidants and attendants, would whisperthat his name was alcibiades, to such a degree was she transportedby her passion for him. he, on the other side, would say, in his vainway, he had not done this thing out of mere wantonness of insult,nor to gratify a passion, but that his race might one day be kingsover the lacedaemonians.

there were many who told agis that this was so, but time itself gavethe greatest confirmation to the story. for agis, alarmed by an earthquake,had quitted his wife, and for ten months after was never with her；leotychides, therefore, being born after these ten months, he wouldnot acknowledge him for his son which was the reason that afterwardshe was not admitted to the succession.

after the defeat which the athenians received in sicily, ambassadorswere despatched to sparta at once from chios and lesbos and cyzicus,to signify their purpose of revolting from the athenians. the boeotiansinterposed in favour of the lesbians, and pharnabazus of the cyzicenes,but the lacedaemonians, at the persuasion of alcibiades, chose toassist chios before all others. he himself, also, went instantly tosea, procured the immediate revolt of almost all ionia, and, co-operatingwith the lacedaemonian generals, did great mischief to the athenians.but agis was his enemy, hating him for having dishonoured his wife,and also impatient of his glory, as almost every enterprise and everysuccess was ascribed to alcibiades. others, also, of the most powerfuland ambitious amongst the spartans were possessed with jealousy ofhim, and at last prevailed with the magistrates in the city to sendorders into ionia that he should be killed. alcibiades, however, hadsecret intelligence of this, and in apprehension of the result, whilehe communicated all affairs to the lacedaemonians, yet took care notto put himself into their power. at last he retired to tisaphernes,the king of persia's satrap, for his security, and immediately becamethe first and most influential person about him. for this barbarian,not being himself sincere, but a lover of guile and wickedness, admiredhis address and wonderful subtlety. and, indeed, the charm of dailyintercourse with him was more than any character could resist or anydisposition escape. even those who feared and envied him could notbut take delight, and have a sort of kindness for him, when they sawhim and were in his company. so that tisaphernes, otherwise a cruelcharacter, and, above all other persians, a hater of the greeks, wasyet so won by the flatteries of alcibiades, that he set himself evento exceed him in responding to them. the most beautiful of his parks,containing salubrious streams and meadows, where he had built pavilions,and places of retirement royally and exquisitely adorned, receivedby his direction the name of alcibiades, and was always so calledand so spoken of.

thus alcibiades, quitting the interests of the spartans, whom he couldno longer trust, because he stood in fear of agis, endeavoured todo them ill offices, and render them odious to tisaphernes, who byhis means was hindered from assisting them vigorously, and from finallyruining the athenians. for his advice was to furnish them but sparinglywith money, and so wear them out, and consume them insensibly； whenthey had wasted their strength upon one another, they would both becomeready to submit to the king. tisaphernes readily pursued his counsel,and so openly expressed the liking and admiration which he had forhim, that alcibiades was looked up to by the greeks of both parties,and the athenians, now in their misfortunes, repented them of theirsevere sentence against him. and he, on the other side, began to betroubled for them, and to fear lest, if that commonwealth were utterlydestroyed, he should fall into the hands of the lacedaemonians, hisenemies.

