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diff --git a/old/41471-8.txt b/old/41471-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index e895997..0000000 --- a/old/41471-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10203 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Callias, by Alfred John Church - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Callias - A Tale of the Fall of Athens - -Author: Alfred John Church - -Release Date: November 24, 2012 [EBook #41471] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CALLIAS *** - - - - -Produced by sp1nd and the Online Distributed Proofreading -Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from -images generously made available by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - -TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE: Obvious errors in spelling and punctuation have been -silently corrected. Footnotes have been renumbered and moved from the -page end to the end of their respective chapters. Images have been moved -from the middle of a paragraph to the closest paragraph break. - - - - - CALLIAS - - - - - [Illustration: SOCRATES AND ALCIBIADES.] - - - - - CALLIAS - - A Tale of the Fall of Athens - - - "_Athenae Lysandro superfuerunt: occiso Socrate tum demum civitas - eversa est._" - - - BY - - REV. ALFRED J. CHURCH, M. A. - - _Professor of Latin in University College, London_ - - - [Illustration] - - - MEADVILLE PENNA - FLOOD AND VINCENT - The Chautauqua-Century Press - 1891 - - - - - Copyright, 1891, - By FLOOD & VINCENT. - - _The Chautauqua-Century Press, Meadville, Pa., U. S. A._ - Electrotyped, Printed and Bound by Flood & Vincent. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I. A NEW PLAY 1 - II. NEWS FROM THE FLEET 14 - III. HIPPOCLES THE ALIEN 21 - IV. A COUNCIL 30 - V. RUNNING THE BLOCKADE 41 - VI. ARGINUSÆ 51 - VII. AFTER THE FIGHT 58 - VIII. THE NEWS AT ATHENS 65 - IX. SOCRATES 79 - X. THE MURDER OF THE GENERALS 87 - XI. RESCUED 104 - XII. THE VOYAGE OF THE SKYLARK 113 - XIII. ALCIBIADES 121 - XIV. BISANTHE 132 - XV. ÆGOS POTAMI 141 - XVI. TO PHARNABAZUS 151 - XVII. ATHENS IN THE DUST 159 - XVIII. "NOBLESSE OBLIGE" 172 - XIX. THE END OF ALCIBIADES 184 - XX. DIONYSIUS 195 - XXI. CYRUS THE YOUNGER 207 - XXII. THE RETREAT 212 - XXIII. THE DIARY 223 - XXIV. A THANKSGIVING 238 - XXV. BUSINESS AND PLEASURE 252 - XXVI. INVALIDED 263 - XXVII. BACK TO ATHENS 274 - XXVIII. THE STORY OF THE TRIAL 287 - XXIX. THE LAST CONVERSATION 304 - XXX. THE CONDITION OF EXILE 321 - AUTHOR'S POSTSCRIPT 328 - INDEX 331 - - - - -CALLIAS - -A Tale of the Fall of Athens. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -A NEW PLAY. - - -It is the second year of the ninety-third Olympiad[1] and the Theatre at -Athens is full, for the great dramatic season is at its height, and -to-day there is to be performed a new play by Aristophanes, the special -favorite of the Athenian public. It is a brilliant scene, but a keen -observer, who happened to see the same gathering some five and twenty -years ago, must now notice a certain falling off in its splendor. For -these five and twenty years have been years of war, and latterly, years -of disaster. Eleven years ago, the City wild with the pride of power and -wealth, embarked on the mad scheme of conquering Sicily, and lost the -finest fleet and army that it ever possessed. Since then it has been a -struggle for life with it, and year by year it has been growing weaker -and weaker. This has told sadly on the glories of its great festivals. -The furnishing of the stage, indeed, is as perfect as ever, and the -building itself has been pushed on several stages towards completion.[2] -However scarce money may be in the public treasury, the theatre must not -be starved. But elsewhere there are manifest signs of falling off. The -strangers' gallery is almost empty. All the Greek world from Massilia in -Gaul to Cyrene among the sands of Africa used to throng it in happier -days. Now more than half that world is hostile, and the rest has little -to hope or fear from the dispossessed mistress of the seas. Dionysius of -Syracuse, has sent an embassy, and the democracy, which once would have -treated with scant courtesy the representatives of a tyrant, is fain to -flatter so powerful a prince. There are some Persian Envoys too, for the -Persians are still following their old game of playing off one great -state against another. A few Greeks from Sinope and from one of the -Italian cities, persons of no importance, who would hardly have found a -place in the gallery during the palmy times of Athens, make up the -company of visitors. Look at the body of the theatre, where the citizens -sit, and the spectacle is deplorable indeed. The flower of Athens' sons -has perished, and their successors are puny and degenerate. Examine too -the crowd that throngs the benches, and you will see that the slaves, -distinguished by their unsleeved tunics, fill up no small portion of -space. And boys form an unusually large proportion of the audience. -Altogether the theatre is a dispiriting sight to a patriotic Athenian. - -To-day, however, all is gaiety, for, as has been said, there is a new -play to be brought out, and an Athenian must be in desperate straits -indeed, if he cannot forget his sorrows at a new play. - -When the curtain rises, or rather, is withdrawn, as the Greek -arrangement was, into an opening in the floor of the stage, a murmur of -recognition runs through the audience. The scene is the market place of -Thebes, and a familiar figure occupies the foreground. - -The portly figure, the ruddy face, the vine-leaf crown, and the buskins -show him to be Bacchus, the patron-god, it will be remembered, of the -Drama. But why this lion's skin and club? The god gives a lordly kick at -the door of the house which was one of the familiar stage-properties, -and Hercules appears. He roars with laughter to see his own emblems in -such strange company. Bacchus explains. "The tragic poets grow worse and -worse. There is not one who can write a decent line. I am going down to -the regions of the dead to fetch Euripides,[3] and thought that I had -better dress myself up in your fashion, for you, I know, made this same -journey very successfully. Perhaps you will tell me something about the -way, and what inns you can recommend, where they are free from fleas, -you know." - -"Are you really going?" - -"Yes, yes. Don't try to dissuade me; but tell me the way, which must not -be either too hot or too cold." - -"Well there is the Hanging way, by the sign of the Rope and Noose." - -"Too stifling." - -"There is a very short cut by the Mortar and Pestle." - -"The Hemlock road,[4] you mean?" - -"Exactly so." - -"Too cold and wintry for me." - -"Well; I'll tell you of a quick road and all downhill." - -"Excellent! for I am not a good walker." - -"You know the tower in the Cemetery? Well; climb up to the top when the -Torch race is going to begin; and when the people cry out 'start,' start -yourself." - -"How do you mean 'start'? Start from where?" - -"Why, start down from the top." - -"What, and dash my brains out? No, not for me, thank you." - -So it is settled that Bacchus and his slave, for he has a slave with him -to carry his baggage, shall take the usual route by the Styx. - -To the Styx, accordingly, they make their way. Charon the ferryman is -plying for hire, "Any one for Rest-from-toil-and-labor Land? For -No-Mansland? For the Isle of Dogs?[5]" - -Bacchus steps in, and by Charon's order, takes an oar which he handles -very helplessly. The slave has to go round: Charon does not carry -slaves, he says. As they slowly make their way across, the frogs from -the marsh raise the song of their kind, ending with the burden which is -supposed to represent their note, _Brekekekex, coax, coax_. - -It is pitch dark on the further side. When the slave turns up, he -advises his master to go on at once. "'Tis the very spot," he says, -"where Hercules told us those terrible wild beasts were." Bacchus is -very valiant. - - "A curse upon him! 'twas an idle tale, - He feigned to frighten me, for well he knew, - How brave I am, the envious braggart soul! - Grant, fortune, I may meet some perilous chance - Meet for so bold a journey." - -"O Master, I hear a noise." - -"Where, where?" - -"It is behind us." - -"Get behind then." - -"No--it is in front." - -"Why don't you go in front?" - -"O Master, I see such a Monster." - -"What is it like?" - -"Why! it keeps on changing--now it's a bull, now it's a stag, and now -it's a woman; and its face is all fire. What shall we do? O Hercules, -Hercules help." - -"Hold your tongue. Don't call me Hercules." - -"Bacchus, then." - -"No, no; Bacchus is worse than Hercules." - -The travellers pass these dangers, and reach the palace of Pluto. -Bacchus knocks at the door. "Who's there?" cries Æacus the porter. "The -valiant Hercules," says Bacchus. The name calls forth a torrent of -reproaches, and threats. Hercules was only too well remembered there. - - "O villain, villain, doubly, trebly dyed! - 'Twas thou didst take our dog, our guardian dog, - Sweet Cerberus, my charge. But, villain, now - We have thee on the hip. For thee the rocks - Of Styx, and Acheron's dripping well of blood, - And Hell's swift hounds encompass." - -"Did you hear that dreadful voice?" says Bacchus to the slave. "Didn't -it frighten you?" - -"Frighten me? No, I didn't give it a thought." - -"Well, you are a bold fellow. I say; suppose you become me, and I become -you. Take the club and the lion skin, and I'll carry the baggage." - -"As you please." - -They change parts accordingly. No sooner is this done, than a waiting -maid of Queen Proserpine appears. "My dear Hercules," she says, "come -with me. As soon as my mistress heard of your being here she had a grand -baking, made four or five gallons of soup, and roasted an ox whole." - -"Excellent," cries the false Hercules. - -"She won't take a refusal. And, hark you! there's _such_ wine!" - -"I shall be delighted. Boy, bring along the baggage with you." - -"Hold," cries the "boy." "Don't you see it was a joke of mine, dressing -you up as Hercules? Come, hand over the club and the skin." - -"You are not going to take the things away when you gave me them -yourself." - -"Yes, but I am: a pretty Hercules you would be. Come, hand them over." - -"Well; if I must, I must. But I shouldn't wonder if you were sorry for -it sooner or later." - -It turns out to be sooner rather than later. As soon as the exchange is -made, two landladies appear on the scene. Hercules had committed other -misdemeanors besides stealing the dog. - -_First Landlady._ "This is the villain. He came to my house, and ate -sixteen loaves." - -_The Slave_ (aside). "Some one is getting into trouble." - -_First Landlady._ "Yes, and twenty fried cutlets at three-half-pence -apiece." - -_The Slave_ (aside). "Some one will suffer for this." - -_First Landlady._ "Yes, and any quantity of garlic." - -_Bacchus._ "Woman this is all rubbish. I don't know what you are talking -about." - -_First Landlady._ "Ah! you villain, because you have buskins on, you -thought I should not know you--and then there was the salt-fish." - -_Second Landlady._ "Yes, and the fresh cheeses which he ate, baskets and -all; and when I asked him for the money he drew his sword, and we ran -up, you remember, into the attic." - -_The Slave._ "That is just the man. That's how he goes on everywhere." - -The angry women run off to fetch their lawyers; and Bacchus begins -again. - -"My dear boy, I am very fond of you." - -"I know what you are after. Say no more; I'm not going to be Hercules; -'A pretty Hercules I should make,' you say." - -"I don't wonder that you're angry. But do take the things again. The -gods destroy me and mine, root and branch, if I rob you of them again." - -"Very well; I'll take them, but mind, you have sworn." - -So the exchange is made again. - -Then Æacus with his infernal policemen appears on the scene. - -"That's the fellow who stole the dog," he cries to his men, "seize him," -while the false slave murmurs aside, "Some one is getting into trouble." - -"I steal your dog!" says the false Hercules. "I have never been here, -much less stolen the worth of a cent. But come. I'll make you a fair -offer. Here's my slave. Take him, and put him to the torture, and if you -get anything out of him against me, then cut my head off." - -"Very fair," says Æacus; "and of course, if I do him any damage, I shall -pay for it." - -"Never mind about the damage; torture away." - -"Hold," shouts Bacchus, as the policemen lay hold of him, "I warn you -not to torture me, I'm a god." - -_Æacus._ "What do you say?" - -_Bacchus._ "I am Bacchus, son of Zeus, and that fellow there is my -slave." - -_Æacus_ (to the false Bacchus) "What do you say to that?" - -_The false Bacchus._ "Say? Lay on the lash; if he's a god, of course he -can't feel." - -_Bacchus._ "And you're a god too, you say. So you won't mind taking blow -for blow with me." - -_The false Bacchus._ "Quite right." (To Æacus) "Lay on, and the first -that cries out, you may be sure he's not the real god." - -So the trial takes place. Both bear it bravely, till at last Æacus cries -in perplexity. "I can't make it out. I don't know which is which. Well, -you shall both come to my master and Queen Proserpine. They're gods, and -they ought to know their own kind." - -_Bacchus._ "An excellent idea; I only wish that you had thought of it -before you gave me that beating." - -Things are now supposed to be set right. Bacchus goes to dine with Pluto -and Proserpine; the slave is entertained by Æacus in the servants' hall. -While they are talking a tremendous uproar is heard outside; and Æacus -explains to his guest that it is a rule in their country that the best -poet or writer or artist should have a seat at the King's table and a -place at the King's right hand. This honor Æschylus had held as the -first of the tragic poets, but when Euripides came, all the crowd of -pick-pockets and burglars and murderers, who were pretty numerous in -these parts, had been so delighted with his twists and turns, that they -were for giving him the first place; and on the strength of their -support he had claimed the tragic throne. - -"But had not Æschylus any friends?" - -"O yes, among the respectable people; but respectable people are scarce -down here, as they are up above." - -"What about Sophocles?" - -"Oh! as soon as he came, he went up to Æschylus and kissed him on the -cheek, and took him by the hand. He yielded the throne, he said, to -Æschylus; but if Euripides came off best, he should contest it with -him." - -"Well, what is going to be done?" - -"There will be a trial." - -"Who is to be judge?" - -"Ah! there's the difficulty. Wise men, you see, are not so plenty. Even -with the Athenians Æschylus didn't get on very well. However they have -made your master judge. He is supposed to know all about it." - -I have tried to give some idea of the first, the farcical half of the -play. It is possible to appreciate the fun, though much of its flavor -has evaporated, and there are many strokes of humor which, for one -reason or another, it has not been possible to reproduce. The second -half is a series of subtle literary criticisms on the language, style, -dramatic construction, and ruling sentiment of the two poets. No one can -appreciate it who is not familiar with their works; no version is -possible that would give any that idea of it. One specimen I shall -attempt. Æschylus finds fault with the prosaic matter-of-fact character -of his rival's opening scenes. "I'll spoil them all with a flask," he -says. "Go on and repeat whichever you please." Euripides begins with the -opening lines of the Danaides (a play now lost). - - "Aegyptus--so the common story runs-- - Crossed with his fifty sons the ocean plains, - And reaching Argos--" - - "Lost a little flask." - -puts in Æschylus. - -He begins again with the opening lines of another - - "Cadmus, Agenor's offspring, setting sail - From Sidon's city--" - - "Lost a little flask." - -Then he tries with the first lines of a third - - "Great Bacchus, who with wand and fawn-skin decked, - In pine-groves of Parnassus, plies the dance, - And leads the revel--" - - "Lost a little flask." - -The reader may have had enough. It will suffice to give the result of -the contest. All the tests have been applied. Euripides, as a last -resource, reminds the judge that he has sworn to take him back with -him. - -Bacchus replies: - -"My tongue hath sworn; yet Æschylus I choose." - -A cruel cut, for it is an adaptation of one of the poet's own lines -(from the Hippolytus) when the hero, taunted with the oath that he had -taken and is about to violate, replies: - -"My tongue hath sworn it, but my mind's unsworn." - -When the curtain rose from the floor and hid the last scene, it was -manifest that the "Frogs" of Aristophanes, son of Philippus, of the -tribe Pandionis, and the township Cydathenæa, was a success. Of course -there were malcontents among the audience. Euripides had a good many -partisans in young Athens. They admired his ingenuity, his rhetoric, and -the artistic quality of his verse, in which beauty for beauty's sake, -quite apart from any moral purpose, seemed to be aimed at. They were -captivated by the boldness and novelty of his treatment of things moral -and religious. Æschylus they considered to be old-fashioned and bigoted. -Hence among the seats allotted to the young men there had been some -murmurs of dissent while the performance was going on, and now there was -a good deal of adverse criticism. And there were some among the older -men who were scarcely satisfied. The fact was that Comedy was undergoing -a change, the change which before twenty more years had passed was to -turn the Old Comedy into the Middle and the New, or to put the matter -briefly, to change the Comedy of Politics into the Comedy of Manners. - -"This is poor stuff," said an old aristocrat of this school, "poor stuff -indeed, after what I remember in my younger days. Why can't the man -leave Euripides alone, especially now he is dead, and won't bother us -with any more of his plays? There are plenty of scoundrel politicians -who might to much more purpose come in for a few strokes of the lash. -But he daren't touch the fellows. Ah! it was not always so. I remember -the play he brought out eighteen years ago. The 'Knights' he called it. -That was something like a Comedy! Cleon was at the very height of his -power, for he had just made that lucky stroke at Pylos[6]. But -Aristophanes did not spare him one bit for that. He could not get any -one to take the part; he could not even get a mask made to imitate the -great man's face. So he took the part himself, and smeared his face with -the lees of wine. Cleon was there in the Magistrates' seats. I think we -all looked at him as much as we looked at the stage. Whenever there was -a hard hit--and, by Bacchus, how hard the hits were!--all the theatre -turned to see how he bore it. He laughed at first. Then we saw him turn -red and pale--I was close by him and I heard him grind his teeth. Good -heavens! what a rage he was in! Well, that is the sort of a play I like -to see, not this splitting words, and picking verses to pieces, just as -some schoolmaster might do." - -But, in spite of these criticisms, the greater part of the audience were -highly delighted with what they had seen and heard. The comic business, -with its broad and laughable effects, pleased them, and they were -flattered by being treated as judges of literary questions. And the -curious thing was that they were not unfit to be judges of such matters. -There never was such a well-educated and keen-witted audience in the -world. They knew it, and they dearly liked to be treated accordingly. -The judges only echoed the popular voice when at the end of the festival -they bestowed the first prize upon Aristophanes. - -One criticism, strange to say, no one ever thought of making--and yet, -to us, it seems the first, the most obvious of all criticisms, and that -is that the play was horribly profane. This cowardly, drunken, sensual -Bacchus--and he is ten times worse in the original than I have ventured -to make him here--this despicable wretch was one of the gods whom every -one in the audience was supposed to worship. The festival which was the -occasion of the theatrical exhibition was held in his honor, his altar -was the centre round which the whole action of every piece revolved. And -yet he was caricatured in this audacious manner, and it did not occur to -anyone to object! Verily the religion of the Greeks sat very lightly on -their consciences, and we cannot wonder if it had but small effect on -their lives. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] According to our reckoning B. C. 406. - -[2] It was not actually finished till twenty-three years later. - -[3] Euripides had died a few months before. - -[4] The Athenians used to inflict the penalty of death by a draught of -hemlock. - -[5] For the "Crows" in the original. "Going to the crows" was the first -equivalent for our "Going to the dogs." The "Isle of Dogs" is a -wellknown spot near London. - -[6] When he captured the Spartan garrison of the Island of Sphacteria, -B. C. 425. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -NEWS FROM THE FLEET. - - -I anticipated the course of my story when I spoke of the first prize -being adjudged to the comedy exhibited by Aristophanes. There were -various competing plays--how many we do not know, but the titles and -authors of two that won the second and third prizes have been -preserved--and all those had of course to be performed before a decision -could be made. Two or three days at least must have passed before the -exhibition was at an end. - -The next competitor had certainly reason to complain of his ill-luck. -Just before the curtain fell for the opening scene of his comedy an -incident occurred which made the people little disposed to listen to -anything more that day. The spectators had just settled themselves in -their places, when a young officer hastily made his way up to the bench -where the magistrates were seated, and handed a roll to the president. -The occurrence was very unusual. It was reckoned almost an impiety to -disturb the festival of Bacchus with anything of business; only matters -of the very gravest importance could be allowed to do it. The entrance -of the young man, happening as it did, just in the pause of expectation -before the new play began, had been generally observed. Every one could -see from his dress that he was a naval officer, and many knew him as -one of the most promising young men in Athens. "News from the fleet," -was the whisper that ran through the theatre, and there were few among -the thousands there assembled to whom news from the fleet did not mean -the life or death of father, brother, or son. The president glanced at -the document put into his hands, and whispering a few words to the -messenger, pointed to a seat by his side. All eyes were fastened upon -him. (The magistrates, it may be explained, occupied one of the front or -lowest rows of seats, and were therefore more or less in view of the -whole theater, which was arranged in the form of a semicircle, with tier -upon tier of benches rising upon the slope of the hill on the side of -which the building was constructed.) When a moment afterwards, the -curtain was withdrawn, scarcely a glance was directed to the stage. The -action and the dialogue of the new piece were absolutely lost upon what -should have been an audience, but was a crowd of anxious citizens, -suddenly recalled from the shows of the stage to the realities of life. - -The president now carefully read the document and passed it on to his -colleagues. Some whispered consultations passed between them. When at -the end of the first act a change of scenery caused a longer pause than -usual the president quietly left the theatre, taking the bearer of the -despatch with him. Some of the other magistrates followed him, the rest -remaining behind because it would have been unseemly to leave the -official seats wholly untenanted while the festival was still going on. -This proceeding increased the agitation of the people, because it -emphasized the importance of the news that had arrived. Some slipped -away, unable to sit quietly in their places and endure the suspense, and -vaguely hoping to hear something more outside. Among those that remained -the buzz of conversation grew louder and louder. Only a few very -determined play-goers even pretended to listen to what was going on upon -the stage. Meanwhile the unfortunate author, to whom, after all, the -fate of his play was not less urgent a matter than the fate of the city, -sat upon his prompter's stool--the author not uncomonly did the duty of -prompter--and heartily cursed the bad luck which had distracted in so -disastrous a way the attention of his audience. - -When at last, to the great relief of everyone concerned, the performance -was brought to a conclusion, the young officer told his story, -supplementing the meagre contents of the despatch which he had brought, -to a full conclave of magistrates, assembled in one of the senate-rooms -of the Prytaneum or Town-hall of Athens. I may introduce him to my -readers as Callias, the hero of my story. - -Many of the details that follow had already been given by Callias, but -as he had to repeat them for the benefit of the magistrates who had -stopped behind in the theatre, I may as well put them all together. - -"We know," said the president, "that Conon was beaten in a battle in the -harbor of Mitylene. So much we heard from Hippocles, a very patriotic -person by the way, though he is an alien. He has a very swift yacht that -can outstrip any war-ship in Greece, and often gives us very valuable -intelligence. Do you know him?" - -"Yes," said Callias, flushing with pleasure, for indeed he knew and -respected Hippocles greatly, "I know him very well." - -[Illustration: THE THEATER OF DIONYSUS AT THE PRESENT DAY.] - -"Well, to go on," resumed the president. "So much we know, but no more. -Tell us exactly how Conon fared in the battle." - -"Sir," answered the young man, "he lost thirty ships." - -"And the crews," asked the president. - -"They escaped; happily they were able to get to land." - -"Thank Athene for that;" and a murmur of relief ran round the meeting. -"And the other forty--he had seventy, I think, in all?" Callias nodded -assent. - -"What happened to the forty?" - -"They were hauled up under the walls when the day went against us." - -"Now tell us exactly what has been going on since." - -"The Spartans blockaded the harbor, having some of their ships within, -and some without. Our general saw that it was only a matter of time when -he should have to surrender. The Spartans had four times as many ships, -the ships not, perhaps, quite as good as his, but the crews, I am -afraid, somewhat better." - -"Shade of Themistocles," murmured one of the magistrates, "that it -should come to this--the Spartan crews 'somewhat better' than ours. But -I am afraid that it is only too true." - -"He could not break through; and could not stand a long siege. Mitylene -was fairly well provisioned for its ordinary garrison, but here were -seventy crews added all of a sudden to the number. He sent some -officers--I had the honor of being one of them--and we found that by -sparing everything to the very utmost, we might hold out for five -weeks. The only chance was to send news to Athens. You might help us, we -thought." - -"We might; we _must_, I say. But how it is to be done is another matter. -Tell us how you got here?" - -"The general took the two fastest ships in his squadron, manned them -with the very best rowers that he could find, practised the crews for -four days in the inner harbor, and then set about running the blockade -with them. The Spartans, you see, had grown a little careless. We hadn't -made any attempt to get out, and Conon got a Lesbian freedman to desert -to the Spartans with a story that we were meaning to surrender. This put -them off their guard still more. They got into a way of leaving their -ships at noon, to take their meal and their siesta afterwards on shore. -We made a dart at an unguarded place between two of their blockading -ships and we got through. I don't think that we lost a single man. By -the time that the crews of the blockading galleys regained their vessels -we were well out of bow-shot. Our instructions were to separate, when we -got outside the harbor. We did not do this at once because we had -planned a little trick which might, we hoped, help to put the enemy off -the scent. The ship that I was in was really the swifter of the two. -This was, of course, the reason why I was put into it. But as long as we -kept together we made believe that we were the slower. When they came -out after us--they had manned half-a-dozen ships or so as quickly as -they could--we separated. My ship, which you will understand, was really -the faster of the two, was put about the north as if making for -Hellespont; the other kept on its course, straight for Athens. The -Spartans told off their best ships to follow the latter which they -thought that they had the better chance of catching. And of course, as -it was headed this way, it seemed the more important of the two." - -"I suppose that they overtook it," said the president, "or it would have -been here before this." - -"Well, we soon outstripped the two galleys that were told to look after -us. When we were well out of sight, we headed westward again, took a -circuit round the north side of Lemnos, and got here without seeing -another enemy." - -"How long is it since you left Mitylene?" - -"About five days." - -"But how long did Conon think he could hold out?" - -"About forty days; perhaps more, if the men were put on short rations." - -"You have done well, my son," said the president kindly, "and Athens -will not forget it. We will consult together, though there is small need -of consulting, I take it. The relief _must_ be sent. Is it not so -gentlemen?" - -His colleagues nodded assent. - -"But there are things to be talked over. We must decide how much we can -send, and that cannot be done upon the spot. But there is a matter that -can be settled at once. Conon must be told that he is going to be -relieved. Now, who will tell him? Will you?" - -"Certainly, if you see fit to give me the order." - -"And how?" - -"I would consult with Hippocles." - -"Excellent!" cried the president. "He is just the man to help us. You -will go and see him, and then report to me. Come to me to-night; it will -not matter how late it is; I shall be waiting for you." - -Callias saluted, and withdrew. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -HIPPOCLES THE ALIEN. - - -Hippocles has been described as an alien. An "alien," then at Athens, as -in the other Greek cities, was a resident foreigner. He might be an -enfranchised slave, he might be a barbarian (as all persons not Greek -were described), or he might be a Greek of the purest descent, but if he -had not the rights of Athenian citizenship, he was an "alien." He could -not hold any landed or house property: he was obliged to appear in any -law suit in which he might be concerned in the person of an Athenian -citizen who was described as his "patron," and he was heavily taxed. A -special impost that went under the name of an "alien-tax" was only a -slight matter, some twelve drachmas[7] a year, but all the imposts were -made specially heavy for them. And though they had no share in directing -the policy of the State, they were required to serve in its fleets and -armies. This treatment however, did not keep aliens from settling in -Athens. On the contrary they were to be found there in great numbers, -and as almost all the trade of the place was in their hands, some of -them were among its richest inhabitants. - -At the time of which I am writing Hippocles had the reputation, which we -may say was by no means undeserved, of being the richest resident in -Athens. And more than that, he was one of the most patriotic. He loved -the city as if it had been his native place, and did the duty and more -than the duty of a son to her. The special contributions which as a -wealthy man he was called upon to make to the public service[8] were -made with a princely liberality. He even voluntarily undertook services -which were not required of him by law. Every year he had come forward to -furnish the crew and munitions of a ship-of-war, a charge to which -citizens only were properly liable. And of the fleet of which such -gloomy tidings had just reached Athens, he had equipped no less than -three. - -Hippocles had a curious history. He was born in the Greek colony of -Poseidonia.[9] He was just entering on manhood when his native city fell -into the hands of its Lucanian neighbors. The barbarians did not abuse -their victory. They did not treat the conquered city, as the Greeks of -Croton some ninety years before had treated Sybaris, reducing it to an -absolute ruin. On the contrary they contented themselves with imposing a -tribute, and leaving a governor, with a garrison to support him, to see -that their new subjects did not forget their duty. But the presence of -the foreigner was a grievous burden to the proud Greeks. For ages -afterwards their descendants were accustomed to assemble once a year and -to bewail their fate, as the Sons of Jacob at the Vale of Weeping, the -Gentile domination over their city. The disaster broke the heart of -Hippocles' father Cimon who was one of Pacidoninus' most distinguished -citizens and had actually held the office of Tagus or chief magistrate -in the year of its fall. He survived the event scarcely a year, -recommending his son with his last breath to leave the place for some -city where he could live in a way more worthy of a Greek. His son spent -the next two years in quietly realizing his property, nor did he meet -with any interference from the Lucanian masters of the place. His house -he had to sacrifice; to sell it might have attracted too much notice; -but everything else that he had was converted into money. When this was -safely invested at Athens--Athens having been for various reasons the -city of his choice--he secretly departed. But he did not depart alone. -He took with him a companion, who, he declared, more than made up to him -for all that as a Poseidonian citizen he had lost. Pontia, the daughter -of the Lucanian governor, was a girl of singular beauty. The Lucanian, -in common with the other Italian tribes, gave to their women a liberty -which was unknown in Greek households. Under the circumstances of life -in which he had been brought up, Hippocles though a frequent visitor at -the governor's house, would never, except by the merest accident, have -seen the governor's daughter. As it was he had many opportunities of -making her acquaintance. Instead of being shut up, after the Greek -fashion in the women's apartments, she shared the common life of the -family. At first the novelty of the situation almost shocked the young -man; before long it pleased him; it ended by conquering his heart. The -young Greek, who was leaving his native land because it did not suit his -pride of race to live under the rule of a barbarian, did not submit -without an effort. Again and again he reproached himself with the -monstrous inconsistency of which he was guilty. "Madman that I am," he -said to himself, "I cannot endure to live with barbarians for neighbors -and yet I think of taking a barbarian to wife." Again and again he -resolved to break free from the influence that was enthralling him. But -love was too strong for him. Nor indeed, were there wanting arguments on -the other side. "Actually," he said to himself, "I am a Greek no more; a -Greek without a city is only not a barbarian in name." This argument, of -little weight, perhaps, in itself, gained force from the loveliness and -mental charms of the young Pontia. She had long felt a distaste for the -rough, uncultured life into which she had been born. The culture and -refinement of her father's young Greek guest charmed her. The sadness of -his mien touched the chord of pity in her heart, and admiration and pity -together soon grew into love. - -Hippocles had just completed the settlement of his affairs, and was -ruefully contemplating the curious dilemma in which he found -himself--everything ready for his departure from Poseidonia, but -Poseidonia holding him from such departure by ties which he could break -only by breaking his heart--when circumstances suggested a way of -escape. - -The governor was a widower, and had more than the usual incapacity of -busy men in middle life for discerning the symptoms of love. It was -accordingly, with a cheerful unconsciousness of his guest's feelings -that he said to him one morning:--"I have good news about my dear -Pontia. The girl is growing up, and should be settled in life, and I -have had a most eligible proposal for her. I have told you, I think, -that I am getting tired of this life, and want to get back to my farm -among the hills. So I have asked to be relieved, and I hear from the -Senate that they have chosen a successor, Hostius of Vulsi, a cousin, I -should say, of my own, and a most respectable man. Hostius has come to -announce the fact in person, and at the same time to ask for my daughter -in marriage. A most eligible proposal, I say. Perhaps he is a little -old, about five years younger than myself. But that's of no consequence. -I mentioned the matter to her. She did not say much, but, of course, a -girl must seem to hold back. I suggested that the marriage should take -place next week--for I should dearly like to be at home in time for the -barley harvest. That roused her. Of course she said that she had no -clothes. I don't know about that--she always seems to me to look very -nice--but I should not like to annoy her, for she is a dear, good girl, -and I gave her another month. It's an excellent arrangement--don't you -think so?" - -Hippocles muttered a few words of assent; but long before the month was -out, he and his Pontia were on their way to Athens. - -The marriage and the settlement in Athens had taken place twenty-one -years before the time of which I am writing. Two children had been born, -a son and a daughter. The son had fallen, not many months before, at -the battle of Notium[10] and the death of the mother, who had been in -feeble health, had soon followed. The daughter, to whom her parents had -given the name of Hermione, had just completed her sixteenth year. - -Hermione united in herself some of the happiest characteristics of the -two races from which she sprang. Her father was a Greek of the Greeks. -Poseidonia had been founded by Dorian settlers from Sybaris, who could -not contrive to live on good terms with the Achaean Greeks that had -become the predominant element in that city; and Hippocles, who claimed -descent from the Messenian kings, yielded to none in nobility of birth. -A purer type of the genuine Hellenes it would have been impossible to -find. Pontia brought from the Lucanian hills, among which she had been -reared, some of the best qualities, moral and physical, of the Italian -race. The simplicity, frugality, and temperance which then and long -after distinguished rural Italy, were to be seen in her united with a -singular feminine charm not so often found among that somewhat rude -population; until the close air of the Piraeus, ill-suited to a daughter -of the hills, sapped her constitution, she had had a frame magnificently -healthy and strong. To the daughter the climate which had shortened her -mother's days, happily did no harm. It was in fact her native air, and -she throve in it. She was still undeveloped, for she had only just -completed her sixteenth year; but she gave promise of remarkable beauty, -and indeed, the promise was already more than half fulfilled. When she -had performed the duty, sometimes imposed on the daughters of resident -aliens,--it might be called, rather, privilege conceded to them--and -walked in the great procession of the patron-goddess, holding a sunshade -over some high-born Athenian maiden,[11] all the spectators agreed that -the prize of beauty belonged to the stranger. Her stature reached the -very utmost height that the canons of beauty conceded to women; so far -she was more of an Athene than an Aphrodite. But her face and her whole -bearing were exquisitely feminine. The sapphire-colored eyes, shaded by -long drooping lashes, the forehead, broad and low with the clustering -ringlets of light chestnut on either side, perfectly rounded cheeks, -firm, delicate mouth, showing a glimpse, but only a glimpse of pearly -teeth, and a faultlessly clear complexion, just tinted with the brown -caught from Ægæan suns and winds--for she was dearly fond of a cruise in -her father's yacht--made up together a remarkable combination of charms. - -Callias had seen her but once before, and that was on a melancholy -occasion. He had been commissioned by the general in command to break to -her father the death of her brother, killed as has been said, in the -unlucky conflict at Notium. He had behaved there with conspicuous -gallantry, having led the boarding party which captured the only -Lacedaemonian galley that the Athenians had to set off against their own -fifteen losses, and had fallen in the moment of victory. It was not the -first time that he had shown distinguished valor, and it was for this -reason, as well as on account of the high reputation of his father, -that Alcibiades had sent Callias with a special message of condolence. -The blow, which could not be softened by any delicacy in the telling, -and for which the praises of the general were but a slight consolation, -broke Hippocles down completely. It was then that Hermione showed the -strength of her character. Tenderly attached herself to her brother she -had come forward to support her broken-hearted father. With a patient -endurance that was beyond all praise, she had battled with her own grief -in the effort to help a sorrow even more agonizing than her own, till -for very shame Hippocles had raised himself to bear his loss with -resignation. The effort saved his life; for even the physicians had at -one time been greatly alarmed. Callias, accustomed to think of women as -encumbrances rather than helps in time of need was profoundly impressed -by the girl's demeanor. If he had been inclined, for a moment, to think -that her singular self-possession indicated a want of womanly feeling, -he would have been soon undeceived. Paying a visit of inquiry to the -house next day, he found that Hermione's endurance had not lasted beyond -the occasion for which it was wanted. Her father received him, and told -him that his daughter had broken down under the strain. "I was cowardly -enough," he said, "yesterday to rest upon her strength when I should -have summoned up my own. The gods grant that I may not have taxed it -overmuch, and that I may not lose both my children. I have learned that -I ought not to have grudged my son to the city which has been a second -mother to me; if only I have not learnt it at too terrible a price." -Callias had to leave Athens on the next day to rejoin the fleet, but he -had the satisfaction of hearing before his departure that Hermione was -on a fair way to recovery. Since then he had not been in Athens. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[7] This would amount to about $2.25--a drachma being equal to about 20c -or 9-1/2d. in English money. - -[8] These "liturgies," as they were called, were charges imposed upon -all residents in Athens whose property was assessed at more than a -certain amount (three talents, which, as a talent contained 6,000 -drachmæ, may be roughly estimated at $3,500, equivalent, it is probable, -to much more in actual value). These were originally equivalents for -special privileges and powers which the wealthy enjoyed under the -earlier constitution, but they were continued in force after the -democratic changes which put all citizens on an equality. The Aliens -were not liable to all. - -[9] Better known by its Latin name of Paestum. - -[10] Fought in 407. Notium was the harbor of Colophon a city of Asia -Minor, about nine miles north of Ephesus, and about fifteen miles from -the sea. - -[11] Noble Athenian damsels were the "basket-bearers" (_Canephoroi_), -daughters of aliens "Sunshade-bearers" (_Skiaphoroi_) in the -Paratheraea, or Great Procession of Athens. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -A COUNCIL. - - -The house of Hippocles was on a smaller scale than might have seemed -suitable to his vast wealth. The fact was that both he and his daughter -had simple tastes. They had a special dislike to the enormous -establishments of slaves which it was the fashion for rich Athenians, -whether of native or of foreign birth, to maintain. In each division of -the house--for, it was divided after the usual Greek fashion, into two -"apartments," to use that word in its proper sense, belonging -respectively to the men and the women[12]--there were but three or four -inmates besides the master and mistress. Hippocles had his house steward -and his personal attendant, both older than himself, long since -emancipated, who had accompanied him from his Italian home, and a lad of -seventeen, who was still a slave, but who, if he conducted himself well, -would certainly earn his freedom by the time that he had reached the age -of thirty. Hermione's establishment, on the other hand, consisted of a -lady who had just exchanged the post of governess, now no longer -necessary, for that of companion or duenna, a housekeeper, and two -domestics who may be described by the modern terms of lady's-maid and -house-maid. Stephanion, the companion, was of pure Athenian descent. She -belonged to one of the many families which had been reduced to poverty -by the war, and she had been glad to take employment in the house of the -wealthy alien. She had more education than was commonly given to -Athenian ladies, but this is not to say much, and Hermione would have -fared but ill for teaching, according at least to our standard if her -father had not always found time even in his busiest days, to supplement -her education. The housekeeper was a Laconian woman. She, too, had found -her way into the family through circumstances connected with the war. -She had been nurse in a wealthy Athenian household. Before the war it -had been the fashion, my readers should know, for the upper classes at -Athens to get their nurses from Sparta. A true Spartan, a daughter that -is, of the military aristocracy that ruled Laconia and its dependencies, -it was, of course, impossible to obtain, but girls from the farmer class -that cultivated the lands of their soldier masters often sought -situations in other countries. This was the case with Milanion, who as -the youngest of the five daughters of a Laconian farmer, had been -delighted to find a place with an Athenian lady, Melissa, wife of -Demochares, at a salary which almost equalled her father's income. This -was just before the commencement of the long war. She had been nurse to -Melissa's five children when the disastrous expedition to Sicily brought -irretrievable ruin upon her employer's family. Demochares was one of the -army that surrendered with Nicias, was thrown with his comrades into -that most dreadful of prisons, the stone-quarries of Syracuse, and died -of a fever before the end of the year. His property had consisted, for -the most part, of farms in the island of Chios, and when Chios revolted -from Athens, the widow and her children were reduced to something very -like poverty. Nothing was left to them but a small farm at Marathon, and -as it so happened, the rent of the house which Hippocles unable, as has -been said, to own real property in Attica, had been accustomed to hire. -The establishment had to be broken up, the slaves being sold and the -free persons looking for employment elsewhere. Milanion was about to -return, much against her will, to Laconia, where her long residence at -Athens would have rendered her an object of suspicion and dislike, when -an opening suddenly presented itself in the family of Hippocles. -Pontia's long illness had come to a fatal end, and the widower was -looking for an experienced woman to take charge of the young Hermione. -Milanion seemed to him exactly the person that he wanted, and she, on -the other hand, was delighted to come to him. As her charge grew older, -her duties as nurse gradually changed into the duties of a housekeeper. -She had come to her new situation accompanied by a middle-aged woman, a -Marian by birth, Manto by name, whom Hippocles had bought, at her -suggestion, at the sale of Demochares' slaves. Manto had steadily -refused the emancipation which her master had several times offered to -her. - -"No, sir," she said, "I thank you very much, but I am better as I am. I -desire nothing more than to live in your house, and, when my time comes, -to die in it." - -"What if I should die first," suggested the merchant. - -"The gods know, my master, the gods know," cried the poor woman in an -agony. "But it is impossible; the gods would not do anything so cruel, -so unjust. But, if you wish, you may put what you please into your will. -As long as you live you are my master, and I am your slave." So matters -stood when my story opens. Perhaps it may be added that Manto's -condition did not prevent her tongue from being truthful; but -affectionate, faithful, and honest, she allowed herself and was -allowed--no unusual circumstance, yet she was under a system of -slavery--a liberty of speech which in one free born would certainly have -been impossible. Finally, to complete my account of the household, -Hermione had for her maid a girl about a year older than herself. She -too had come into the family along with Milanion and Manto. Demochares -had bought her at the sale of the prisoners taken by the Athenians when -a little Sicilian town was captured. She was then a singularly pretty -child about seven years old, and Demochares had meant her to be a -playfellow or plaything, as the case might be, of a daughter of his own -of about the same age. She was of mixed race; her mother was a Sicanian, -that is, one of the so-called aboriginal inhabitants of Sicily, her -father a Carthaginian trader. She was now grown up into a handsome -maiden, who with her raven-black hair, dark piercing eyes, and deep -brunette complexion, made a remarkable contrast to the fair beauty of -her mistress. - -When Callias reached the house the hour was late, later than etiquette -allowed for a visit, except from an intimate friend, or on a matter of -urgent business. His business, however, was urgent, and he did not -hesitate to knock, that is to strike the door sharply with a brass ring -which was attached to it by a staple. The day-porter had gone home for -the night, and the door was opened by the young slave mentioned above. -He explained that his master was just about to sit down to his evening -meal. "Take him my name," said Callias, "and say that I come from the -magistrates on an important matter of business." The lad invited him to -enter, and to take a seat in a small chamber which looked upon the -central court of the andronitis, a grass plot, bordered on all sides by -myrtle and orange. In a few minutes he returned, and invited the visitor -to follow him. Callias crossed the court and passed through the door -which led into the women's apartment. Hippocles, it should be said, was -accustomed to see visitors on business in the front or men's portion of -the dwelling, but spent his leisure time in the rooms assigned to his -daughter. The two had just taken their places at the table, Hippocles -reclining on a couch, Hermione sitting on a chair by his right hand, so -that his face was turned towards her.