at that time the whole strength of the athenians was in samos. theirfleet maintained itself here, and issued from these headquarters toreduce such as had revolted, and protect the rest of their territories；in one way or other still contriving to be a match for their enemiesat sea. what they stood in fear of was tisaphernes and the phoenicianfleet of one hundred and fifty alleys, which was said to be alreadyunder sail； if those came, there remained then no hopes for the commonwealthof athens. understanding this, alcibiades sent secretly to the chiefmen of the athenians, who were then at samos, giving them hopes thathe would make tisaphernes their friend； he was willing, he implied,to do some favour, not to the people, not in reliance upon them, butto the better citizens, if only, like brave men, they would make theattempt to put down the insolence of the people, and, by taking uponthem the government, would endeavour to save the city from ruin. allof them gave a ready ear to the proposal made by alcibiades, exceptonly phrynichus, of the township of dirades one of the generals, whosuspected, as the truth was, that alcibiades concerned not himselfwhether the government were in the people or the better citizens,but only sought by any means to make way for his return into his nativecountry, and to that end inveighed against the people, thereby togain the others, and to insinuate himself into their good opinion.but when phrynichus found his counsel to be rejected and that he washimself become a declared enemy of alcibiades, he gave secret intelligenceto astyochus, the enemy's admiral, cautioning him to beware of alcibiadesand to seize him as a double dealer, unaware that one traitor wasmaking discoveries to another. for astyochus, who was eager to gainthe favour of tisaphernes, observing the credit alcibiades had withhim, revealed to alcibiades all that phrynichus had said against him.alcibiades at once despatched messengers to samos, to accuse phrynichusof the treachery. upon this, all the commanders were enraged withphrynichus, and set themselves against him； he, seeing no other wayto extricate himself from the present danger, attempted to remedyone evil by a greater. he sent to astyochus to reproach him for betrayinghim, and to make an offer to him at the same time to deliver intohis hands both the army and the navy of the athenians. this occasionedno damage to the athenians, because astyochus repeated his treacheryand revealed also this proposal to alcibiades. but this again wasforeseen by phrynichus, who, expecting a second accusation from alcibiadesto anticipate him, advertised the athenians beforehand that the enemywas ready to sail in order to surprise them, and therefore advisedthem to fortify their camp, and be in a readiness to go aboard theirships. while the athenians were intent upon doing these things, theyreceived other letters from alcibiades, admonishing them to bewareof phrynichus, as one who designed to betray their fleet to the enemy,to which they then gave no credit at all, conceiving that alcibiades,who knew perfectly the counsels and preparations of the enemy, wasmerely making use of that knowledge, in order to impose upon themin this false accusation of phrynichus. yet, afterwards, when phrynichuswas stabbed with a dagger in the market-place by hermon, one of theguards, the athenians, entering into an examination of the cause,solemnly condemned phrynichus of treason, and decreed crowns to hermonand his associates. and now the friends of alcibiades, carrying allbefore them at samos, despatched pisander to athens, to attempt achange of government, and to encourage the aristocratical citizensto take upon themselves the government, and overthrow the democracy,representing to them, that upon these terms, alcibiades would procurethem the friendship and alliance of tisaphernes.

this was the colour and pretence made use of by those who desiredto change the government of athens to an oligarchy. but as soon asthey prevailed, and had got the administration of affairs into theirhands, under the name of the five thousand （whereas, indeed, theywere but four hundred）, they slighted alcibiades altogether, and prosecutedthe war with less vigour； partly because they durst not yet trustthe citizens, who secretly detested this change, and partly becausethey thought the lacedaemonians, who always befriended the governmentof the few, would be inclined to give them favourable terms.

the people in the city were terrified into submission, many of thosewho had dared openly to oppose the four hundred having been put todeath. but those who were at samos, indignant when they heard thisnews, were eager to set sail instantly for the piraeus； sending foralcibiades, they declared him general, requiring him to lead themon to put down the tyrants. he, however, in that juncture, did not,as it might have been thought a man would, on being suddenly exaltedby the favour of a multitude, think himself under an obligation togratify and submit to all the wishes of those who, from a fugitiveand an exile, had created him general of so great an army, and givenhim the command of such a fleet. but, as became a great captain, heopposed himself to the precipitate resolutions which their rage ledthem to, and, by restraining them from the great error they were aboutto commit, unequivocally saved the commonwealth. for if they thensailed to athens, all ionia and the islands and the hellespont wouldhave fallen into the enemies' hands without opposition, while theathenians, involved in civil war, would have been fighting with oneanother within the circuit of their own walls. it was alcibiades,alone, or, at least, principally, who prevented all this mischief；for he not only used persuasion to the whole army, and showed themthe danger, but applied himself to them, one by one, entreating some,and constraining others. he was much assisted, however, by thrasybulusof stiria, who having the loudest voice, as we are told, of all theathenians, went along with him, and cried out to those who were readyto be gone. a second great service which alcibiades did for them was,his undertaking that the phoenician fleet, which the lacedaemoniansexpected to be sent to them by the king of persia, should either comein aid of the athenians or otherwise should not come at all. he sailedoff with all expedition in order to perform this, and the ships, whichhad already been seen as near as aspendus, were not brought any furtherby tisaphernes, who thus deceived the lacedaemonians； and it was byboth sides believed that they had been diverted by the procurementof alcibiades. the lacedaemonians, in particular, accused him, thathe had advised the barbarian to stand still, and suffer the greeksto waste and destroy one another, as it was evident that the accessionof so great a force to either party would enable them to take awaythe entire dominion of the sea from the other side.

soon after this, the four hundred usurpers were driven out, the friendsof alcibiades vigorously assisting those who were for the populargovernment. and now the people in the city not only desired, but commandedalcibiades to return home from his exile. he, however, desired notto owe his return to the mere grace and commiseration of the people,and resolved to come back, not with empty hands, but with glory, andafter some service done. to this end, he sailed from samos with afew ships, and cruised on the sea of cnidos, and about the isle ofcos； but receiving intelligence there that mindarus, the spartan admiral,had sailed with his whole army into the hellespont, and that the athenianshad followed him, he hurried back to succour the athenian commanders,and, by good fortune, arrived with eighteen galleys at a criticaltime. for both the fleets having engaged near abydos, the fight betweenthem had lasted till night, the one side having the advantage on onequarter, and the other on another. upon his first appearance, bothsides formed a false impression； the enemy was encouraged and theathenians terrified. but alcibiades suddenly raised the athenian ensignin the admiral ship, and fell upon those galleys of the peloponnesianswhich had the advantage and were in pursuit. he soon put these toflight, and followed them so close that he forced them on shore, andbroke the ships in pieces, the sailors abandoning them and swimmingaway in spite of all the efforts of pharnabazus, who had come downto their assistance by land and did what he could to protect themfrom the shore. in fine, the athenians, having taken thirty of theenemy's ships, and recovered all their own, erected a trophy. afterthe gaining of so glorious a victory, his vanity made him eager toshow himself to tisaphernes, and, having furnished himself with giftsand presents, and an equipage suitable to his dignity, he set outto visit him. but the thing did not succeed as he had imagined, fortisaphernes had been long suspected by the lacedaemonians, and wasafraid to fall into disgrace with his king upon that account, andtherefore thought that alcibiades arrived very opportunely, and immediatelycaused him to be seized, and sent away prisoner to sardis； fancying,by this act of injustice, to clear himself from all former imputations.

but about thirty days after, alcibiades escaped from his keeping,and having got a horse, fled to clazomenae, where he procured tisaphernesadditional disgrace by professing he was a party to his escape. fromthere he sailed to the athenian camp, and, being informed there thatmindarus and pharnabazus were together at cyzicus, he made a speechto the soldiers, telling them that sea-fighting, land-fighting, and,by the gods, fighting against fortified cities too, must be all onefor them, as unless they conquered everywhere, there was no moneyfor them. as soon as ever he got them on shipboard, he hastened toproconnesus, and gave command to seize all the small vessels theymet, and guard them safely in the interior of the fleet, that theenemy might have no notice of his coming； and a great storm of rain,accompanied with thunder and darkness, which happened at the sametime, contributed much to the concealment of his enterprise. indeed,it was not only undiscovered by the enemy, but the athenians themselveswere ignorant of it, for he commanded them suddenly on board, andset sail when they had abandoned all intention of it. as the darknesspresently passed away, the peloponnesian fleet was seen riding outat sea in front of the harbour of cyzicus. fearing, if they discoveredthe number of his ships, they might endeavour to save themselves byland, he commanded the rest of the captains to slacken, and followhim slowly, whilst he, advancing with forty ships, showed himselfto the enemy, and provoked them to fight. the enemy, being deceivedas to their numbers, despised them, and, supposing they were to contendwith those only, made themselves ready and began the fight. but assoon as they were engaged, they perceived the other part of the fleetcoming down upon them, at which they were so terrified that they fledimmediately. upon that, alcibiades, breaking through the midst ofthem with twenty of his best ships, hastened to the shore, disembarked,and pursued those who abandoned their ships and fled to land, andmade a great slaughter of them. mindarus and pharnabazus, coming totheir succour, were utterly defeated. mindarus was slain upon theplace, fighting valiantly； pharnabazus saved himself by flight. theathenians slew great numbers of their enemies, won much spoil, andtook all their ships. they also made themselves masters of cyzicuswhich was deserted by pharnabazus, and destroyed its peloponnesiangarrison, and thereby not only secured to themselves the hellespont,but by force drove the lacedaemonians from out of the rest of thesea. they intercepted some letters written to the ephors, which gavean account of this fatal overthrow, after their short laconic manner."our hopes are at an end. mindarus is slain. the men starve. we knownot what to do."