[13] The steward had placed the -first dish on the table, and was standing in front, with Hippocles' -personal attendant behind him. The latter at a sign from his master, -prepared a place for the new-comer. - -Hippocles saluted his guest in a most friendly fashion, and Hermione -gave him her hand with a charming smile, though the moment afterwards -tears gathered in her eyes, when she remembered the last occasion on -which they had met. - -[Illustration: Plan of a large Grecian House, probably more pretentious -than the House of Hippocles. - - 1. Main Door. - 2. Entrance Passage. - 3. Central Court of the Men's part of the house (_Andronitis_). - 4. 4. 4. Various Rooms of the _Andronitis_. - 5. Passage connecting the _Andronitis_ with the _Gynæconitis_ - (Women's Apartments). - 6. Court of the _Gynæconitis_. - 7. 7. 7. Various rooms of the _Gynæconitis_. - 8. The Prostas--a hall opening from 6. - 9. 9. Apartments probably used as a family bedroom and sitting room. - 10. 10. Rooms for looms and woolen manufacture.] - -"If the business will wait for half-an-hour," said the host, "postpone -it for so long. I have had a long day's work, and shall be scarcely -myself till I have eaten. And you--doubtless you have dined before this; -but you will take a cup with us." - -As a matter of fact Callias had not dined, though in the excitement of -the day's business he had almost forgotten food. A hasty meal snatched -on board the trireme which had brought him to Athens had been his only -refreshment since the morning. - -"Nay, sir, but I have not dined; unless you call some five or six dried -anchovies and a hunk of barley bread, washed down with some very sharp -Hymettus, a dinner; and that was rather before noon than after it." - -The meal was simple. It consisted of some fresh anchovies, a piece of -roast pork, a hare brought from Euboea, for Attica swept as it had -been again and again by hostile armies, had almost ceased to supply this -favorite food, and a pudding of wheat flour, seasoned with spices. This -last had been made by Hermione herself. The rest of the dinner had been -cooked by a man who came in daily for the purpose. When the viands had -been cleared away, Hippocles proposed the usual toast, "To our Good -Fortune," the toast not being drank, but honored by pouring some drops -from the goblet. A second libation followed, this time to "Athene the -Keeper of the City." The host then pledged his guest in a cup of Chian -wine. His daughter followed the rule of the best Grecian families, and -drank no wine. - -"We can dispense, I think, with these," he said, when the steward was -about to put some apples, nuts and olives on the table. - -"Just so," replied his guest, "and this excellent cup of Chian will be -all the wine that I shall want." - -"Now then for business," said Hippocles. "Let us hope that the city will -pardon us for postponing it so long. But we must eat. Shall my daughter -leave us? For my part, I find her a very Athene for counsel." - -"As you will, sir," replied Callias, "I have nothing to say but what all -may know, and indeed will know before a day is past." - -The young man then proceeded to tell the story with which my readers are -already acquainted. The question was briefly this: How was Conon to be -told that relief was coming? - -"I see," said Hippocles, "that he must be told. He is a brave fellow, -and a good general, too, though perhaps a little rash. But he must make -terms for himself and his men, unless he has a project of relief. He -would not be doing his duty to the state if he did not. But if he -capitulates before the relief comes--how many ships has he?" - -"Forty," said Callias. - -"And we can have a hundred, or possibly, a hundred and ten here, by -straining every nerve. The Spartans have a hundred and forty, I think." - -"A few may have been disabled in the battle; but it would not be safe to -reckon on less, for very likely others have been dropping in since -then." - -"Then Conon's party will turn the scale, and they will be better manned, -I take it, than any that we shall be able to send out from here. They -must not be lost to us. If they are, we shall do better not to send out -the fleet at all, but to stand on our defence." - -"Is the _Skylark_ in harbor now?" asked Callias. - -My readers must know that the _Skylark_ was Hippocles' fast sailing -yacht. - -"Yes," was the reply, "she is in harbor and very much at the service of -the state." - -"Trust me with her," said Callias, "and I will run the blockade." - -"I don't think it is possible," answered Hippocles. "I gathered from -what you said that the Spartans are inside the harbor. Now you may give -the slip to a blockading squadron when it is watching a harbor from the -outside. They always keep close to the mouth you see; and a really good -craft, smartly handled, that can sail in the eye of the wind, and does -not draw much water, has always a good chance. I'll warrant the -_Skylark_ to do it, if it is to be done. But with the blockade _inside_ -the harbor, the case is different, and I must own that I don't see my -way." - -"May I speak, father?" said Hermione. - -"Since when have you begun to ask leave to use your tongue, my darling?" -replied her father with a smile. "You should hear her lecturing me when -we are alone," he went on, turning to his guest. "But our counsellor is -not used to speaking in an assembly." - -"Would it be of any use," said the girl, "to disguise the _Skylark_, by -painting her another color and altering the cut of her rigging?" - -"A good thought, my darling," replied her father, "and one that I shall -certainly make use of. Now let me think; just for the present, things do -not seem to piece themselves together." - -He rose from the couch on which he had been reclining, and paced up and -down the room in profound thought. Fully half an hour had passed when he -suddenly stopped short in his walk, and turned to his daughter. - -"My darling," he said, "I see that you are getting sleepy." - -"Sleepy, father?" cried the girl, who indeed was as wide awake as -possible, "sleepy? what can you mean? how could I possibly feel sleepy, -when we are talking about such things?" - -"Nevertheless your father says it," replied Hippocles, "and fathers are -never mistaken." And he laid his hand upon her shoulder. - -Without another word Hermione rose from her chair, kissed her father, -held out her hand again to Callias, and left the room. - -Hippocles waited for a few minutes, and then sat down on the couch by -Callias' side. - -"You will have guessed," he said, "that I wanted the girl away. I wish -that I had never let her stay; now she will suspect something; but it -cannot be helped. Now, listen. What the girl said about disguising the -_Skylark_ set me thinking. That will be useful another time; indeed I -shall do it now. But it won't do all that we want. Disguised or not -disguised, I don't see how she is to get past the Spartan ships in -Mitylene harbor. Now we must try a bolder play. I shall disguise myself, -and go." - -"You, sir," cried Callias in astonishment. "But think of the danger." - -"Well," replied Hippocles, "we cannot expect to get anything really -valuable without danger. And I am something of a fatalist. What will be -will be. Now listen: I shall disguise myself as a trader of Cos. I am a -Dorian by birth, you know, and I can use the broad vowels and the lisps -to perfection I flatter myself. I say Cos,[14] because I happen to be -particularly well acquainted with its dialect. I shall go to -Callicratidas[15] and tell him my story--what the story shall be I have -not yet made up my mind, but it is not hard to impose upon a Spartan. -However leave all that to me. Go and tell the magistrates that I -undertake to tell Conon that he will be relieved. And, mind--not a word -to my daughter. I shall tell her that I am called away on important -business. Very likely she will guess something of the truth; but it -would only trouble her to tell her more." - -"And the magistrates, sir?" asked Callias, "how much are they to know?" - -"Nothing more, I think, than what I said, that Hippocles the Alien -undertakes to communicate with Conon. I don't doubt the good faith and -discretion of our friends; but the fewer there are in the secret of such -a plan, the better. Keep a thing in your own mind, I say. If you whisper -a secret even unto the earth, when the reed grows up it will repeat -it.[16] You will say simply that it is a matter which it is well for -the state to conceal. If I succeed, I justify myself; if not--well, I -take it, no man's anger here will concern me much. And now farewell! -Don't vex yourself about me. All will turn out well; and if not--how can -a man die better than in saving Athens. All my affairs are arranged, if -I should not return. My patron Melesippus will, of course, be my -executor, and I have ventured to join your name with his in the trust? -Have I your permission?" - -Callias pressed his hand in silence. - -"That is well, and now my mind is easy. And now," he went on in a -cheerful tone, "farewell again; but before you go, we must have a -libation to Hermione who for the next ten days must be my special -patron. If I come back safe, I will regild this temple from roof to -basement." - -The libation was duly poured, and the vow repeated as the drops fell -upon the ground. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[12] The Andronitis and Gynaekonitis, as they were called. - -[13] A Greek at table, after it became the fashion to recline instead of -sit (as had been the practice in the heroic ages) lay on his left side, -supporting his head by his left arm, the other arm being left free to -help himself from the dishes when they were placed before him. Women and -children always sat at table. - -[14] Cos was one of the cities belonging to the Dorian Pentapolis. - -[15] Callicratidas was the admiral In command of the Spartan fleet. - -[16] Hippocles is alluding to a well known story. Midas deciding in -favor of Pan as a better musician than Apollo was punished by being -given the long ears of an ass. He hid them under his Thurgian cap from -all men except the barber who cut his hair. This man, oppressed with the -secret, dug a hole in the earth, whispered into it, "King Midas has -asses' ears," and filling it up again, so found relief from his burden. -But a reed grew from the spot, and as it was moved by the wind whispered -the secret to the world. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -RUNNING THE BLOCKADE. - - -Hippocles, who was a ship builder as well as a merchant, put all -available hands to work on the alterations which he proposed to make in -the _Skylark_. To disguise her effectually was a more difficult thing -than Hermione had imagined when she had suggested this idea. To disguise -her beyond all risk of discovery was probably impossible, a landsman -might be deceived by different colored paint, and a nautical observer, -if he did not give more than a casual glance, by an altered rigging. But -the lines of the ship would remain. These Hippocles endeavored to -conceal by a false and much broader bow which was ingeniously fitted on -to the true hull, and which made her look anything but the fast sailer -that she really was. Heavy bulwarks were substituted for the light ones -that had been a familiar feature of the _Skylark_. Altogether she was -metamorphosed in a fairly satisfactory way from a smart yacht into a -clumsy merchantman. As the venturous owner intended to time his arrival -for the night, and to do his errand before day-break, he hoped that the -disguise would save her as long as it should be wanted. - -So much energy did the workmen, stimulated by their master's presence -and by his liberal promises of renumeration, throw into their work, that -by the evening of the seventh day the _Skylark_ was ready for sea in -her new dress, disguised beyond recognition, except by very skilful eyes -indeed. The dockyard had been strictly closed against all visitors while -the work was in progress, and the men had been lodged within its walls, -so that no hint of what was going on might leak out. Hippocles had paid -a daily visit to his home, and did not conceal from his daughter that he -was busy in carrying out her suggestions. So frank, indeed, was he, and -so cheerful in manner, that the girl was fairly thrown off her guard. -Not a suspicion crossed her mind, that her father was meditating a -desperate enterprise in which the chances were certainly rather against -his life than otherwise, nor did she realize the extraordinary haste -with which the work was being pressed on, though she was generally aware -that a good deal of expedition was being used. Hence she was taken by -surprise, when on the eighth day instead of her father's usual visit, -timed so that he might share her noon-day meal, a written message was -delivered to her, to the effect that her father was suddenly called away -from Athens on business of importance, and that he could not be certain -of the day of his return. The surprise almost overwhelmed her, chiefly -because she felt that this unusual hurry on the part of her father was -significant of the perilous nature of the enterprise. It was only her -unusual fortitude, backed by the feeling that she herself must not -deviate from doing her duty, that enabled her to bear up at all. - -Meanwhile Hippocles was on his way to the scene of action. The _Skylark_ -crossed the Ægean without meeting with any misadventure. She was -overhauled, indeed, when about half her journey was accomplished by an -Athenian cruiser, and her owner had the satisfaction of finding that so -far his disguise was successful. The Athenian captain was an -acquaintance of his own (indeed there were few prominent people in the -city to whom he was not known) and had actually been on board the -_Skylark_ more than once; but he did not recognize either Hippocles or -his vessel. In fact he was about to carry her off as a prize when -Hippocles, still without discovering himself, produced the pass with -which he had been provided under the seal of the Athenian authorities. -His arrival at Mitylene was happily timed in more ways than one. By a -stroke of that good fortune which is proverbially said to help the bold -it so happened that there was a violent north-east wind blowing. This -was a wind from which the harbor of Mitylene afforded little or no -shelter. In fact, when it was blowing, most sailors preferred to be out -on the open sea. Hippocles accordingly found everything in commotion. -The blockading ships, which moored as they were across the mouth of the -harbor, felt the full force of the wind, were anxious about their -moorings, and had little attention to give to any strange ship. The -_Skylark_ was in fact hardly noticed in the darkness and confusion, and -actually got beyond the line of the blockading galleys, and as far as -the admiral's ship, without being challenged. For a few moments he -thought of boldly pushing on to the inner part of the harbor, where, as -has been said, the remainder of the Athenian fleet was lying hauled up -under the walls; but when he was hailed by a voice from a Spartan ship, -one of two that lay almost directly in his way, he abandoned the idea. -"Anaxilaus, merchant of Cos, to see the admiral, on business of -importance," was his reply to the challenge. At the last moment he -dropped his anchor. A few minutes afterward, he came on board the -admiral's galley and reported himself to that officer. - -It would be unjust to Callicratidas--for this was the admiral's name--to -describe him as a model Spartan. He was rather a model Greek. The -Spartans had great virtues which however, it is curious to observe, -seldom survived transplantation from their native soil.[17] They were -frugal, temperate, and just; but they were narrow in their habits of -thought and their conceptions of duty. A good soldier whose efficiency -was not diminished by any vice was their ideal man. They could not enter -into any large and liberal views of life. And their views of -statesmanship whether as regarded their own city or the whole race in -general were as narrow as were their notions of private virtue. They -sometimes showed a great amount of diplomatic skill, a strange contrast -with the bluntness which was their traditional characteristic, but of -wide and general views they seem to have been incapable. Yet -Callicratidas seems to have been an exception. We know comparatively -little about him. He emerges from absolute obscurity at the beginning of -the year with which my story opens, and it is only for a few months that -he plays a conspicuous part in history, but from now up to the hour -when we see him for the last time, all his words and acts are marked -with a rare nobility. - -It was not difficult for Hippocles to invent a story which should -account for his presence at Mitylene. The domestic politics of almost -every Greek state were mixed up with the great struggle that was going -on between Athens and Sparta. Everywhere the democratic party looked to -Athens as its champion, the aristocratic to Sparta. This was especially -true of the states which were called the allies but were really the -subjects or tributaries of Athens. A turn of the political wheels that -brought the aristocrats to the top was commonly followed by a revolt -from the sovereign state; when, as was usually the case, they remained -underneath, they busied themselves in plotting for a change, and their -first step was to open communications with the Spartan general or -admiral in command. - -In Cos the popular or pro-Athenian party was in the ascendant, and their -opponents were weak. The fact was that the Spartans were not in good -repute there. Six years before their admiral Astyochus had plundered the -island laying hands impartially on the property of friends and of foes. -Still there was a party which remained faithful to Sparta, and Hippocles -preferred to speak as their representative. His wide-spread connections -as a merchant--and Cos had a large trade with its famous vintages and -equally famous woven stuffs--gave him a knowledge of details and persons -that would have deceived a far more acute and suspicious person than -Callicratidas. - -The merchant began the conversation by offering the admiral a present of -wine, and one of those almost transparent robes of silk that were a -specialty of the island. - -"I will not be so churlish as to refuse what you have the good will to -offer me," said Callicratidas, "but you must understand that I do not -accept these things for myself. I accept no personal gifts; it is a -dangerous practice, and has given rise to much scandal. I shall send -them to Sparta, and the magistrates will dispose of them as they think -fit. What is this?" he went on, taking up the robe and holding it -between his eyes and the lamp. "What do you use it for? for straining -the wine?" - -Hippocles explained that it was a material for garments. - -"Garments!" exclaimed the Spartan, "why, we might as well wear a -spider's web. It is not clothing at all. It neither warms nor covers. Is -it possible that there are people so foolish as to spend their money on -it? It is costly, I suppose?" - -"As you ask me," replied Hippocles, "I may say that it costs about two -minas a yard." - -"Two minas a yard!" cried Callicratidas, whose Spartan frugality was -scandalized at such a price. "Why," he added after a short calculation, -"it is very nearly a seaman's pay for a year,[18] are there many who buy -such costly stuff?" - -"A dress of this material is the top of the fashion for ladies in Athens -and Corinth." - -"What?" said the Spartan, "do women wear such things? It is incredible. -I have always thought that things had changed for the worse at home, but -we have not got as far as that. And now for your business." - -Hippocles explained that there was a dissatisfied party in Cos which was -very anxious to get rid of Athenian rule. "We are not strong enough," he -went on, "to do it of ourselves, but send on a force and we will open -the gates to you. Cos is a strong place now, since the Athenians -fortified it, and, I should think, quite worth having." - -"And if we put you in power," said the admiral, "you would begin, I -suppose, by putting all your opponents to death." - -Callicratidas was quite a different person from what Hippocles, with his -former experience of Spartans in command, had expected to find. His -disinterestedness, simplicity and directness were embarrassing, and made -him not a little ashamed of the part that he was playing. He would have -dearly liked to speak out of his own heart to a man who was -transparently honest and well-meaning, but in his position it was -impossible. - -"We have, as you may suppose, sir," he said in answer to this last -suggestion, "a great many injuries to avenge, but we should not wish to -do anything that does not meet with your approval." - -"The whole thing does not meet with my approval," said the Spartan, "I -hate these perpetual plots; I hate to see every city divided against -itself, and see the big persons in Greece hounding them on to bloody -deeds, and making our own gain out of them. I wish to all the gods that -I could do something to bring this wretched war to an end. Why should -not Athens and Sparta be friends as they were in the old days? Surely -that would be better than our going on flying at each others' throats as -we have been doing for now nearly twenty years past, while the Persian -stands by, and laughs to see us play his game. Where should we be--you -seem an honest man, by your face, though I cannot say that I -particularly like the errand on which you have come--where should we be, -I ask, if we had shown this accursed folly twenty-odd years ago, when -Xerxes brought up all Asia against us? As it was we stood shoulder to -shoulder, and Greece was saved. And now we have to go cap in hand, and -beg of the very Persians who are only biding their time to make slaves -of us. I tell you, sir, I feel hot with shame at the thought of what I -have had myself to put up with in this way. When I came here I found the -pay-chest empty; I don't want to complain of anybody, so I won't say how -this came about; but that was the fact, it was empty; the men had had no -wages for some time, and they would very soon have had no food. I asked -my officers for advice. 'You must go to Cyrus,' they said, 'Cyrus is -paymaster.'[19] It was a bitter draught to swallow, but I managed to get -it down. I went to his palace at Sardis. 'Tell your master,' I said to -the slave who came to the door, a gorgeous creature whose dress I am -sure I could not afford to buy, 'tell your master that Callicratidas, -admiral of the Spartan fleet, is here, and wishes to speak with him.' -The fellow left me standing outside, and went to deliver his message. -After I had waited till my patience was almost exhausted, the man came -back, and said 'Cyrus is not at leisure to see you. He is drinking.' -Well, I put up with that. 'Very good,' I said, 'I will wait till he has -done drinking.' I thought that I would go earlier the next day, though -even then it was scarcely an hour after noon. So I went at a time when I -thought that he could not possibly have taken to his cups, and asked -again to see him. This time they had not the grace even to make an -excuse. 'Cyrus is not at leisure to see you,' was the answer, and -nothing more. That was more than I could stand, and I went away. I vowed -that day, and believe me it was not only because I had myself been -insulted, that if I lived to go home, I would do my very best to bring -Sparta and Athens together again. And now, sir, as to your business. I -will send home a report of what you say. If the authorities direct me to -take any action in the matter, I shall do my best to take it with -effect, but I tell you frankly that this idea does not commend itself to -me, and let me give you a bit of advice: do your best to make peace in -your city, as I shall do my best to make peace in Greece. Depend upon -it, that if we don't, we shall have some one coming down upon us from -outside. It may be the Persian, though he does not seem to me to have -improved as a soldier; it may be the Macedonian, who is a sturdy fellow, -and helps us already to fight our battles. Whoever it is he will find us -helpless with an endless quarrel and will make short work with us. And -now good night." - -Hippocles left the Spartan admiral full of admiration for his manly and -patriotic temper, and not at all pleased that he had been obliged to -play a false part with a man so transparently honest. - -About an hour after midnight the harbor was alarmed by the cry that the -ship from Cos had parted from her moorings. Hippocles had taken -advantage of a temporary increase in the force of the wind to cut his -cables, and to drift toward the Athenian part of the harbor. Nobody was -able to answer the cry for help, even if it had not been purposely -raised too late. The _Skylark_ had run the blockade, and Conon knew that -he was to be relieved. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[17] The instances in which a Spartan general sent to fill some office -abroad seemed to lose all self-restraint and all sense of shame are -deplorably numerous. Pausanias, the Spartan who commanded at Platæa, and -was afterwards banished for treacherous dealings with the Persians, was -the first conspicuous example of this national failing, as it may be -called; but it was an example often followed. The Spartan governors in -allied or conquered cities were almost proverbial for profligacy, -tyranny and corruption. - -[18] A seaman was paid four obols a day, the rate having been increased -by the liberality of Cyrus from three to four. Five obols went to the -drachma, and a hundred drachmas to the mina. - -[19] This was the prince commonly called the younger Cyrus, the second -of the two sons of Darius Nothus, King of Persia, by his Queen -Parysatis. He had come down about a year and a half before the time of -which I am writing to take the government of a large portion of Asia -Minor, viz: Lydia, Phrygia, and Cappadocia. He was strongly pro-Spartan -in his views, and as has been explained in a previous note, had -increased the rate furnished by the Persian treasury to the Spartan -fleet. But Lysander, in his anger at being suspended in the command, -had, with the selfishness, characteristic of Spartan officers, paid back -to Cyrus all the money that had been furnished for the pay of the -sailors. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -ARGINUSÆ. - - -At Athens, meanwhile, the relieving fleet was being fitted out with a -feverish energy such as had never been witnessed within the memory of -man. Nine years before, indeed, preparations on a larger scale, if cost -and magnificence are to be taken into account, had been made for the -disastrous expedition against Syracuse; but there was all the difference -in the world between the temper of the city at the one time and at the -other. Athens was at the height of her strength and her wealth when she -sent out her armament, splendid, so to speak, with silver and gold, -against Syracuse. It was a mighty effort, but she did it, one may almost -say, out of the superfluity of her strength. Now she was sadly reduced -in population and in revenue; she was struggling not for conquest but -for life; she was making her last effort, and spending on it her last -talent, her last man. To find a juster parallel it would have been -necessary to go back a life-time, to the day when the Athenians gave up -their homes and the temples of their gods to the Persian invaders, -falling back on their last defences, the "wooden walls" of their ships. -Many men had heard from father or grandfather, it was just possible that -one or two tottering veterans may have seen with their own eyes, how on -that day a band of youths, the very flower of the Athenian aristocracy, -headed by Cimon, the son of Miltiades, had marched with a gay alacrity -through the weeping multitude, to hang up their bridles in the temple of -Athene. For the time the goddess needed not horsemen but seamen, and -they gave her the service that she asked for. Now the same sight was -seen again. Again the knights, the well-born and wealthy citizens of -Athens, dedicated their bridles to the patron goddess, and went to serve -as mariners on board the fleet. Every ship that could float was hastily -repaired and equipped. Old hulks that had been lying in dock since the -palmy days when the veteran Phormion[20] led the fleet of Athens to -certain victory, were launched again and manned. In this way the almost -unprecedented number[21] of one hundred and ten triremes were got ready. -To man these a general levy of the population was made. Every one within -the age of service not actually disabled by sickness, was taken to form -the crews, and not a few who had passed the limit volunteered. Even then -the quota had to be made up by slaves, who were promised their freedom -in return for their services. It was a stupendous effort, and one which -Athens made with her own strength. These were not mercenaries, but her -own sons whom she was sending out to make their last struggle for life. -Night and day the preparations were carried on, and before a month was -out from the day on which the tidings of the disaster at Mitylene -reached the city, the fleet was ready to sail. Its destination was -Samos, an island that had remained faithful to Athens even after the -disastrous end of the war in Sicily. Here it was joined by a contingent -of forty ships, made up of the same squadron scattered about the Ægean, -the two triremes of Diomedon[22] being among them. Diomedon was related -to Callias, and the young man asked and obtained leave from the captain -with whom he had sailed from Athens to transfer himself to his ship. - -A battle was imminent. The Spartan admiral had left fifty ships to -maintain the blockade of Mitylene, and sailed to meet the relieving -force. His numbers were inferior, but pride, and perhaps policy, forbade -him to decline the combat. He had made a haughty boast to Conon, and he -had to make it good. "The sea is Sparta's bride," he had said. "I will -stop your insults to her." His fleet was now off Cape Malta, the -south-eastern promontory of Lesbos. The Athenians had taken up their -position at some little islands between it and the mainland, the -Arginusæ, or White Cliffs, as the name may be translated, a name -destined to become notable as the scene of the great city's last -victory. - -Callicratidas had watched the arrival of the Athenians, and had -concluded that, according to the usual custom of Greek sailors, they -would take their evening meal on shore. Before long the fires lighted -over all the group of islets showed that he was right. His own men had -supped, and they were ordered to embark in all haste and make an attack -which would probably be a surprise. What success his bold and energetic -action would have had we can only guess. The stars in their courses -fought against him. A violent thunderstorm with heavy rain came on, and -prevented him from putting to sea. - -The next day was fine and calm and the two fleets were early afloat. -Their arrangement and plan of action showed a curious contrast, a -contrast such as was almost enough to make one of the great Athenian -seamen of the past turn in his grave. The Athenian ships were massed -together; the Spartans and their allies were formed in a single line. -Callias, who had never before been present at a great sea-fight, but who -had taken pains to acquire as much professional knowledge as he could, -expressed his surprise to Diomedon. "How is this, sir?" he said, "how -can our ships maneuver when they are packed together in this fashion?" - -Diomedon, an old sailor who had been afloat for nearly forty years, -smiled somewhat bitterly as he answered. - -"Maneuver, my dear boy! That is exactly what we want to avoid. We can't -do it ourselves, and we don't mean to let our enemies do it, if it can -be helped. The generation that could manoeuver is gone. Five and -twenty years of fighting have used it up. But, happily, we can still -fight, at least such a fleet as we have got to-day, the real Athenian -grit, can fight. If the weather holds fine, and I think it will for the -day, though I don't quite like the looks of the sky, we shall do well, -because we shall be able to keep together." - -The arrangement of the Athenian line may be very briefly described. It -had two strong wings, each consisting of sixty ships, formed in four -squadrons of fifteen. These wings consisted wholly of Athenian galleys; -the contingents of the allies were posted in the centre, and were in -single line, either because they were better sailors, or because, as -being directly in front of the group of islets, they were protected by -their position. - -The policy of the Athenian commander was successful. Arginusæ was not a -battle of skillful maneuvers, but of hard fighting. Such battles are -often determined by the fate of the general, and so it was that day. -Callicratidas, had that pride of valor which had often done such great -things for Sparta and for Greece, but which some times resulted in -immediate disaster. His sailing master, a man of Megara, had advised him -to decline a battle. A rapid survey of the position, of the numbers of -the enemy and of the tactics which they were evidently intending to -pursue, had convinced this skillful, experienced seaman, that the -chances were against him. Callicratidas would not listen to him. "If I -perish," he said, "Sparta will not be one whit the worse off." It was -the answer of a man who was as modest as he was brave; but it was not to -the point. Sparta would be a great deal worse off if she lost not only -him--and he was worth considering--but, as actually happened, nearly the -half of her fleet. - -The signal to advance was passed along the line, and the admiral himself -took up his place in the foremost ship. The whole fleet could see him as -he stood a conspicuous figure in the lead. His stately and chivalrous -presence, the feeling that a man whom it was a privilege to follow -anywhere, gave, for a time, an effective encouragement. But the loss was -proportionately great when that presence was removed. Early in the day -his ship endeavored to ram that which carried the Athenian admiral -Diomedon, itself in the van of the opposing force. Diomedon himself was -at the rudder and managed his galley with remarkable skill. He avoided -or rather half avoided the blow of the enemy's boat, and this in such a -way that the Spartan admiral lost his balance, and fell into the water. -Callias, who was standing on the rear of the Athenian galley, at the -head of a detachment of men ready either to board or to repel boarders, -endeavored to save him; but the weight of his armor was fatal. He sank -almost instantaneously. His death, it is easy to believe, cost Athens -even more than it cost Sparta. It would have been infinitely better for -her to fall into his hands than to have to sue for terms, as she did not -many months afterwards, to the less generous Lysander. - -The battle lasted for several hours. About noon the weather became -threatening. The wind changed to the south-west and the sea began to -rise. By general consent the struggle was suspended. Both sides had -fought with conspicuous valor, but there could be no doubt that the -victory remained with the Athenians. Their losses were serious, nearly a -fifth of their force, or to give the numbers exactly, twenty-nine ships -out of one hundred and fifty. But they had inflicted much more damage -than they had suffered. Out of the small squadron of Spartan ships, ten -in number, nine had been destroyed; and more than sixty belonging to the -various allied contingents were either sunk or taken. The fifty that -remained--and there were barely fifty of them--made the best of their -way either to the friendly island of Chios, or to Phocæa on the -mainland. Without doubt the Athenians had won a great victory. Whether -the opportunity could have been used to restore permanently the fortunes -of the city, is doubtful; but it is certain that it was lamentably -wasted. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[20] Phormion won some brilliant victories in the Corinthian gulf in the -early years of the war. He died prematurely, it would seem about 429 B. -C. - -[21] The number of triremes contributed by Athens to the Greek fleet of -Salamis was one hundred and eighty, but this comprised, of course, -literally every ship that they possessed. In the expedition against -Syracuse, the triremes numbered one hundred and thirty-four. - -[22] Diomedon was the officer in command of Samos, and had already -attempted with the twelve ships that composed his squadron, to relieve -Conon. His force was so inferior to that of the Spartans that he could -only have hoped to succeed by eluding their observations. Accordingly he -had avoided the harbors and endeavored to make his way up a narrow -channel, known by the common name of "Euripus" (a channel with a swift -current) by which Mitylene could be approached. Callicratidas, however, -had discovered the maneuver and captured ten out of the twelve ships. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -AFTER THE FIGHT. - - -A council of war was held by the Athenian admirals on one of the -Arginusæ islets as soon as they could meet after the fighting had come -to an end. Callias, by Diomedon's desire, waited outside the tent in -which the deliberations were being held, and could not help hearing, so -high were the voices of the speakers raised, that there was an angry -argument about the course to be pursued. The intolerably clumsy system -of having ten generals of equal authority was on its trial, if indeed -any trial was needed, and was once more found wanting.[23] Even if the -right decision should be reached, time was being wasted, time that, as -we shall see, was of a value absolutely incalculable. - -When at last the council broke up--its deliberations had lasted for more -than an hour--and Diomedon rejoined the young officer, he wore a gloomy -and anxious look. - -"I am afraid," he said, "that mischief will come of this. I feel it so -strongly that, though I ought not, perhaps, to tell outside the council -what has been going on within, I must call you to witness. I did my -very best to persuade my colleagues. 'Our first business,' I said, 'is -to save our friends. There were twenty-six ships, I said, disabled. A -few were sunk on the spot; others, I am afraid, have gone down since; -but more than half, I hope, are still afloat. Even where the ship is -gone already, there are sure to be some of the crew who have been able -to keep themselves afloat either by swimming or by holding on to -floating stuff. For the sake of the gods, gentlemen,'--I give you my -very words--'don't lose another moment. We have lost too many already. -Send every seaworthy ship that you have got to the rescue of the -shipwrecked. It is better to let ten enemies escape, than lose a single -friend.' They would not listen to me. They were bent, they said, on -following up their victory, an excellent thing, I allow; but only when -the first duty of making all that you have got quite safe has been -performed. One of them--I will mention no names--positively insulted me. -'Diomedon,' he said, 'has doubtless had enough fighting for the day.' -Why, in the name of Athene, do they put such lowbred villains into -office. The fellow has a long tongue, and so the people elect him. I -'tired of fighting' indeed? I might have some excuse if I were, for I -was hard at it, when he was a thievish boy, picking up unconsidered -trifles in the market-place. Well; the end of it was that we came to a -sort of compromise. Forty-odd ships are to go and save what can be saved -from the wrecks--the gods only know how many will be left by this -time--while the rest are to make the best of their way to Mitylene, and -cut off the blockading squadron." - -"And you, sir?" asked Callias, "with which squadron are you to be?" - -"I am to go to Mitylene, of course, after what that fellow said, I could -not ask to have the other duty; but I feel that it is what I ought to be -doing." - -"Who is to have it, sir," said Callias. - -"No one, if you will believe it," answered the admiral, with an angry -stamp of the foot. "I mean no one of ourselves, of the Ten. They are all -so anxious to follow up the victory, as they put it, and make a great -show of taking Spartan ships, that they will not take the trouble. -Theramenes and Thrasybulus are to do it. I know that they have been in -command in former years and may be supposed to be competent. -Thrasybulus, too, is trustworthy; but Theramenes--to put it plainly--is -a scoundrel. You know that I don't care about politics; I am a plain -sailor and leave such things to others; but I say this, politics or no -politics, a man who turns against his friends is a scoundrel.[24] I -don't know what trick he is not capable of playing. Anyhow, whether -these two do the business ill or well, one of the Ten ought to go. It -would be better; and I am sure trouble will come of our not going. Mind -this is all in confidence. You are never to breathe a word of it, till I -give you leave." - -"And am I to go with you, sir?" said Callias. - -"No," was the answer; "I forgot to tell you; the worry of all this put -it out of my mind. You are to take the despatch to Athens." - -"But the shipwrecked men"--exclaimed Callias. - -"We must obey orders." - -An hour afterward Callias was on his way to Athens; the storm had now -increased to something like a gale. As the waves came from the south it -was impossible to take a straight course for the point in view, lying as -it did almost due west. Few ships in those days could keep a straight -line with the wind on the quarter.[25] Indeed it was soon impossible to -keep up any sail at all, nor was it safe, even if the strength of the -rowers already wearied by the labors of the day, had permitted it to -keep the ship broadside to the waves. Nothing remained but to put her -about and drive before the wind, a sail being now hoisted again and the -rowers exerting themselves to the utmost to avoid being "pooped" by the -heavy waves. Toward morning the wind moderated, but by that time the -_Swallow_, for that was the name of the despatch-boat which had been -told off for the service, had been driven as much as fifty miles out of -her course. This would not have been of much consequence, but that the -timber of the _Swallow_ had been so strained by her battle with the sea -that she began to leak inconveniently, if not dangerously. Her crew, -too, were now in urgent need of rest. Under ordinary circumstances, -Chios, which could be seen, as the day broke, about ten miles on the -right bow, would have afforded a convenient shelter; but Chios was in -the hands of the enemy. The little island of Vara, lying some ten miles -to the north-west, was the only alternative. Here Callias, much against -his will, for he feared that his news would be anticipated, was -compelled to stop, the captains of the despatch-boat refusing to -proceed, until vessel and men were better able to face the weather. - -As it turned out, the delay did no harm. In fact it was the means of his -reaching Athens with more speed and safety than he might otherwise have -done. A day indeed was lost in doing such repairs as the imperfect -resources of the little island permitted, but on the morrow, Callias set -out again, and was groaning over the day that had been lost, and the -very little good that the clumsy boat-builders had been able to do for -him, when he found himself being rapidly overhauled by a vessel which -had not long before hove in sight. Before noon he recognized the cut of -the disguised _Skylark_, and at once ran up a signal which Hippocles -whom he supposed to be on board would, he knew, recognize. The signal -was immediately answered, and before another half-hour had passed the -_Skylark_ was along-side. After a brief colloquy it was arranged that -the _Swallow_ should make the best of her way to Samos, where there was -an arsenal in which she could be properly repaired and that Callias with -his dispatches should take his passage to Athens in the yacht. - -Hippocles was acquainted with the general fact that the Athenian fleet -had won a great victory; but he knew no details, and was eager to hear -from the lips of one who had taken a part in the action. And he had much -that was interesting to say to his young friend. The three weeks which -he had spent in Mitylene with the blockaded squadron had not made him -hopeful about the first issue of the war. He had found that Conon was -not hopeful, and Conon was as able and intelligent an officer as Athens -had in her service. - -"This has been a stupendous effort on the part of the city," he said, -"and it has saved us for a time, but it can't be kept, and it can't be -repeated. Athens is like a gambler reduced to his last stake. He wins -it; very good. But then he has to throw again; and as often as he -throws, it is the same--if he loses, he loses all. And, sooner or later, -lose he must. In the long run the chances are against us. We have lost -our _morale_. I saw a good deal of Conon's men when I was shut up, and I -thought very badly of them; and he thinks badly, too, I know. It is only -a question of time. Do you know," he went on, sinking his voice to a -whisper--"and mark you, this is a thing that I should not venture to say -to anyone in the world but you--I am half inclined to wish that we had -been beaten in the last battle--that is, if Callicratidas had lived. A -noble fellow indeed! Do you know that he let the Athenians whom he took -at Methymna go on their _parole_? Any one else would have sold them for -slaves." - -"Well," said Callias, who was a little staggered by his friend's view of -affairs, "as your hero is drowned--mind that I quite agree in what you -say of him--perhaps it is better that things have turned out as they -have. And I can't believe that our chances are as bad as you make out. -Anyhow we are better off than when I saw you last." - -"I hope so; I hope so;" said Hippocles in a despondent tone, "But they -might have done better. For instance, we have let the blockading -squadron at Mitylene escape." - -"How was that?" asked Callias. "Did you see nothing of our fleet. It was -to sail northward at once." - -"No--I never saw or heard of it. Now listen to what happened. On the day -after the battle--though of course I knew nothing of what -happened--_two_ despatch-boats came into the harbor--so at least -everyone thought--and the second had wreaths on mast and stern, as if it -had brought good news. And Eteonicus--he was in command of the -blockading squadron--was good enough to send us a herald with the -intelligence that Callicratidas had won a great sea fight, and that the -whole of the Athenian fleet had been destroyed. Of course we did not -quite believe that, but if only a quarter of it was true, it was not -pleasant hearing. My old sailing master, who has as sharp eyes as any -man I know, said to me. 