the soldiers who followed alcibiades in this last fight were so exaltedwith their success, and felt that degree of pride, that, looking onthemselves as invincible, they disdained to mix with the other soldiers,who had been often overcome. for it happened not long before, thrasyllushad received a defeat near ephesus, and, upon that occasion, the ephesianserected their brazen trophy to the disgrace of the athenians. thesoldiers of alcibiades reproached those who were under the commandof thrasyllus with this misfortune, at the same time magnifying themselvesand their own commander, and it went so far that they would not exercisewith them, nor lodge in the same quarters. but soon after, pharnabazus,with a great force of horse and foot, falling upon the soldiers ofthrasyllus, as they were laying waste the territory of abydos, alcibiadescame to their aid, routed pharnabazus, and together with thrasylluspursued him till it was night； and in this action the troops united,and returned together to the camp, rejoicing and congratulating oneanother. the next day he erected a trophy, and then proceeded to laywaste with fire and sword the whole province which was under pharnabazus,where none ventured to resist； and he took divers priests and priestesses,but released them without ransom. he prepared next to attack the chalcedonians,who had revolted from the athenians, and had received a lacedaemoniangovernor and garrison. but having intelligence that they had removedtheir corn and cattle out of the fields, and were conveying it allto the bithynians, who were their friends, he drew down his army tothe frontier of the bithynians, and then sent a herald to charge themwith this proceeding. the bithynians, terrified at his approach, deliveredup to him the booty, and entered into alliance with him.

afterwards he proceeded to the siege of chalcedon, and enclosed itwith a wall from sea to sea. pharnabazus advanced with his forcesto raise the siege, and hypocrites, the governor of the town, at thesame time, gathering together all the strength he had, made a sallyupon the athenians. alcibiades divided his army so as to engage bothat once, and not only forced pharnabazus to a dishonourable flight,but defeated hypocrites, and killed him and a number of the soldierswith him. after this he sailed into the hellespont, in order to raisesupplies of money, and took the city of selymbria, in which action,through his precipitation, he exposed himself to great danger. forsome within the town had undertaken to betray it into his hands, and,by agreement, were to give him a signal by a lighted torch about midnight.but one of the conspirators beginning to repent himself of the design,the rest, for fear of being discovered, were driven to give the signalbefore the appointed hour. alcibiades, as soon as he saw the torchlifted up in the air, though his army was not in readiness to march,ran instantly towards the walls, taking with him about thirty menonly, and commanding the rest of the army to follow him with all possiblespeed. when he came hither, he found the gate opened for him and enteredwith his thirty men, and about twenty more light-armed men, who werecome up to them. they were no sooner in the city, but he perceivedthe selymbrians all armed, coming down upon him； so that there wasno hope of escaping if he stayed to receive them； and, on the otherhand, having been always successful till that day, wherever he commanded,he could not endure to be defeated and fly. so, requiring silenceby sound of a trumpet, he commanded one of his men to make proclamationthat the selymbrians should not take arms against the athenians. thiscooled such of the inhabitants as were fiercest for the fight, forthey supposed that all their enemies were within the walls, and itraised the hopes of others who were disposed to an accommodation.whilst they were parleying, and propositions making on one side andthe other, alcibiades's whole army came up to the town. and now, conjecturingrightly that the selymbrians were well inclined to peace, and fearinglest the city might be sacked by the thracians, who came in greatnumbers to his army to serve as volunteers, out of kindness for him,he commanded them all to retreat without the walls. and upon the submissionof the selymbrians, he saved them from being pillaged, only takingof them a sum of money, and, after placing an athenian garrison inthe town, departed.

during this action, the athenian captains who besieged chalcedon concludeda treaty with pharnabazus upon these articles： that he should givethem a sum of money； that the chalcedonians should return to the subjectionof athens, and that the athenians should make no inroad into the provincewhereof pharnabazus was governor； and pharnabazus was also to providesafe conducts for the athenian ambassadors to the king of persia.afterwards, when alcibiades returned thither, pharnabazus requiredthat he also should be sworn to the treaty； but he refused it, unlesspharnabazus would swear at the same time. when the treaty was swornto on both sides, alcibiades went against the byzantines, who hadrevolted from the athenians, and drew a line of circumvallation aboutthe city. but anaxilaus and lycurgus, together with some others, havingundertaken to betray the city to him upon his engagement to preservethe lives and property of the inhabitants, he caused a report to bespread abroad, as if by reason of some unexpected movement in ionia,he should be obliged to raise the siege. and, accordingly, that dayhe made a show to depart with his whole fleet； but returned the samenight, and went ashore with all his men at arms, and, silently andundiscovered, marched up to the walls. at the same time, his shipsrowed into the harbour with all possible violence coming on with muchfury, and with great shouts and outcries. the byzantines, thus surprisedand astonished, while they all hurried to the defence of their portand shipping, gave opportunity to those who favoured the athenianssecurely to receive alcibiades into the city. yet the enterprise wasnot accomplished without fighting, for the peloponnesians, boeotians,and megarians, not only repulsed those who came out of the ships,and forced them on board again, but, hearing that the athenians wereentered on the other side, drew up in order, and went to meet them.alcibiades, however, gained the victory after some sharp fighting,in which he himself had the command of the right wing, and theramenesof the left, and took about three hundred, who survived of the enemy,prisoners of war. after the battle, not one of the byzantines wasslain, or driven out of the city, according to the terms upon whichthe city was put into his hands, that they should receive no prejudicein life or property. and thus anaxilaus, being afterwards accusedat lacedaemon for this treason, neither disowned nor professed tobe ashamed of the action； for he urged that he was not a lacedaemonian,but a byzantine, and saw not sparta but byzantium, in extreme danger；the city so blockaded that it was not possible to bring in any newprovisions, and the peloponnesians and boeotians, who were in garrison,devouring the old stores, whilst the byzantines, with their wivesand children, were starving, that he had not therefore, betrayed hiscountry to enemies, but had delivered it from the calamities of war,and had but followed the example of the most worthy lacedaemonians,who esteemed nothing to be honourable and just, but what was profitablefor their country. the lacedaemonians, upon hearing his defence, respectedit, and discharged all that were accused.

and now alcibiades began to desire to see his native country again,or rather to show his fellow-citizens a person who had gained so manyvictories for them. he set sail for athens, the ships that accompaniedhim being adorned with great numbers of shields and other spoils,and towing after them many galleys taken from the enemy, and the ensignsand ornaments of many others which he had sunk and destroyed； allof them together amounting to two hundred. little credit, perhaps,can be given to what duris the samian, who professed to be descendedfrom alcibiades, adds, that chrysogonus, who had gained a victoryat the pythian games, played upon his flute for the galleys, whilstthe oars kept time with the music； and that callippides, the tragedian,attired in his buskins, his purple robes, and other ornaments usedin the theatre, gave the word to the rowers, and that the admiralgalley entered into the port with a purple sail. neither theopompus,nor ephorus, nor xenophon, mention them. nor, indeed, is it credible,that one who returned from so long an exile, and such variety of misfortunes,should come home to his countrymen in the style of revellers breakingup from a drinking-party. on the contrary, he ventured the harbourfull of fear, nor would he venture to go on shore, till, standingon the deck, he saw euryptolemus, his cousin, and others of his friendsand acquaintance, who were ready to receive him, and invited him toland. as soon as he was landed, the multitude who came out to meethim scarcely seemed so much as to see any of the other captains, butcame in throngs about alcibiades, and saluted him with loud acclamations,and still followed him； those who could press near him crowned himwith garlands, and they who could not come up so close yet stayedto behold him afar off, and the old men pointed him out, and showedhim to the young ones. nevertheless, this public joy was mixed withsome tears, and the present happiness was alloyed by the remembranceof the miseries they had endured. they made reflections, that theycould not have so unfortunately miscarried in sicily, or been defeatedin any of their other expectations, if they had left the managementof their affairs formerly, and the command of their forces, to alcibiades,since, upon his undertaking the administration, when they were ina manner driven from the sea, and could scarce defend the suburbsof their city by land, and, at the same time, were miserably distractedwith intestine factions, he had raised them up from this low and deplorablecondition, and had not only restored them to their ancient dominionof the sea, but had also made them everywhere victorious over theirenemies on land.

there had been a decree for recalling him from his banishment alreadypassed by the people, at the instance of critias, the son of calloeschrus,as appears by his elegies, in which he puts alcibiades in mind ofthis service：-