'My belief, sir, is that it is all nonsense -about this great victory, and that the second boat was only the first -_dressed up_. I observed them both particularly, and they were amazingly -alike. In both the bow sides oars were just a little behind the stroke, -and one of the oars, I noticed, was a new one, and not painted like the -rest. And why should the man take the trouble to tell us about the -victory as he calls it. If it is true, he has us safe, and can cut us up -at his leisure. No, sir, I don't believe a word of it.' Well, I was not -certain that the old man was right, but I strongly suspected that he -was. Anyhow I was so convinced of it that I spent the whole night in -getting ready; and, sure enough, the next morning the blockading -squadron had slipped off, with nobody to hinder them." - -"That was a very smart trick for a Spartan," said Callias. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[23] I may refer my readers to a signal instance in earlier Greek -history where the same system almost led to disaster. It was only by the -unusual personal influence of Miltiades, a personal influence almost -unparalleled in Athenian history, that thus the ten generals were -induced to fight at Marathon. There can be little doubt that, if the -conflict had been delayed the pro-Persian party might have seriously -hampered, if it did not altogether defeat, the efforts of the patriots. - -[24] Theramenes had taken a prominent part four years before this date -in the establishment of the oligarchy of the Four Hundred; finding that -his own position was not such as he conceived to be suited to his -merits, and having reason also to believe that the oligarchy would soon -be overthrown--the fleet had declared against them--he changed sides and -was the means of bringing up the condemnation of two of his own intimate -friends, Antiphon and Archeptolemus. - -[25] Catullus mentions it as a special excellence of his yacht that it -could - - "Carry its load o'er stormy seas - Whether from right or left the breeze - Call o'er the main, as safe and fleet - Over course, as when, on either sheet - With equal strength blew fair behind, - With level keel the following wind." - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -THE NEWS AT ATHENS. - - -The _Skylark_ excelled herself in the display of her sailing qualities. -Thanks to this, Callias, in spite of the untoward delays which had -occurred on his journey, was the first to bring intelligence of the -victory to Athens. The news ran like wild fire through the city, -gathering, as may be supposed, a vast number of imaginary details, as it -passed from mouth to mouth, and the assembly which was called by -proclamation for the next day, to hear the reading of the despatches, -was, considering the empty condition of the city, most unusually -crowded. No one who could crawl to the market-place was absent, and all -the entrances and approaches were thronged by women, children, and -slaves. The first stress of fear had been relieved, for it was known -that a victory had been won; but there was still much room for anxiety. -The victory had not been gained without cost--no victories ever -were--and it was only too probable that in this case the cost had been -heavy. The despatch was brief and formal. It told the numbers engaged, -and the order of formation, with the number of hostile vessels captured -or sunk. It mentioned the fact that there had been losses on the side of -the conquerors, and promised details when there should have been time to -ascertain the facts. - -After the assembly had been dismissed, Callias was overwhelmed with -enquiries. To these he thought it well to return very vague answers. The -fact was that there was much that he knew and much that he did not know. -He knew the name of more than one of the ships that had been sunk or -disabled. Two or three had been run down before his eyes. About others -he had information almost equally certain. He could have told some of -his questioners what would have confirmed their worst fears. On the -other hand he could not give anything like a complete list of the -losses. Some enquirers he could reassure. He had seen or even talked to -their friends after the battle. All the admirals, he knew, were safe. -And steps, he was sure, had been taken to rescue the shipwrecked crews. -On the subject of Diomedon's fears he preserved absolute silence. If any -disaster had happened, it was only too sure to be heard of before long. - -On the evening of the day of assembly a great banquet was held in the -Prytaneum, or Town-hall of Athens. Such a banquet was always an -interesting sight, and on this occasion Callias, as he witnessed it for -the first time, also saw it to the very greatest advantage. All the -public guests[26] of the city that were not absent on active service or -were not positively hindered from coming by age or infirmity were -present. The ranks of these veterans were indeed sadly thinned. The war -had been curiously deadly to officers high in command. The fatal -expedition to Sicily had swept off many of the most distinguished. -Others had fallen in the "little wars" in which Athens like all states -that have wide dominions had been perpetually involved. One famous -survivor of a generation that had long since passed away was there, -Myronides, the victor of Oenophyta. The old man had been born in the -Marathon year, and was therefore now eighty-four. His life, it will be -seen, embraced with remarkable exactitude the period of the greatness of -Athens. The victory that had made him famous had been won fifty-one -years before, and had been, so to speak, the "high water mark" of -Athenian dominion.[27] He had lived to see almost its lowest ebb, though -happily for himself as he died before the year was out, he was spared -from seeing the absolute ruin of his country. Callias was distantly -related to him and was on terms of as close a friendship as the -difference of age permitted with his son Eteonicus, one of the ablest -and most patriotic statesmen of the time. After the libation which was -the usual signal for the wine drinking, had been poured, the old man -rose from his place, as his habit was, and walked down the hall, -touching our hero on his shoulder as he passed. - -"Come," he said, as Callias looked up, "if you can spare half an hour -from the wine cup to bear an old man company." - -The young man immediately left his place and accompanied the veteran to -one of the small chambers leading from the hall. - -"And now tell me all about it," he said, when they were seated. - -Callias gave him as full an account as he could of all that he had seen -during the campaign. Myronides plied him with questions that showed an -intelligence of unabated vigor. The armament and sailing qualities of -the ships, the _morale_ and _physique_ of the crews, every detail, in -fact, that concerned the efficiency of the force that Athens had in the -field, were subjects of liveliest interest to the old man. When he had -heard all that his young kinsman had to say, he heaved a deep sigh. "Ah! -my dear boy," he said, "things have come to a pretty pass with Athens. -As an old soldier I know what some of the things that you tell me mean -better than you do yourself. We are near the beginning of the end, and I -can only hope that I shall be gone when the end itself comes. I don't -mean that this is not a great victory that Diomedon and the rest of them -have won; but it is a victory that will never be won again. In the very -nature of things it can not. Do you think that the old men and boys that -I won the day with at Oenophyta[28] would have sufficed for a regular -force, a force that the city could rely on? Of course not. I could not -even have afforded to risk the chance if they had not had something -strong behind them. But now what is there? Old men and boys, and nothing -behind them. The slaves, you say? Very good; they fought very well, I -hear. And of course they will get their freedom. Do you think that they -will fight as well again after they have got it? Why should they? A man -may as well die as be a slave, and so they might very well risk their -lives to get free. But, once free, why should they risk them again?" - -"What!" cried Callias, "not to keep the Spartans out of Athens?" - -"You talk as an Athenian," said the old man, "and they are not -Athenians. You and I, I allow, would sooner die than see Spartans within -the walls: but what would it matter to them? They could eat and drink, -buy and sell just as comfortably whoever might be their masters. Yes, my -son; it is all over with a city that has to fall back on its slaves. -There is only one chance, and that is to make peace _now_, before we -lose all that we have gained. But what chance is there of that? Is there -any one who would even dare to propose such a thing?" - -"You would, sir," said the young man. - -"Yes, I might; but to what profit? I don't suppose they would do me any -harm. 'Poor old man!' they would say, 'he dotes.' But as for listening -to me--I know better than that. Is there one of the responsible -statesmen who would venture to give such advice? Would my son Eteonicus -venture? Not he; and yet he is a sensible and honest young man, and -knows that I am right. But it would be as much as his life, or, what he -values more, his whole career is worth, to hint at such thing. Oh! what -opportunities I have seen lost in this way. Unfortunately a victory -makes the Athenians quite impracticable.[29] They don't seem capable of -realizing that the wheel is certain to take a turn. But you have had -enough of an old man's croakings. The gods grant that these things may -turn out better than my fears! And now give me your arm to the gate, -where my people will be waiting for me." - -Callias conducted the old man to the door, and saw him put safely into -the litter which was waiting for him. He then stood meditating how he -should dispose of himself for the rest of the evening. He was unwilling -to return to the banquet. Questions would be put to him, he knew, by -many of the guests to which it would be difficult either to give or to -refuse an answer. He would gladly, indeed, have hidden himself -altogether till the fuller despatches should have arrived, which would -relieve him of the necessity of playing any longer the difficult part -which had been imposed upon him. His thoughts naturally turned to -Hippocles and Hermione, and he had already taken some steps in the -direction of the Peiraeus, when the thought occurred to him that he was -scarcely on terms of such intimacy with the family as would warrant a -visit at so late an hour. As he stood irresolute, the door of a -neighboring house opened, and a party of four young men issued from it -into the street. - -"Ah!" cried one of them, "'tis the sober Callias. Seize him, Glaucus and -Eudaemon, and make him come with us." - -The two men addressed ran up to our hero, and laid hold each of an arm. - -"You are a prisoner of my spear," said the first speaker, whose name, I -may say, was Ctesiphon, "and may as well submit to your fate with as -much grace as possible. You shall not suffer anything unendurable, and -shall be released at the proper time. Meanwhile you must join our -expedition." - -"I submit," said Callias, willing, perhaps, to have the question that -had been puzzling him settled for him. "But tell me, if I have to follow -you, whither you are bound." - -"We are going to the house of Euctemon, where there will be something, I -know, worth seeing and hearing." - -"But I am a stranger," said Callias. - -"A stranger!" cried Ctesiphon, "you are no such thing. The man who -brings good news to Athens is the friend of everybody. Besides Euctemon -is my first cousin, and he is always pleased to see my friends. You -should have been at his dinner, but that there was no room on his -couches for more guests. But now when the tables are removed[30] we -shall easily find places. But come along or we shall lose something." - -There was no want of heartiness in Euctemon's greeting to his new -guests. To Callias he was especially polite, making room for him on his -own couch. When the new arrivals were settled in their places, the host -clapped his hands. A white-haired freedman, who acted as major-domo, -appeared. - -"We are ready for Stephanos," said Euctemon. - -A few minutes afterwards a figure appeared, so curiously like the -traditional representations of Homer that every one was startled. -Stephanos was a rhapsodist, or professional writer, and he had made it -one of the aims of his life to imitate as closely as he could the most -distinguished member that his profession could boast. In early life he -had been a school master, and an accident, if we may so describe a blow -from the staff of a haughty young aristocrat, whom he had ventured to -chastise, had deprived him of sight. His professional education had -included the knowledge of the authors whom the Greeks looked upon as -classics, Homer holding the first place among them, and he was glad to -turn this knowledge to account, when he was no longer able to teach. In -this occupation too his blindness could be utilized. It had its usual -effect of strengthening the memory, and it helped him to look the part, -which, as has been said, he aspired to play. - -The blind minstrel was guided to the seat which had been reserved for -him in the middle of the company by an attendant, who also carried his -harp. - -"What shall we have, gentlemen?" asked the host. "You will hardly find -anything worth learning that Stephanos does not know." - -The guests had various tastes, so various that it seemed very difficult -to make a choice. One wanted the story of the Cyclops, another the tale -as told by Demodocus to Alcinous and the Phæacian princes, of the loves -of Ares and Aphrodite. A third, of a more sober turn of mind, called for -one of the didactic poems of Solon, and a fourth would have one of the -martial elegies with which the old Athenian bard Tyrtaeus stirred, as -was said, the spirits of the Spartan warriors. - -"Let Callias, the bringer of good news, name it," said Euctemon, after -some dozen suggestions had been made. - -The proposal was received with a murmur of approval. - -The young man thought for a moment. Then a happy idea struck him. About -a year before there had occurred an incident which had roused the -deepest feeling in Athens. The aged Sophocles, accused by his son -Iophon before a court of his clansmen, of imbecility and incapacity for -managing his affairs, had recited as a sufficient vindication of his -powers, a noble chorus from a play which he was then composing, the last -and ripest fruit of his genius--the "Oedipus in Colonus." The verses -had had a singular success, as indeed they deserved to have, in catching -the popular fancy. They were exquisitely beautiful, and they were full -of patriotic pride. Every one had them on his lips; and before they had -time to grow hackneyed, the interest in them had been revived by the -death of the veteran poet himself. - -"Let us have the 'Praises of Athens' by Sophocles the son of Sophilus of -Colonus." - -The choice met with a shout of applause. The minstrel played a brief -prelude on his harp in the Dorian or martial mood,[31] and then began: - - "Swell the song of praise again; - Other boons demand my strain, - Other blessings we inherit, - Granted by the mighty spirit; - On the sea and on the shore, - Ours the bridle and the oar. - Son of Chronos old whose sway - Stormy winds and waves obey, - Thine be heaven's well-earned meed, - Tamer of the champing steed; - First he wore on Attic plain - Bit of steel and curbing rein. - Oft too, o'er the water blue, - Athens strains thy laboring crew; - Practiced hands the barks are plying, - Oars are bending, spray is flying, - Sunny waves beneath them glancing. - Sportive myriads round them dancing, - With their hundred feet in motion, - Twinkling 'mid the foam of ocean." - -He concluded amidst thunders of applause, the reference to the fleet -being especially rewarded with a purse from the host and a shower of -gold pieces from the guests. - -Other recitations followed, not all, it must be confessed, in so -elevated a strain; each was produced with a few bars of music -appropriate to its character. - -The next entertainment was of a less intellectual kind. Now dancers were -introduced into the room by the trainer who had taught them, and whose -slaves in fact they were. The man was a red-faced, bloated looking -creature, who, however, had been very active in his time, and could -still display a wonderful amount of agility when he was engaged in -teaching his pupils. The dancers were brother and sister, twins, and -curiously alike, though the boy was nearly a half-head taller, and -generally on a larger scale than the girl. The performance commenced -with a duet of the harps and the flute. The harp, a small instrument -not larger than a violin was played by the boy, the flute by a female -player, who had come into the room along with the dancers. After a while -the harp became silent, the flute continuing to give out a very marked -measure. To this the girl began to dance, whirling hoops into the air as -she moved, and catching them as they fell. Many were in the air at once, -and the girl neither made a single step out of time nor let a single -hoop fall to the ground. - -A more difficult and exciting performance followed. The flute-player -changed the character of her music. The Lydian measure which had been -admirably suited to the graceful steps of the dance gave place to the -swift Phrygian scale, wild and fantastic music such as might move the -devotees of Cybele or Dionysus to the mysterious duties of their -worship. At the same time an attendant of the trainer brought in a large -hoop, studded round its inner circle with pointed blades. The girl -commenced to dance again with steps that grew quicker and quicker with -the music, till, as it reached a climax of sound, she leapt through the -hoop. The flute-player paused for a moment, as the dancer turned to -recover her breath, her bosom rising and falling rapidly, and her eyes -flashing with excitement. Then the music and the dance began again, with -the same _crescendo_ of sound and motion, till the same culminating -point was reached, and the same perilous leap repeated. - -The spectators watched the scene with breathless interest; but it was an -exhibition that was scarcely suited to Greek taste. A Greek could be -even horribly cruel on occasions, but a cruel spectacle--and spectacles -that depend for their attraction on the danger to the performer are -critically cruel--offended their artistic taste. The company began to -feel a little uneasy, and Euctemon finally interrupted the festival when -after the second leap had been sucessfully accomplished he signed to the -flute-player to cease her music. - -"Child," he said to the dancer, "Aphrodite and the graces would never -forgive me, if you were to come to any harm in my house. It is enough; -you have shown us that no one could be more skilful or more graceful -than you." - -The boy and girl now performed together in what was called the Pyrrhic -or war dance. Each carried a light shield and spear, made of silvered -tin. They represented two warriors engaged in single combat. Each took -in turn the part of the assailant and the assailed, the one darting -forward the spear which had been carefully made incapable of doing any -harm, the other either receiving the blow upon his shield or avoiding it -with agile movements of the body.[32] The flute-player accompanied the -dance with a very lovely and spirited tune, while the company looked on -with the greatest admiration, so agile, so dexterous, and so invariably -graceful were the motions of the two dancers. - -When the boy and girl had retired, and while the guests were again -devoting themselves to the wine, Callias was accosted by a neighbor with -whose handsome features, characterized as they were by a gravity not -often seen in young Athenians, he was familiar, though he did not happen -ever to have made his acquaintance. - -"I am about to retire," said the stranger, "and if I may presume so -far, I would recommend you to do the same. Our host is hospitable and -generous, and has other virtues which I need not enumerate; but his -entertainments are apt to become after a certain hour in the night such -as no modest young man--and such from your face I judge you to be--would -willingly be present at. So far we have had an excellent and blameless -entertainment; but why not depart. What say you?" - -"That I am ready to go with you," answered Callias. "My friend Ctesiphon -brought me hither, and I know nothing of our host except the report of -his riches and liberality." "What! are you going?" cried the host, as -the two young men rose from their places. "Nay, but you are losing the -best part of the entertainment. It is but a short time to the first -watch when Lyricles will come with his troop of dancers. He says that -they are quite incomparable." - -"Nay, sir," said the young man who had spoken to Callias, "you must -excuse us." - -"Ah!" cried one of the guests, a young dandy, whose flushed face and -flower-garland set awry on his forehead seemed to show that he had been -indulging too freely in his host's strong Chian wine, "'Tis old -Silverside. He pretends to be a young man; but I believe that he is -really older than my father. At least I know that the old gentleman is -far more lively. Come, Philip and Hermogenes," he went on addressing two -of his neighbors, "don't let us permit our pleasant party to be broken -up in this way." - -The three revellers started up from their places, and were ready to stop -the departing guests by force. But the host, who was still sober, and -was too much of a gentleman to allow annoyances of the kind to be -inflicted upon anyone in his house, interfered. - -"Nay, gentlemen," he cried, "I will put force on no man for if our -friends think that they can be better or more pleasantly employed -elsewhere, I can only wish them good night, and thank them for so much -of their company as they have been pleased to bestow upon us." - -The two, accordingly, made their escape without any further -interference. - -"Will you walk with me as far as my house," said Callias' companion to -him. "It lies in the Agræ.[33] The night is fine and I shall be glad of -your company." - -Callias cheerfully consented, and was glad that he had done so, so witty -and varied was his companions conversation. - -When they had reached their destination his new friend invited him to -enter. This he declined to do for the hour was late, and he wished to be -at home. - -"Well then," said the other, "we can at least meet again. This, you see, -is my house, and my name is Xenophon, the son of Gryllus." - -FOOTNOTES: - -[26] Persons who had rendered distinguished services to their country in -peace or war received, among other rewards, the privilege, lasting for -life, of dining in the Town hall. The city had no greater honor to -bestow. - -[27] It had brought about for a time the subjection of all the -Boeotian towns (Thebes only excepted) and of Phocis to Athens. - -[28] Myronides marched out with the citizens above and under the -military age--all the available force that was left at Athens at the -time--and won two victories, the first at Megara, the second and most -famous of the two at Oenophyta in Boeotia. - -[29] The old man was thinking of the Spartan offer to make peace after -the capture of the five hundred and ninety-two prisoners at Pylos (B. C. -425). Terms much more favorable might have been secured than were -obtained four years afterwards by the Peace of Nicias. Again, after the -defeat and death of the Spartan admiral Mindarus in B. C. 410 peace -might have been made, and the ruin of Athens probably postponed for many -years; but the people refused to enter into negotiations. - -[30] When the meal was ended the tables were not cleared, but removed. - -[31] There were three original moods in Greek music, the Dorian, -Phrygian, and Lydian. The last of these was in a major scale, and was -reckoned to be plaintive and effeminate. So Milton writes in -_L'Allegro_. - - "And ever against eating cares - Lap one in soft Lydian airs - Married to immortal verse; - Such as the melting soul may pierce - In notes with many a winding bout - Of linked sweetness long drawn out." - -The Dorian was in a minor scale, and was considered to be manly and -vigorous. Martial music was of this kind. So, to quote Milton again, we -have: - - "Anon they move - In perfect phalanx to the Dorian mood - Of flutes and soft melodies; such as raised - To heights of noblest temper heroes old - Coming to battle." - -The third, or Phrygian, was also minor, and was considered to be -suitable for sacrifices and other religious functions as being of an -ecstatic kind. There were combinations and modifications of these moods. -Readers who may desire to know more of the subject, should consult -Professor Mahaffy's _Rambles and Studies in Greece_, pp. 424-444 (3rd -edition). A more elaborate account may be found in Mr. Chappell's -History of Music. - -[32] So Hector in the single combat with Ajax. - -[33] A quarter of Athens south of the city on the Ilissus. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -SOCRATES. - - -Callias lost no time in cultivating the acquaintance of his new friend. -The very next day he called upon him at as early an hour as etiquette -permitted, and was lucky enough to find him at home. He had lately -returned, indeed, from drilling with the troop of Knights to which he -belonged, and was just finishing his breakfast, which had been delayed -till his military duties had been performed. - -"Will you drink a cup to our new friendship--if you will allow me to -call it so?" said Xenophon, to the young man as he entered the room. - -"Excuse me," replied Callias, "if I decline." - -"You are right," said Xenophon, "this is one of the offers which -formality commands us to make--whether rightly or wrongly, I cannot -say--but which I always myself refuse, and am glad to see refused by -others. But what will you? A game of koltabos, or a walk to the springs -of the Ilissus?" - -"Either," replied Callias, "would be agreeable, but first now I have set -my heart on something else. You are a disciple of Socrates, I am told. -Can you manage that I may have the privilege of hearing him? I have -never had the chance of doing so before." - -Xenophon's face brightened with pleasure when he heard the request. -"Excellent, my dear sir, you could not have suggested anything that -would have pleased me better. We shall certainly be good friends. I -always judge a man by what he thinks of Socrates. You are ready, I know, -to admire and love him, and I offer you my friendship in advance. Now -let us go and find him. It will not be difficult, for I know his ways -pretty well. There is a sacrifice in the Temple of Theseus, and he will -probably be there. There is no more diligent attendant at such -functions, and yet the fools and knaves say that he is an atheist. We -shall catch him just as he is leaving." - -The subject of conversation between the two young men as they walked -along was naturally the character of this philosopher whom they were -about to see. Callias had much to ask, and Xenophon had still more to -tell. - -"As you are going to see this man for the first time," said the latter, -"you will be interested in hearing how I first came to make his -acquaintance. It was about nine years ago, very soon, I remember, after -the first expedition sailed for Syracuse. I had been hearing a course of -lectures by Prodicus of Ceos, who was then all the fashion in Athens, -and was hurrying home to be in time for the midday meal. Socrates met us -in a narrow alley, and put his staff across it to bar the way. What a -strange figure he was, I thought. I had never seen him before, you must -know; for we had been living for some years on my father's estate in -Euboea. Certainly he looked more like a Silenus than an Apollo. -'Well,' my son, he said, looking at me with a smile that made him look -quite beautiful, 'can you tell me where a good tunic is to be -bought?' I thought it was an odd question, though certainly he might -want a tunic for himself, for his own was exceedingly shabby. However I -answered it to the best of my ability. 'And a good sword--where may that -be purchased?' That I told him also as well as I could. Some half-dozen -more things he asked me about, and I did my best to reply. At last he -said, 'Tell me then, my son, since you know so well where so many good -things are to be procured, tell me where the true gentleman[34] is to be -found?' That puzzled me exceedingly, and I could only lift my eyebrows -and shrug my shoulders. How could I answer such a question? Then he -said, 'follow me my son, and be taught.' I never went near Prodicus -again, you may be sure. My father was somewhat vexed, for he had paid a -quarter of a talent as fee for the course of lectures. However it did -not cost him anything, for Socrates will never take a fee. From that day -to this I have never missed an opportunity when I was not campaigning of -hearing him. But see there he is!" - -[Illustration: THE TEMPLE OF THESEUS.] - -Socrates was standing in the open space in front of the Temple of -Poseidon, with the customary group of listeners round him. As the two -young men came up the discussion which had been going on came to an end, -and the philosopher turned to greet the new comers. "Hail! Xenophon," he -cried, "and you, too, sir, for the friends of Xenophon are always -welcome." "You, sir," he went on addressing Callias, "are recently back -from the war; now tell me this." And he asked questions which showed -that military details were perfectly well known to him, better known to -him in fact than they were to Callias himself. These questions were -becoming a little perplexing, for Socrates had an inveterate habit of -driving into a corner, it may be said, every one with whom he conversed. -Luckily for Callias, another friend came up at the moment, and the great -examiner's attention was diverted. - -"Ho! Aristarchus," he cried to the new comer, "how fare you?" - -"But poorly, Socrates," was the reply. "Things are going very ill with -me." - -"And indeed," said the philosopher, "I thought that you had a somewhat -gloomy look. But tell me--what is your trouble? Xenophon here is your -kinsman, I know, and you will not mind speaking before him, and he will -answer for the discretion of his friend. Or would you prefer that we -should go apart and talk, for to that too, I doubt not, these two -gentlemen will consent?" - -"Nay," said the man who had been addressed as Aristarchus, "I am not -ashamed or unwilling to speak before Xenophon and his friend Callias, in -whom I have the pleasure of recognizing a kinsman of my own. For that -from which I am suffering, though it troubles me, has nothing shameful -in it." - -"Speak on then," said Socrates, "and, perhaps, among us we shall be able -to find some remedy for your trouble. For surely it is of some use to -share a burden if it be too heavy for one." - -"Listen then, Socrates," said Aristarchus, "I have been compelled for -kindred's sake to take into my home not a few ladies, sisters, and -nieces, and cousins, whose husbands or fathers, or other lawful -protectors, have either perished in the war, or have been banished. -There are fourteen of them in all. Now, as you know, nothing comes in -from my country estate, for who will farm that which at any time the -enemy may ravage? And from my houses in the city there comes but very -little, for how few are they who are able to pay rent? And no business -is being done in the city, nor can I borrow any money. Verily there is -more chance of finding money in the street, than of borrowing. O, -Socrates, 'tis a grievous thing to see my own flesh and blood perish of -hunger, and yet, when things are as they are, I cannot find food for so -many." - -"'Tis grievous indeed," said Socrates. "But tell me--how comes it to -pass that Keramon feeds many persons in his name, and yet can not only -provide what is needful for himself and his inmates, but has so much -over that he grows rich while you are afraid of perishing of hunger?" - -"Nay, Socrates, why ask such a question? The many persons whom he so -keeps are slaves, while the inmates of my house are free." - -"Which then, think you, are the worthier, your free persons, or -Keramon's slaves?" - -"Doubtless my free persons." - -"But, surely, it is a shame, that he having the less worthy should -prosper, and you with the more worthy, be in poverty." - -"Doubtless 'tis because his folk are artisans while mine have been -liberally educated." - -"By artisans you mean such as know how to make useful things." - -"Certainly." - -"Barley meal is a useful thing, for instance?" - -"Very much so." - -"And bread?" - -"Very much so." - -"And men's and women's cloaks, and short frocks, and mantles, and -vests?" - -"Very much so." - -"But your folk don't know how to make any of these things. Is it so?" - -"Nay, but they know how to make them all." - -"Do you not know then, how Nausicydes not only supports himself and his -household by making barley meal, and has become so rich that he is often -called upon to make special contributions to the State[35] and how -Coroelus, the baker, lives in fine style on the profits of -bread-making, and Demias on mantle-making, and Menon on cloak-making, -and nearly every one in Megara on the making of vests?" - -"That is very true, Socrates. But all these buy barbarians for slaves, -and make them work; but my people are free by birth and kinsfolk of my -own." - -"And because they are free and kinsfolk of yours must they do nothing -but eat and sleep? Do you suppose that other free people are happier -when they live in this indolent fashion, or when they employ themselves -in useful occupations? What about your kinsfolk, my friend? At present I -take it, you do not love them, and they do not love you, for you think -them a great trouble and loss to you, and they see that you feel them to -be a burden. It is only too likely that all natural affection will turn -under these circumstances to positive dislike. But if you will put them -in the way of making their own livelihood, every thing will go right; -you will have a kindly feeling for them because they will be helping -you, and they will have as much regard for you, because they will see -that you are pleased with them. They know, you say, how to do the things -that are a woman's becoming work; don't hesitate therefore to set them -in the way of doing it. I am sure that they will be glad enough to -follow." - -"By all the gods, Socrates, you are right. I dare say I could borrow a -little money to set the thing going; but to tell you the truth, I did -not like to run into debt, when all the money would simply be eaten. It -is a different thing, now that there will be a chance of paying it back, -and I have no doubt that there will be some way of managing it." - -Just at this point a little boy came up with a message for Socrates. "My -mistress bids me say," he cried in a somewhat undertone, "that the -dinner is waiting, and that you must come at once." "There are commands -which all must obey," said the philosopher with a smile, "and this is -one of them. And indeed it would be ungrateful to the excellent -Xanthippe, if after hearing she has taken so much pains to prepare one's -dinner, one was to refuse the very easy return of eating it. Farewell, -my friends." - -And the philosopher went his way. - -To Callias the conversation which he had just heard was peculiarly -interesting, because the theory in his family was that which was -probably accepted in almost every upper class house in Athens, that it -was a disgrace for a free-born woman to work for her living, and that -all handicrafts, even in those who constantly exercised them, were -degrading and lowering to the character. Xenophon already knew what his -master thought upon these points, but to his younger friend this "gospel -of work," as it may be called, was a positive revelation. He did not -value it even when, a few days later, he heard from Aristarchus that the -experiment had succeeded to admiration. "I only had to buy a few pounds -of wool," he said; "the women are as happy as queens, and I have not got -to think all day and night, but never find out, how to make both ends -meet." - -FOOTNOTES: - -[34] The "Kalokagathos" (literally handsome and good), combining the two -Greek ideals, beauty of mind and beauty of body. - -[35] See note page 22. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -THE MURDER OF THE GENERALS. - - -All this time a gloom had been settling down over the Athenian people. -The official despatch, which, as giving details of the loss in the late -engagement, was so anxiously expected, did not arrive; but quite enough -information to cause a very general anxiety came to hand in various -ways. Private letters from men serving with the fleet began to be -brought by merchantships; and not a few persons were found who had -talked or who professed to have talked with sailors and marines who had -taken part in the action. These written and oral accounts were indeed -far from being consistent with each other. Some were obviously -impossible; more were presumably exaggerated. But they were all agreed -in one point. Not only had there been a serious loss of ships and men -during the battle, but this loss had been grievously aggravated by the -casualties that had taken place after the battle. It was pretty clear, -unless the whole of these stories were fictitious, that the second loss -had been more fatal than the first. - -At last the long expected despatch arrived. It ran somewhat in this -fashion: - -"The victory which, by the favor of the gods and the good fortune of the -Athenian people, we lately won over the Spartans and their allies at -the Islands of Arginusæ has turned out to be no less important and -beneficial to the state than we had hoped it would be. The squadron of -the enemy that was blockading the harbor of Mitylene has disappeared: -nor indeed are any of his ships anywhere to be seen. Our fleet, on the -contrary, is stronger than it has been for some years past; and we are -daily receiving overtures of friendship from cities that have hitherto -been indifferent or hostile. But this success has not been achieved -without loss. The late battle was long and obstinately contested, and, -as has been mentioned in a former despatch, not a few of our ships were -either disabled or sunk. We did not neglect the duty of succoring the -crews of the vessels that had met with this ill-fortune, committing to -officers whom we knew to be competent, the task of giving such help and -assigning to them a sufficient number of ships. At the same time we did -not omit to make provision for a pursuit of the enemy. But unluckily -when the battle was but just finished, a storm arose so severe that we -could not either rescue our friends or pursue our enemy. These then -escaped, and those, or the greater part of them perished, having behaved -as brave men toward their country. Lists of those that have so died, so -far as their names are at present known, are sent herewith." - -In this official communication, it will be seen, no blame was laid on -any person. The weather, and the weather alone, was given as the cause -of the disaster that had occurred. But in their private communications -with friends at home the generals were not so reticent. They had -commissioned, they said, Theramenes and Thrasybulus to save the -shipwrecked men. If all that was possible had not been done to execute -this commission it was they and they only who were to be blamed. Such -words, even if they are intended only for the private reading of the -people to whom they are written, seldom fail sooner or later to get out. -In this case so many people were profoundly and personally interested in -the matter that they got out very soon. And, of course, among the first -persons whom they reached were the two incriminated officers, Theramenes -and Thrasybulus. It was a charge, hinted at if not exactly made, which -no man would allow to be made against him without at least an attempt to -refute it. Theramenes, who had come back on leave not many days after -the battle, at once bestirred himself in his own defense. He was an able -speaker, all the more able because he was utterly unscrupulous; and he -had a large following of personal friends and partisans. On the present -occasion he was reinforced by the many citizens who had lost relatives -or friends in the late engagement. These were furious and not without -some cause. What had been at first represented as a great victory had at -length turned out to be as fatal as a great defeat. They loudly demanded -a victim. Somebody, they said, must be punished for so scandalous, so -deadly a neglect. Theramenes had the advantage of being on the spot, and -of being able to guide these feelings in a way that suited his own -personal interests. "I was commissioned," he said, "to do the work; I do -not deny it. But the charge was given me when it was almost too late to -execute it, and I hadn't the proper means at hand. I could not get hold -of the ships that were told off for this task, or of the crews who -should have manned them. If one of the ten had come himself to help me, -things might have been different. As it was, the men either could not be -found, or refused to come. A subordinate must not be blamed for failing -in what ought to have been undertaken by a chief in command." - -These representations, in which, as has been seen, there was a certain -measure of truth, had a great effect. An assembly was held to consider -the contents of the second despatch, and at this it was resolved, with -scarcely an opposing voice, that the generals should be recalled. They -were publicly thanked for the victory which they had won, but they were -suspended, at least for the present, in their command, and successors -were sent out to replace them. Conon, as having been shut up at the time -in Mitylene, and being therefore manifestly clear of all blame in the -matter, was continued in office, and another of the ten had died. Eight, -therefore, were left to be affected by the decree. Of these eight two -determined not to run the risk of returning; the other six sailed at -once for home. Of these six Diomedon, about whom something has been said -already, was one. - -As soon as was practicable after their arrival at Athens, an assembly -was held and they were called upon for their defence. The chief speaker -against them was Theramenes. His colleague, Thrasybulus, stood by -apparently approving by his presence the charge that was brought but not -opening his mouth. One man among the accused men might have easily -secured his own safety at the expense of his colleagues. If Diomedon had -stood up and recapitulated the advice which he had given in the council -held after the battle; if he had affirmed what none of his fellows -would have been able to deny, "I urged you to make the rescue of the -imperilled crews your first business, to use for it all the means at -your disposal, and to undertake it yourselves," he must have been -triumphantly acquitted, but he was of too generous a temper thus to save -himself. He chose to stand or fall with his fellows. All, accordingly, -put forward the same defence, and it was in substance this: "We did what -seemed best in our judgment. We detailed for the duty of saving the -crews what we considered to be an adequate force, and put over it men -whom we knew to be competent. If Theramenes accuses us, we do not accuse -him. We believe that he was hindered from doing the duty intrusted to -him by the storm, and that if he had had double the number of ships, -even the whole fleet, at his disposal, he would have been no less -powerless to give the shipwrecked men any effectual help." - -There was a sincerity of tone about their defense which was just the -thing to win favor of such an audience as the Athenian assembly. There -were murmurs indeed. The friends and kinsfolk of the drowned men could -not endure to think that no one would be punished for what they believed -to be a shameful neglect. But the general applause drowned the -dissenting voices, and the friends of the accused began to hope that -they were safe. If there had been only a few more minutes of daylight, -such might have been the result. A show of hands was taken by the -presiding magistrate, and it was believed to be in favor of the accused, -but it was too dark to count; no regular decision could be made; and the -matter had to be adjourned to another meeting of the assembly. - -But now came another change in the impulsive, passionate temper of the -people. The next day or the next day but one was the first of the great -family festival of Athens, the Apaturia, a celebration something like -the Christmas Day or the New Year's Day of the modern world. It was one -of the most cherished, as it was one of the most ancient of the national -festivals. All the great Ionic race, with scarcely an exception, kept -it, and had kept it from times running back far beyond history. The -family annals were now, so to speak, made up, and consecrated by a -solemn association with the past. If a marriage had been celebrated in -the family during the year it was now formally registered; if a son of -the house had reached his majority his name was now entered upon the -roll. These formalities were duly marked by customary sacrificing and -sacrifices were accompanied, as always in the ancient world, by -festivities. But family festivities are apt, as most of us know only too -well, to be marred by melancholy associations. It is delightful to greet -those that remain, but what of those who are gone? And so it had been -year after year, since the day when Athens embarked on the fatal war -which for nearly thirty years drained her resources. So it was, in a -special way, in the year of which I am writing. The men whom Athens had -lost were not hired servants but sons. Every one, the slaves only -excepted, left an empty place in some family gathering. And now for the -first time the city realized the greatness of her loss. The numbers had -been known before; but numbers, however startling, do not impress the -mind like visible facts, and now the visible facts were before the eyes -of all. The streets were filled with men and women in mourning garb, -for the families which had suffered individually assumed it. It seemed -as if almost every passer by had lost a kinsman. There could scarcely -have been any such proportion of mourners, but any uniform garb renders -the impression of being much more numerously worn than is really the -case. - -And there can be but little doubt that the demonstration was purposely -exaggerated. For now came in the sinister influence of political strife, -which since the oligarchical revolution of five years before had grown -more than ever bitter and intense. The accused leaders belonged to the -party of moderate aristocrats; a party loyal to the democratic -constitution of Athens, but disposed to interpret its provisions in a -conservative sense. The oligarchy hated them, and Theramenes had been an -oligarchical conspirator before, and was about to be again. And the -extremists on the other side hated them. Between the two a plot was -concocted. Men who had no kinsfolk among the lost soldiers and sailors -were bribed or otherwise persuaded to behave as if they had,[36] to come -into the streets with black clothes and shaven heads, and to swell the -numbers of the mourners, thus increasing the popular excitement. - -Strangely enough it was the senate, the upper chamber of the Athenian -constitution that first gave this excitement an expression. At the first -meeting after the festival, Callixenus, a creature of Theramenes--the -man himself was probably too notorious to take an active part--proposed -a resolution which ran as follows: - -"For as much as both the parties in this case, to wit, the prosecutor, -on the one hand, and the accused, on the other were heard in the late -assembly, it seems good to us that the Athenian people now vote on the -matter by their tribes, there being provided for each tribe two urns, -and that the public crier make proclamation as follows in the hearing of -each tribe: 'Let every one who finds the generals guilty of not rescuing -the heroes of the late sea fight deposit his vote in Urn No. 1. Let him -who is of the contrary opinion deposit his vote in Urn No. 2.' -Furthermore it seems good to us, that, if the aforesaid generals be -found guilty, death should be the penalty; that they should be handed -over to the Eleven,[37] and their property confiscated to the state, -excepting a tenth part, which falls to the goddess [Athene]." - -The Senate passed this resolution, though there was a strong minority -that protested against it. The assembly was held next day, and -Callixenus came forward again and proposed his resolution as having -received the senate's sanction. - -It was received with a roar of approval from the majority. But there -were some honest men who were not inclined to sanction a proceeding so -grossly illegal, for such indeed it was. One of them, Euryptolemus by -name, rose in his place, and spoke: - -"There is an enactment which for many years has been observed by the -people of Athens for the due protection of persons accused of crime. By -this enactment it is provided that every person so accused shall be -tried separately, and shall have proper time allowed him for the -preparation of his defence. Seeing then that the resolution just -proposed to the assembly contravenes this enactment by providing that -the accused persons should be tried altogether and without such -allowance of due time, I hereby give notice that I shall indict -Callixenus its proposer for unconstitutional action." - -A tremendous uproar followed the utterance of these words. "Who shall -hinder us from avenging the dead?" cried one man. "Shall this pedant -with his indictment stand between the Athenian people and their desire -to do justice?" shouted another. But the excitement rose to its height -when a man clad as a mariner forced his way through the crowded meeting, -and struggled by the help of his companions into the _Bema_, the -platform or hustings of the place of assembly. - -It was a strange figure to stand in that place from which some of the -famous orators and statesmen of the world had addressed their -countrymen. He was evidently of the lowest rank. His dress was ragged -and soiled. His voice, when he spoke, was rough and uncultured. Yet not -Pericles himself who so often speaking from that place - - "Had swayed at will that fierce democracy," - -ever spoke with more effect. - -"Men of Athens," he cried, "I was on the _Cheiron_. I was run down by a -Corinthian ship just before the battle came to an end. The _Cheiron_ -sank immediately; I went down with her, but managed to get free, and -came up again to the surface of the water. I saw a meal-tub floating by -me, and caught hold of it. Some ten or twelve men were near me. They -kept themselves up for a time by swimming, but sank one by one. I spoke -to several of them, and bade them keep up their spirits, because the -admirals would be sure to rescue us. No help came. At last only one was -left. He was my brother-in-law. I made him lay hold of the other side of -the meal-tub; but it was not big enough to keep us both up. He let go of -it again. He said to me 'Agathon'--that is my name--'you have a wife and -children; I am alone. Bid them remember me; and tell the men of Athens -that we have done our best in fighting for our country, and that the -admirals have left us to perish.'" - -Was the man telling the truth, or was he one of those historic liars -that have made themselves famous or infamous for all time by the -magnitude of the fictions that they have invented just at the critical -time when men were most ready to accept them.