"from my proposal did that edict come, which from your tedious exile brought you home. the public vote at first was moved by me, and my voice put the seal to the decree." the people being summonedto an assembly, alcibiades came in amongst them, and first bewailedand lamented his own sufferings, and, in gentle terms complainingof the usage he had received, imputed all to his hard fortune, andsome ill-genius that attended him： then he spoke at large of theirprospects, and exhorted them to courage and good hope. the peoplecrowned him with crowns of gold, and created him general, both atland and sea, with absolute power. they also made a decree that hisestate should be restored to him, and that the eumolpidae and theholy herald should absolve him from the curses which they had solemnlypronounced against him by sentence of the people. which when all therest obeyed, theodorus, the high priest, excused himself, "for," saidhe, "if he is innocent, i never cursed him."

but notwithstanding the affairs of alcibiades went so prosperously,and so much to his glory, yet many were still somewhat disturbed,and looked upon the time of his arrival to be ominous. for on theday that he came into the port, the feast of the goddess minerva,which they call the plynteria, was kept. it is the twenty-first dayof thargelion, when the praxiergidae solemnize their secret rites,taking all the ornaments from off her image, and keeping the partof the temple where it stands close covered. hence the athenians esteemthis day most inauspicious, and never undertake anything of importanceupon it； and, therefore, they imagined that the goddess did not receivealcibiades graciously and propitiously, thus hiding her face and rejectinghim. yet, notwithstanding, everything succeeded according to his wish.when the one hundred galleys, that were to return with him, were fittedout and ready to sail, an honourable zeal detained him till the celebrationof the mysteries was over. for ever since decelea had been occupied,as the enemy commanded the roads leading from athens to eleusis, theprocession, being conducted by sea, had not been performed with anyproper solemnity； they were forced to omit the sacrifices and dancesand other holy ceremonies, which had usually been performed in theway, when they led forth iacchus. alcibiades, therefore, judged itwould be a glorious action, which would do honour to the gods andgain him esteem with men, if he restored the ancient splendour tothese rites, escorting the procession again by land, and protectingit with his army in the face of the enemy. for either, if agis stoodstill and did not oppose, it would very much diminish and obscurehis reputation, or, in the other alternative, alcibiades would engagein a holy war, in the cause of the gods, and in defence of the mostsacred and solemn ceremonies； and this in the sight of his country,where he should have all his fellow-citizens witness of his valour.as soon as he had resolved upon this design, and had communicatedit to the eumolpidae and heralds, he placed sentinels on the topsof the hills, and at the break of day sent forth his scouts. and thentaking with him the priests and initiates and the initiators, andencompassing them with his soldiers, he conducted them with greatorder and profound silence； an august and venerable procession, whereinall who did not envy him said he performed at once the office of ahigh priest and of a general. the enemy did not dare to attempt anythingagainst them, and thus he brought them back in safety to the city.upon which, as he was exalted in his own thought, so the opinion whichthe people had of his conduct was raised that degree, that they lookedupon their armies as irresistible and invincible while he commandedthem； and he so won, indeed, upon the lower and meaner sort of people,that they passionately desired to have him "tyrant" over them, andsome of them did not scruple to tell him so, and to advise him toput himself out of the reach of envy, by abolishing the laws and ordinancesof the people, and suppressing the idle talkers that were ruiningthe state, that so he might act and take upon him the management ofaffairs, without standing in fear of being called to an account.

how far his own inclinations led him to usurp sovereign power is uncertain,but the most considerable persons in the city were so much afraidof it, that they hastened him on shipboard as speedily as they could,appointing the colleagues whom he chose, and allowing him all otherthings as he desired. thereupon he set sail with a fleet of one hundredships, and, arriving at andros, he there fought with and defeatedas well the inhabitants as the lacedaemonians who assisted them. hedid not, however, take the city； which gave the first occasion tohis enemies for all their accusations against him. certainly, if everman was ruined by his own glory, it was alcibiades. for his continualsuccess had produced such an idea of his courage and conduct, thatif he failed in anything he undertook, it was imputed to his neglect,and no one would believe it was through want of power. for they thoughtnothing was too hard for him, if he went about it in good earnest.they fancied, every day, that they should hear news of the reductionof chios, and of the rest of ionia, and grew impatient that thingswere not effected as fast and as rapidly as they could wish for them.they never considered how extremely money was wanting, and that, havingto carry on war with an enemy who had supplies of all things froma great king, he was often forced to quit his armament in order toprocure money and provisions for the subsistence of his soldiers.this it was which gave occasion for the last accusation which wasmade against him. for lysander, being sent from lacedaemon with acommission to be admiral of their fleet, and being furnished by cyruswith a great sum of money, gave every sailor four obols a day, whereasbefore they had but three. alcibiades could hardly allow his men threeobols, and therefore was constrained to go into caria to furnish himselfwith money. he left the care of the fleet, in his absence, to antiochus,an experienced seaman, but rash and inconsiderate, who had expressorders from alcibiades not to engage, though the enemy provoked him.but he slighted and disregarded these directions to that degree, that,having made ready his own galley and another, he stood for ephesus,where the enemy lay, and, as he sailed before the heads of their galleys,used every provocation possible, both in words and deeds. lysanderat first manned out a few ships, and pursued him. but all the athenianships coming in to his assistance, lysander, also, brought up hiswhole fleet, which gained an entire victory, he slew antiochus himself,took many men and ships, and erected a trophy.

as soon as alcibiades heard this news, he returned to samos, and loosingfrom hence with his whole fleet, came and offered battle to lysander.but lysander, content with the victory he had gained, would not stir.amongst others in the army who hated alcibiades, thrasybulus, theson of thrason, was his particular enemy, and went purposely to athensto accuse him, and to exasperate his enemies in the city against him.addressing the people, he represented that alcibiades had ruined theiraffairs and lost their ships by mere self-conceited neglect of hisduties, committing the government of the army, in his absence, tomen who gained his favour by drinking and scurrilous talking, whilsthe wandered up and down at pleasure to raise money, giving himselfup to every sort of luxury and excess amongst the courtesans of abydosand ionia at a time when the enemy's navy were on the watch closeat hand. it was also objected to him, that he had fortified a castlenear bisanthe in thrace, for a safe retreat for himself, as one thateither could not, or would not, live in his own country. the atheniansgave credit to these informations, and showed the resentment and displeasurewhich they had conceived against him by choosing other generals.

as soon as alcibiades heard of this, he immediately forsook the army,afraid of what might follow； and, collecting a body of mercenary soldiers,made war upon his own account against those thracians who called themselvesfree, and acknowledged no king. by this means he amassed to himselfa considerable treasure, and, at the same time, secured the borderinggreeks from the incursions of the barbarians.

tydeus, menander, and adimantus, the new-made generals, were at thattime posted at aegospotami, with all the ships which the athenianshad left. from whence they were used to go out to sea every morning,and offer battle to lysander, who lay near lampsacus； and when theyhad done so, returning back again, lay, all the rest of the day, carelesslyand without order, in contempt of the enemy. alcibiades, who was notfar off, did not think so slightly of their danger, nor neglect tolet them know it, but, mounting his horse, came to the generals, andrepresented to them that they had chosen a very inconvenient station,where there was no safe harbour, and where they were distant fromany town； so that they were constrained to send for their necessaryprovisions as far as sestos. he also pointed out to them their carelessnessin suffering the soldiers, when they went ashore, to disperse andwander up and down at their pleasure, while the enemy's fleet, underthe command of one general, and strictly obedient to discipline, layso very near them. he advised them to remove the fleet to sestos.but the admirals not only disregarded what he said, but tydeus, withinsulting expressions, commanded him to be gone, saying, that nownot he, but others, had the command of the forces. alcibiades, suspectingsomething of treachery in them, departed, and told his friends, whoaccompanied him out of the camp, that if the generals had not usedhim with such insupportable contempt, he would within a few days haveforced the lacedaemonians, however unwilling, either to have foughtthe athenians at sea or to have deserted their ships. some lookedupon this as a piece of ostentation only； others said, the thing wasprobable, for that he might have brought down by land great numbersof the thracian cavalry and archers, to assault and disorder themin their camp. the event, however, soon made it evident how rightlyhe had judged of the errors which the athenians committed. for lysanderfell upon them on a sudden, when they least suspected it, with suchfury that conon alone, with eight galleys, escaped him； all the rest,which were about two hundred, he took and carried away, together withthree thousand prisoners, whom he put to death. and within a shorttime after, he took athens itself, burnt all the ships which he foundthere, and demolished their long walls.