[38] - -Whether it was true or false, the story roused the people to absolute -fury. Thousands stood up in their places and shook their fists at the -accused, and at the orators who had spoken in their favor, while they -screamed at the top of their voices, "Death to the generals! death to -the murderers!" - -A momentary silence fell upon the excited crowd when a well-known orator -of the intense democratic party threw himself into the hustings. - -"I propose that the names of Euryptolemus and of all those who have -given notice of the indicting Callixenus be added to the names of the -accused generals, and be voted upon in the same way for life and death." - - -The speaker added no arguments; and the roars of approval that went up -from the assembly showed sufficiently that no arguments were needed. The -advocates of constitutional practice were cowed. It was only too plain -that to persist would surely be to meet themselves the fate of the -accused. Euryptolemus was a brave man, and as we shall soon see, did not -intend to desert his friends; but for the present he gave way. "I -withdraw my notice," he cried, reflecting doubtless that he could renew -it when the people should become more ready to listen to reason and -justice. But there was still another constitutional bulwark to be thrown -down. The presiding magistrates refused to put the motion to the -assembly. Their chief (or chairman as we should call him) rose in his -place. He was pale and agitated, and his voice could not be heard beyond -the benches nearest to him when he said, "The motion of Callixenus is -against the laws, and we cannot put it to the assembly." - -"They refuse! they refuse!" was the cry that went from mouth to mouth. -Again the rage of the multitude rose to boiling point, and again the -popular orator saw his opportunity. - -"I propose," he said, appearing again in the hustings, "that the names -of the presiding magistrates be added to those of the accused in the -voting for life and death." - -A shout of approval more vehement than ever greeted this announcement. -Once more the policy of concession, or shall we say of cowardice -prevailed. The magistrates conversed a few moments in hurried whispers, -and then advanced to the railings in front of their seats. It was -immediately seen that they had yielded, and loud applause followed. -"Hail to the popular magistrates! Hail to the friends of the people!" -was the universal cry. But one was still sitting in his place. His -colleagues turned back to bring him. They talked, they gesticulated, -they laid hold of him by the arms; they were trying to force him out of -his seat. He heeded them not; to all persuasion he returned the same -answer: "I am set to administer the laws, and will do nothing that is -contrary to them." The most of the house could, of course, hear nothing -of what was being said; but they could see plainly what had happened. -"Socrates refuses! Socrates refuses!" was now the cry, followed by -shouts of "Death to Socrates!" "Death to the blasphemer! death to the -atheist!" - -The philosopher sat unmoved, and his colleagues made no further attempt -to persuade him. They took what was, perhaps, the only possible course -under the circumstances--for they had not all the martyr-like temper of -Socrates--and put the question without him. It was carried by a large -majority. - -The presiding magistrate, having announced the result of the vote, went -on: "Seeing that it has seemed good to the Athenian people to try the -generals accused of negligence in saving the lives of citizens, the said -generals are hereby put upon their trial. If they, or any citizen on -their behalf, wish to address the assembly, let them or him speak." - -It might have been thought that the furious crowd which had been ready -to overpower with violence the advocates of constitutional practice -would have howled down any who dared to advocate so unpopular a cause. -But it was not so. The majority, having swept away, as they thought, -the trammels of technicality, in their eagerness for justice, had no -wish to disregard justice by refusing a hearing to persons on their -defense. Whatever the faults of the Athenian democracy, it was at least -ready to hear both sides. When therefore Euryptolemus rose to address -the assembly on behalf of the generals, an instantaneous silence -followed; nor was he interrupted during the delivery of his speech -except, it may be, by occasional murmurs of approval. He spoke as -follows: - -"Men of Athens, I have three things to do now that I address you. First, -I have to blame in some degree my dear friend and kinsman Pericles, and -my friend Diomedon; second, I have to plead somewhat on their behalf; -third, I have to give you such advice as will in my judgment best -advantage Athens. I blame them because they, through their generous -temper, have taken upon themselves the fault which, if it exists, lies -upon others. For indeed what happened after the battle was this: -Diomedon advised that the whole fleet should proceed to the relief of -the disabled ships and their crews. Herasinides counselled that the -whole fleet should be sent in pursuit of the enemy. Meranylus declared -that both duties might be discharged together, part being sent against -the enemy, and part to help the shipwrecked men. And this last course -was actually taken. Forty-seven ships were told off for this duty. -Three, that is, from each of the eight divisions, ten belong to private -captains, ten that were from Samos, and three that belonged to the -commander-in-chief. And three ships were committed to the charge of -Thrasybulus and Theramenes, the very men who now bring these charges -against the accused. Yet these men I do not even now, on behalf of the -generals, myself accuse. I allow that the violence of the storm -prevented them from executing this order which had been given them. - -"So far then, men of Athens, do I blame the accused, and I do plead for -them. And now let me venture to give you some advice. Give these men -time, if it be but one day only, to make their defence. You know that -there is yet a form of law by which it is enacted: 'If any person hath -aggrieved the people of Athens, he shall be imprisoned and brought to a -trial before the people; and in case he be convicted, he shall be put to -death and thrown into the pit, his goods and chattels to be confiscated -to the state, reserving a tenth part for the goddess.' By this law try -the accused. Give to each a separate day and try them in due order. So -will you judge them according to the law, and not seem, as verily you -will seem if you adopt the resolution of Callixenus, to be allies of the -Lacedæmonians, by putting to death the very men who have taken twenty of -their ships. - -"Why indeed are you in such vehement haste? Are you afraid to lose your -hold of life and death? That right no one doubts or threatens. Should -you not rather be afraid lest you put an innocent man to death? One man -do I say, nay many innocent men? And lest, afterwards repenting of your -deed, you shall reflect how ill and unjustly you have acted? Forbid it, -ye gods, that the Athenians should do any such thing. Take care, -therefore, I implore you, that you, being successful, do not act as they -often act, who are on the brink of despair and ruin. Only those who are -without hope insult the gods; yet somehow you will insult them, if -instead of submitting to them on points that are subject to their will -alone, you condemn those men who failed because it was the pleasure of -the gods that they should fail. You would do more justly if you honor -these men with crowns of victory rather than visit them with this -punishment of death." - -A visible effect was produced by this speech. That the republic should -put to death its successful generals almost in the moment of victory -seemed to many to be the very height of folly, even of impiety. The gods -had favored these men. To lay hands upon them would be an insult to -heaven. But supposing they had erred, would it be well for the state to -deprive itself of the services of its most skillful servants? This -seemed the common sense view. The question was: would it prevail against -the sticklers for law, those who were hardened by the sense of personal -loss, and the unscrupulous partisans who were ready to seize any pretext -for destroying political opponents? The voters filed past the balloting -urns, and dropped their votes as they passed. No one could guess what -the result would be, for no one could watch more than one of the ten -pairs of urns--a pair to each tribe--which were placed to receive the -suffrages. The process took no little time, and then when it was -finished, there was the counting, also a long and tedious process. It -was almost dark when the tables were finished. - -In the midst of a profound silence the presiding magistrate stood up. It -was now dark, and his figure was thrown into striking relief by the -lamps with the help of which the votes had been counted. He read the -numbers from a small slip of paper.[39] "There have voted," he said, -"for condemnation 3254, for acquittal 3102." - -The sensation produced by the announcement was intense. Not a few who -had voted 'guilty' already half repented of what they had done. Indeed -the reaction which ended in the banishment and ultimately the death by -starvation of the author of the proposal may be said to have begun at -that moment. The general excitement rose to a still higher pitch when -the officers of the Eleven, the magistrates to whose custody condemned -criminals were handed, were seen making their way, lighted by slaves -holding torches, to the place where the accused were sitting. There was -not one of the six whose features were not familiar to many in the -assembly. More than one had tendered distinguished service to Athens; -and one, Pericles, son of the great statesman by Aspasia, bore a name -which no Athenian could pronounce without some emotion of pride and -gratitude. It so happened that it was he on whom the officers laid -hands. Something like a groan went up from the crowd; but it was too -late to undo what they had done, and it was too early for the repentance -that had already begun to work to have any practical effect. The six -were led off to immediate execution. - -Callias anxious to say a few words of farewell to his friend and kinsman -Diomedon had hurried round, as soon as he heard the announcement of the -numbers, to the door by which he knew the condemned would be taken from -the place of assembly. The president of the Eleven who was conducting -the matter in person, as became an occasion so important, allowed a -brief interview. - -The young man was so overcome with grief that he could only throw -himself into the arms of his friend and cling to him in speechless -agony. Diomedon, on the contrary, was perfectly calm and collected. "My -son," he said, "this has ended as badly as I thought that it would--you -will remember what I said to you after the battle. For myself, this that -I am about to suffer is scarcely a thing to be lamented. It is hard -indeed to have such a return for my services to Athens; and I would -gladly have served her again. It has not so seemed good to the -Athenians. Let it be so. I am delivered from trouble to come. I would -not have fled from them willingly, but if my countrymen compel me, why -should I complain? That at least Socrates has taught me not to do. And -this day has at least brought this good, that no one can doubt hereafter -that he believes what he says. For you, my son, I have but one word. Do -not despair of your country. A grateful child pays his dues of nurture -even to an impassive mother. And now farewell!" - -An hour afterwards he and his colleagues were lying mangled corpses at -the bottom of the pit.[40] - -FOOTNOTES: - -[36] Xenophon, who was probably in Athens at the time, positively -asserts that this was done, and I cannot think that the arguments of Mr. -Grote countervail his authority. - -[37] The "Eleven" were commissioners of police who had, besides the -charge of the guardians of public order, the care of the prisoners, and -the custody of criminals. - -[38] One of the most notorious instances in modern times was that of the -Tartar who after the battle of the Alma invented the news that -Sebastopol was taken. The report was almost universally believed in -England for some days, and the contradiction of it caused the bitterest -disappointment. - -[39] Paper made from the rind of the _papyrus_, a reed which grew in the -Nile and which the Egyptians knew by the name of _Byblos_ (hence our -'bible'). Parchment in its present form did not become common till much -later than this time (even B. C. 150), though skin seems to have been -used for writing. For ordinary purposes paper was used. - -[40] Mr. Grote says that the condemned generals drank hemlock but it is -evident from the report of Euryptolemus which is substantially taken -from Xenophon's report that the mode of execution for persons condemned -under such charges as that brought against the generals was by being -thrown into the Pit. This place was called the _Barathron_ and was -within the city walls and was a deep pit with hooks fastened into the -walls. The officer in charge of it was called "The Man of the Pit." - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -RESCUED. - - -The execution of the generals was a blow of such severity that Callias -was absolutely prostrated by it. As a patriotic Athenian he felt -overwhelmed both with shame and with despair. That his country should be -capable of such ingratitude and folly, should allow private revenge or -party spite to deprive her of the generals who could lead her troops to -victory made it impossible to hope. The end must be near, for the gods -must have smitten her with the madness which they send upon those whom -they are determined to destroy. And then he had loved Diomedon almost as -a son loves a father. Left an orphan at an early age he had found in -this kinsman an affectionate and loyal guardian; and he had made his -first acquaintance with war under his auspices. He had in him a friend -whom he felt it would be quite impossible to replace. - -For some days Callias remained in strict seclusion at home, refusing all -visitors, and, in fact, seeing no one, except the aged house-steward, -who had been now the faithful servant and friend of three generations of -his family. Even when Hippocles himself, on the fifth day after the -disastrous meeting of the assembly, sent in an urgent request that he -might be allowed to see him, the steward was directed to meet him with -the same refusal. The old man contrary to his custom of prompt and -unhesitating obedience, lingered in the room after he had received this -answer, and was obviously anxious to speak. "Well! Lycides," said the -young man, his attention attracted even in the midst of his -preoccupation by this unusual circumstance, "What is it? What do you -want?" - -"It would be well, sir," replied the man, "if you would see the worthy -Hippocles. He declares that the affair of which he is come is one of the -very highest importance." - -Callias simply shook his head. - -The steward began again, "Oh! sir--" - -Callius interrupted him. "You are an old man, and a friend whom my -father and my grandfather trusted, and I would not say a harsh word to -you. But if you will not leave the room, I must." - -The old man's eyes filled with tears. He had never heard his young -master speak in such a tone before. Still he would not go, without -making another effort. - -He rapidly advanced to where his master was sitting, his face buried in -his hands, and throwing himself on the ground, caught the young man by -the knees. - -"Listen, sir," he cried, "I implore you, by the gods, and by the memory -of your father and your grandfather, who both died in my arms." - -"Speak on," cried Callias. "It seems I am not my own master any longer." - -"Oh! sir," the old man continued, "your liberty, your life is in -danger." - -These words, uttered as they were in a tone of conviction that could -not be mistaken, startled the young man out of the indifference which -his profound depression had hardened. - -"What do you mean?" he cried. - -"I have known it since yesterday at noon," the steward replied, "and -have been anxiously thinking over with myself how I could best make it -known to you. And now Hippocles has come to say the same thing. For the -sake of all the gods, trust and listen to what he has to tell you." - -"Bring him in, if you will have it so," said Callias. - -Hippocles came into the room with outstretched hands and caught the -young man in a close embrace. The warmth and tenderness of this greeting -had the happiest result. Callias was moved from the stupor of grief -which had overwhelmed him. Bowing his head on his friend's shoulder, he -burst into a passion of tears,--for tears were a relief which the most -heroic souls of the ancient world did not refuse to themselves. His -friend allowed his feelings to express themselves without restraint, and -then as the violence of the young man's emotion began to subside, he put -in a few words, instinct with heartfelt sympathy, about the friend whom -they had lost. Thus, with his usual tact, he waited for Callias himself -to open the subject in which he now felt sure his interest had been -aroused. It was soon after that the young man asked: "What is this that -old Lycides has been saying about my liberty and life being in danger? -He has known it, he says, since yesterday, and you know it too. What can -he mean?" - -"He is quite right," replied Hippocles. "He knows something and I know -something. Now listen. Your parting with Diomedon was observed. The men -who murdered him--and by all the gods! there never was a fouler murder -done in Athens--cannot but look for vengeance to come upon them. To -avoid it or to postpone it they will stick at nothing. No near friend or -relative of their victims is safe. I know--for I have friends in places -you would not think--mark you, I _know_ that your name is among those -who will be accused in the next assembly." - -"Accused," cried Callias, "accused of what? Of being bound by kindred -and affection to one of the noblest of men. By heavens! let them accuse -me. I should glory to stand and defend myself on such a charge. If I -could only tell that villain Theramenes what I think of him I should be -afraid of nothing." - -"That is exactly what I thought you would say," replied Hippocles, "nor -can I blame you. But have patience. Theramenes will get his deserts if -there are gods in heaven and furies in hell. But have patience. Leave -his punishment to them. But meanwhile don't give him the chance of -burdening his soul with another crime." - -"What would you have me do then?" asked Callias. - -"Fly from Athens," replied his older friend. - -"What! fly, and leave these traitors and murderers to enjoy their -triumph! Not so; not if I were to die to-morrow." - -"My dear young friend, you will help your country, which, in spite of -all her faults, you wish, I presume, to serve, and avenge your friends -all the more surely if you will yield to the necessities of the time." - -"Don't press me any further: it would be a dishonor to me to leave -Athens now." - -The argument was continued for some time longer; but Hippocles could not -flatter himself with the idea that he had made any impression. At last -he seemed to abandon the attempt. - -"Well," he said, "a willful man must have his way. I can only hope that -you will never live to repent it. But you will not refuse to come and -see us--my daughter adds her invitation to mine--you will not be so -ungallant as to refuse." - -"No, I should not think of refusing," said Callias. "You have called me -back to life. I thought that my heart would have burnt with grief and -rage. You can't imagine what your sympathy is to me." - -"Well," said Hippocles, "show your gratitude by dining with us -to-night." - -Callias promised that he would, and accordingly at the time appointed -presented himself at the merchant's house. - -After dinner the discussion was resumed. Hippocles and Hermione urged -all the arguments that they knew to persuade the young man to think of -his own safety, but they urged in vain. - -"No!" said the young man, as he rose to take his leave, "no, I thank you -for your care for me, but your advice I may not follow. I refuse to -believe that the Athenian people can keep the the base and ungrateful -temper which they showed the other day. It was the madness of an hour, -and they must have repented of it long ago. If they have not, then an -honest man who happens to be born into this citizenship had best die. -Athens is no place for him. Anyhow, I shall try, at the very next -assembly, unless I can get some other and abler man than I am to do it -for me, to indict Callixenus for unconstitutional practices. Did I pass -by this occasion of vengeance, the blood of Diomedon and his brave -colleagues might well cry out of the ground against me." - -Several days passed without any disturbing incident. Callias had -warnings indeed. Mysterious letters were brought to him, bidding him -beware of dangers that were imminent; more than one stranger who found -him in the streets let fall, it seemed by the merest accident, words -that could not but be meant to give a warning; friends spoke openly to -the same effect; but the young man remained unmoved. At the table of -Hippocles, where he was a frequent guest, the subject was dropped. It -seemed to be conceded by common consent that Callias was to have his own -way. - -He was returning to his home in the upper city from the Piraeus on a -dark and stormy night, picking his way under the shelter of one of the -Long Walls[41] when he felt himself suddenly seized from behind. So -suddenly and so skilfully made was the attack that in an instant the -young man, though sufficiently active and vigorous, was reduced to -absolute helplessness. His arms were fastened to his side; his legs -pinioned; his eyes blindfolded, and a gag thrust into his mouth. All -this was done without any unnecessary violence, but with a firmness that -made resistance impossible. The young man then felt himself lifted on to -some conveyance which had been waiting, it seemed, in the neighborhood, -and driven rapidly in a northerly direction. So much the prisoner could -guess from feeling the wind which he knew had been coming from the east, -blowing upon his right cheek. After being driven rapidly for a few -minutes the gag was removed with an apology for the necessity that had -compelled its use. The journey was continued with unabated and even -increased rapidity, the lash, as Callias' ear told him, being freely -used to urge the animals to their full speed. Before long the sound of -the waves breaking upon the shore could be distinctly heard above the -clatter of the horses' hoofs and the grinding of the chariot wheels upon -the road. Then came a stoppage. The prisoner was lifted from his seat -and put on board what he guessed to be a small boat. He felt that this -was pushed out from the land, that it began by making fair progress, and -that not long after starting, when it had passed, as he conjectured -beyond the shelter of some bay or promontory, it began to meet bad -weather. The waves were breaking, it was easy to tell, over the boat, in -which the water was rising in spite of the efforts of the men who were -busy bailing to keep it under. It was time for our hero to speak; so -busy were the sailors in struggling with their difficulties, that they -might easily have forgotten their prisoner, and let him go to the bottom -like a stone. - -"Friends," he cried, "you had best let me help you and myself." - -"By Poseidon! I had forgotten him," he heard one of the men cry. "If he -drowns there will be no profit to us in floating." A consultation -carried on in low, rapid whispers followed. It ended in the prisoner's -bonds being severed, and the bandage being removed from his eyes. - -When the situation became visible to the young Athenian it was certainly -far from encouraging. The boat was low in the water, and was getting -lower. It was evident that it could not live more than a few minutes -more. The night was dark, and the sea so high that even the most expert -swimmer could not expect to survive very long. The only hope seemed to -lie in the chance of being blown ashore. But obviously the first thing -to be done was to prepare for a swim. Callias, accordingly, threw off -his upper garment and untied his sandals. This done he waited for the -end. - -It was not long in coming. The boat was too low in the water to rise to -the waves, and one of unusual size now broke over and swamped it, -immersing the crew, who numbered nine persons including Callias. Happily -they were good swimmers, and if speedy help were to come, might hope to -escape. And, luckily, help was nearer than any of them had hoped. A -light became visible in the darkness; and the swimmers shouted in -concert to let the new comers know of their whereabouts. An answering -shout came from the galley, for as may be supposed, it was a galley that -carried the light. "Be of good cheer," shouted a voice which Callias -thought that he recognized. The swimmers shouted in answer, and felt new -hope and new life infused into them. But the rescue was no easy task. -Each man in turn had to fasten under his armpits a rope with a noose at -the end which was thrown to him, and was then drawn up the side of the -galley. This took time. Some of the men found it hard to do their part -of the work, and so delayed the rescue of the others. By the time that -Callias was reached, and he was the last of the nine, he was almost -beyond the reach of help. By one supreme effort, however, he managed to -slip the rope about him. As he was dragged on to the deck the last -conscious impression that he had--and so strange was it that he thought -it must be a dream--was the face of Hermione bent over him with an -expression of intense anxiety. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[41] The "Long Walls" ran from Athens down to its chief harbor the -Piraeus. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -THE VOYAGE OF THE SKYLARK. - - -It was not long before Callias recovered his consciousness; but he was -so worn out by excitement and fatigue, coming as they did after the -exhausting emotions through which he had passed since the death of the -generals, that he found it impossible to rouse himself to any exertion. -The yacht, which as my readers will have guessed was that excellent -sea-boat the _Skylark_, had never been in any danger, though she had had -to be very skillfully handled while she was engaged in picking up the -swimmers. This task accomplished, her head was put northward, and before -very long she had gained the shelter of Euboea. Callias guessed as -much when he found that she ceased to roll, and gladly resigned himself -to the slumber against which he had hitherto done his best to struggle. -He slept late into the morning; indeed it wanted only an hour of noon -when at last he opened his eyes. The first object that they fell upon -was the figure of Hippocles, who was sitting by the side of his berth. - -"Then it was not a dream," said the young man. "I thought I saw your -daughter on board last night, but could not believe my eyes." - -"Yes, she is on board," said Hippocles, with a slight smile playing -about the corners of his mouth. - -"But tell me what it all means. I was seized in the streets of Athens, -pinioned, blindfolded, and gagged. I was carried off I know not where, -thrown into a boat, as nearly as possible drowned, and now, when I come -to myself, I see you. Surely I have a right to ask what it means." - -"My dear Callias," replied Hippocles, "I have always tried to be your -friend, as it was my priviledge to be your father's before you. You will -allow so much?" - -"Certainly," said the young man. "I shall never forget how much I owe -you." - -"Well, then, trust me for an hour. I will not ask you to do anything -more. If you are not fully satisfied then, I will make you any redress -that you may demand. I know that you have a right to ask for it. I -know," he added with an air of proud humility that sat very well upon -him, "that Hippocles the Alien is asking a great favor when he makes -such a request of Callias the Eupatrid,[42] but believe me I do not ask -it without a reason." - -The young Athenian could do nothing else than consent to a request so -reasonable. Some irritation he felt, for there was no doubt in his mind -that Hippocles had had something to do with the violence to which he had -been subjected. The intention, however, had been manifestly friendly, -and there might be something to tell which would change annoyance into -gratitude. - -A sailor now brought him some refreshment, and when this had been -disposed of, another furnished him with some clothing. His own, it will -be remembered, he had thrown away, when preparing to swim for his life. -His toilet completed, he came up on deck and found Hippocles and his -daughter seated near the stern. Both rose to greet him. He could not -fail to observe that Hermione was pale and agitated. The frank -friendliness of her old manner, which, blended as it had been with a -perfect maidenly modesty, had been inexpressibly charming, had -disappeared. She was now timid and hesitating. She could not lift her -eyes when she acknowleged his greeting. He could even see that she -trembled. - -The young man stood astonished and perplexed. What was this strange -reserve of which he had never before seen a trace? Was there anything in -himself that had caused it? Had he--so he asked himself, being a modest -young fellow and ready to lay the blame on his own shoulders--had he -given any offence? - -"Tell him the story, father," she said, after an anxious pause during -which her agitation manifestly increased, "tell him the story. I feel -that I cannot speak." - -"My little girl has a confession to make. In a word, it is her doing -that you are here to-day." - -"Her doing that I am here to-day," echoed Callias, his astonishment -giving a certain harshness to his voice. - -The girl burst into tears. Callias stepped forward, and would have -caught her hand. She drew back. - -"Tell him, father, tell him all," she whispered again in an agitated -voice. - -"Well then," said her father, "if I must confess your misdeeds, I will -speak. You know," he went on addressing himself to the young Athenian, -"you know how we vainly sought to persuade you to leave Athens. I had a -better and stronger reason for speaking as I did than I could tell you. -From private information, the source of which I could not divulge, if -you had asked it, as you probably would have done, I had found out that -you were in the most serious danger. Not only were you to be -arrested--so much you know--but having been arrested, you were to be put -out of the way. You talked of answering for yourself before the -assembly, even of accusing your enemies and the men who murdered your -friends. You never would have had the chance. There are diseases -strangely sudden and fatal to which prisoners are liable, and there was -only too much reason to fear that you would be attacked by one of them. -There are other poisons, you know, besides the hemlock, which the state -administers to the condemned, and an adverse verdict is not always -wanted before they are given. Well; we were at our wits' end. You were -obstinate--pardon me for using the word--and I would not tell you the -whole truth. Even if I had, it was doubtful, in the temper of mind you -were in, whether you would have believed me. Then Hermione here came to -the rescue. 'We must save him,' she cried, 'against his will.' 'How can -we do that?' I asked; and I assure you that I had not the least idea of -what she meant. 'You must contrive to carry him off to some safe place.' -I was astonished. 'What!' I said, 'a free citizen of Athens.' 'What will -that help him, with the men who are plotting to take his life?' she -answered. Then she told me her plan. I need not describe it to you. It -was carried out exactly. Now can you forgive her?" - -"Oh! lady"--the young man began. - -"Stop a moment," cried Hippocles. "I have something more to say, before -you pronounce your judgment. You must take into account that if she has -erred, she has already suffered." - -"Oh! father," interrupted the girl, "it is enough; say nothing more. I -am ready to bear the blame." - -And she sank back into her seat and covered her face with her mantle. - -Hippocles went on: "I say she has suffered. We did not reckon on that -unlucky wind. It was bad enough to have carried you off against your -will; but when it seemed that we might drown you as well, that looked -serious. I was not much afraid, myself. I felt pretty sure that we -should be able to pick you up. But still there was a chance of something -going wrong. And she, of course, felt responsible for it all. It was -true that it was the only way of saving you--that, I swear by Zeus and -Athene, and all the gods above and below, is the simple, literal -fact--but still, I must own, it was a trying moment, and if anything -_had_ happened--Then you were the last to be picked up, and just at the -last moment, something went wrong. The clumsy fellow at the helm--I -ought to have been there myself, but I wanted to help in getting you on -board--the clumsy fellow at the helm, I say, gave us a wrong turn. We -should have had a world of trouble in bringing the _Skylark_ about -again. Hermione saw it, sprang to the tiller, and put things right--I -have always taught her how to steer. So you really owe her something for -that. I don't exactly say that she saved your life, but you might have -been in the water a little longer than you liked. Well, it was trying to -the poor girl. I can imagine how she felt; but she bore up till we got -you on board. Then she fainted; for the very first time in her life, I -give you my word, for she is not given to that sort of thing. Now, say, -can you forgive her and us? We really did it for the best, and thanks to -Poseidon, it has ended pretty well, so far, after all." - -"This is no case for forgiveness," cried the young Athenian earnestly; -"it is a case of gratitude which I shall never exhaust as long as I -live. I am a headstrong young fool, a silly child, in fact, and you were -quite right in dealing with me as grown people must deal with a child, -help it and do it good against its will. Forgive me, lady," he went on, -and kneeling before her chair, he took one of her hands in his own, and -carried it to his lips. - -So far all was well. A bold achievement had ended happily, but the -situation was a little strained, to use a common phrase, and Callias, -like the well bred gentleman that he was, felt that it would be a relief -to the girl if it was brought to an end. Happily, too, at that moment -the ludicrous side of the affair struck him, and it was without any -affectation that he sprang to his feet and burst into a hearty laugh. - -"And now that you have captured me," he said, "what is your pleasure? -What are you going to do with me?" - -"You shall go where you please," said Hippocles. "Even if you want to -return to Athens I will not hinder you. But my plan is this, subject of -course, to your consent. Come with me as far as Thasus. I have business -there, to look after my vineyard, or rather the vintage. My people, I -find, are sadly apt to blunder about it. This will take me no little -time, and while I am engaged there, the _Skylark_ shall take you on to -Alcibiades' castle in Thrace. I was going to say that I would commend -you to him. But that will not be necessary. He is, you know, a distant -kinsman, and is hospitality itself. In my judgment he has had hard -usage. It would have been better for Athens, if she had trusted him -more. But all that is past. Meanwhile I think that his castle is the -safest place for you just now. You and he are very much in the same -case, I fancy. Athens has not treated either of you fairly and yet you -wish well to her." - -"Your plan seems a good one," replied Callias, "let me think it over for -a few hours. Anyhow you shall have my company as far as Thasus, if you -will accept it." - -Meanwhile the _Skylark_ was making headway gaily through the -well-sheltered waters that lie between Euboea and the mainland of -Greece. When the shelter ceased the wind had fallen, shifting at the -same time to the south-west. Nearly two hundred miles had yet to be -traversed before Thasus could be sighted, and this was accomplished -without accident or delay. The time of year was later than a Greek -seaman commonly chose for a voyage of any duration, for it was the -latter end of October, and the ninth of November was the extreme limit -of the sailing season.[43] Hippocles, however, was more venturesome in -this way than most of his contemporaries, and his confidence was -rewarded by a most pleasant and prosperous voyage. So blue were the -cloudless skies, so deep the answering color of the seas, that it was -only when the travellers saw the sunset tints on the forest-clad ridge -of Thasus--"the ass's back-bone laden with wood," as it was -called--that they remembered that summer had long since given place to -autumn. - -Two days were spent in a visit to the vineyard which Hippocles had come -to inspect, and then Callias, who had soon concluded to follow his -friend's advice, resumed his voyage. The course of the _Skylark_ was now -south-easterly. The voyage had all the interest of novelty for him, for -he had never before visited these waters. When the _Skylark_ started at -early dawn there was a mist which contracted the horizon. As this -cleared away under the increasing power of the sun the striking peak of -Samothrace became visible in the distance. All day its bold outlines -became more and more clearly defined. On the following morning--for the -good ship pursued her course all night--it had been left behind, but -another height, not less striking in appearance, and even more -interesting in its associations, the snow-capped Ida, at whose feet lay -the world-famed Trojan plains, took its place. As evening fell the -_Skylark_ was brought to land at the western end of the Hellespont, the -rapid current of which could be better encountered by the rowers when -they had been refreshed by a night's rest. Progress was now somewhat -slow; and it was on the afternoon of the fourth day after the start from -Thasus that the cliffs of Bisanthe and the northern shore of the -Propontis came in sight. This was our hero's destination, for it was -here that Alcibiades, after quitting Athens in the previous year, had -fixed his abode. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[42] The Eupatridae were the old aristocracy of Athens. Under the early -constitution they were the ruling castæ, and they always retained the -monopoly of certain religious offices. - -[43] "The seas are closed," says Vegetius in his treatise _De Re -Militari_, "from the ninth of November to the tenth of March." - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -ALCIBIADES. - - -The sun was just setting when the _Skylark_ cast anchor about two -hundred yards from the shore and opposite the castle with which the -loftiest point of the cliffs was crowned. The signal flag which the -captain ran up to his mast-head was answered by another from the castle, -and in a few minutes a boat was seen to start from a little quay which -had been built out into the sea at the foot of the cliff. Callias had -written a letter to Alcibiades in which he briefly described himself and -his errand, and Hippocles, though modestly depreciating the value of any -thing that he could say, had also written, at the young man's request, a -letter of introduction. These documents were handed over to the officer -in charge of the boat, and conveyed by him to the castle. After a very -short delay the boat returned again, this time in the charge of an -officer of obviously higher rank. This higher personage mounted the side -of the _Skylark_, and after giving a courteous greeting to Callias, -delivered to him an invitation from Alcibiades to make his castle his -home for as long a period as he might find it convenient to stay there, -explaining at the same time that his master would have come in person to -welcome his guest, if he had not been detained by business of importance -with a neighboring chief. The young Athenian's baggage--for he had been -liberally fitted out by the thoughtful and generous care of -Hippocles--was transferred to the boat, and in a few minutes more he had -set his foot on the landing-place. - -He had been speculating as he neared the shore, about the way in which -the castle was to be approached. An observer looking from the sea might -have thought that there was no way of getting to it except by scaling -the almost perpendicular base of the cliff. Once landed on the quay, -however, the traveller discovered that a passage had been cut through -the cliff. This passage, which could be closed at its lower end by a -massive door, was something like a winding staircase. It was somewhat -stifling and dark, though light and air were occasionally admitted by -holes bored to the outer surface of the rock. Its upper end opened in to -a courtyard round which the castle was built. The approach from the sea -was, it will have been seen, sufficiently secure. On that side indeed -the castle of Bisanthe was absolutely impregnable. From the land, it -was, to say the least, safely defensible. It was approached by one -narrow ridge, so formed that a few resolute men could hold it against a -numerous body of assailants. The walls were lofty and massive, and so -constructed that a galling fire of missiles could be kept up on either -flank of an attacking force. - -Callias was escorted to his chamber by a young Thracian slave, who -informed him in broken speech that a bath room in which he would find -hot and cold water was at his service, and further that his master hoped -to have the pleasure of his company at supper in an hour's time. The -chamber, it may be said, was furnished with a clepsydra, or -water-clock, marked with divisions.[44] - -Callias awaited his introduction to his host with no little curiosity. -Alcibiades was, as has been said, a kinsman of his own, and he had heard -of him--what Athenian, indeed, had not,--but he had never happened to -see him. Callias' father had been an aristocrat of the old-fashioned -type, and had so strongly disapproved of his cousin's reckless and -extravagant behavior that he had broken off all intercourse with him, -and had been particularly careful that his son should never come in -contact with him. Callias was about fourteen when Alcibiades left Athens -in command (along with two colleagues) of the Sicilian expedition. The -absence thus begun lasted about eight years. For the first half of this -time he was an exile; for the second half in command of the fleets and -armies of Athens, but still postponing his return to his native city. -Then came his brief visit, lasting it would seem, only a few days,[45] -and at that time Callias, as it happened, had been absent in foreign -service. He was now in what was or should have been, the prime of life, -having just completed his forty-fourth year, but the dissipation of his -youth and early manhood and the anxieties of his later years had left -their mark upon him, and he looked older than his age. Yet there were -traces of the brilliant beauty that in earlier days had helped to make -him the spoiled darling of Athens. The wrinkles had begun to gather -about his eyes, but they were still singularly lustrous, and could -either flash with anger, or melt with tenderness. His temples were -hollow and his cheeks had somewhat fallen in; but his complexion was -almost as brilliant as ever, while the abundant auburn curls that fell -clustering about his neck had scarcely a streak of gray in them. - -His greeting to his guest was more than courteous. It was affectionate, -exactly such as was fitting from an older to a younger relative. Indeed -then, as ever afterward during their acquaintance, Callias was greatly -struck by the perfection of his manners. It seemed impossible that the -stories told of his haughty insolence by which in former years he had -made himself one of the best-hated men in Athens could possibly be true. - -Supper was announced shortly after Callias had been ushered into the -chamber. Alcibiades took his guest by the hand, led him into the -dining-room, and assigned him a place next to himself. Some other guests -were present. Two of these were officers in the military force which -Alcibiades maintained in his stronghold; the third was an aged man, who -had been his tutor many years, and for whom he retained an affection -that was honorable to both master and pupil. The fourth was the Thracian -chief with whom Alcibiades had been engaged when the _Skylark_ arrived. - -The meal was simple. The chief feature was one of the huge turbot for -which the Euxine was famous. - -"That would have cost a fortune in the fish market at Athens," said the -host pointing to the dish, "even if it could have been procured at all. -Here a fisherman thinks himself well paid for such a monster by three, -or at the most, four _drachmae_."