after this, alcibiades, standing in dread of the lacedaemonians, whowere now masters both at sea and land, retired into bithynia. he sentthither great treasure before him, took much with him, but left muchmore in the castle where he had before resided. but he lost greatpart of his wealth in bithynia, being robbed by some thracians wholived in those parts, and thereupon determined to go to the courtof artaxerxes, not doubting but that the king, if he would make trialof his abilities, would find him not inferior to themistocles, besidesthat he was recommended by a more honourable cause. for he went not,as themistocles did, to offer his service against his fellow-citizens,but against their enemies, and to implore the kings aid for the defenceof his country. he concluded that pharnabazus would most readily procurehim a safe conduct, and therefore went into phrygia to him, and continuedto dwell there some time, paying him great respect, and being honourablytreated by him. the athenians, in the meantime, were miserably afflictedat their loss of empire； but when they were deprived of liberty also,and lysander set up thirty despotic rulers in the city, in their ruinnow they began to turn to those thoughts which, while safety was yetpossible, they would not entertain； they acknowledged and bewailedtheir former errors and follies, and judged this second ill-usageof alcibiades to be all the most inexcusable. for he was rejectedwithout any fault committed by himself, and only because they wereincensed against his subordinate for having shamefully lost a fewships, they much more shamefully deprived the commonwealth of itsmost valiant and accomplished general. yet in this sad state of affairsthey had still some faint hopes left them, nor would they utterlydespair of the athenian commonwealth while alcibiades was safe. forthey persuaded themselves that if before, when he was an exile, hecould not content himself to live idly and at ease, much less nowif he could find any favourable opportunity, would he endure the insolenceof the lacedaemonians, and the outrages of the thirty. nor was itan absurd thing in the people to entertain such imaginations, whenthe thirty themselves were so very solicitous to be informed and toget intelligence of all his actions and designs. in fine, critiasrepresented to lysander that the lacedaemonians could never securelyenjoy the dominion of greece till the athenian democracy was absolutelydestroyed； and, though now the people of athens seemed quietly andpatiently to submit to so small a number of governors, yet so longas alcibiades lived, the knowledge of this fact would never sufferthem to acquiesce in their present circumstances.

yet lysander would not be prevailed upon by these representations,till at last he received secret orders from the magistrates of lacedaemon,expressly requiring him to get alcibiades despatched： whether it wasthat they feared his energy and boldness in enterprising what washazardous, or that it was done to gratify king agis. upon receiptof this order, lysander sent away a messenger to pharnabazus, desiringhim to put it in execution. pharnabazus committed the affair to magaeus,his brother, and to his uncle susamithres. alcibiades resided at thattime in a small village in phrygia, together with timandra, a mistressof his. as he slept, he had this dream： he thought himself attiredin his mistress's habit, and that she, holding him in her arms, dressedhis head and painted his face as if he had been a woman； others say,he dreamed that he saw magaeus cut off his head and burn his body；at any rate, it was but a little while before his death that he hadthese visions. those who were sent to assassinate him had not courageenough to enter the house, but surrounded it first, and set it onfire. alcibiades, as soon as he perceived it, getting together greatquantities of clothes and furniture, threw them upon the fire to chokeit, and, having wrapped his cloak about his left arm, and holdinghis naked sword in his right, he cast himself into the middle of thefire, and escaped securely through it before his clothes were burnt.the barbarians, as soon as they saw him, retreated and none of themdurst stay to wait for him, or to engage with him, but, standing ata distance, they slew him with their darts and arrows. when he wasdead the barbarians departed, and timandra took up his dead body,and, covering and wrapping it up in her own robes, she buried it asdecently and as honourably as her circumstances would allow. it issaid, that the famous lais, who was called the corinthian, thoughshe was a native of hyccara, a small town in sicily, from whence shewas brought a captive, was the daughter of this timandra. there aresome who agree with this account of alcibiades's death in all points,except that they impute the cause of it neither to pharnabazus, norlysander, nor the lacedaemonians； but they say he was keeping withhim a young lady of a noble house, whom he had debauched, and thather brothers, not being able to endure the indignity, set fire bynight to the house where he was living, and, as he endeavoured tosave himself from the flames, slew him with their darts, in the mannerjust related.

the end