[46] - -A piece of venison and a platter of quails were the other dishes. The -second course consisted of a maize pudding and some sweet-meats. - -During the repast the conversation turned speedily on local matters, and -was carried on (but not till after a courteous apology had been offered -to the young Athenian) in the bastard Greek largely mixed with Thracian -words, in which the chief was accustomed to express himself. The meal -ended, a handsome silver cup was handed by the major-domo, a venerable -looking man, who made the comfort of his master and his most honored -guests his special care. Alcibiades took it and poured out a few drops -upon the table, uttering as he did so, the words: "To Athene the -Champion." This was equivalent to the loyal toasts of an English -banquet. He then took a very moderate draught, the wine being unmixed, -in obedience to the rule which demanded that all wine used in religious -ceremonies--and this libation was such a ceremony--should be pure.[47] -He then tipped the cup to each guest in turn. All were equally moderate, -for it was not the custom, even for a Greek drunkard, it may be said, to -drink his wine unmixed. But when the cup came to the Thracian chief he -drank a deep draught as if the liquor had been liberally diluted. -Callias who had never been at table with a Thracian before, watched the -man with amazement. He saw that while the other guests were supplied -with the usual mixtures of wine and water the chief remained steadfast -in his devotion to the undiluted liquid, and that he emptied his cup at -a draught, and that the cup itself was of an unusual capacity. Nor did -the drinker seem affected by these extraordinary potations, except that -his voice became louder, and his manner more boastful. At last, however, -and that without a moment's notice, he rolled over senseless on his -back. So sudden was the change that it suggested the idea of a fit. - -"Is he ill?" he whispered in some alarm, to his neighbor. - -"Ill? not a whit. It is the way in which he always finishes his -evenings. His slaves will carry him to bed, and he will awake to-morrow -morning without the suspicion of a headache. Bacchus, I verily believe, -has a special favor for these fellows, and, truly, they do worship him -with a most admirable earnestness." - -The Thracian's collapse was the signal for breaking up the party. -Callias and the old tutor, Timanthes by name, declined to drink any -more, and the two officers, who were on duty for the night, departed to -make their round. Strong as was the place Alcibiades omitted no -precautions for its safe custody. Timanthes, who was old and feeble -retired to rest. - -"Come with me to my own room," said Alcibiades to his guest, "we shall -be here alone." - -The chamber to which he led the way was little like what one would have -expected to find in free-booter's stronghold, for really the castle of -Bisanthe was more of that than anything else. Art and letters were amply -represented in it. On one wall hung a panel painting[48] by Polygnotus, -a masterly composition, of that serenity, that ethical meaning, as the -great critic Aristotle expresses it, which was characteristic of the -artist. This represented the gods in council at Olympus. It was faced on -the opposite wall by an exceedingly graceful painting from the hand of -Xeuxis, Aphrodite and the Graces, and a spirited picture by the same -artist, of the duel between Ajax and Hector. There were other works by -men of less note. Sculpture was represented by only a single specimen, a -bust of Socrates. - -"Paintings are easily carried about," Alcibiades afterwards explained to -his guest, "but sculpture is inconveniently heavy. You will understand -that a man in my situation has always to be ready for a move; and I -always like to have two or three really good things that I can always -take with me. One bust, indeed, I have indulged myself with, that of my -old teacher. Ah! if I had heard him to more purpose, I should not be -here! You know him, of course?" - -Callias said that he did. - -"An excellent likeness! is it not? Who would think that such features -concealed a soul so divinely beautiful? Did you have any talk with him -when you were in Athens?" - -"Yes," replied Callias, "and I admired above all things his practical -wisdom. But what was that to what I afterwards saw of him?" - -And he went on to relate how the philosopher stood firm, though in -imminent peril of his life, and had steadfastly refused to put the -unconstitutional proposal of Callixenus to the assembly. - -Alcibiades heard the story with uncontrollable delight. He started up -from his seat, and walked up and down the room with flashing eyes. "Tell -me everything about it," he said, and he insisted upon the repetition of -every detail. "That is magnificent," he cried, when his curiosity had -been satisfied. "That is exactly what one would have expected from -Socrates. I suppose that it is the very first time that he ever acted as -presiding magistrate--he had never been so, I know, when I left Athens, -nor have I heard of his having been since--and that first time he did -what nobody else dared to do. You say that the others gave way?" - -"Yes," replied Callias, "they stood up against it at first, but gave in -afterwards. Socrates was absolutely alone, and at last they put the -question without him." - -"It is just like him," cried Alcibiades with enthusiasm. - -"He is simply the bravest and most enduring man alive. I could tell you -stories about him that would astonish you. We served together in the -campaign at Potidæa. Indeed we were in the same mess. When we had short -commons, as we had many a time, there was no one like him in holding -out. He seemed to be able to go without food altogether, but when we had -plenty, he could enjoy it as well as anybody. We had a foolish way, as -young men will, of making people drink whether they wished it or not. -But nothing ever affected Socrates. No one ever saw him one whit the -worse for what he had taken. And as for the way in which he bore cold, -it was absolutely incredible, only that one saw it with one's own eyes. -The winters here are terrible, as you will find out, if, as I hope you -will, you stop with me, but he used to make nothing of them. During the -very hardest frost we had, when every one who could, stayed in doors, -and those who were obliged to go out, wrapped themselves till you would -hardly know them, he wore nothing but his common cloak, and went -absolutely barefoot. - -"Once, I remember, something came into his mind. That was in the early -morning. Well, he stood trying to think it out till noon, and from noon -he went on till evening. Some Greeks from Asia wanted to see how long -this would go on; so, after dinner, they brought out their mattresses, -and took up their quarters for the night in the open air--it was -summer-time, you must understand. Some of them slept, and some watched -him, taking it by turns. Their report was that he stood there till -morning, and the sun rose, and that then he made a prayer to the sun, -and so went to his quarters. - -"His courage, too, is astonishing. In one of the battles at Potidæa he -saved my life. I had been wounded and must infallibly have been killed, -if it had not been for him. He took me up and carried me off to our -line. The generals gave me the prize for valor, when they ought, by -right, to have given it to him. But they took account of my family and -rank, and curiously enough, he was just as anxious as they were that I -should have it and not he. Then at Delium, again, when the day went -against us, and the army was in full retreat. I was in the cavalry; he -was serving as a foot soldier. Our men would not keep together, and he -and Laches--he was killed, afterward, at Mantinea--were making the best -of their way back. I rode up to them and told them to keep up their -courage and I would not leave them. A cavalry soldier has, you know, a -great advantage in a retreat. There was no need to tell Socrates to keep -up his courage. Laches, I could see, though a brave enough man, was -terribly frightened; but Socrates was as cool as a man could be. He held -up his head finely, and marched steadily on. It was plain enough to see -that anyone who meddled with him would find out his mistake. The end of -it was that he got back safe, and brought Laches back safe also. The -fact is that at such times it is the men who are in a hurry to get away -that are cut down. I do not think that there ever was a braver man than -Socrates. And what you have just been telling me bears it out. A man may -be brave enough in battle and be timidly frightened when the assembly is -howling and raging against him. This has been a dismal business of the -generals and I have never been so near despairing of my country, as I -have since I heard it. How is it possible to help a city that makes -such a requital to those who save her? But still, while there are men -like Socrates in her, all is not lost. But no more now; you must be -weary, and ready to sleep. There will be plenty of time hereafter to -talk. And now farewell." - -FOOTNOTES: - -[44] It is convenient in a narrative to speak of "hours," and the Greeks -had a division of time that was so named. But it must not be supposed -that these hours were exact periods of time such as we mean by the word. -The day between sunrise and sunset was divided into twelve equal parts, -which varied in length according to the season of the year. The -divisions of the whole period of a day and night into twenty-four equal -unvarying parts was later than the period of which I am writing, being -attributed to Hipparchus, the astronomer, a native of Nicæa in Bithynia -who lived in the second century B. C. The water-clock mentioned in the -text may have been one of those large ones which served for the whole -night (Plato is said to have had one). The slave in announcing to the -guest the time at which the meal would be served would probably indicate -it by pointing to this or that division marked upon it. The water-clock -may be roughly compared to a sand-glass, but the water flowed through -several orifices, which were very minute. - -[45] He returned in May, 407, conducted in person the procession to -Eleusis; a ceremony which had been discontinued for some time on account -of the presence of the Spartan garrison at Decelea, and left again to -take command of the fleet a few days afterward. He never saw Athens -again. - -[46] Three _drachmae_ would be something more than half-a-dollar, -(2 s. 5 d. in English money). This is taking silver at its present -conventional value. What its purchasing power would be now it would be -difficult to say, but it would certainly be greater than that of the sum -by which it is represented. - -[47] So we have in Homer (Iliad 11, 261) "the libations of wine -unmingled" mentioned together with "the hand-holt trusted of yore," a -thing that gave a solemn sanction to treaties. Similar references abound -in the Greek and Latin poets. - -[48] The ancients painted on panel, not on canvass. Thus the Latin -equivalent for 'picture' is tabula or tabella, words which may otherwise -be used for a 'plank.' - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -BISANTHE. - - -Life at Bisanthe would, in any case, have been remarkably attractive to -Callias. The taste for sport was hereditary with him, as it was with -most Athenians of his class. But, ever since his boyhood, circumstances -had been altogether adverse to any indulgence of it. For a quarter of a -century an Athenian's life had been perforce a city life.[49] The -country outside the walls was not available for when it was not actually -in the occupation of a hostile army, it was still in a state of -desolation. Game, it is probable, had almost disappeared from it. It had -long been too thickly populated for the larger animals to exist in it. -These the sportsman had been obliged to seek in the mountain regions of -Phocis, Doris, and Thessaly. Now the smaller such as the hare, always -reckoned a special dainty in Athens, could scarcely be found, even when -it was possible to seek for it. Callias was delighted to find a totally -different condition of things at Bisanthe. Here there were to be found -fierce and powerful animals the pursuit of which gave something of the -delightful excitement of danger, the bear, the wild-boar, and the wolf. -Lion, too, could be sometimes seen, though they were not so common as -they had been some eighty years before when the army of Xerxes, marching -through this very region, had had so many of the camels attacked and -killed by them. Our young Athenian highly appreciated this abundance of -noble game. He had had no experience, indeed, in the huntsman's craft, -but he became fairly expert at it. He was an excellent rider; this -accomplishment was a necessary part of the education of a well-born -Athenian. He was expert in all martial exercises, especially in the use -of the javelin and the spear; and, above all, he had a cool courage -which his warlike experience by land and sea had admirably developed. - -But there were more serious matters than sport to occupy him. The -relation of his host to his neighbors, both Greek and barbarian, was of -curious interest to a thoughtful young man. He had heard something of it -at Athens, for Alcibiades was a much talked of personage, all of whose -movements were earnestly, even anxiously, discussed both by friends and -foes. Now he was, so to speak, behind the scenes, and saw and heard much -that the outside world did not know or did not understand. The neighbors -with whom his host came in contact, friendly or unfriendly, were three. -There were the Greek cities along the northern coast of the Propontis; -there was Seuthes, the king of Thrace; a potentate whose kingdom had -many uncertain and varying boundaries, and there were the free or -independent Thracians. Between these last and Alcibiades there was -constant war. Accustomed for centuries to plunder their neighbors, they -now found themselves repaid in their own coin. At the head of a picked -force, highly disciplined and admirably armed, Alcibiades harried their -country with an audacity and a skill which made his name a constant -terror to them. The Greek cities, on the other hand, were uniformly -friendly. Before his coming they had been sadly harrassed and distressed -by their barbarian neighbors. They had not been able to call anything -beyond their walls exactly their own, and even their walls had sometimes -scarcely sufficed to protect them. All this was altered by the military -genius of this remarkable man. The robber bands which had been -accustomed to ride unchecked up to their fortifications were now -compelled to keep at a respectful distance from them, and not only the -cities themselves but their territories were practically safe. Land -which it had been impossible to cultivate at all, or from which only a -precarious crop could be snatched with imminent danger to the -cultivator, was now covered with prosperous farms and pleasant -homesteads. For this protection, enabling them as it did to save the -exhausting expense of imported food, the cities were willing to pay, and -considerable sums which were practically a tribute, only much more -cheerfully paid, came regularly into the treasury at Bisanthe, and -enabled its master to keep up a numerous and efficient force. - -As for King Seuthes, his relations with the powerful stranger who had -settled on these his territories were more doubtful. He was not an -enemy, but he certainly was not a friend. All that Alcibiades could do -in weakening the independent Thracians was altogether to his mind. Let -them be weakened enough, and they would gladly seek protection by -becoming his subjects. On the other hand he did not approve the idea of -any one but himself becoming the patron of the Greek cities on his -coast. What they were willing to pay for protection ought to come, he -felt, into his coffers, not into those of an interloping adventurer. -Meanwhile he was content to remain on outwardly good terms with the -master of Bisanthe, and to await the development of events. - -In the little town of the same name that was dominated by the castle of -Bisanthe, the young Athenian found some pleasant society. He was the -more at home in it because it was an Ionian colony, and the inhabitants -were akin to him in race and sympathies. They had the same culture, a -quality that always flourished more kindly in the Ionic branch of the -Hellenic race. Plays of the great dramatists of his own country were -performed in a small but well appointed theatre, and there was at least -one circle in the town in which literary topics were discussed with -interest and intelligence. - -The resources available in the way of native society were not great. -Thracian habits in general were not unfairly represented by the behavior -of the chief to whom my readers were introduced in the last chapter. -Their hard drinking habits had already made them notorious throughout -Greece. Our hero accordingly kept away from the entertainments which his -host felt it a matter of policy to attend. The one great social function -at which he assisted was the marriage of a prince who was nearly related -to King Seuthes. Athenian habits were commonly frugal. Their public -buildings, whether for political or religious purposes, were splendid in -the extreme. On these, and on the ceremonies of worship, they were -accustomed to spare no expense. But their private expenditure was, as a -rule, not large. Our hero was proportionately astonished at the -profusion which prevailed at the wedding festivities of the Thracian -Caranus. There were twenty guests. Each as he entered the banqueting -chamber had a circle of gold put upon his head, and in taking his place -was presented with a silver cup. These and indeed all the dishes, -plates, and cups with which the guests were furnished during the -entertainment, were supposed to become their actual property. A brass -platter, covered with pastry, on which were birds of various kinds, was -put before each, and after this another of silver, furnished with a -variety of fresh meats. These disposed of--they were just tasted and -handed to the slaves who stood behind the guests--two flasks of perfume, -one of silver, the other of gold, fastened together with a link of gold, -were distributed. Each flask held about half a pint. Then came a piece -of quite barbarous extravagance--a silver gilt charger, large enough to -hold a porker of considerable size. The creature lay on its back with -its belly stuffed with thrushes, the yolks of eggs, oysters, scollops, -and other dainties. The carrying capacity of the slaves was nearly -exhausted, and the bridegroom received a hearty round of applause when -he ordered his guests to be supplied with baskets, themselves richly -ornamented with silver in which they might carry away his bounty. - -At this point Alcibiades and his friend made an excuse to depart. -"Caranus," said the former, as they returned to Bisanthe, "must have -embarassed himself for life by this silly extravagance. He must have -borrowed money largely before he could indulge in all this silver-ware, -for though his estates are large, he is far from being wealthy. But it -is a point of honor with these people to go as near to ruining -themselves as the money-lender will permit them, when they celebrate a -birth, a wedding, or a funeral." - -But Callias found the chief interest of the months which he spent at -Bisanthe in the frequent conversations which he held with his host. In -these Alcibiades expressed himself with the utmost freedom and -frankness. What he said was in fact at once a confession and an apology, -the substance of them may be given as follows: - -"You have heard I dare say very much evil of me, and I cannot deny that -much of it is perfectly true. It ill becomes a man to complain of -circumstances, for everyone, I take it, can make his own life and if he -goes to ruin has only himself to blame for it. Yet the gods, or fate, or -whatever it is that rules the world, were certainly adverse to me from -the beginning. My father fell at Coronea when I was but a mere child, -and the loss of a father is especially damaging when his son is rich and -noble. Every one seems to agree in spoiling the boy, the lad, the young -man, who is the master of his own fortune. I know that I was fooled to -the top of my bent. However, that is all past, and the free man who lets -others turn him about to their own purposes has nothing to say in his -own defence; and I had at least one good thing on my side of which if I -had been so minded I might have made good use. Socrates never wearied of -convicting me out of my own mouth of folly and ignorance, and he knew my -great weakness and told me of it in the most unsparing fashion. I -remember once how he convicted me of what I know has been the great -fault of my life. 'If,' he said, 'you can convince the Athenians that -you deserve to be honored as no man, not even Pericles himself deserved, -if you gain an equal name among the other Greeks and barbarians, if you -cross over from Europe and meddle with matters in Asia, all these things -will not satisfy you. You desire to be nothing less than master of the -whole human race.' That perhaps was somewhat exaggerated, but I -certainly have had big schemes in my head, bigger than I ever had, or -could hope to have, the means of carrying out. My hopes took in all -Greece, Persia, Carthage, the Western barbarians who inhabit the shores -of the ocean, and I know not what else. It was too great a structure to -build on the slight foundation of an Athenian dock-yard; it was piling -Olympus and Ossa and Pelion on the hill of Hymettus, and such structures -are sure to fall even without the thunder-bolt of Zeus. Yet it is only -fair to myself to say that in my ambitions I did think of my country as -well as of myself; and I think that I have not always had fair play in -carrying them out. There was the expedition to Sicily, for instance. I -suppose that no one will ever speak of it but as a piece of hair-brained -folly into which I was the means of leading Athens. Looked at by the -event, it seems so, I allow, and yet it might have succeeded. Indeed it -was within an iota of succeeding, and this though the people showed the -incredible folly of putting as senior in command, a man who hated the -whole business. Even Nicias almost took Syracuse. If they had only left -me without a colleague or with colleagues who would have yielded to my -counsels! But what did they do? Just at the critical time they recalled -the man whom everyone in the expedition, from the first to the last, -identified with its success; and why did they recall me? On that -trumpery charge of having broken the Hermæ.[50] You would like to ask -me, I know, whether I had anything to do with the matter. No; I had not, -but I could have told them all about it if I had had the chance. As it -was, they were ready to listen to any one but me. Why, there was an -outrageous liar came forward, and declared he had seen the whole thing -done by the light of the moon; and on the night it was done there was no -moon at all. But I had enemies, personal enemies who would stick at -nothing as long as they could injure me. And here I must confess a -fault, a fault that has been fatal to me. I deserved to have enemies. I -made them by my annoyance and insolence; and if they ruined me, and, as -I think, my country with me, I have only myself to blame. You would like -to know how I justify myself for what I did after my banishment, for -getting Sparta to help Syracuse against my own country? I do not justify -myself at all. It was madness, tho' it was only too successful. But it -made me frantic to think what a chance, what a splendid opportunity for -myself and for Athens, the fools who were in power at home were throwing -away. No; on that point I have nothing to say for myself. But since then -I have honestly tried to do the best that I could for the city. And if -the Athenians could only have trusted me and had had a little more -patience, I believe that I could have saved them. But it is always the -same story with them; they must have what they want at once, and if they -don't get it, some one has to suffer. How could they expect that I could -put right at once all that had been going wrong for years?" - -Such was the substance of what Alcibiades said to his guest on the many -occasions on which they discussed these matters, said of course, with a -variety of details and a wealth of illustration, which it is impossible -to reproduce. More than once Callias asked his host what were his views -and expectations of the future of the war. He found that Alcibiades did -not take a cheerful view of the prospects of the campaign that would be -soon beginning. - -"I was always afraid," he said, "that the victory at Arginusæ would be -only a reprieve, a postponing of the evil day. The effort which Athens -then made was too exhausting to be repeated--her next fleet will be -nothing like as good as the last, and the last had hard enough work to -win the day. And then there was the disastrous folly and crime of -putting the generals to death. Mind, I don't say that they were not to -blame; but I do say that to kill the only good officers the city had, -even if they had deserved death ten times more than they did, was mere -madness. Whom have they got to put in their place? Conon is a man who -knows his business and would do his duty, but as for the rest," he went -on, anticipating a witticism which was made many hundred years -afterwards by an English statesman, "I can only say that I hope they -will inspire the enemy with half the terror with which they inspire -me." - -FOOTNOTES: - -[49] From 431 to 406 (the year of which I am now writing). The eight -years from 424-416, during which the peace of Nicias and the truce that -followed it were in force, must be excepted. - -[50] A day or two before the expedition started the pedestal statues of -Hermes which stood at the street corners were broken down. Alcibiades -was charged with being an accomplice in this outrage, refused an -opportunity of defending himself, sent out in joint command, and -recalled when the campaign was in progress. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -ÆGOS POTAMI. - - -Alcibiades had established a system of communication with all the -principal stations in the Ægean which gave him early information of what -was going on. - -Early in the new year (405) intelligence reached him at his castle, that -Lysander was coming out from Sparta to assume the command of the allied -fleet. This news affected Alcibiades very considerably. - -"I anticipated this," he said to his guest after the evening meal on the -day when the news had reached him, "and it is the worst thing that could -have happened for Athens. There was just a chance that the Spartans, -who, happily for us, are very stupid and obstinate, would stick to their -rule that no man should be appointed naval commander-in-chief thrice. -But they had, as I heard from a friend in Chios, a very strong -requisition from the allies to appoint Lysander, and so they have sent -him out again, saving their rule by appointing a nominal chief, a man -called Arrachus, who, of course, is a mere figure head. Now Lysander is -by far the ablest man that the Spartans have got; he is quite -unscrupulous; he is a bitter enemy of ours; and what is worst of all, he -can do anything that he pleases with Cyrus. You have not been -campaigning for two or three years without finding out that the Persian -money bags are the real weights that make the scales of fate go up and -down. Last year Callicratidas was crippled because Cyrus, at this very -Lysander's request, kept his purse strings tight. Now everything will be -straight and easy, and before two months are over the Spartans will have -as good a fleet as money can make." The year wore slowly on. The long -Thracian winter, which Callias, though not unused to cold weather in -Athens found exceedingly severe, yielded at last to spring, and spring -in its turn to summer. All the while the news which reached Bisanthe -continued to have a gloomy complexion. At Miletus, as well as in other -of the mainland towns, thorough-going partisans of Lysander were -installed in power. Cyrus had been called away to Upper Asia, where the -old king, his father, was lying sick to death, and had left all his -treasuries at the disposal of the Spartan admiral. With this supply of -money the pay of the sailors had been increased, and new ships had been -laid down on the stocks. In March the Athenian fleet sailed for the seat -of war. It was larger than any that had been sent forth by the city in -recent years, for it numbered no less than one hundred and eighty ships; -but private letters gave an unfavorable account of the way in which it -was equipped, and officered. This adverse opinion continued to be borne -out by the news that arrived from time to time of its doings. It seemed -to be moving about aimlessly and fruitlesly, always behind, always in -the wrong place. It offered battle to Lysander, who lay in harbor near -Ephesus, but in vain. The wary Spartan had no mind to fight but at his -own time, and the Athenian admirals had no way of compelling him. Then -the ships were scattered in plundering expeditions along the mainland -coasts and among the islands which had accepted the Spartan alliance. -The gain was small, for the booty was insignificant, but the -demoralization and relaxation of discipline were great. About midsummer -followed a bold maneuver on the part of Lysander. He sailed across the -Ægean to the coast of Attica, where his sudden appearance caused no -little consternation. The Athenian commanders were as usual behind hand. -If they had heard of this movement as soon as they ought, and had been -ready to follow immediately, it is quite possible that they might have -inflicted a damaging blow on their adversaries. As it was, the news was -long in reaching them, and when it came, found them with their fleet -scattered and unprepared. Accordingly they missed their chance of -forcing Lysander to an engagement off an hostile shore, an engagement, -too, which he would hardly have been able to decline. Lysander crossed -and recrossed the Ægean without molestation, and shortly afterward -sailed northward. - -Alcibiades, whose intelligence department was, as has been said, -admirably organized, received information that this movement was -intended, and in consequence took up his quarters at a little fort which -he possessed at the extremity of the Chersonesus. He and his guest had -not been there more than a day when the Spartan fleet came in sight. He -watched it pass at a distance of two or three miles, with eager -interest. - -"They have a very formidable appearance," he said to Callias when he had -scanned with his practical eye every detail of their equipment. "I -shall be agreeably surprised if our ships have anything as good to -show." On the following day the Athenian fleet appeared, showing only -too plainly how just had been Alcibiades' forebodings. The effects of -wind and weather--the ships had now been nearly six months at sea--were -plainly visible; the sails, which, as there was a slight breeze from the -west, they used to assist their progress, were dirty and ragged; the -rowers were deplorably out of time. - -"Things," he said to his companion, "are even worse than I expected; -that fleet will be no match for its enemy, except under far more -skillful management than it is likely to have. Still let us hope for the -best; and it may be possible to give our friends some good advice, if -they will take it." This, unfortunately, was the last thing that the -Athenian admirals, certainly incompetent, and probably traitorous, were -willing to do. The progress of events, briefly described, was this: - -Lysander possessed himself, by a sudden attack, of the town of -Lampsacus, which was in alliance with Athens. This conquest put him in -possession of abundant supplies, and of what was more valuable, a safe -and convenient base of operations. While securing these material -advantages, he also, with a generosity which he could always assume on -occasion, allowed the Lampsacenes to go unharmed. He gained thus not -only a strong position but a friendly population. On the other hand the -position occupied by the Athenians was by no means so favorable. They -moved their fleet to the mouth of a little stream known by the name of -Ægos Potami, or the Goat's River. This spot was directly opposite -Lampsacus--the Hellespont here is somewhat less than two miles -broad--but it had no conveniences for the purpose for which it was -chosen. There was no harbor, the anchorage was indifferent, there were -no houses in the neighborhood, and the nearest point from which supplies -could be obtained was the town of Sestos, nearly two miles distant. - -The opportunity for offering advice which Alcibiades had foreseen had -now occurred, and he promptly took advantage of it. The morning after -the arrival of the fleet, he rode, with Callias in his company, to the -spot where the Athenian generals had pitched their headquarters, and -requested an interview. He was introduced into the tent which they used -for purposes of consultation, and saw the two officers, Menander and -Tydeus by name, who happened to be detailed that day for duty on shore. - -They received him with a coldness and hauteur which augured ill for the -success of his mission. - -"Allow me, gentlemen," he said, "to offer you a piece of advice which, -from my knowledge of the country, I feel sure will be useful. Transfer -your fleet from this position, which, you must allow me to say, has -nothing to recommend it, to Sestos. You must go to Sestos for your -supplies; why not stay there altogether. The harbor is good and you will -be able to do what you please, fight, or not fight, as it may seem best. -Here, if it comes on a blow from the south and--you will remember that -the equinox is near--you will be in a very awkward predicament; and, -anyhow, I do not see how you are to keep your men together when they -have to forage in this manner for supplies." - -"We are obliged to you for the trouble you have taken in coming," said -Menander, "but you must allow us to remind you that it is we, and not -you whom the Athenian people have appointed to the command of this -fleet." - -"The gods prosper you in it," replied Alcibiades with unruffled -coolness. "And now, farewell." - -"I have done all that I could," observed Alcibiades to his companion, -who had been expecting his return outside the tent. "Now we can only -await the event. As for these men, I would say of them that the gods -strike with madness those whom they are determined to destroy, but for -one thing. There may be a method in their madness. They may _mean_ to -bring about a disaster. In a word they may have sold their country. It -is a hard thing to say of any man, but could any admiral, not being a -madman or a traitor, keep his fleet in such a place as this? And yet I -do not know. I have seen honest men act with a folly so outrageous that -one could not help suspecting something more. Let us go home, and -prepare for the worst. But stay--there is yet a chance. There is Conon. -He must know better than this. Will you see him? I cannot, for there is -too deadly a feud between us. Do you know him?" - -"Yes," said Callias, "I was with him last year when he was shut up in -Mitylene, and he sent me with despatches to Athens." - -"And will you go to him?" - -"Certainly, if it would not seem too presumptuous." - -"You can give your authority; he will understand why I did not come -myself; and he is too sensible not to listen to good advice from -whomsoever it may come." - -Conon was on board his ship in which he was practicing some maneuvers -about half a mile from the shore. The young Athenian was rowed out to -see him, and returned in about an hour. The report which he brought back -was this: - -"Conon was very reserved, but courteous. He wished me to thank you for -your message, and to say he was sure you wished well to Athens. He would -do what he could, but he was only one out of many, and he might be -out-voted. Anyhow, he would keep his own men from straggling." - -"Then," said Alcibiades, "we have shot our last bolt, let us go back." - -For some days the two companions waited for news in a suspense that they -often felt to be almost beyond bearing. One night--it was the night of -the fifteenth of September--they had watched through the hours of -darkness till the day began to show itself in the eastern sky. Both had -felt the presentiment that their waiting was about to end, though -neither had acknowledged it to the other. - -"Is it never coming?" said the elder man, as he rose from his seat, and -looked from the window across the sea, just beginning to glitter with -the morning light. In a moment his attitude of weariness changed to one -of eager attention. - -"Look!" he cried to Callias. "What is that?" and he pointed to a boat -that had just rounded the nearest point to the westward. It was a -fishing boat, manned, apparently, by seven or eight men, and making all -the speed it could with both oars and sails. The two men hurried down to -the castle pier, and awaited the arrival of what they were sure was the -long expected message. - -The boat was still about two hundred yards away when Alcibiades -recognized the steersman. - -"Ah!" he cried, "it is old Hipparchus." And he waved his hand with a -friendly gesture. - -"It is a bad news he brings," he said again after a quiet pause, "he -makes no reply." - -A few more strokes brought the boat alongside of the pier. Alcibiades -reached his hand to the steersman, and helped him to disembark. That his -errand was bad was only too evident from his look. He was deadly pale, -and in his eyes was the expression of one who had lately seen some -terrible sight. - -"It is all over," he said, "Athens is lost." - -For a few minutes the three men stood silent. Perhaps it was then that -Alcibiades felt the keenest remorse of his life. After all, it was he -who, more than any living man, had brought this ruin to his country. He -had led her into an enterprise which overmatched her strength; and he -had suggested to her enemies, the too successful policy that had ended -in her overthrow. If Athens was indeed lost it was his doing--and yet he -loved her. Much of this the younger man could guess at, for he had not -been at Bisanthe for now nearly a year without learning something of his -host's inner thoughts. He turned away his face unwilling to witness the -emotion which he felt could be seen in the other's countenance. The -messenger from the scene of the disaster stood with downcast eyes, -absorbed in the dismal recollections of what he had lately witnessed. - -"Tell us how it happened," said Alcibiades. - -"For five days," so he began, "we manned our ships every morning about -the third hour, formed them in line of battle, and moved across the -strait to the harbor of Lampsacus. The Spartan fleet was ranged in line -outside the harbor with their army drawn up upon the shore on either -side. Our admirals did not venture to attack; and so we sailed back. I -noticed that a few quick-sailing galleys followed us at about half a -mile distance. When we got back to our station, our men used to scatter -in search of provisions for their noonday meal--our commissariat, you -must know, was very ill-supplied. Some went up the country, but most -made their way to Sestos. None of our admirals, except Conon, seemed to -have a notion that this was dangerous, though some of us old sailors -could have warned them if we had dared. Conon always kept his men -together. Well, on the fifth day--our men, you must understand, had been -growing more and more careless--about an hour after we got back, a -shield was run up to the masthead of one of the Spartan swift-sailing -galleys. I saw it flash in the sunshine; and a few moments afterwards -the whole Spartan fleet rowed from their anchorage and made their way -across the strait. They caught us entirely unprepared. There was no -battle; scarcely a blow was struck. I can easily believe that they did -not lose a single man. Some of our ships they found absolutely deserted. -None of them had more than two-thirds of their complement. No, I should -not say none; twelve were ready, Conon's eight and four others, one of -which was the Parelus.[51] I was on board Menander's own ship, of which -I was steersman. There were eight others with me. We hurried as fast as -we could to Sestos. There, the next day, I was able to hire this boat, -and thought the best thing that I could do was to come here." - -"You say that twelve ships escaped," said Alcibiades, "how many then -were taken?" - -"About a hundred and seventy," answered the man. - -"And how many prisoners?" - -"I cannot say, but certainly several thousand. Before we came away, a -boat from Lampsacus brought an awful story of what had been done there. -All the Athenian prisoners were put to death, between three and four -thousand. Only the admiral Adeimantus was spared." - -"Ah! I see," cried Alcibiades, "he was the traitor." - -FOOTNOTES: - -[51] The Parelus was one of the two consecrated ships, (the other being -the Salanimia) which were used for such purposes as the conveyance of -ambassadors, the carrying of offerings to shrines, and, in case of need, -the conveyance of important tidings. They were always manned with picked -crews. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -TO PHARNABAZUS. - - -There was little sleep that night for the inhabitants of the castle of -Bisanthe. Every one felt that the situation was full of peril. If it had -not been for the confidence which every one brought into contact with -Alcibiades felt in his capacities of leadership there would have been -something like a panic. As it was, the garrison awaited with calmness, -though not without intense anxiety, the course of action which their -commander would take for himself, and recommend to them. They were not -kept long in suspense. - -Shortly after dawn the notes of a trumpet were heard through the castle -giving the well known signal by which a general assembly of the garrison -was called. A few minutes sufficed to collect the men. The meeting was -held in the central court of the castle, and Alcibiades, taking his -stand on the topmost step of an outside staircase which led up to one of -the chambers, addressed them. - -"Comrades," he said, "you have heard of the disaster by which Athens has -lost its last fleet. I will blame no man for what happened or inquire -whether it might not have been averted--" - -The speaker was interrupted by loud cries of "Long live Alcibiades, the -invincible!" - -A flush of pleasure passed over the speaker's face, but he made a -gesture imperative of silence, and continued. - -"The only thing that remains for us is to consider what it is most -expedient to do. Here, my friends, we cannot stay. Bisanthe indeed, -protected by its situation, its walls, and stout hands and tried valor, -it would not be easy to take. But, with both sea and land hostile, with -all the country and cities from which we have drawn our supplies in the -hands of the Spartans, we cannot long continue to hold it. What then -shall we do? You, my friends, I can only advise, for from this day I of -necessity cease to command. Go, then, I would say, to King Seuthes, and -offer yourselves to him. He will receive you kindly. Brave men--and your -valor has been shown times without number--are always valued and honored -by him, and now that, for a time at least, the Spartans and their allies -have became supreme in these parts, he will want men more than ever. If -you require it, you shall have my good word; but your reputation will -speak for you more effectually than I can. My gratitude to you, who have -served me so well, I can never express. Yet such return as I can make -shall not be left undone. The paymaster will pay you all arrears of pay, -with a donation of thrice as much again." - -A loud burst of applause followed this announcement. - -The speaker continued: "This gift would be many times greater, if my -means were equal to my sense of your courage and your services. From -some of you I have a favor to ask. It is not expedient publicly to -declare my plans; but I may say that I shall need a few associates in -them. For these I shall not ask you, not because I am doubtful of -raising them, but because I know that you would all offer yourselves--" - -A roar of assent went up from the whole assembly. - -"I have already exercised the choice which in any case I should have -been compelled afterwards to make. Twelve companions--more I am -forbidden by circumstances to take--will go with me. To the rest I say, -'Farewell.' The gods grant that at some happier time we may again render -our service to Athens and to Greece. Till then, Farewell!" - -A loud answering cry of farewell went up from the men, which was renewed -again and again as the speaker entered the room at the head of the -staircase. Here the twelve chosen associates were assembled, Callias and -Hipparchus, the messenger from the scene of the late conflict, making up -the number to fourteen. Alcibiades addressed them: - -"I have long since anticipated and prepared myself for this misfortune -which has now overtaken us, though the blow has fallen more suddenly and -more heavily than I had feared. To you, my chosen friends, I reveal the -counsels which it would not have been expedient to publish to a -multitude. Briefly they are these: Lysander has conquered by the help of -the Persians, for had it not been for the gold of Cyrus, his fleet could -never have been kept together. We also must go to the Persians for help. -It is an evil necessity, I confess, that makes free-born Greeks court -the favor of their slaves; but a necessity it is. And the time favors us -for using it. Cyrus covets the throne of Persia which he claims against -his elder brother Artaxerxes as having been born after his father's -accession whereas Artaxerxes was born before it. As Lysander, then, has -used Cyrus against us, so we must use Artaxerxes against Cyrus. 'How,' -you will ask, 'is Artaxerxes to be approached?' Through Pharnabazus, the -Satrap, with whom I have a warm friendship of now some years' standing. -To Pharnabazus, therefore, I now purpose to go. I shall demand of him -that which he will himself be most willing to grant--for he is no friend -to Cyrus--that he send me up to Susa. This Themistocles did before me; -but he, at least in word, went as the enemy of his country, though -indeed he was unwilling to harm it. I shall go, both in word and in -deed, as its friend. And now for other things. For my most valuable -possessions I have prepared hiding-places. Much I shall leave to King -Seuthes, to whom I sent a message concerning my immediate departure. -This morning, my friends, I would ask you to receive at my hands a -year's pay. Do not hesitate to receive it; I can give it now, I may not -be able so to do a year hence. We will start this day at sunset. There -is no time to be lost. To-morrow, I doubt not, or the next day at the -latest, Lysander will be here." - -With Callias, after the rest had departed to make preparations for their -departure, Alcibiades had some private conversation as to the subject of -ways and means. - -"You must let me be your banker," he began by saying. - -Callias thanked him heartily, but declined to receive anything more than -would suffice for immediate needs. - -"You may as well take it," returned his host, "there is a good deal more -here than I can take with me; and why should you not? For myself, I -carry most of my possessions about with me in this fashion,"--and he -showed a leather purse filled with pearls and precious stones. "Gold is -too cumbrous to carry in any quantity. This no man will take as long as -I am alive. Besides this, my worthy friend Hippocles, who, as you know, -is as trustworthy as the treasury of Delphi, has most of my property in -his hands. And, if we once get safely to Pharnabazus, we need not -trouble any more about this matter. I must do the Persians the justice -to say that they are always open-handed. And they can afford to be. It -is not too much to say that for one talent of gold that we have in -Greece they have at least a hundred. Any one who should have the -ransacking of one of their great treasure cities--and they have others -besides Susa; Babylon, for instance, and Persepolis and Pasargadæ--would -see something that would astonish them. And"--he added, with a profound -sigh--"if only things had gone straight, I might have been the man." - -The journey along the northern shore of the Propontis was accomplished -in safety. No Spartan ship had as yet made its way so far eastward. At a -little town on the Asiatic shore Alcibiades provided his party with -horses for riding and serviceable mules for the conveyance of their -baggage and of such a selection of his own possessions as he had thought -it well to take with him. The old sailor Hipparchus here wanted to leave -them, and to make his way to Byzantium, where he had relatives. The -remainder Alcibiades addressed before setting out, to the following -effect: - -"We have to make our way to Gordium in Phrygia, for it is there that, if -he keeps to his usual habits, we shall find the Satrap Pharnabazus. He -is accustomed to winter there. But we shall not find it easy to get -there. These Bithynians are not effeminate Asiatics, a hundred of whom -will fly before five stout Greeks. They are Thracians from the other -side of the sea, and we all know how hard are their heads, and how -strong their arms. We cannot force our way through them; we must elude -them if we can." - -The route which the party followed lay for some time within sight of the -sea. This was commonly followed by travellers, as the mountaineers -seldom ventured within the border of the maritime plain. When they had -reached the head of the Gulf of Olbia they struck inland. The road -usually followed would have taken them by the valley of Sangarius, a -river which divides the great chain of the Mysian Olympus. Their guide -strongly dissuaded them from taking it. It was constantly watched, he -said, by the mountaineers. No one could hope to escape them, and only a -very strong party could force its way through. The safest plan would be -by certain paths which he knew, and by which they might hope to cross -Olympus unmolested. Only hunters and shepherds know them, or a chance -traveller on foot for whom it would not be worth the robbers' while to -wait. It was a toilsome and even dangerous journey. The first snows of -Autumn had began to fall, and even the practical eye of the guide found -it difficult to discover the path, while the sufferings of the -travellers, who had to bivouac for several nights in the open air, with -but scanty fire to warm them, were exceedingly severe. Still, but for -one unlucky incident, it would have been accomplished in safety. The -party was now half-way down the southern slopes of Olympus when they -halted for the night at a roadside inn, or rather caravansary. They -found the large reception chamber--it contained two only--already -occupied by a party of the vagrant priests of Cybele. While Alcibiades -and Callias found accommodation, such as it was, in the smaller room, -the rest of the party were thrown upon the hospitality of the priests, -unless indeed, they chose to bivouac outside. Unluckily, the priests -were only too hospitable. They invited the new comers to an -entertainment which was prolonged into a revel. During the passage of -the mountains the allowances of food had been small, and for drink the -party had had perforce to be satisfied with the wayside springs or even -with melted snow. When they found themselves under shelter, in a room -which was at least weather-tight, and warmed with a blazing fire, the -sense of contrast tended to relax their powers of self-restraint. The -priests had roasted a couple of sheep, and broached a cask of the heady -wine of Mount Tmolus, with which a wealthy devotee had presented them. -This they drank, and insisted on their guests drinking, unmixed. By the -time the mutton bones had been picked bare, and the cask drained to its -dregs, not a man out of the twelve was sober. A heavy slumber, lasting -late into the morning, was the natural consequence of this debauch, and -when the sleepers were at last aroused, they set about the preparation -for a start in a very languid fashion. It was nearly noon before the -party was fairly on its way. Darkness came on before the next stage -could be reached. It was while the travellers were bivouacking in a -wholly unprotected situation that a company of marauders, who had indeed -been watching their movements for some days in the hopes of finding such -an opportunity, fell upon them. The result was disastrous. Alcibiades -and Callias, who had been sleeping with their horses picketed close to -their camp fire, were roused by the noise, and springing to their -saddles made their escape. Not one of their followers was equally -fortunate. Some were cut down in their sleep, others as they were -endeavoring to collect their senses. The sumpter-horses and their -burdens of course fell into the hands of the assailants. It was only -with what they carried on their own persons that the two survivors of -the party made their way about six days afterward to the Satrap's winter -palace at Gordium. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -ATHENS IN THE DUST. - - -"I feel that my place is at Athens," said Callias to his host a few days -after their arrival. - -"In spite of the past?" - -"Yes. At such a time no one thinks of the past, but only of the future." - -"Well; I cannot say that you are wrong. If you think fit to go, I shall -not seek to hold you back. I must frankly say that I see little hope." - -"And you?" Callias went on after a pause. "What shall you do, if I may -make so bold as to ask?" - -"If I can save my country at all, it will be here. The only hope now is -to detach Persia from Sparta. Perhaps now that Athens has fallen so low, -the Persians will see what their true interests are. The worst of it is -that there is no real ruler, no one to carry out a consistent policy. -The great king is absolute at the capital, but in the provinces he is -little more than a name. The satraps do almost as they please; they -actually make war on each other if it suits their purpose. So, it is not -what is best for Persia, but what Tissaphernes or Pharnabazus may think -best for himself that will be done. Still there is a chance left; only I -must be on the spot to seize it if it comes. Were I to go to Athens, I -should be only one man among a useless crowd, and you, my young friend, -will, I very much fear, be little more." - -"Anyhow I shall go," replied the young man, "at all events there will be -one sword more to be drawn for Athens." - -"Yes," muttered Alcibiades to himself, as his companion left the room, -"if you get the chance of drawing it. I rather think that with that fox -Lysander in command, you will do nothing more for Athens than bring one -more mouth to be fed." - -Callias made his way to the coast with no difficulty. Assuming, at the -suggestion of Alcibiades, a citizen's dress, he joined a caravan of -traders which was on its way westward, and in their company travelled -pleasantly and safely. Arrived at Miletus he took passage in a merchant -ship that was bound for Ægina, hoping if he could only get so far, to be -able to make his way somehow into the city. At one time, indeed, he was -terribly afraid that this hope would be disappointed. The -_Swallow_--this was the name of the vessel of Ægina--was challenged and -overhauled by a Corinthian ship of war. Callias made no attempt to -conceal his nationality. Indeed it would have been useless, for an -Athenian in those days was about as easily recognized over the whole of -the Greek world as an Englishman is recognized in these, anywhere in -Europe. To his great surprise the Corinthian captain simply said: "You -can go; I have no order to detain you." That there was no kindness in -his permission Callias was perfectly well aware, for the hatred of -Corinth for Athens was tenfold more bitter than that of Sparta. - -It was a quarrel between Athens and Corinth, on the tender point of a -rebellious Corinthian colony, that had been the immediate cause of the -Peloponnesian War; and even before this there had always been the potent -influence of commercial rivalry to set the two states against each -other. The young Athenian noticed also a sinister smile on the captain's -face; but what it meant he was at a loss to determine. - -Landed at Ægina he lost no time in enquiring how he might best reach his -destination. - -"Oh! you will get in easily enough," said the Æginetan merchant, the -owner of the _Swallow_, to whom he stated his case. - -"Is not the city blockaded then?" - -"Yes, in a way," replied the man. - -"Please to explain what you mean," said Callias, who was getting a -little heated by these mysterious remarks. - -"Well," said the merchant, "King Pausanias is encamped outside the city -in some place that they call the Grove of Academus, I think. Do you know -it?" - -Callias assented with a nod. - -"And Lysander has a hundred and fifty ships off the Piraeus. Still I -think that you will be able to get in. The blockade is not kept very -strictly." - -"Had I best go by night?" - -"Perhaps it would be better." - -"Can you help me to a boat?" - -"Certainly; but you will have to pay the boatman pretty highly, for, of -course, it is a risk, though it can be done." - -"Will you make the arrangements if I pay you the money in advance?" - -"Certainly, if you do not mind going so far as a _mina_. It is really -worth the money." - -Callias paid the money, and was told to be in readiness to embark at -midnight. - -It would have enlightened him considerably if he could have seen the -merchant's behavior as soon as he was safely out of the room. - -"Ah, you young serpent," the man cried, "you will be allowed to creep -into your hole easily enough; but if we don't suffocate you and your -whole brood when we have got you there, my name is not Timagenes." - -The fact was that a revolution of which Callias knew nothing had taken -place at Ægina. An old rival and enemy of Athens, the city had been -conquered many years before, and the anti-Athenian party expelled. And -now everything was changed. Lysander had brought back the exiles, and -though Athens had still friends, it was the hostile party that was in -power. Callias had observed a certain change in the demeanor of the -people, but was too much engrossed in his own affairs to think much -about it. - -The blockade was run as easily as the Æginetan had foretold. The boat -passed within fifty yards of one of the squadron, and Callias could have -sworn that he saw a sentinel on the watch pacing the vessel's deck. But -the man did not challenge, and the Piraeus was reached without any -difficulty. - -It was not long before all the mystery was explained. - -"This is just what I feared," said Hippocles, to whose house the young -Athenian hastened. "I knew that you would come back, and I could not -warn you." - -"What do you mean," cried the young man in astonishment. "Was it not my -duty to return?" - -"Yes, in one way it was. But tell me how you got here?" - -Callias related the incidents of his journey, and expressed some -surprise that the Corinthian captain had not taken him prisoner, and -that the blockade was so negligently kept. - -"And you did not understand what all this meant?" - -"No; I understood nothing." - -"My dear friend," said the merchant, "it simply means that Lysander is -going to starve us out, and that the more there are of us the easier and -the speedier his work will be. This has been his policy all along. He -has taken no prisoners. Whenever he has taken a city, and there is -hardly one that has not either been taken or given itself up, he has -sent every Athenian citizen home. They are simply put on their parole to -come here. The consequence is that the city is fairly swarming with -people, and that there is next to no food. I have a good store--for some -time past I have kept myself well provisioned, not knowing what might -happen--and I am able to do something for my poor neighbors. But the -state of things in the city is simply awful. People, and people too whom -I know as really well-to-do citizens, are dying of sheer starvation. As -for the poor women and children it is truly heart breaking. Oh, my dear -friend, if you had only stopped away; for here you can do nothing. But I -knew you would come back, and I honor you for it." - -"But can nothing be done?" cried the young man. "It is better to die -than be starved like a wolf in his den." - -"The people have lost all heart. And indeed, if they were all brave as -lions, we are hopelessly outnumbered. Pausanias must have as many as -forty thousand men outside the city, for every city in the Island[52] -except Argos, has sent its contingent; and we could not muster a fourth -part of the number, and such troops too! And where is our fleet? At the -bottom of the Ægean, or in the arsenals of the enemy. I do not suppose -that there are fifty ships, all told, in our docks. And of these a third -are not sea-worthy. No, we must submit; and yet it is almost as much as -a man's life is worth to mention the word." - -"But could we not make terms of some kind, not good terms I fear, but -still such as would be endurable? Has anything been done?" - -"The Senate sent to Agis, who was at Deccleia,[53] and proposed peace on -these terms: Athens was to become the ally of Sparta on the condition of -having the same friends and the same enemies, but was to be allowed to -keep the Long Walls[54] and the Piraeus. Agis said that he had no -authority to treat, and bade the envoys go to Sparta. So they came back -here, and were directed to go. They reached a place on the borders of -Laconia and sent on their message to the ephors at Sparta, not being -allowed to proceed any further themselves. The ephors sent back this -answer: 'Begone instantly; if the Athenians really desire peace, let -them send you again with other proposals, such as having reflected more -wisely they may be disposed to make.' So the envoys returned. Some had -hoped that they would do some good. I must confess that I had not. There -was terrible dismay. At last one Archistratus plucked up courage to -speak. 'The Lacedaemonians can force us to accept what conditions they -please. Let us acknowledge what we cannot deny, and make peace with them -on their own terms.' There was a howl of rage at this, for in truth the -Lacedaemonian terms were nothing less than this: 'Pull down a mile of -the Long Walls, and give up your fleet.' The unlucky Archistratus was -thrown into prison where he lies still. Well, one said one thing, one -another. At last Theramenes got up and said: 'The real manager of -affairs is neither Agis nor Pausanias, nor even the Ephors, but -Lysander. Send me to him--he is a personal friend of mine own--and I -will make the best terms I can with him.' To this the assembly agreed, -having indeed nothing better to do. That was three or four days ago. -Theramenes started the same night. I very much doubt whether he will be -able to do any good. I am not even sure that he means to. But we shall -see." - -A miserable period of waiting followed. Day after day passed, and the -envoy neither returned nor sent any communication to his fellow -countrymen. No one knew where he was. Whether he was still with Lysander -or had gone on to Sparta--all was a mystery. Meanwhile the distress in -the city grew more and more acute. Callias had taken up his abode with -Hippocles, and was so out of absolute want. He was perfectly ready to -acquiesce in the extreme frugality which was the rule of the house. Free -and bond all fared alike, and none had anything beyond the most -absolute necessaries of life. Whatever could be spared was devoted to -the relief of the needy. - -Not the least trying part of the situation was the forced inaction. Not -even a sally was made. Indeed, it would have been a useless waste of -life. Not only were the forces of the enemy vastly superior, but the -besieged soldiers were almost unable to support the weight of their -arms, so scanty was the fare to which they were reduced. There were -times when Callias was disposed to rush sword in hand on some outpost of -the enemy, sell his life as dearly as he could, and perish. - -Two things held him back from carrying this idea into execution, things -curiously unlike, yet working together for the same result. One was his -love for Hermione. Life had not lost all its charm, his horizon was not -wholly dark, while there remained the light of this hope. Indeed it was -the one consolation of his life that he was permitted to help her in her -daily ministration among her needy neighbors. A string of pensioners -presented themselves at the merchant's gates, and received such relief -as he could give. But Hermione was not content with this. There were -some, she knew, whose pride would not permit them to mingle in the train -of mendicants; there were others whose strength did not permit them to -come abroad. These she sought out in their own homes. Callias found a -melancholy pleasure in accompanying and helping her. Not a word of love -passed his lips. He would have scorned himself if he had added the -smallest grain to the burden of care that she bore. But he never failed -in his attendance, and he was hailed by many a poor sufferer with a -pleasure only second to that which greeted the gracious presence of the -girl. When, as happened before long, fever the unfailing follower of -famine, began to spread its ravages over the Piraeus, his labors and -hers grew more arduous. Battling with these two fearful enemies within -the walls, Callias almost forgot the foes that were without. - -The other restraining and strengthening influence was that which -Socrates exercised on the young man's mind. All the time that Callias -could spare from the labors that he shared with Hermione was given to -the society of the philosopher. The sage's indomitable courage and -endurance were in themselves an encouragement of the highest order. -Doubtless his physical strength, which made him capable of bearing an -almost incredible degree of cold and hunger, helped him to show a -dauntless heart to the troubles which were breaking down so many. Indeed -he seemed scarcely to want food or drink. But the steadfastness with -which he pursued his usual course of life, still keeping up his untiring -search for wisdom was a spectacle nothing less than splendid, while -nothing could exceed his practical sagacity. Anyone who wanted shrewd -advice in the actual circumstances of life, anyone who desired to be -lifted out of the sordid present, with its miserable hopes and cares, on -to a higher plane of life, came to Socrates and did not come in vain. - -At length, when nearly three months had passed, the long period of -suspense seemed about to come to an end. The report ran through the city -that Theramenes had returned. What were the terms he had brought back, -no one knew. On that point he remained obstinately silent. In fact he -had nothing to say, nothing further, that is, than the fact that -Lysander professed himself unable to treat; the Ephors must be -approached, if anything was to be done. - -Had Lysander amused him with hopes that instructions and power to treat -would soon be sent down to him from Sparta, or had he deliberately -waited till the city should be reduced to such a pitch of starvation -that it would be ready to consent to any terms? There was a brutal, -cold-blooded cruelty in such conduct that makes it difficult to credit; -yet many believed it to be the true explanation of the delay.[55] To -picture the dismay that prevailed through the assembly when Theramenes -had given his report of the negotiations which he had _not_ concluded -would be impossible. There was nothing to be done but accept the bitter -necessity. Theramenes, with nine others, was sent to Sparta with full -power to treat. They were to accept any terms that might be offered. The -proud city had fallen as low as that. - -Then came another time of waiting. Happily it was not long. Theramenes -felt that the endurance of his countrymen had been tried to the -uttermost, and that nothing more was to be gained. Athens was on her -knees. It did not suit him and his purposes--for he had purposes of his -own, possibly a tyranny, certainly power--that she should be actually -prostrate. He and his colleagues made all the haste that they could; and -as their instructions were simple--to accept anything that might be -offered--there was little to delay them. - -[Illustration: THE PARTHENON AT THE PRESENT DAY.] - -At the end of about twelve days they returned. It was in the midst of a -breathless suspense that Theramenes stood up to make his report. What he -said may be thus given in outline. - -"We went with all speed to Sellasia[56] and there waited, having sent on -a message to the Ephors that we had come with full power to treat. On -the second day we were summoned to Sparta. There we found envoys -assembled from the allies of the Lacedaemonians. Aristides also was -there. - -"At the mention of the name of Aristides a murmur of fear and rage ran -through the assembly. The man was one of the most notorious of the -anti-patriotic party. He had been in exile for many years, and was -believed to have done more harm than any one else to his native city. - -"The senior of the Ephors stood up, and said: 'Friends and allies, the -Athenians seek for peace. What say you? Shall we grant it to them?' One -after another the envoys rose in their places. They did not use many -words. It was not the custom of the place to be long in speech as they -knew. All said the same thing. 'We give our vote against peace. Let -Athens be destroyed. There will be no true peace so long as she is -permitted to exist.' When all had spoken we were called on to speak. -'You hear what these say,' said the Ephor who had not spoken before. -'What have you to reply?' I answered that the Athenians were ready to -give all pledges that might be asked from them that they would not harm -either Sparta or her allies or any city of the Greeks. After this we -were all commanded to withdraw. In about the space of an hour we were -summoned again into the chamber. The Ephor rose in his place and spoke. -'The Corinthians and the other allies demand that Athens should be -destroyed. Nor do they this without reason. The Athenians have destroyed -many cities of the Greeks. Yet can we not forget that they have also in -time past done good service to Greece. But of these things which you all -know it is needless to speak. Our sentence is this: Let the Athenians -pull down their Long Walls for the space of a mile. Let them also -surrender their fleet, keeping only twelve ships. On these terms they -shall have peace. These then, O men of Athens,' the speaker continued, -'are the conditions which the Spartans demand. I confess that they are -hard. Yet they are better than those which the rest of Greece would -impose upon you. Truly the Lacedaemonians stand between us and utter -destruction. And there is nothing beyond remedy in what they would lay -upon us. Walls that are broken down may be repaired, and for ships that -have been given up many others may be built; but of a city against which -the decree of destruction has gone forth, there is an end. Therefore I -propose that peace be made with the Lacedaemonians on these terms.' - -"One or two speakers ventured to rise in opposition. But they could -scarcely get a hearing. Probably they only went through the form of -opposing in order that they might be able at some future time to say -that they had done so. With but short delay the proposition was put to -the vote and carried by an overwhelming majority. The same evening -envoys were sent to Lysander announcing that the Spartan conditions had -been accepted. - -"The next day the gates of the city were thrown open, and the fleet of -Lysander sailed into the Piraeus. The ships of war were handed over to -him. Many were destroyed, and indeed the once famous and powerful fleet -of Atticus had been reduced to a state of most deplorable weakness. The -sacrifice of the fleet, such as it was, was not so very costly after -all. The few sea-worthy ships that remained, besides the twelve that the -city was permitted to retain, were sent off to the Lacedaemonian arsenal -of Gytheum. This done, the next thing was to beat down the Long Walls. -'This is the first day of the freedom of Greece,' said Lysander, 'we -must keep it as a festival. Send for the flute players.' Accordingly the -services of every flute player in Attica were requisitioned; and to the -sound of the gayest tunes which they could find in their _repertoire_ -the work of demolition went on. Every decent Athenian whatever his -policy, kept, of course, close within doors; but there was nevertheless -a vast concourse of spectators, the rabble who will crowd to any sight, -however brutal and humiliating, the army of Pausanias and the crews of -Lysander's fleet, with a miscellaneous crowd of foreigners who had come -to gloat over the downfall of the haughty city. Loud was the shout that -went up when a clean breach was made through the walls. The general -feeling was that Athens had suffered a blow from which she could never -recover. But there were some who doubted. 'You have scratched the snake, -not killed it,' said a Corinthian, as he turned away." - -FOOTNOTES: - -[52] The Peloponnesus or Island of Pelops. - -[53] Deccleia was the fort established in Athenian territory by the -Peloponnesians early in the war and used as their headquarters during -their annual invasion of the country. - -[54] The Long Walls were the great strength of Athens. They joined the -harbor of the Piraeus to the city. - -[55] Xenophon distinctly says that he lingered with Lysander, waiting -for the time when the Athenians, at the last pinch of starvation, should -be ready to accept any terms that might be offered. - -[56] Sellasia was a town on the border where the previous embassy had -been bidden to wait till the Ephors could be communicated with. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -"NOBLESSE OBLIGE." - - -Some fourteen or fifteen days have passed since the humiliation of -Athens was completed. To have come to the end, bitter as it was, was in -one way a relief. To know the worst always brings a certain comfort, and -that worst might have been, was, in fact, very near being far more -terrible than what actually happened. Then there was a great material -relief. The pressure of famine was removed. Supplies poured plentifully -into Athens, for the city, in spite of all its sacrifices and losses, -was still rich. If fever still remained--it always lingers a while after -its precursor, hunger, has departed--it was now possible to cope with it -effectually. And then, last not least, it was the delightful season of -spring. The Athenians could once more enjoy the delights of that country -life from which they had been shut out so long, but which they had never -ceased to love. Attica, indeed, had suffered sadly from the presence, -repeated year after year, of the invading host; but it had suffered less -than might have been expected. The olive yards in particular, had not -been touched. A religious feeling had forbidden any injury to a tree -which was supposed to be under the special protection of the patron -goddess of the land. The sacred groves also of the heroes, that were -scattered about the country, had not been harmed. Not a few houses with -their gardens had been saved by having served as residences for officers -high in command in the Peloponnesian army. And now Nature, the restorer, -was busy in the genial season of growth in healing or at least hiding -the wounds that had been made by the ravages of war. - -"What do you say to a trip to Marathon?" said Hippocles one day, to his -daughter and Callias. "You both of you look as if a little fresh air -would do you good." - -"An excellent idea," cried Hermione, clapping her hands, "it is years -since I have seen the place." - -"What say you, Callias?" said Hippocles, turning to the young man. - -Callias was only too glad to join any expedition when he was to have the -company of Hermione. He did not give this reason, but he assented to the -proposal very heartily. - -"But, father, how shall we go?" said Hermione. "There is scarcely a -horse to be found, I suppose." - -"Why not go by sea?" was her father's reply. "I have a pinnace which -would just suit us. We will go to-morrow if the weather holds fine, stop -the first night at Sunium, and the second at Marathon. At Sunium there -is my villa, and at Marathon there is a little house of which I can get -the use, and which will serve us if we do not mind roughing it a little. -We can return the next day. Only we must take provisions, for except -such fish as we may catch in the Marathon stream, and possibly, some -goats' milk, if all the goats have not been eaten up, we shall have -nothing but what we bring. That must be your care, Hermione." - -"Trust me, father," cried the girl joyously. "If you have gone through -four months' famine, depend upon it you shall not be starved now." - -The weather on the following day was all that could be desired. A warm -and gentle west wind was blowing. This served them very well as they -sailed southward to Sunium. In such good time did they reach the -promontory, that by unanimous vote they agreed to finish their journey -that same day. Sailing northward was as easy as sailing southward, and -the sun was still an hour from setting when they reached the northern -end of the plain, having travelled a distance of upwards of sixty miles. -This was about four times as far as they would have had to go, had they -made the journey by land. No one, however, regretted having followed -Hippocles' suggestion. The voyage was indeed as delightful an excursion -as could have been devised. The deep blue sky overhead, the sea, -borrowing from the heavens a color as intense, and only touched here and -there with a speck of white where a little wave swelled and broke, sea -birds now flying high in the air, now darting for their prey into the -waters, the white cliffs tipped with the fresh green of spring that -framed the coast line, made a picture that the party intensely enjoyed, -although they did not put their enjoyment into words with the fluency -and ease which would have come readily to a modern. The ancients loved -nature, but, as a rule, they felt this love much more than they -expressed it. - -The little house at Marathon was one that had escaped destruction by -having been occupied by a Spartan officer. It was bare indeed of -furniture, but it was habitable; and the party had brought with them -the few things that were absolutely necessary, far fewer, we must -remember, than what we now consider to be indispensable. Supper was felt -by all to be a most enjoyable meal. The room in which they sat was bare, -for, of course, the luxurious couches on which it was the fashion to -recline were absent. There was not even a table, and there was but one -broken chair, which was naturally resigned to Hermione. But it was -lightened with a cheerful fire, which was not unwelcome after seven or -eight hours' exposure to a high wind. Happily the late occupant had left -a store of logs, which had been cut on the slopes of Pentelicus in the -previous autumn, and which now blazed up most cheerfully. The meal was -declared by both Hippocles and Callias to be good enough for a -State-banquet in the Prytaneum. One of the sailors had caught a -basketful of fish in the stream, and these Hermione had cooked with her -own hands. An Athenian who had plenty of fish, seldom wanted anything in -the way of flesh, and the provisions which Hermione, not liking to trust -to the skill or the luck of the anglers had brought with her, were not -touched. A cold maize pudding, some of the famous Attic figs, which had -been preserved through the winter, bread with honey from Hymettus, and -dried grapes completed the repast. Some of the goats, it turned out, had -survived, and a jug of their milk was forthcoming for Hermione. The two -men had a flask of wine which they largely diluted with water. When, -after the libation, Hippocles proposed the toast of the evening, as, in -consideration of the locality it might fairly be called, "To the memory -of the Heroes of Marathon," Hermione honored it by putting her lips to -the cup. It was the first time that wine had ever passed them, but she -could not refuse this tribute to the chief glory of the city of her -adoption. - -Hermione, fatigued, it may be said, with all the delights of the day, -retired early to rest. Soon after she had gone Callias took the -opportunity of opening his heart to his companion on a subject which had -long occupied his thoughts. - -"We have peace at last," he said, "not such a peace as I had ever hoped -for, but still better than the utter ruin which lately I had begun to -fear. A good citizen may now begin to think of himself and of his own -happiness. You, sir, can hardly have failed to observe why I have begun -to look for that happiness. If your daughter will only consent to share -my life, I feel that I shall have to ask the gods for nothing more. She -is free as far as I know. And me you have known from my childhood. You -were my father's friend and since he died you have stood in his place. -Can you give her to me?" - -Hippocles caught his young companion's hand, and gave it a hearty grasp. - -"I will not pretend," he said, "not to have observed something of what -you say; nor will I deny that I have observed it with pleasure. What -father would not be glad if Callias, the son of Hipponicus, loved his -daughter? Of Hermione's feelings I say nothing, indeed I know nothing, -save that she has regarded you since childhood with a strong affection, -and that as you say she is free. But there are facts which neither you -nor I can forget; and the chief of them is this, that while you are -Callias, son of Hipponicus, an Eupatrid of the Eupatrids,[57] I am -Hippocles, the Alien. I am well-born in my own country, but that is -nothing here. I am wealthy--so wealthy that I care not a single drachma -whether my future son-in-law has a thousand talents for his patrimony or -one. I am, I hope and believe, not without honor in the city of my -adoption. But I am an alien, my child is an alien. Whether you have -thought of all that this means I know not--love is apt to hide these -difficulties from a man's eyes--but the fact must be faced; you and my -daughter must face it. You speak of my giving her to you. But, if -Hermione is a Greek, she is also an Italian. The Italian women choose -for themselves. I could not if I would constrain her will. She must -decide, and she must answer." - -"There is nothing that I should desire better. But you do not tell me, -sir, what you yourself wish. Have I your consent and your good wishes?" - -"Yes," said Hippocles, "you have. I have thought over the difficulties, -for I foresaw that you would some day speak to me on this subject. As -far as I am concerned I am ready to waive them. But then, they do not -concern me in the first place." - -The two men sat in silence for some time after this conversation had -passed between them, buried each of them in his own thoughts. At last -Hippocles rose from his seat. - -"It is time to sleep," he said; "I will speak to my daughter to-morrow; -you shall not want my good word, but I can do nothing more. You must -speak to her yourself. That is, I think, what few fathers in Greece -would tell a suitor to do. But then Hermione is not as other maidens." - -Callias passed a restless night, and was glad, to make his way into the -open air when the first streaks of dawn appeared on the Euboean hills, -which were in full view from the house. He shrank from meeting Hermione -till he could meet her alone, and ask the momentous question which was -occupying his whole mind. Partly to employ the time, partly to banish -thought, if it might be done by severe bodily exercise, he started to -climb the height of Pentelicus, which rose on the southern side of the -Marathonian plain. The excursion occupied him the whole morning. On his -way back he traversed the hills which skirted the western side of the -plain, and, following what was evidently a well-beaten track, came at -last in view of the mound under which reposed the Athenian dead who had -fallen in that great battle. His quick eye soon perceived a familiar -figure, conspicuous in its white garments among the monuments which -stood on the top of the mound. Hippocles had fulfilled his promise, and -had said all that he could to Hermione in favor of her suitor. He had -dwelt upon his noble birth, the reputation as a soldier which he had -already won, his culture and taste for philosophy, and his blameless -life. "As for wealth," he ended by saying, "that is of little account -where my daughter is concerned. Yet a man should be independent of his -wife, and I may tell you as one who knows--and I have had charge of his -property for some years past--that Callias is one of the richest men in -Athens. That will not weigh with you I know, but I would have you know -all the circumstances." - -Hermione said nothing; she took her father's hand and kissed it. A tear -dropped on it as she raised it to her lips. As she turned away, -Hippocles noticed that she was shaken by a sob. - -An instinct in the girl's heart told her that it was on the mound that -her lover would speak to her, and it was here that she wished to give -her answer to him. It was not the first time that she had visited it. -Indeed there was not a woman, and not many men in Athens who knew so -much about its records. - -On the top of this tumulus, which still rises thirty feet above the -surrounding plain, and which was then, it is probable, considerably -higher, there stood in those days eleven stone columns inscribed with -the names of those who had fallen in the great battle. Each of the ten -Athenian tribes had its own peculiar column, while the eleventh -commemorated the gallant men of Plataea, Plataea, which alone among the -cities of Greece, had sent her sons on that day to stand shoulder to -shoulder with the soldiers of Athens. - -Hermione was apparently engrossed in the task of deciphering the names, -now grown somewhat obliterated by time, which were engraved on one of -the columns. So intent was she on this occupation that she did not -notice the young man's approach. Turning suddenly round, she faced him. -At that moment, though she had expected him to come, his actual coming -was a surprise, and the hot blood crimsoned her face and neck. - -"Hermione," he said, "I have spoken to your father, and he bids me speak -to you. You can hardly have failed to read my heart, and if I have not -spoken to you before, it has been because I have not presumed. You know -all that needs be known about me, and though I do not think myself -worthy of you, I need not be ashamed of my fathers or of myself." - -The brilliant color had faded from the girl's cheek, her hand trembled, -her bosom heaved. Twice she opened her lips; twice the voice seemed to -fail her. At last she spoke. - -"You speak of your fathers. You are, I think, of the tribe of Pandion?" - -"I am," said Callias. - -"And this is the column of their tribe, and this"--she pointed as she -spoke--"the name of an ancestor of yours?" - -"Yes," replied the young man, "this Hipponicus whose name you see -engraved here was my great grandfather." - -"He had been Archon at Athens the year before the great battle. You -see," she added with a faint smile, "I know something of your family -history." - -"It was so." - -"And his son, a Callias like yourself, was Archon general many -times--held, in fact, every honor that Athens could bestow?" - -"Yes, there was no more distinguished man in the city than he." - -"And your father; he died, I think I have heard, in early manhood; but -he was already far advanced in the career of honor?" - -"Doubtless had he lived he would not have been inferior in distinction -to my grandfather." - -"And you have started well in the same course? I need not ask you that. -We all know it better, perhaps, than you know it yourself, and we are -proud of it. My dear brother," the girl's voice which hitherto had been -clear and even commanding in its tones, faltered at the mention of the -dead, "my dear brother used to say that there was nothing that you might -not hope for, nothing to which you might not rise." - -"You speak too well of me; but I hope that I am not altogether unworthy -of my ancestors." - -The girl paused for a while. She seemed unable to utter what she had -next to say. The flush mounted again to her cheek, and she stood silent -and with downcast eyes. - -Meanwhile the young man stood in utter perplexity. He had heard nothing -from the girl's lips but what might have made any man proud to hear. She -knew, as she had said, the history of his race, and she believed him to -be not unworthy of it. Yet this was not the way in which he had hoped to -hear her speak. He was conscious that there was something behind that -did not promise well for his hopes. - -At last she went on. Her voice was low but distinct, her eyes were still -bent on the ground. - -"And what your fathers have been in Athens, what you hope to be -yourself, you would have your son to be after you?" - -"Surely," he answered without thinking of what he was admitting. - -"Could it be so if I--" she altered the phrase--"if a woman not of -Athenian blood were his mother?" - -He was struck dumb. So this was the end she had before her when she -enumerated the honors and distinctions of his race. - -"Mind," she said, "I do not say that my race is unworthy of yours. I am -not ashamed of my ancestors. They were chiefs; they were good men. I am -proud to be their daughter. But here in Athens their goodness and their -nobility goes for nothing. I am Hermione, the daughter of Hippocles, the -Alien. Marrying me you shut out, not perhaps yourself, but your children -from the career which is their inheritance. I am too proud,"--and here -the girl dropped her voice to a whisper,--"and I love you too well for -that." - -"What is my career to your love?" cried the young man passionately; "I -am ready to give up country and all for that." - -"That," said Hermione, "is the only unworthy thing that I ever heard you -say. Your better thoughts will make you withdraw it. Athens has fallen; -the gods know that it has wrung my heart to see it. But she needs all -the more such sons as you are. She has little now to offer. It is a -thankless office, perhaps, to command her fleets and armies. All the -more honor to those who cling to her still and cherish her still. You -must not leave her or betray her. I should think foul shame of myself if -I tempted you for a moment to waver in your loyalty to her. I may not -love you--that the gods have forbidden me--but you will let me be proud -of you." - -The young man turned away. The final word, he knew, had been spoken. -This resolution was not to be shaken by indignant reproaches or by -tender pleadings. All that remained was to forget, if that was possible. -He would not see Hippocles or his daughter again till the wound of this -bitter disappointment had had time to heal. Returning to the house, -which he found empty but for a single attendant, he snatched a hasty -meal, and then set out to return over-land to Athens. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[57] The class name of the Athenian nobility. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -THE END OF ALCIBIADES. - - -Three days after the events recorded in the last chapter--it took so -much time for the young man to screw up his courage to the -point--Callias made his way to the ship-yard of Hippocles at an hour -when he knew that he would be pretty certain to find the master there. -He was not disappointed, nor could he help being touched by the warm -sympathy with which he was received. - -"Ah! my dear friend," cried the merchant, "this has been a great -disappointment to me. I must own that I had my fears. I know something, -you see, of my daughter's temper. I knew that she had always chafed -under our disabilities. Things that have ceased to trouble me--and I -must own that they never troubled me much--are grievous to her. You see -that I have a power of my own which is quite enough to satisfy any -reasonable man. I can't speak or vote in your assembly, but I have a -voice, if I choose to use it, in your policy. She knows very little -about this, and would not appreciate it if she did. Besides it would not -avail her. No; she feels herself an inferior here, and it galls her; yet -that is scarcely the way to put it, for she was thinking much more of -you than of herself. I believe that she loves you--she has not confided -in me, you must understand, but I guess as much--and she would sooner -cut off her right hand than injure you or yours. And then her pride -comes in also. 'Am I, daughter of kings as I am,' she says to herself, -'am I to be one to bring humiliation into an ancient house?' Her -mother's forefathers would be called barbarians here, but they were -kings and heroes for all that. And that is the bitterness of it to her: -to feel herself your equal in birth, and yet to know that to marry you -would be to drag you down." - -"I understand," said Callias, "it is noble; but just now my heart rebels -very loudly against it. Let us say no more. I have come to ask you what -you would advise. For the present I cannot stay at Athens." - -"That," said Hippocles, "is exactly what I wanted to talk to you about; -if you had not come to-day I should have sought for you. You wish to -leave Athens, you say. It is well, for it would not be safe for you to -stay. We shall have a bad time in Athens for the next few months, -perhaps for longer. The exiles have come back full of rage and thirsting -for revenge. And then there is Theramenes; he is the man you have to -fear. He has the murder of the generals on his soul. That, perhaps, -would not trouble him much but he fears all who might be disposed to -call him to account for it. He knows that you were the kinsman and dear -friend of Diomedon, and he will take the first opportunity that may -occur of doing you a mischief. And opportunities will not be wanting. I -suspect that for some time to come, with the Oligarchs in power and the -Lacedaemonians to back them up, laws and constitutional forms will not -go for much in Athens." - -"And you advise me to go?" said Callias. - -"Certainly there is nothing to keep you. For the present there is no -career for you here. I don't despair of Athens; but for some time to -come she will have a very humble part to play." - -"Have you anything to suggest?" - -"I have been thinking over it for two or three days. Many things have -occurred to me, but nothing so good as was suggested by a letter which I -received this morning. It came from a merchant in Rhodes with whom I -have had dealings for some years past. My correspondent asks for a large -advance in money for a commercial speculation which he says promises -large profits. I have always found the man honest; in fact the outcomes -of my dealings with him in the past have been quite satisfactory. But -this new venture that he proposes is a very large one indeed. I like -what he tells me of it. It opens up quite a new field of enterprise; and -new fields, I need hardly tell you, have a great charm for a man in my -position. The ordinary routine of commerce does not interest me very -much; but something new is very attractive. Now I want you to go to -Rhodes for me. Make all the enquiries you can about the character and -standing of my correspondent, whom, curiously enough, I have never seen. -I will give you introductions to those who will put you in the way of -hearing all that is to be heard. If the man's credit is shaky at all, -then I shall know that this proposition of his is a desperate venture. -If all is sound, I shall feel pretty sure that he has got hold of a -really good thing." - -"I know very little of such matters," said the young Callias after a -pause. - -"I do not ask you to go that you may judge of this particular -enterprise; I simply want you to find out what people are saying about -Diagoras--that is my correspondent's name; you will be simply an -Athenian gentleman on his travels. Keep your ears open and you will be -sure to hear something." - -"Well," said Callias, "I will do my best; but don't expect too much." - -"Can you start to-morrow?" - -"Yes, if you think it necessary." - -"Well, my affair is not urgent for some days, at least. But for -yourself, I fancy you cannot get out of the way too soon. I don't think -that Theramenes and his friends will stick much at forms and ceremonies. -I own that I shall feel much happier when there are two or three hundred -miles of sea between you and them. Be here an hour after sunset -to-morrow. By that time I shall have arranged for your passage and got -ready your letters of introduction and the rest of it." - -"Well," said the young man to himself as he went to make his -preparations for departure, "this, it must be confessed, is a little -hard on me. Hermione says, 'Stop in Athens and stick to your career'; -her father says, 'If you stop in Athens you are as good as a dead man, -and your career will be cut short by the hemlock cup.' I have to give up -my love for my career and then give up my career for my life." - -It is needless to relate the incidents of my hero's voyage to Rhodes or -of his stay on that island. His special mission he was able to -accomplish easily enough. Diagoras' speculation was, as he soon found -out, the last resource of an embarrassed man; and the loan for which he -asked would be a risk too great for any prudent person to undertake. The -letter in which he communicated what he had heard to Hippocles was -crossed by one from Athens. From this he learned that the political -anticipations of the merchant had been more than fulfilled. The -oligarchical revolution had been carried on with the most outrageous -violence. On the very day on which he had left Athens, an officer of the -government had come with an order for his arrest. - -All this was interesting; still more so was a brief communication from -Alcibiades which the merchant enclosed. It ran thus: - -"Alcibiades to Callias son of Hipponicus, greeting. Great things are -possible now to the bold of whom I know you to be one. More I do not -say, but come to me as soon as you can. Farewell." - -The merchant had added a postscript. "I leave this for your -consideration. Alcibiades has a certain knack of success. But the risk -will be great." - -"What is risk to me?" said Callias, "I can't spend my life idling here." - -The next day he left the island, taking his passage in a merchant ship -which, by great good luck was just starting for Smyrna. Smyrna was -reached without any mishap. Four days afterwards, he started with a -guide for the little village in Phrygia from which Alcibiades had dated -his note. Halting at noon on the first day's journey to rest their -horses, they were accosted by a miserable looking wayfarer, who begged -for some scraps of food, declaring that he had not broken his fast for -four and twenty hours. Something in the man's voice and face struck -Callias as familiar, and he puzzled in vain for a solution of the -mystery, while the stranger sat eagerly devouring the meal with which he -had been furnished. - -"Here," said Callias, when the man had finished his repast and was -thanking him, "here is something to help you along till you can find -friends or employment." And he gave him four or five silver pieces. - -It was the first time he had spoken in the fugitive's hearing, and the -man, who, now that his ravenous hunger was appeased, had leisure to -notice other things, started at the sound of his voice. He, on his part, -seemed to recognize something. - -"Many thanks, sir," he said; "the gods pay you back ten-fold. But -surely," he went on, "I have seen you before. Ah! now I remember. You -are Callias the son of Hipponicus, and you were my master's guest in -Thrace." - -A light flashed on the young Athenian's mind. The man had been one of -Alcibiades' attendants in his Thracian castle. - -"Ah! I remember," he cried, "and your master was Alcibiades. But what do -you here? How does he fare?" - -The man burst into tears. "Ah, sir, he is dead, cruelly killed by those -villains of Spartans. He was the very best of masters. I never had a -rough word from him. We all loved him." - -"Tell me," said Callias, "how it happened. I was on my way to him," and -he read to the man the brief note that had been forwarded to him at -Rhodes. - -"Yes, I understand. I know when that was written. He had great hopes of -being able to do something. I did not rightly understand what it was, -but the common talk among us who were of his household was that he was -going to the Great King to persuade him that the best thing that he -could do would be to set Athens on her feet again to help him against -Sparta. Oh! he was a wonderful man to persuade, was my master. Nobody -could help being taken by him." - -"But tell me the story," said the young man. - -"Well, it happened in this way. My master had gone up to see -Pharnabazus, the Satrap, who had promised to aid him on his way up to -Susa to see the Great King. There were six of us with him; his -secretary, myself and four slaves. There was Timandra, also, whom he -used to call his wife; but his real wife was an Athenian lady, -Hipparete, I have heard say." - -"Yes," interrupted Callias, "I knew her; a cousin of my own; a most -unhappy marriage. But go on." - -"Well, Pharnabazus received him most hospitably. There was no good house -in the village, so we had three cottages. Alcibiades had one; the -secretary and I another, and the slaves, a third. Every day the satrap -sent a handsome supply of provisions for us; dishes and wine from his -own table for my master, and for us all that we could want for -ourselves. I never fared better in my life. And my master had long talks -with him and seemed in excellent spirits. Everything was going on as -well as possible. Then there came a change. I never could find out -whether my master had heard anything to make him suspicious. If he had, -he certainly told the secretary nothing about it. But he was very much -depressed. First he sent Timandra away. She was very unwilling to go, -poor lady, for she did love my master very much, though, as I say, she -was not really his wife. But my master insisted on it, so she went away -to stay with some friends. After that his spirits grew worse and worse. -He used to tell his secretary the dreams he had. Once he dreamt he was -dressed in Timandra's clothes, and that she was putting rouge and powder -on his face. At another time he seemed to see himself laid on a funeral -pyre and the people standing round ready to set it on fire. The very -night after he had that dream we were awakened by a tremendous uproar; -the secretary and I got up and looked out. The master's cottage, which -was about a stadium[58] away from ours was on fire, and there were a -number of Persians, about fifty or sixty, standing round it, shouting -out and cursing him. The next moment we saw the door of the cottage -open, and the master ran out with a cloak round his head, to keep -himself from being choked by the smoke, and with a sword in his hand. As -soon as he was clear of the burning cottage he threw down the cloak and -rushed straight at the nearest Persian. The man turned and ran. There -was not one of them that dared stand for a moment. But they shot at him -with arrows. They had fastened the gates of the enclosure in which the -cottages stood, you must understand, so that he could not escape. In -fact he was climbing over one of them when he was killed." - -"And you; what did you do?" - -"Ah! sir," cried the man, "we were helpless, we had not a sword between -us. We hid ourselves, and the next morning took our master's body and -carried it to Timandra. She made a great funeral, spending upon it, poor -thing, nearly every drachma she had. When we had seen the last of my -dear master, the secretary said that he had friends at Tarsus, and set -out to go there. I thought that I had best make my way to Smyrna. Thanks -to your goodness, I shall now be able to get there, but I was very -nearly dying of starvation. But what, if I may ask, are you thinking of -doing?" - -"That I can't tell," replied the Athenian; "as I told you, I was on my -way to Alcibiades." - -"Well, sir, I can tell you this," rejoined the stranger, "no friends of -my master's will be safe here. Pharnabazus, I feel sure, had no great -love for him, notwithstanding all his politeness; as for the Spartans, -they hated him; and I did hear that the people who are now in power at -Athens had sent to say that peace could not last unless he were put out -of the way. Yes, sir, if anyone recognizes that you are my master's -friend, you are a dead man." - -"Why," said Callias, "I have made no secret of it. In Smyrna I spoke -about him to the people with whom I was staying. No one said a word -against him." - -"Very likely not," replied the man, "for they thought that he was alive, -and no one liked to have my master for an enemy. He had a wonderful way -of making friends to have the upper hand and contriving that his -adversaries should have the worst of it. But now that he is dead you -will find things very different." - -"What is to be done?" asked the young Athenian. - -"Can you trust your guide?" - -"I know nothing of the man. I simply hired him because I was told that -he was a fairly honest fellow, knew the country very well, and would not -run away if a robber made his appearance." - -"Well, then get rid of him." - -"But how?" - -"Tell him that you have a headache, and that you will come on after him -when you have rested a little and the sun is not so hot, and that he had -better go on, get quarters at the next stage and have everything ready -for you when you shall arrive. As soon as he is gone, get back as fast -as you can to Smyrna. The news will hardly have reached that place yet, -indeed we may be sure that it has not, or you would have heard of it -before you started. Go down to the docks, and take your passage in any -ship that you can find ready to start. Even if it is going to Athens -never mind; you will be able to leave it on the way. Anyhow, get out of -Asia at any risk." - -"And you?" - -"Oh, no one will care about me. I am a very insignificant person. But, -as a matter of fact, I shall try to get to Syracuse. I was born there." - -"Syracuse will do as well for me as any other place. Why not come with -me if it can be managed? I was able to do you a little service, and you -have done me a great one. Let us go together." - -The plan was carried out with the greatest success. Callias made the -best of his way to Smyrna, and left his horse at an inn, not, of -course, the one from which he had started. As he had plenty of money for -immediate wants, besides letters of credit from Hippocles, he thought it -safer not to attempt to sell the animal. He then provided himself with -different clothes, purchasing at the same time a suit for his new -acquaintance. These he ordered to be sent to a small house of -entertainment near the docks which they had arranged should be the place -of meeting. Shortly before sunset the man appeared. Meanwhile Callias -had arranged for a passage for himself and his servant in a ship bound -for Corinth. They would not venture into Corinth itself, but would -transfer themselves at the port of Cenchreae into some ship bound for -Sicily. - -Before the morning of the next day the two were on their way westward. -Everything went well. At Cenchreae they found a Syracusan merchantman -just about to start, shipped on board her and after a prosperous voyage -found themselves in the chief city of Sicily. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[58] A stadium was nearly a furlong; to be exact, 202 yards. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -DIONYSIUS. - - -It was with no common emotion that the young Athenian entered the great -harbor of Syracuse. It was here that the really fatal blow had been -struck from which his country had never recovered. She had struggled -gallantly on for nearly ten years after she had lost the most -magnificent armament that she had ever sent forth, but the wound had -been mortal. Thenceforward she had been as a man of whose life-blood a -half had been drained away. Callias had read, shortly before leaving -Athens for the last time, the magnificent passage, then recently -published, in which the great historian of Athens had described the -decisive battle in the harbor.[59] The sight of the place now enabled -him to realize it to himself in the most vivid way. He seemed to see the -hostile fleets crowded together in a way for which there was no -precedent, two hundred war galleys in a space so narrow that manoeuvre -was impossible, and nothing availed but sheer fighting and hard blows; -while the shores seemed alive again as they had been on that eventful -day with a crowd of eager spectators, the armies of the two contending -powers, who looked on with passionate cries and gestures at such a -spectacle as human eyes had scarcely witnessed before, a mighty -war-game in which their own liberties and lives were the stake. The -heights that ran above the harbor were scarcely less significant. There, -its remains still visible, had been the Athenian line of investment. If -only a few yards more had been completed, the young man thought to -himself, the whole course of history might have been changed.[60] Not -far away was the spot where the sturdy infantry of Thebes had withstood -the fiery shock of his own countrymen, and so, not for the first time, -wrested from them the empire that seemed almost within their grasp.[61] -And somewhere--no one knew where--his own father had fallen, one of the -thousands of noble victims who had been sacrificed to the greed and -ambition of a restless democracy. - -The noble house of which Callias was the representative had, of course, -its hereditary guest-friend at Syracuse. Naturally there had been very -little intercourse between citizens of the two states in late years; but -the old tie remained unbroken, and Medon, for that was the Syracusan's -name, was as ready to give a hospitable welcome to the young Athenian, -as if he had been a citizen of one of his country's allies, a merchant -prince of Corinth, or a scion of one of the two royal houses of Sparta. -He insisted upon his guest taking up his quarters in his house, and -exerted himself to the utmost to supply and even anticipate every want. - -"Now you have seen something of the outside of our city," said Medon to -his friend as they sat together after the evening meal on the third day -after his arrival, "you should know something of its politics. But first -let me make sure that we are alone." - -The dining chamber in which the two were sitting had an ante-room. The -door of this the Syracusan proceeded to bolt. - -"Now," he said, "we shall have no eavesdroppers. Any inquisitive friend -may listen at that other door, with all this space between us and him, -without getting much idea of what we are talking about. All the other -walls are outer walls, as you know, and unless a certain great personage -has the birds of the air in his pay, we may talk without reserve. You -look surprised. Well, you will understand things a little better when -you have heard what I have to tell you. You know something, I suppose, -of what has been happening here of late years. The fact is we have been -going through an awful time. No sooner were we free of the danger that -you put us in--you must pardon me for alluding to it--than we were -confronted with another which was every whit as formidable. Another -wretched quarrel between two towns in the island--curiously enough the -very same two that were concerned in your expedition against -us[62]--brought in a foreign invader. This time it was the -Carthaginians. They had had settlements in the island for many years, -had always coveted the dominion of the whole, and more than once had -been very near getting it. They were not far from success this time. -First they took Selinus and massacred every creature in it; then they -took Acragas;[63] then they utterly destroyed Himera. Something made -them hold their hands, and we had a short breathing space. Four years -afterwards they came back in greater force than ever. Acragas was -besieged; it held out bravely, but at last the population had to leave -it; only Syracuse was left. Again when in the full tide of victory, the -Carthaginians held their hand. Do you ask me why? I cannot tell you. But -listen to the fourth article of the treaty of peace." In spite of the -precautions that he had taken against being overheard, Medon, at this -point lowered his voice. "Syracuse is to be under the rule of Dionysius. -Yes; the secret is there; it was he that made it worth their while to -go; and you may be sure that it was worth his while to buy them off. I -must allow that he was the only man who showed a grain of sense or -courage in the whole matter; the other generals as they were called were -hopelessly imbecile. Well, they went, and Dionysius became, shall we -call it, 'commander-in-chief,' or perhaps as we are quite alone, -'tyrant?' He had not an easy time of it at first; I don't suppose that -he will ever have an easy time, tyrants seldom do. The nobles and the -heads of the democratic party leagued together against him, and drove -him out. That did not last long. Of course the conquerors used their -victory most brutally. They were furious that Dionysius had slipped out -of their hands, and wreaked their vengeance on his poor wife. I can't -tell you the horrible way in which they killed her. She was the -daughter, too, of Hermocrates, one of the very best and noblest men -that Syracuse ever had. Equally of course they quarrelled over the -spoils. Naturally, before long they had nothing left to quarrel over. -Dionysius hired a force of Campanian mercenaries, the hardest hitters, -by the way, that I ever saw, and drove them out of the city. Now, I -fancy, he is pretty firmly seated. The people like him; they were never -as fit, you must know, for popular government as yours are. He gives -them plenty of employment and amusements, wrings the money out of us -with a tight hand, and scatters it among them with an open one. Of -course a dagger may reach him, and there are not a few that are kept -ready sharpened for the chance. Barring that, he is likely to be master -here as long as he lives. And to tell you the truth, though personally I -hate the idea, as any noble must--it is the nobles that always hate a -tyrant most--yet I do not see that anything could be better for -Syracuse. The Carthaginian danger is not over yet, and Dionysius is the -very ablest soldier and administrator that we have. Of course the pinch -will come later. A ruler of this sort always becomes harder, more cruel, -more suspicious as he grows older. And if he has a son, brought up in -the bad atmosphere of tyranny, the country has a terrible time of it. -Happily the son is generally a fool, and brings the whole thing down -with a crash. But all this is far off. Dionysius is still a young man, -not more than twenty-six years old, I fancy. However, you shall see -him--we are very good friends in public--and judge for yourself." - -Callias, who had the hereditary abhorrence of his race for anything -like tyranny,[64] demurred at the proposed introduction to the despot. -Medon was very urgent in overruling his objection. "Don't mistake Sicily -for Greece," he said; "we are half barbarous, and what would be -monstrous with you is quite in its right place here. I grant you that an -honest man should have no dealings with a tyrant who should set himself -up at Thebes, or Corinth, or Argos. But it is different here. I am sure -that the man governs us better than we should be governed by the people, -or, for the matter of that, by the nobles either." - -At last the Athenian consented. "Very good," cried Medon, "you will go. -Then we will lose no time about it. Depend upon it, Dionysius knows all -about you; and if you do not pay your respects to him without loss of -time he will be suspicious. Suspicion is the bane of his situation. -Servant, friend, wife; he trusts nobody." - -The next day Medon and his guest presented themselves at the palace. The -Athenian had half turned back when he found that he must be searched. No -one was admitted into the presence until that precaution had been taken, -and his freeman's pride revolted. Medon simply shrugged his shoulders. -"He is quite right," he whispered to his indignant friend, "he would not -live a month if he did not do it." - -Dionysius was, or pretended to be, busy with his studies, when the two -visitors were announced. A slave was reading to him from a roll, and he -was taking notes on a wax tablet. He welcomed the newcomers with much -cordiality. - -"So, Medon, you have brought your Athenian friend at last. I hope that -you have not been slandering me to him." - -"My lord," answered Medon with a courtly bow, "I have told him the -history of the last five years, and have taken him to see Syracuse. That -is not the way to slander you." - -"Good," said Dionysius, "I shall have you a courtier yet." - -He then turned to the Athenian, asked him a few questions, all with the -nicest tact, about his movements, and finally named a time when he -should be at leisure to have some real conversation with him. - -"Believe me," he said, "I honor the Athenians more than any other people -in Greece; a strange thing you may think for a Syracusan to say, but it -is true." - -Certainly when Callias presented himself at the appointed time, -everything that his royal host had said seemed to bear out this -assurance. "After to-day," he said, "politics shall be banished from our -talk. Don't suppose for a moment that if I had been a citizen of Athens, -I should have attempted, that I should even have wished, to be what I am -here. But Syracuse is not capable of being what Athens is. Even you find -liberty a little hard to manage sometimes. Here it is a farce, only a -very bloody farce. Listen to what happened to my father-in-law, -Hermocrates. There never was an abler man in the country. If it had not -been for him, I verily believe that you would have conquered us. He -saved the city; and then, a little time afterwards, because he did not -do what ten years before no one would have dreamt of doing, that is, -conquer you Athenians in a sea-fight, they banished him. Can you imagine -such ingratitude, such folly? Well; he was not disposed to put up with -it; he saw what I see, that the Syracusans are not fit to govern -themselves, and if it had not been for an accident, perhaps I ought -rather to say his own reckless courage, he would have been in my place -now.[65] What he intended to do I have done. I saved Syracuse as he -saved her from Athens; and I dare say that in a year or two my grateful -countrymen would have banished me as they banished him. Only I have been -beforehand with them. So much for politics; now let us talk of something -more pleasant and more profitable." - -"Tell me now, do you know one Socrates in your city, a very wise man -they tell me?" - -"Yes, I know him well." - -"And he is wise?" - -"Yes, indeed; there is no one like him; and so the god thought, for the -Pythia declared him to be the wisest of men." - -"I should dearly like to see him. Do you think it likely that he would -come here, if I were to invite him? I would make it worth his while." - -"I fear there is no chance of it. He never leaves Athens; never has left -it except when he served abroad with the army, and as for money, he is -quite careless about it." - -"But he takes a fee for his teaching, I suppose." - -"Not a drachma." - -"Well, that astonishes me. Why, Georgias would not teach anyone for less -than half a talent, and has got together, I suppose, a pretty heap of -money by this time. But, perhaps, if I could not get the great man -himself, I might get one of his disciples. Whom do men reckon to be the -first among them?" - -"I think that one Plato is the most famous. He was a poet when he was -quite young, indeed he is young now, and had a great reputation; but he -has given up poetry for philosophy." - -"That seems a pity. I don't see why a man should not be both poet and -philosopher. I am a little of both myself. Can you remember anything -that he has written?" - -"Yes; there was an epigram which everyone was repeating when I left -Athens. It was written for the tomb of one of his fellow disciples." - -"Let me hear it." - -Callias repeated, - - "In life like Morning star thy shining head; - And now the star of Evening 'mid the dead." - -"Very pretty indeed. I have something very like it of my own. Would you -like to hear it?" - -Callias of course politely assented and expressed as much admiration as -his conscience permitted, possibly a little more, for the composition -was vapid and clumsy. - -But though Dionysius was an indifferent composer, he had really a very -strong interest in literary matters. Personal vanity had something to do -with it, for he was fully convinced of his own abilities in this way; -but he had a genuine pleasure in talking on the subject. This was -indeed the first of many conversations which the young Athenian had -with him. Politics were never mentioned again, but poetry, the drama, -indeed every kind of literary work, supplied topics of unfailing -interest. The drama was, perhaps, the despot's favorite topic. He had -received not long before Callias' arrival, a copy of the play which was -described in my first chapter, and was never tired of asking questions -about various points of interest in it. It soon became evident that his -special ambition lay in this direction. - -"So, now that your two great men are gone," he said to the young -Athenian, "you have no man of really the first rank among your -dramatists?" - -"I should say not," replied Callias. "Some think well of Iophon, who is -the son of Sophocles. Others say that he would be nothing without his -father. They declare that the old man helped him when he was alive, and -that what he has brought out since his father's death is really not his -own." - -"Well," said Dionysius, "the stock will be exhausted before long. And -there is no one, you say, besides him?" - -"No one, certainly of any reputation." - -"Then there would be a chance for an outsider? But would a dramatist -that was not an Athenian be allowed to exhibit?" - -"I know nothing to the contrary. But I do not know that there has ever -been a case. Anyhow it would be easy to exhibit in the name of a -citizen." - -"An excellent idea! I shall certainly manage it somehow. The first -prize at your festival would be almost as well worth having as the -tyranny itself."[66] - -It is not surprising that a ruler who cherished such tastes should have -reckoned a library among the ornaments which were to make Syracuse the -most splendid among Greek cities. In his Athenian guest he believed -himself to have found a competent agent for carrying this purpose into -effect; and Callias was in truth a well educated person who knew what -books were worth buying. He was well acquainted with the literature of -his own country and had a fairly competent knowledge of what had been -produced elsewhere in Greece. For the next three years it was his -employment, and one, on the whole not uncongenial to his tastes, to -collect volumes for Dionysius. In Sicily there was little culture, but -the Greek cities of Italy furnished a more fertile field. There was not -indeed much in the way of _belles-lettres_. Works of this kind had to be -imported for the most part, either from Athens, or from Lesbos, where -the traditions of the school of Sappho and Alcæus were not extinct, but -books on philosophy and science, could be secured in considerable -numbers. At Crotona, for instance, Callias was fortunate enough to -secure a valuable scientific library which had been for some years in -the family of Democedes, while at Tarentum he purchased a handsome -collection of treatises by teachers of the school of Pythagoras. - -This occupation was varied in the second year of his residence by an -interesting mission to Rome. That city, the rising greatness of which so -keen an observer as Dionysius was able to discern, was at this time -sorely distressed by a visitation of famine, and had applied far and -wide for help. The harvests of Sicily had been remarkably abundant, and -Dionysius sent a magnificent present of a hundred thousand bushels of -wheat, putting Callias in charge of the mission. - -In spite of these honorable and not distasteful employments the young -Athenian did not greatly like his position. It would indeed have been -scarcely endurable to a soul that had been reared in an atmosphere of -liberty, but for the fact that his work took him much away from -Syracuse. Dionysius was all courtesy and generosity in his dealings with -him; but he was a tyrant; there was iron under his velvet glove. It was -therefore with a considerable feeling of relief that in the early spring -of the third (or according to classical reckoning) the fourth year after -the fall of Athens, he received a missive from Xenophon couched in the -following terms.[67] - -"Meet me at Tarsus with all the speed you can. Great things lie before -us, of which you will hear more at the proper time. Farewell." - -Leave of absence was obtained with some difficulty, and towards the end -of June, Callias found himself at the appointed place. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[59] See Thucydides, VII. 71. - -[60] A very small space yet remained to be erected when Gylippus and his -Lacedaemonians broke through, relieved Syracuse, and practically decided -the issue of the campaign. - -[61] Coronea (447) and Delium (424) had been defeats inflicted by the -Boeotians on the Athenian army at very critical periods when the -victory of the latter must have had very far reaching results. - -[62] The two were Selinus and Egesta. - -[63] Commonly known by its Latinized name of Agrigentum. - -[64] Tyranny, in its Greek sense, it may be explained, is the -unconstitutional rule of a single person. It does not necessarily -connote, as in English, cruelty or oppression. Except in Sparta, where -the kings, indeed, were only hereditary commanders-in-chief, there was -no king in any Greek state. Wherever an individual ruled, he was, of -necessity, a tyrant. - -[65] Hermocrates, resenting the decree of banishment that had been -passed against him, attempted to make himself master of the city. He -marched with the force that he had raised from Selinus, where he was -encamped, and made such haste that he found himself with only a few -companions far in advance, and close to the gates of Syracuse. While he -halted to allow the army to come up, the leaders within the walls -sallied out, overpowered the little party, and killed their leader. -There is very little doubt but that he had resolved to seize absolute -power. - -[66] Dionysius did actually compete many times. He is said to have -gained the second and third prizes more than once; and finally in the -last year of his life won the first honors for a play entitled "The -Ransoming of Hector." One of the various accounts of his death -attributes it to the excessive feasting in which he indulged on hearing -of his victory. - -[67] Athens capitulated in March, 404; Callias is supposed to have -received the letter about August, 401. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -CYRUS THE YOUNGER. - - -Almost the first person that the Athenian saw when he disembarked at -Tarsus was Xenophon. The latter was evidently in the highest spirits. - -"You are come at exactly the right moment," he cried. "All is going -well; but, three days ago, I should have said that all would end badly. -Cyrus and Clearchus have thrown for great stakes, and they have won; but -at first the dice were against them. But I forget; you know nothing of -what happened. I will explain. You know something about Cyrus, the Great -King's brother?" - -Callias assented. - -"You know that he was scarcely contented to be what he was, in fact that -he was disposed to claim the throne." - -"I heard some talk of the kind when I was with Alcibiades." - -"Listen then to what happened. Cyrus, to put a long story in a few -words, collected by one means or another about thirteen thousand Greek -soldiers. He gave out that he was going to lead them against the -mountain tribes of Cilicia. But his real object has all along been to -march up to Susa, and drive the King from his throne. Clearchus knew -this; I fancy some others guessed it; I know I did for one. But the -army knew nothing about it. Of course it had to come out at last. When -we came to Tarsus, the men had to be told. If we were going to act -against the Cicilian mountaineers, now was the time. If not, why had we -been brought so far? When the truth was known there was a frightful -uproar. The men declared that they would go back. It was madness, they -said, for a few thousand men to march against the Great King. For four -days I thought all was lost. Clearchus and Cyrus managed admirably. I -will tell you all about it some day. Meanwhile it is enough to say that -all is settled. The men have changed their tone completely. They talk of -nothing but ransacking the treasuries of the King, and Cyrus is quite -magnificent in his promises. He gives a great banquet to the officers -to-night. I am going with Proxenus, who is my special friend among the -generals, and I have no doubt that I can take you. Cyrus, I assure you, -is a man worth knowing, and, though we should call him a barbarian, -worth serving." - -The Persian prince, when Callias came to make his acquaintance, bore -out, and more than bore out, the high character which Xenophon had given -of him. A more princely man in look and bearing never lived. That he was -a stern ruler was well known, but his subjects needed stern methods; but -for courtesy and generosity he could not be matched, and he had that -genial manner which makes these qualities current coin in the market of -the world. He was of unusual stature, his frame well knit and well -proportioned, and his face, though slightly disfigured by scars which he -had received in early life in a fierce death struggle with a bear, -singularly handsome. Proxenus introduced his friend's friend as a young -Athenian who had come to put his sword at his disposal, and Cyrus at -once greeted him with that manner of friendliness and even comradeship -which made him so popular. At the same time he made some complimentary -remark about Athens, saying that the Athenians had been formidable -enemies, and would hereafter, he hoped, be valuable friends. - -The banquet could not fail, under such circumstances, of being a great -success. Everyone was in the highest spirits, and when Cyrus, in -thanking his guests for their company, said that though Greece and -Persia had been enemies in the past they would be firm friends in the -future, he was greeted with a burst of tumultuous applause. - -The next day the army set out, their last remaining scruples dispelled -by an increase of pay.[68] There was still a certain reserve in speaking -about the object of the campaign but every one knew that it was directed -against the Great King. Two days' march took them to Issi, a town -destined to become famous in later days.[69] The difficult pass of the -Cicilian Gate was found unguarded. About a month later the ford of the -Euphrates at Thapsacus[70] was reached. Then all disguise was thrown -off. Cyrus was marching against his brother, and he would give each man -a bonus of a year's pay when he had reached Babylon. - -So the long and tedious march went on. The King made no signs of -resistance. Line after line of defense was found unguarded. At last, -just ten weeks after the army had marched out of Tarsus, a Persian -horseman attached to Cyrus' person, came galloping up with the news, -which he shouted out in Greek and Persian, "The King is coming with a -great army ready for battle." - -Something like a panic followed, for the invaders had almost begun to -think that they would not have to fight. Cyrus sprang from the carriage -in which he had been riding, donned his corslet, and mounted his -charger; the Greeks rushed to the wagons in which they had deposited -their armor and weapons, and prepared themselves hastily for battle. - -By mid-day all was ready. Clearchus was in command of the right wing, -which consisted of the heavy-armed Greeks, and rested on the Euphrates -the light-armed Greeks, with some Paphlagonian cavalry, stood in the -center; on the left were the Persians under Ariæus, Cyrus' second in -command. The extreme left of all was occupied by Cyrus himself with his -body guard of six hundred horsemen. All wore cuirasses, cuisses and -helmets; but Cyrus, wishing to be easily recognized, rode bareheaded. - -It was afternoon before the enemy came in sight. First, a white cloud of -dust became visible; then something like a black pall spread far and -wide over the plain, with now and then a spear point or bronze helmet -gleaming through the darkness. Silently the huge host advanced, its left -on the river, its right far overlapping Cyrus' left, so great was its -superiority in numbers. "Strike at the center," said the Prince to -Clearchus, as he rode along the line, "then our work will be done." - -He knew his countrymen; the King himself was in the center. If he should -be killed or driven from the field, victory was assured. - -The hostile lines were only two furlongs apart, when the Greeks raised -the battle shout, and charged at a quick pace, which soon became a run. -A few minutes afterwards the Persians broke. Their front line, -consisting of scythe-armed chariots, for the most part, turned and drove -helter skelter through the ranks of their countrymen; the few that -charged the advancing foe did, perhaps attempted to do, no harm. The -ranks were opened to let them through, and they took no further part in -the battle. Anyhow the Greeks won the victory without losing a single -man. - -Meanwhile the King, posted, as has been said, in the center, seeing no -one to oppose him, advanced as if he would take the Greeks on their -flank. Cyrus, seeing this, charged with his six hundred, and broke the -line in front of the King. The troopers were scattered in the ardor of -pursuit, and the Prince was left alone with a handful of men. Even then -all might have been well but for the fit of ungovernable rage which -seized him. He spied his brother the King in the throng, and, crying -out, "There is the man," pressed furiously towards him. One blow he -dealt him, piercing his corslet, and making a slight wound. Then one of -the King's attendants struck Cyrus with a javelin under the eye. The two -brothers closed for a moment in a hand-to-hand struggle. But Cyrus and -his followers were hopelessly overmatched. In a few minutes the Prince -and eight of his companions were stretched on the ground. One desperate -effort was made to save him. Artapates, the closest of his friends, -leaped from his horse, and threw his arms around his body. It did but -delay the fatal blow for the briefest space. The next moment Cyrus was -dead. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[68] From one daric to one daric and a half per month, $5 to $7.50. - -[69] For the second of the great victories of Alexander. - -[70] Thipsach or "The Passage." - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -THE RETREAT. - - -Seven weeks have passed since the catastrophe recorded in my last -chapter.[71] Curiously enough the Greeks had returned to their camp -after their easily won victory without any suspicion of what had -happened on the other side of the battle field. They wondered, indeed, -that Cyrus neither came nor sent to congratulate them on their success, -but the news of his death which was brought to them next morning by an -Ionian Greek, who had been in the service of Cyrus, came upon them like -a thunderclap. Then had followed a period of indecision and perplexity. -So long as they had to answer insolent messages from the King or -Tissaphernes, bidding them give up their arms and be content with such -chance of pardon as they might have, their course was plain. To such -demands only one answer was possible. "We will die sooner than give them -up," had been the reply which Cleanor the Arcadian, the senior officer, -had made. But when the Persians began to treat, when they agreed upon a -truce, and even allowed the Greeks to provision themselves, the course -to be followed became less plain. Tissaphernes made indeed the most -liberal offers. "We will lead you back to Greece," he said, "and find -you provisions at a fair price. If we do not furnish them, you are at -liberty to take them for yourselves, only you must swear that you will -behave as if you were marching through the country of friends." There -were some who roundly said that the Greeks had best have no dealings -with the man; he was known to be treacherous and false; this was only -his way of luring them on to their death. On the other hand it was -difficult to refuse terms so advantageous. It was possible that the -satrap, though not in the least friendly, was genuinely afraid, and -would be glad to get rid at any price of visitants so unwelcome. This -was the common opinion. If the army could find its way home without -fighting, it would be madness to reject the chance. For many days past, -every thing had gone smoothly; relations between the Greeks and -Tissaphernes seemed to become more and more friendly. Clearchus, the -general, commanding in chief, had even dined with the satrap, had been -treated in the most friendly fashion, and was now come back to the camp -with a proposition from him for a formal conference at which the Greeks -were to be represented by their principal generals. Some voices were -raised against this proposal. "No one ever trusted Tissaphernes without -repenting it," was the sentiment of not a few, Xenophon amongst the -number. But the opposition was overruled. Five generals and twenty -inferior officers proceeded to the tent of Tissaphernes, followed by a -troop of stragglers, who availed themselves of the favorable -opportunity, as they thought it, of marketing within the enemy's lines. - - -"Callias," said Xenophon to his friend on the morning of this eventful -day, "my mind misgives me. The soothsayer tells me that, though the -sacrifices have been generally favorable, there have always been some -sinister indications. And certain it is that we have never put ourselves -so completely in the enemy's power as we have this day. Tissaphernes has -only to say the word and our most skillful leaders are dead men. But, -hark, what is that?" - -A cry of surprise and wrath went up from the camp, and the two Athenians -rushed out of the tent in which they had been sitting, to ascertain the -cause. One glance was enough. The stragglers were hurrying back at the -top of their speed with the Persians in hot pursuit. Among the foremost -of the fugitives was an Arcadian officer, who, fearfully wounded as he -was, managed to make his way to the camp. "To arms!" he cried, -"Clearchus and the rest are either dead or prisoners." Instantly there -was a wild rush for arms. Everyone expected that the next moment would -bring the whole Persian army in sight. But the King and his satraps knew -how formidable the Greeks really were. As long as they had a chance of -succeeding by fraud, they would not use force. - -Fraud was immediately attempted. Ariæus, who by this time had made his -peace with the King, rode up to within a short distance of the camp, and -said, "Let the Greeks send some one that is in authority to bear a -message from the King." The veteran Cleanor accordingly went forward. - -"Let me go with you," cried Xenophon, "I am eager to hear what has -become of my friend Proxenus. Come you, too," he whispered to Callias. - -Ariæus addressed them: "Thus saith the King; Clearchus, having forsworn -himself and broken the truth, has been put to death. Proxenus and Medon -are honorably treated. As for you, the King demands your arms, seeing -that they belonged to Cyrus, who was his slave." - -Cleanor's answer was brief and emphatic, "Thou villain, Ariæus, and the -rest of you, have you no shame before gods or men, that you betray us in -this fashion, and make friends with that perjurer Tissaphernes?" - -Ariæus could only repeat that Clearchus was a traitor. "Then," cried -Xenophon, "why send us not back Proxenus and Medon, good men you say, -who would advise both you and us for the best?" - -To this no answer was made; and the party slowly made their way back to -the camp. The worst had happened. They were in the midst of their -enemies, more than a thousand miles from the sea, and they had lost -their leaders. - -The two Athenians, who shared the same tent, lay down to rest at an -early hour. It still wanted some time to midnight, when Xenophon -surprised his companion by suddenly starting up. - -"I believe," he cried, "all will be well after all. I have had a most -encouraging dream." - -"What was it?" asked Callias. - -"I dreamed," returned the other, "that I was at home and that there was -a great storm of thunder and lightning and that the lightning struck the -house and that it blazed up all over." - -Callias stared. "But that does not sound very encouraging." - -"Ah! but listen to what I have to tell you. When Proxenus asked me to -come with him on this expedition, I applied to Socrates for his advice. -'Ask the god at Delphi,' he said. So I asked the god but not, as he -meant me to do, whether I should go or not, but to what gods, if -I went, I should sacrifice. Well, this has been a great trouble to -me, and I look upon this dream as an answer. First--this is the -encouragement--Zeus shows me a light in darkness. The house all on a -blaze, I take it, means that we are surrounded with dangers." - -"May it turn out well," was all that Callias could find it in his heart -to say. But if he was tempted to think meanly of his companion, he had -soon reason to alter his opinion. - -"Whether my dream means what I think or any thing else," Xenophon went -on, "we must act. To fall into the hands of the King means death, and -death in the most shameful form. And yet no one stirs hand or foot to -avoid it; we lie quiet, as though it were time to take our rest. I shall -go and talk to my comrades about it." - -The first thing was to call together his own particular friends, the -officers of Proxenus' division. He found them as wakeful as himself. - -"Friends," he said, "we must get out of the King's clutches. You know -what he did to his own brother. The man was dead; but he must nail his -body to a cross. What will he do, think you, to us? No; we must get out -of his reach. But how? Not by making terms with him. That only gives him -time to hem us in more and more completely. No; we must fight him; and -we, who are more enduring and brave than our enemies, have a right to -hope that we shall fight to good purpose. And surely the gods will help -us rather than them. For are they not faithless and forsworn? - -"But, if we are to fight, we must have leaders. Let us choose them then. -As for me, I will follow another, or, if you will have it so, I will -lead myself. Young I am, but I am at least of an age to take care of -myself." - -Then there was a loud cry--"Xenophon for general!" Only one voice was -raised in protest, that of a captain, who spoke in very broad -Boeotian. "Escape is impossible; we should better try persuasion." -Such was the burden of his speech. - -Xenophon turned on him fiercely. "Escape impossible! And yet you know -what the King did. First came a haughty command that we should give up -our arms. When we refused, he took to soft words and cajolery. He is -afraid of us; but if we trust to persuasion we are lost." Then turning -to the others, he cried, "Is this man fit to be a captain? Make him a -bearer of burdens. He is a disgrace to the name of Greek." - -"Greek," cried an Arcadian captain, "he is no Boeotian, nor Greek at -all. He is a Mysian slave. I see his ears are bored." And the man was -promptly turned out of camp. - -Not a moment was now lost. A representative body of officers from the -whole army was promptly collected, and Xenophon was asked to repeat what -he had said to the smaller gathering. The meeting ended in the election -of five generals to replace those who had been murdered. Chirisophus, a -Spartan, made the sixth, having held the office before. - -The day was now beginning to dawn. It was scarcely light when the whole -army assembled in obedience to a hasty summons which had been sent -through the camp. - -Chirisophus opened the proceedings. "We have fared ill, fellow -soldiers," he said, "in that we have been robbed of so many officers and -have been deserted by our allies. Still we must not give in. If we -cannot conquer, at least we can die gloriously. Anyhow we must not fall -alive into the hands of the King." - -After an address by another general, Xenophon stood up. He had dressed -himself in his best apparel. "Fine clothes will suit victory best," he -said to himself, "and if I die, let me at least die like a gentleman." - -"Gentlemen," he said, "if we were going to treat with the barbarians, -then, knowing how faithless they are, we might well despair; but if we -mean, taking our good swords in our hands, to punish them for what they -have done, and to secure our own safety, then we may hope for the best." - -At this point, a soldier sneezed. A sneeze was a lucky omen, and by a -common impulse all the soldiers bowed their heads. Xenophon seized the -opportunity. - -"I spoke of safety, gentlemen, and as I was speaking, Zeus the Savior, -sent us an omen of good fortune. Let us therefore vow to him a -thank-offering for deliverance, if we ever reach our native country. -This let us do as an army; and besides, let everyone vow to offer -according to his ability in return for his own safe arrival." - -These propositions were unanimously accepted, and the hymn of battle was -solemnly sung by the whole army. - -"Now," said the speaker, "we have set ourselves right with the gods, who -will doubtless reward our piety, while they will punish these perjurers -and traitors who seek to destroy us." - -Then, after appealing to the glorious memories of the past, when the -Greeks, fighting against overwhelming odds, had once and again turned -back the tide of Persian invasion, he addressed himself to deal with the -circumstances of the situation. "Our allies have deserted us; but we -shall fight better without such cowards. We have no cavalry; but battles -are won by the sword; our foes will have the better only in being able -to run away more quickly. No market will be given us; but it is better -to take our food than to buy it. If rivers bar our way, we have only to -cross them higher up. Verily, I believe that not only can we get away, -but that if the King saw us preparing to settle here, he would be glad -to send us away in coaches and four, so terribly afraid is he of us. - -"But how shall we go? Let us burn our tents and all superfluous baggage. -The baggage too often commands the army. That is the first thing to do. -Our arms are our chief possession. If we use them aright, everything in -the country is ours. Let us march in a hollow square, with the baggage -animals and the camp followers in the middle. And let us settle at once -who is to command each section of the army." - -All this was accepted without demur. Chirisophus was appointed to -command the van, Xenophon, with a colleague, as the youngest of the -generals, the rear. Practically these two divided the command between -them. - -The first experience of an encounter with the enemy was not reassuring; -in fact it was almost disastrous. Early in the first day's march, one -Mithridates, a personage well known to the Greeks, for he had been high -in Cyrus' confidence, rode up with a couple of hundred horsemen and -twice as many slingers and bowmen. He had a look of coming as a friend; -indeed, earlier in that day he had come with what purported to be a -conciliatory message from Tissaphernes. But on arriving within a -moderate distance of the Greeks he halted, and the next moment there was -a shower of bullets and arrows from the slings and bows. The Greeks were -helpless. They suffered severely, but could do nothing to the enemy in -return. The Cretan archers had a shorter range than that of the Persian -bows, and the javelin could not, of course, come anywhere near the -slingers. At last Xenophon gave the order to charge. Charge the men did, -heavy-armed and light-armed alike. Possibly it was better than standing -still to be shot at. But they did not contrive to catch a single man. As -foot soldiers they were fairly outpaced; and they had no cavalry. Only -three miles were accomplished that day, and the army reached the -villages in which they were to bivouac, in a state of great despondency. -Unless such attacks could be resisted with better success, the fate of -the army was sealed. - -Xenophon was severely blamed by his colleagues for his action in -charging. He frankly acknowledged his fault. "I could not stand still," -he said, "and see the men falling round me without striking a blow, but -the charge was no good. We caught none of them, and we did not find it -easy to get back. Thanks to the gods, there were not very many of them; -if they had come on in force, we must have been cut to pieces." - -After a short silence, he addressed his colleagues again. "We are at a -great disadvantage. Our Cretans cannot shoot as far as their Persian -archers; and our hand throwers are useless against the slingers. As for -the foot soldiers, no man, however fleet of foot, can overtake another -who has a bowshot's start of him, especially as we cannot push the -pursuit far from the main body. The simple truth is that we must have -slingers and horsemen of our own. I know that there are Rhodians in the -army who can sling leaden bullets to a much greater distance than these -Persian slings can reach. I propose, first, that we find out who among -them have slings of their own; these we will buy at the proper value; if -any know how to plait some more, we will pay them the proper price for -doing it; the slings thus obtained, we shall soon get a corps of -slingers to use them. Give them some advantage and they will enroll -themselves fast enough. Now for the cavalry. We have some horses I know. -There are some in the rear-guard with me; there are others that belonged -to Clearchus; a good many have been taken from the enemy, and are being -used as baggage animals. Let us take the pick of these and equip them -for the use of cavalry; we shall soon have some very capable horsemen at -our service." - -The idea was promptly carried out. That very night a couple of hundred -slingers were enrolled, and the next day, which was spent without any -attempt to advance, fifty horsemen passed muster, fairly well-mounted -and duly furnished with buff jackets and cuirasses. This was only the -first of many instances in which Xenophon showed the fertility and -readiness of device which did so much to save the army. - -The very next day the new forces were brought into action with the -happiest results. Mithridates came up again with his archers and -slingers, but encountered a reception on which he had not calculated. -The cavalry made a brilliant charge, cutting down a number of the -infantry and taking prisoners some seventeen horsemen. At the end of the -day's march, the army reached the Tigris. Fourteen weeks of hard and -perilous marching lay before them; but they were fairly well-equipped -for the work. I shall take an account of some of the principal incidents -of the journey from a diary kept by Callias, who acted throughout as -aid-de-camp to Xenophon. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[71] The battle of Cunaxa, in which Cyrus fell, was fought on Sept. 3d. -The day at which we have now arrived is Oct. 31st. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -THE DIARY. - - -OCTOBER 27.[72]--Our new corps have covered themselves with glory -to-day. About noon Tissaphernes himself appeared with a large force of -cavalry. He had his own regiments with him; among the others we -recognized some of Cyrus' Persian troops. They want, I suppose, to make -the King forget their rebellion. The satrap did not wish to come to -close quarters; but he found after all that the quarters were closer -than he liked. He was well within range; and as his men were posted in -great masses every arrow and every bullet told. It would, in fact, have -been impossible to miss, with such a mark to aim at. As for the Persian -archers they did no damage at all. But we found their arrows very -useful. Our men are now well-equipped, for we discovered an abundant -store of bow-strings and lead for the sling bullets in the villages. - -NOVEMBER 3.--Things have not been going so well to-day. The barbarians -occupied a post of vantage on our route and showered down darts, stones, -and arrows upon us as we passed. Our light-armed were easily driven in. -When the heavy-armed tried to scale the height, they found the climbing -very hard work, and of course the enemy were gone by the time that they -reached the top. Three times this was done, and I was never more pleased -in my life than when at last we got to the end of our day's march. Eight -surgeons are busy attending to the wounded, of whom there is a terrible -number. We are going to stop here three days, Xenophon tells me. -Meanwhile we are in a land of plenty. There are granaries full of wheat, -and cellars of wine, and barley enough to supply our horses if we had -fifty times as many. Hereafter we are to follow a new plan. As soon as -we are attacked, we halt. To march and fight at the same time puts us at -a disadvantage. And we are to try to get as far in advance as possible. - -NOVEMBER 9.--We had our three days' rest, and then three days' quick -marching. To-day, however, there has been a smart brush with the enemy. -They had occupied a ridge commanding our route, which just then -descended from the hills into the plain. Chirisophus sent for Xenophon -to bring his light-armed to the front. This, of course, was a serious -thing to do, as Tissaphernes was not far from our rear. Xenophon -accordingly galloped to the front to confer with his colleague. -"Certainly," he said, when he saw how the enemy was posted, "these -fellows must be dislodged, but we can't uncover our rear. You must give -me some troops, and I will do my best." Just at that moment he caught -sight of a height rising above us just on our right--he has a true -general's eye--and saw that it gave an approach to the enemy's position. -"That is the place for us to take," he cried. "If we get that, the -barbarians can't stay where they are." As soon as the troops were told -off for service, we started; and lo! as soon as we were off, the -barbarians seeing what we were after started too. It was a race who -should get there first. Xenophon rode beside the men, and urged them on. -"Now for it, brave sirs!" he cried. "'Tis for Hellas! 'Tis for wives and -children! Win the race, and you will march on in peace! Now for it!" The -men did their best, but of course it was hard work. I never had harder -in my life. At last a grumbling fellow in the ranks growled out, "We are -not on equal terms, Xenophon. You are on horseback, and I have got to -carry my shield." In a moment Xenophon was off his horse. He snatched -the fellow's shield from him, and marched on with the rest. That was -hard work indeed, for he had his horseman's cuirass on; still he kept -up. Then the men fell on the grumbler. They abused him, pelted him, and -cuffed him, till he was glad enough to take his shield again. Then -Xenophon re-mounted, and rode on as before as far as the horse could go. -Then he left him tethered to a tree, and went on foot. In the end we won -the race; and the barbarians left the way clear. - -NOVEMBER 10.--We had a great disappointment to-day. The route lay either -across a river which was too deep to ford--we tried it with our spears, -and could find no bottom--or through a mountainous region inhabited by a -set of fierce savages whom the King has never been able to subdue. He -once sent an army of a hundred thousand men among them, they say, and -not a single soldier ever came back! First we considered about crossing -the river. A Rhodian had a grand plan, he said, for taking the army -across. He would sell it for a talent. I must confess, by the way, that -I am more and more disgusted by the manner in which everything is for -sale. Citizen soldiers think of the common good, though, it must be -confessed, they are not so sturdy in action as these fellows; -mercenaries think only of the private purse. However, the Rhodian never -got his talent. His plan was clever enough, making floats of skins, but -impracticable, seeing that the enemy occupied the other shore in force. -Nothing, then, remained for it but to take to the mountains. We must do -our best to fight our way through them, if the mountaineers won't be -friends. This done, we shall find ourselves in Armenia; once there, we -shall be able to go anywhere we please. - -NOVEMBER 14.--We have had three awful days. The Carduchians--so they -call the barbarians--are as hostile and as fierce as they can be. It -seems unreasonable, for they must hate the Great King as much as we do. -Still they will not listen to our overtures for friendly intercourse, -but keep up an incessant attack. To-day there was very near being a -positive disaster. We in the rear-guard had, of course, the worst of it. -Generally when we find our work particularly hard we pass on the word to -the van, and they slacken their pace; otherwise we should get divided -from the main army. To-day no attention was paid to our messages; -Chirisophus did nothing but send back word that we must hurry on. -Consequently our march became something very like a rout, and we lost -two of our best men. At the first halt Xenophon rode to the front. - -"Why this hurry?" he asked. "It has cost us two men, and we had to -leave their bodies behind." "See you that?" said Chirisophus, and he -pointed to a height straight before us, which was strongly held by the -enemy. "I wanted to get there first, for the guide says that there is no -other way." "Says he so?" said Xenophon. "Let us hear what my fellows -have to say. I laid an ambush, you must know, and caught two barbarians. -They would be useful, I thought, as guides!" The two were brought up and -questioned. "Is there any other way than what we see?" "No," said the -first. Try all we could, he would make no other answer. At last -Chirisophus had him killed. "Now," he said, turning to the other, "can -you tell us anything more?" "O yes," said the man, "there is another -way, and one that horses can pass over. But the other would not say -anything about it, because he had kinsfolk living near it, and was -afraid that you would do them an injury." Poor fellow! I was sorry for -him, when I knew how loyal he had been. But I don't know what else could -have been done. The second man told us that there was a height which we -must occupy if we would make the new route practicable. Two thousand men -have set off to get hold of it. If they fail, we shall be in terrible -straits. - -NOVEMBER 16.--The army is safe for the present, but some--I among the -number--have had a very narrow escape. The two thousand found their work -very much harder than at first they thought it was going to be. They -took the first height without any difficulty, and fancied they had done -all that was wanted. But there were no less than three heights beyond, -and each of these had to be stormed. My part in the business was this. -Xenophon thought that the second of the four heights--there were four -in all--ought to be held permanently till our army had passed. Some two -hundred men were told off for this duty, and I volunteered to be one of -them. All of a sudden we found ourselves attacked by a whole swarm of -mountaineers. They outnumbered us by at least ten to one. It was a case -for running, for there was really no position that we could hold. But -running was no easy matter. Our only chance was to climb down a very -steep mountain side to the pass below, where the last columns of the -van-guard were just making their way. Some of the men did not like to -try it; and, indeed, it did look desperately dangerous. While they were -hesitating, the barbarians were upon them. As for myself, I felt that I -would sooner break my neck than fall into the enemy's hands, so I -started off at full pace, and was safe. Nor do I think that any who -followed my example were seriously hurt, though some got very nasty -falls. Those who stayed behind were killed to a man. Just now we are in -comfortable quarters. Wine is in such plenty hereabouts that positively -the people keep it in great cisterns. - -NOVEMBER 19.--We have crossed the Centrites, which is the Eastern branch -of the Tigris. - -NOVEMBER 30.--The march through Armenia has been on the whole as -pleasant as we had hoped. The Lieutenant Governor, one Tiribazus, made -an agreement with our generals that he would do us no harm, if we would -not burn the houses, but content ourselves with taking such provisions -as we wanted. Four days ago, we had a heavy fall of snow, and the -general thought it as well to billet out the army in the villages, which -are very thick in these parts. There was no enemy in sight, and, as we -had no tents, bivouacking in the open would be neither pleasant nor -safe. We all enjoyed it vastly, particularly as the villages were full -of good things, oxen, and sheep, and wine, some of the very best I ever -tasted, and raisins, and vegetables of all kinds. But after the first -night we had an alarm. A great army was reported in sight; and certainly -there were watchfires in every direction. The generals thereupon -determined to bring the army together again, and to bivouac on the -plain. The weather too, promised to be fine. But in the night there was -another heavy snow fall, so heavy that it covered us all up. It was not -uncomfortable lying there under the snow; in fact, it felt quite warm; -but of course it was not safe. I have heard of people going to sleep -under such circumstances and not waking up again. Anyhow Xenophon set -the example of getting up, and setting to work splitting wood. Before -long we were all busy. But there was no more bivouacking in the open. We -went to the villages again; and some foolish fellows who had wantonly -set their houses on fire were now punished for their folly. - -DECEMBER 8.--The weather becomes colder and colder, and is our worst -enemy now. The other day there was a cutting north wind, which drifted -the snow till it was more than six feet deep in places. Xenophon, whose -faith and piety are admirable, suggested a sacrifice to the north wind. -This was made; and certainly the weather did begin to abate shortly -afterwards. The doubters say that the wind always does go down after a -time. These are matters on which I do not pretend to judge; but I do see -that Xenophon's pious belief makes him very cheerful and courageous. -The day before yesterday many of our men were afflicted, what with the -long march and what with the cold, with a sort of ravenous hunger. They -fell down, and either would not, or could not, move a step forward. At -first we did not know what was the matter with them; but then some one -who had campaigned before in cold countries suggested the real cause. -When we gave them a little food we found that they recovered. Yesterday -we nearly lost a number of men who were simply overpowered with the -cold. The enemy was close behind, and we tried to raise the poor fellows -up; but they would not stir. "Kill us," they said, "but leave us alone." -They were simply stupid with cold. All that could be done was to -frighten the enemy away. On the barbarians came, till the rear guard, -who were lying in ambush, dashed out upon them, and at the same time the -sick men shouted as loud as they could, and rattled their spears against -their shields. The enemy fled in a hurry, and we saw and heard no more -of them. But what would have happened if they had persisted, is more -than I can say. The whole army was demoralized with the cold. The men -lay down as they could with their cloaks round them. There was not a -single guard placed anywhere. As it was, no harm was done; and in the -afternoon to-day the sick men were brought safe into good quarters. We -are now in excellent quarters, with all that we could wish to eat and -drink. - -DECEMBER 9.--Just as I had finished my entries yesterday an Athenian -with whom I have struck up a great friendship asked me to come with him -on an expedition. His name is Polycrates, and he is the captain of a -company. "Let us raid that village," he said, "before the people have -time to get away." So we did, and we had a fine catch. We laid hands on -the villagers and their head man. With the head man was his daughter who -had been married only eight days before. Her husband was out -hare-hunting, and so escaped. The village was a curious place. All the -houses were underground; beasts and men lived there together, the beasts -entering by a sloping way, the men by a ladder. There were great stores -of barley, and wheat, and green stuff of all kinds. The drink was barley -wine, which they keep in great bowls. You have to suck it up by a reed. -It is very strong. As to the flavor I feel a little doubtful. To-day -Xenophon has been taking the head man, whom he had to sup with him last -night, all round the camp, by which I mean the villages, for the men are -encamped in them. At Chirisophus' quarters there was a strange sight. -The men were feasting with wisps of hay round their heads, for lack of -flowers; and Armenian boys, in the costume of their country, were -waiting on them. Everything of course had to be explained by signs, for -neither soldiers nor waiters knew a word of each other's language. -Xenophon gave the head man his old charger, which indeed was pretty well -worn out with marching, and took for himself and his officers a number -of young horses which were going to be sent, we were told, as part of -the King's tribute. - -DECEMBER 27.--Nothing of much moment has happened, except it be a -quarrel, the first that has taken place--and I devoutly hope the -last--between our generals. After resting in the villages for a week, we -started again, taking the head man with us as a guide. If he did this -duty properly, he was to be allowed to depart and to take his son with -him, for he had a young son in his company. All the rest of his family -were safe in his own village with a very handsome lot of presents. At -the end of the third day Chirisophus got into a great rage because the -head man had not taken them to any village. The man declared that there -was no village near. But Chirisophus would not listen, and struck the -man. The next night he ran away. Xenophon was very angry. "You ought not -to have struck him," he said; "but having struck him, you certainly -ought to have kept a doubly strict guard on him." - -DECEMBER 30.--We have crossed the river Phasis, and got through what is, -I hope, our last difficult pass. I have not time to write about it; but -I must record an amusing little controversy that took place between our -two generals. It shows anyhow that they have made up their quarrel. -Xenophon had been insisting that they must do as much as they could by -craft, and had been speaking of _stealing_ somewhere at night, -_stealing_ a march, and so forth. Then he went on, "But why do I talk -about stealing in your presence Chirisophus, for you Spartans are -experts in the art. You practice it, I am told, from your youth up. It -is honorable among you to take anything except what the law forbids. But -to encourage you and to make you master thieves you get a whipping if -you are found out. I must not therefore presume to instruct you about -_stealing_." "Nay," replied the other, "you have the best possible right -to do it. You Athenians, I am told, are wonderfully clever hands at -stealing the public money and the best men among you do it the most. No; -we Spartans must yield to you." In the end the pass was carried without -much loss. - -JANUARY 3.--For several days we have been on very short commons. The -Taochi, through whose country we are passing, have collected all their -possessions, alive and dead, into strong places. At last we felt that -something had to be done, for we were simply starving. Accordingly, when -we came about noon to-day to one of these strongholds which happened to -lie directly on our route, Chirisophus made up his mind to take it. It -could be seen to be full of flocks and herds besides a mixed crowd of -men, women and children. First one regiment went up against it; then a -second; then a third. They could do nothing with it; the slingers and -archers, which were the only troops we could use, made no impression at -all. Just then Xenophon came up with the rear-guard, I being close -behind him. "You have come just in the nick of time my friend," said -Chirisophus, "we must take this place or starve." "But what," Xenophon -asked, "is to hinder our simply walking in?" Chirisophus answered, "You -see that one narrow path, that is the only way of approaching the place. -Whenever anyone attempts to go by it, these fellows roll down huge -masses of rock from the crag up there," and he pointed to a cliff that -overhung the plain. "See what has happened to some of my poor fellows -who were unlucky enough to get in the way!" And sure enough there was -one man with one leg broken and another with both, and a third with his -ribs crushed in. "But," said my own general, "when these fellows have -expended their ammunition--and they can't have a perpetual supply of -it--there will be nothing else to hinder our going in. I can only see a -very few men, and of these not more than two or three are armed. As for -the distance that we have to get across, it cannot be more than one -hundred and fifty yards; and two-thirds of this are covered at intervals -by great pine trees. As long as we are among these, stones cannot hurt -us. These past, there are only fifty yards more to be crossed." "Very -good," said Chirisophus, "but the moment we get near, the fire of stones -begins again." "All the better," said Xenophon, "the hotter their fire, -the quicker the enemy will use up their ammunition. However, let us -begin by picking out the place where the run across the open space will -be shortest." - -First we occupied the trees. I had the luck, by special favor of -Xenophon, to be among them. We were only seventy, for no more could find -proper shelter behind the pines. Then one of us came forward a yard or -two from under cover of the pines. No sooner did the Taochi see him than -they sent down a vast quantity of stones. Before they reached him he was -under cover again. This he did several times; and every time a -wagon-load of rocks, at the very least, must have been whizzing and -whistling down the slope. Before long, however, the ammunition gave -signs of not holding out. As soon as Agasias, an Arcadian from Lake -Stymphalus, perceived this, he ran forward at full speed. The man who -had been amusing himself with the rocks, caught hold of his shield as he -ran by. Then two other men started. Altogether it was a splendid race, -and curiously enough not another stone was thrown. Then the rest of us -followed. But when I saw the horrible thing that ensued, I was inclined -to be sorry that I had anything to do with it. The women threw their -children over the cliff, and then threw themselves after them, and the -men did the same. I caught hold of one man to stop him, but he wriggled -out of my grasp, and threw himself over the top. It was well for me that -he did so or else I might have fared as Æneas of Stymphalus did. He saw -a man very finely dressed just about to throw himself over, and tried to -hold him. The man did not try to get away, but clasped Æneas tightly in -his arms. The next moment both had fallen headlong over the edge. Of -course they were both killed. We took very few prisoners, but flocks and -herds as many as we wanted and more. - -JANUARY 26.--The marching has been easy enough on the whole, though we -have met with the bravest enemies that we have yet come across, the -Chalybes, they are called. They did not hang on our rear, taking care -never to fight unless they had some vantage ground, but met us fairly -face to face. They were not as well armed as we. Indeed, they had no -armor on the body except cuirasses of linen. Their chief weapon was a -very long and clumsy spear. Nevertheless they made a good fight of it; -and if they did kill a man they cut his head off directly with a short -sabre that they carried at their waists. We got nothing but hard knocks -here. All the property of the country was stored away in strongholds; -still what we got from the Taochi has lasted us up to this time, and -will supply us for some days to come. The country of the Chalybes past, -we came to the city, the first, by the way, that we have seen. It seemed -very populous and rich, and its governor was extremely civil. He gave us -a guide who told us the best news that we had heard for a long time. -"Within five days you shall see the sea," he said. "If I fail, my life -shall be the forfeit." According to this we ought to see it to-morrow. - -JANUARY 27.--We have seen it! I was in the van-guard as usual. We had -our hands full, for the people of the country were up in arms against -us. Our friend, the guide, had been very urgent with us to ravage and -burn the country; and the men had not been backward in following his -advice. So now there was a whole swarm of enemies hanging on our heels, -and we of the rear guard had to keep them in check. All of a sudden we -heard a tremendous uproar. "There is another attack on the van," cried -Xenophon, "this looks serious." But the shouting grew louder and nearer. -As soon as a company came up, it began racing towards the shouters, and -then took to shouting itself. Xenophon mounted his horse to see for -himself what had happened. He took the cavalry with him in case anything -should have happened, and I made the best of my way after them. -Presently we could distinguish the words. The men were shouting, _The -sea! The sea!_ Then everybody started running, rear guard and all; even -the very baggage horses were taken with it and came galloping up. And, -sure enough, there it was, right before our eyes, a glimpse of blue in -the distance with the sunshine upon it. What a scene it was! We all fell -to embracing one another; rank was forgotten; generals, officers, and -common men were friends. Indeed the gods could not have given to our -eyes a more delightful sight. Presently the soldiers fell to erecting a -great cairn of stones. On this they put skins and staves and wicker -shields that we had taken from the enemy. Of course the guide had a -very handsome present from the common store, a purse, a silver bowl, a -Persian dress, and ten gold pieces. Then he begged some rings, and got -not a few. The soldiers were ready to give him anything. - -FEBRUARY 2.--We have passed safely through another country. The people -were drawn out in order of battle when the luckiest thing happened, -saving, I doubt not, many lives. One of the men came up to Xenophon and -said: "I think I know the language these people talk. I verily believe -that it is my own." And so it turned out to be. The man had been a slave -in Athens. He explained to them that we did not wish to do them any -harm, but simply wanted to get back to our own country. Since then it -has been peaceful. The people--Macrones they call themselves--have been -as helpful as possible, making roads for us, and supplying us with as -good food as they possessed. - -FEBRUARY 7.--Yesterday I really thought that after all that I had gone -through, I was going to die of eating a mouthful of honey. We found a -great store of this in one of the Colchian villages that we came to, and -of course ate it freely. It was poisonous, at least to persons not used -to it. I know that I was desperately ill and so were many of my -comrades. Happily no one died. We reach Trapezus to-morrow. We are in -Greece again. Thanks be to Zeus and all the gods! - -FOOTNOTES: - -[72] For convenience' sake I have translated the dates of the Attic year -which Callias, of course, used with the corresponding days in our -reckoning. October 27 would be the "fifth day of the middle of -Boedromia." Each month was divided into three portions, often days each, -respectively called beginning, middle, and ending. The days of the last -were reckoned backwards. If this month had twenty-nine days only, the -third division had nine. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -A THANKSGIVING. - - -The worst severity of the winter was over when the army reached -Trapezus. The days were longer, for it was already half way between the -winter solstice and the spring equinox, and though the nights were still -bitterly cold, the sun was daily gaining power. Sometimes a breeze from -the west gave to the air quite a feeling of spring. Still Callias was -very thankful to find quarters in the city. He discovered but scarcely -with surprise, that as soon as he returned within the circle of Greek -influence, the credentials furnished him by Hippocles made life much -smoother for him. Trapezus was the very farthest outpost of -civilization; it was at least nine hundred miles from Athens, yet the -name of Hippocles seemed as well known and his credit as good as if it -had been the Piraeus itself. As soon as permission could be obtained to -enter the town--for the people of Trapezus, though kind and even -generous to the new arrivals, kept their gates jealously shut--Callias -made his way to the house of a citizen who was, he was told, the -principal merchant in the place. Nothing could have been warmer than the -welcome which he received, when he produced the slip of parchment to -which Hippocles had affixed his seal and signature. - -"All I have is at your disposal," cried Demochares; this was the name of -the Trapezuntine merchant. "I cannot do too much for any friend of -Hippocles. You will, of course, take up your quarters with me; and any -advance that you may want,--unless," he added with a smile, "you have -learnt extravagance among the Persians, for we are not very rich here in -Trapezus--any advance within reason you have only to ask for." - -The young Athenian ventured to borrow fifty gold pieces, astonishing his -new friend by the moderation of his demand. He knew that some of his -comrades, mercenaries who had not received an _obolus_ of pay for -several months, must be very badly off, and he was glad to make a slight -return for many little services that he had received, and acts of -kindness and good fellowship that had been done for him on the march. As -for hospitality, he begged to be allowed to postpone his answer till he -could consult his general. - -"I don't like to leave you, sir," he said when he broached the subject -to Xenophon after their evening meal. "Why should I have the comforts of -a house, lie soft, and feed well, while you are sleeping on the ground, -and getting or not getting a meal, as good luck or bad luck will have -it?" - -"My dear fellow," replied Xenophon, "there is no reason why you should -not take the good the gods provide you. You are not one of us; you never -have been. You came as a volunteer, and a volunteer you have remained. -You are perfectly free to do as you please. Besides, if you want -anything more to satisfy you, you are attached to my command, and I -formally give you leave." - -Callias, accordingly, took up his quarters in the merchant's house. -Never was guest more handsomely treated. Demochares and his family were -never wearied of his adventures, a story which has indeed interested the -world ever since, and which to these Greeks of Trapezus had a meaning -which it had lost for us. Living as they did on the farthest boundaries -of the Greater Greece, the Greece of the colonies, they were keenly -alive to all that could be known about the barbarian world with which -they were brought in constant contact. The young Athenian, indeed, held -a sort of levee which was thronged day after day with visitors young and -old. All that he had to tell them about the Great King, on whose -dominions they were in some sort trespassers, and about the unknown -tribes who dwelt between the sea and the Persian capital, was eagerly -listened to. Pleasant as his sojourn was to himself, it was not without -some advantage to his old comrades. His host was an important person in -Trapezus, holding indeed the chief magistracy for the year, and he had -much to do with the liberal present of oxen, corn, and wine which the -town voted to the army. - -A month passed in a sufficiently pleasant way. Meanwhile the army was -preparing to offer a solemn thanksgiving for the safe completion of the -most perilous part of its journey. The vows made at the moment of its -greatest danger were now to be paid, and paid, after the usual Greek -fashion, in a way that would combine religion and festivity. There was -to be a sacrifice; the sacrifice was to be followed by a feast, and the -feast again by a celebration which was, of course, in a great measure an -entertainment, but was also, in a way, a function of worship. Wrestlers, -boxers, and runners not only amused the spectators and contended for -glory and prizes, but were also supposed in some way to be doing honor -to the gods. - -The sacrifice and the feast it is not necessary to describe. Necessarily -there was nothing very splendid or costly about them. The purses of the -soldiers were empty, though they had a good deal of property, chiefly in -the way of prisoners whom they had captured on the way, and whom they -would sell in the slave markets as the opportunity might come. Trapezus, -however, and the friendly Colchian tribes in the neighborhood furnished -a fair supply of sheep and oxen to serve as victims, and a sufficient -quantity of bread, wine, dried fruit and olive oil, this last being a -luxury which the Greeks had greatly missed during their march, and which -they highly appreciated. A few of the officers, the pious Xenophon among -them, went to the expense of gilding the horns of the beasts which were -their special offerings; but for the most part the arrangements were of -a plain and frugal kind. - -The games had at least the merit of affording a vast amount of -entertainment to a huge multitude of spectators. They were celebrated, -it may be easily understood, under considerable difficulties, for -Trapezus did not possess any regular race course, and the only rings for -wrestling and boxing were within the walls, and therefore not available -on this occasion. By common consent the management of the affair was -handed over to a certain Dracontius. He was a Spartan, and to the -Spartans, who had been undisputed lords of Greece since the fall of -Athens, had been conceded a certain right of precedence on all such -occasions as these. Dracontius, too, was a man of superior rank to his -comrades. He belonged to one of the two royal houses of Sparta, but had -been banished from his country in consequence of an unlucky accident. In -one of the rough sports which the Spartan lads were accustomed to -practice, sports which were commonly a more or less close mimicry of -war, a blow of his dagger, dealt without evil intention but with a -criminal carelessness, had been fatal to a companion. Hence, from -boyhood, he had been an exile; cut off from the more honorable career to -which he might have looked forward in the service of his country, he had -been content to enlist as a mercenary. - -Dracontius, accordingly, was made president of the games. The skins of -the sacrificed animals were presented to him, as his fee, and he was -asked to lead the way to the racecourse where the contests were to be -held. - -"Race course!" cried the Spartan, with the _brusquerie_ which it was the -fashion of his country to use, "Race course! What more do you want than -what we have here?" - -A murmur of astonishment ran through the army. Indeed there could have -been nothing less like a race course than the ground on which they were -standing. It was the slope of a hill, a slope that sometimes became -almost precipitous. Most of it was covered with brushwood and heather. -Grass there was none, except here and there where it covered with a -treacherously smooth surface some dangerous quagmire. Here and there, -the limestone rock cropped up with jagged points. - -"But where shall we wrestle?" asked Timagenes, an Arcadian athlete, who -had won the prize for wrestling two or three years before at the -Lithurian games, and who naturally considered himself as an authority -on the subject. - -"Here of course," was the president's reply. - -"But how can a man wrestle on ground so hard and so rough?" asked the -Arcadian, who had no idea of practising his art except in a regular -ring. - -"Well enough," said Dracontius, "but those who are thrown will get worse -knocks." - -The wrestler's face fell and he walked off amid a general laugh. His -comrades fancied, not without reason, that he was a great deal too -careful of his person. - -But if the ground, broken with rocks and overgrown with wood was not -suited to scientific wrestling, it certainly helped to make some of the -other sports more than usually amusing. The first contest was a mile -race for boys. Most of the competitors were lads who had been taken -prisoners on the march, but a few Colchians entered for the prize, as -did also two or three boys of Trapezus, who had the reputation of being -particularly fleet of foot. But the natives of the plain, still more the -inhabitants of the town, found themselves entirely outpaced on this -novel race course by the young mountaineers. A Carduchian came in first, -and was presented with his liberty, his master being compensated out of -the prize fund which had been subscribed by the army. As soon as he -understood that he was free, he set out at full speed in the direction -of his home. A true mountaineer, he sickened for his native hills, and -in the hope of seeing them again was ready to brave alone the perils -which an army had scarcely survived. - -A foot race for men followed, but the distance to be traversed was, -according to the common custom of the great games, only two hundred -yards. There were as many as sixty competitors; but curiously enough, -they were to a man Cretans. Another foot race, this time for men in -heavy armor, was next run. The president had a Spartan's admiration for -all exercises that had a real bearing on military training, and the race -of the heavy armed was unquestionably one of these. It was won by a -gigantic Arcadian, an Ætolian whose diminutive stature made a curious -contrast to his competitor, coming in close behind him. - -Next came the great event of the day, the "Contest of the Five -Exercises," or "Pentathlon." The five were leaping, wrestling, running, -quoit-throwing, and javelin-throwing. The competitor who won most -successes had the prize adjudged to him.[73] Callias had been trained -for some time at home with the intention of becoming a competitor at -Olympia; but various causes had hindered him from carrying out his -purpose, and, of course, he was now wholly out of practice. He was -sitting quietly among the spectators when he felt a hand upon his -shoulder and looking up, saw his general standing by. - -"Stand up for the honor of Athens," said Xenophon, "don't let the men of -the Island[74] carry everything before them." - -"But I am not in training," said Callias. - -"You are in as good training, I fancy," replied the general, "as are any -of these; better I should say, to judge from the way in which they have -been eating and drinking since the retreat was ended. Besides, it is -only the boxers who absolutely require anything very severe in that way. -And you have youth." - -Callias still made objections, but yielded when his general made the -matter a personal favor. - -The competitors were five in number, the winner of the foot-race, the -tall Arcadian and his diminutive rival from Ætolia, two Achaeans, and -Callias. - -The first contest was leaping at the bar. Here the Arcadian's long legs -served him well. He was a singularly ungainly fellow, and threw himself -over the bar, if I may be allowed the expression, in a lump. Every time -the bar was raised, he managed just to clear it, though the spectators -could not understand how his clumsy legs, which seemed sprawling -everywhere, managed to avoid touching it. Still they did manage it, and -when he had cleared four cubits short of a palm, which may be translated -into the English measure of five feet nine inches, his rivals had to own -themselves beaten. Callias, who came second, declared that he had been -balked by the infamous playing of the flute player, whose music -according to the custom followed at Olympia, accompanied the jumping. -"The wretch," he declared to the friends who condoled with him on the -loss of what they had put down to him for a certainty, "the wretch -played a false note just as I was at my last trial. If I had not heard -him do the same at least half-a-dozen times before, I should have said -that he did it on purpose." - -If chance or fraud had been against him in this trial, in the next he -was decidedly favored by fortune. This was the foot race. The course -was, as usual, round a post fixed about a hundred yards from the -starting point, and home again. Whenever a turn has to be made, a -certain advantage falls to the competitor who has the inner place, and -when, as in this case, the distance is short, the advantage is -considerable. The places were determined by lot. The innermost fell to -the Arcadian; Callias came next to him; fortunately for him, his most -dangerous competitor, the Cretan who had won the foot race, had the -outermost, _i. e._, the worst station. The Arcadian jumped away with a -lead, and for fifty yards managed, thanks to the long strides which his -long legs enabled him to take, to keep in front; but the effort was soon -spent; by the time that the turning point was reached, Callias had -gained enough upon him to attempt the dangerous manoeuvre of taking -his ground. If it had not been for this, he must have been beaten, for -the fleet-footed Cretan, weighted though he was by his disadvantageous -place, ran a dead heat with him. - -In the quoit-throwing, the Arcadian's strength and stature brought him -to the front again. With us quoit-playing is a trial of skill as well as -of strength. The quoit is thrown at a mark, and the player who contrives -to go nearest to this mark, without touching it (for to touch it -commonly ends in disaster) wins. At the same time the throw does not -count unless the quoit either sticks into the ground or lies flat upon -it with the right side uppermost. In the Greek game there were no -requirements of this kind. The quoit was a huge mass of metal with -notches by which it could be conveniently grasped, or, sometimes, a hole -in the middle through which a leather strap or wooden handle could be -put. He who threw it farthest was the winner. Some little knack was -required, as is indeed the case in every feat of strength, and, as has -been said before, stature was the chief qualification. The Arcadian -hurled the quoit, a mass of iron weighing ten pounds, to the vast -distance of forty-two feet. None of his rivals came near him. As he had -now won two events out of three, and his gigantic height and weight -would make him, to say the least, a formidable opponent in the -wrestling, he was a favorite for the prize. His Arcadian countrymen, who -formed, as has been said, a large proportion of the army, were in high -hope, and staked sums that were far beyond their means on his success. - -The quoit-throwing was followed by hurling the javelin at a mark. Here -the Arcadian was hopelessly distanced, for here skill was as much wanted -as strength had been in the preceding trial. He threw the javelin indeed -with prodigious force, but threw it wholly wide of the mark. Indeed, -when he was performing, the near neighborhood of the mark would have -been the safest place to stand. The spectators were more than once in -danger of their lives, so at random and at the same time so vigorous -were his strokes. The first mark was a post rudely fashioned into the -figure of a man. To hit the head was the best aim that could be made; to -hit a space marked out upon the body and roughly representing the heart -was the next; the third in merit was a blow that fell on some other part -of the body. The legs counted for nothing. Callias and the Cretan scored -precisely the same. The Athenian hit the head twice, scoring six for the -two blows. The third time his javelin missed altogether. The Cretan, on -the other hand, in his three strokes hit the third, second, and the -first places successively, scoring for them one, two, and three -respectively. Further trials of skill were now given. A wand about three -fingers wide was set up at a distance of twelve yards. The Cretan's -javelin pierced it, making it, as may be supposed, an exceedingly -difficult thing for a rival to equal, much more to surpass the -performance. But Callias was equal to the occasion. Amid tumultuous -applause from the spectators, for his courtesy and carriage had made him -a great favorite, he hurled his javelin with such accuracy that he split -that which was already sticking in the mark. Again the Cretan and he -were pronounced to have made a tie. - -The two Achaeans and the Ætolian did creditably, scoring five each. As -they had failed in four out of the five contests, the prize was clearly -out of their reach, and they stood out of the last competition, the -wrestling. - -And now came the last and deciding struggle. Here again fortune -decidedly favored the Athenian. The president, following the rule always -observed at Olympia, ordered three lots marked A, B, and C, and -representing respectively Callias, the Arcadian, and the Cretan, to be -put into an urn. The two first drawn were to contend in the first heat, -the third was to have what is technically called a "bye." The "bye" fell -to the lot of Callias, and with it, it need hardly be said, the not -inconsiderable advantage of coming fresh to contend with a rival who had -undergone the fatigue of a previous struggle. - -The issue of the contest between the Arcadian and the Cretan was not -long in doubt. The latter was an agile fellow, who would have had a -very good chance with "light-weights," to use again a technical term, if -the competitors had been so classed, as indeed they are by the customs -of the modern wrestling ring. But against his gigantic opponent he had -scarcely a chance. In the first bout the Arcadian lifted his antagonist -clean from the ground, and threw him down at full length without more -ado. The second was more equal. The Cretan struck his antagonist's left -ankle so sharply with his foot that the giant fell, but he could not -loose the other's hold, and fell also, scoring only the advantage of -being the uppermost. If there had been a tie in the other two bouts this -might have sufficed to give him the victory, or the president might have -ordered a fresh trial. But the third bout was decisive. It was in fact a -repetition of the first, only, if possible, still more decisive. The -Cretan was again lifted from the ground, before he had the chance of -practising any of his devices, and again hurled at full length upon the -ground. This time he was stunned, and carried insensible from the ground -by his companions. - -A brief interval was now allowed. It was thought unfair that the -Arcadian should be called upon to engage a fresh antagonist without some -chance of resting himself. But what was meant for an advantage turned -out to be exactly the contrary. The man was not particularly tired, but -he was exceedingly thirsty, and he had not learnt the habit of -self-control. Regardless of the remonstrance of his companions, he -indulged himself with a huge goblet of wine and water. So imprudent was -he indeed that he put less water than was usual in the mixture, and -slightly confused his brain by the potency of the draught. When he came -forth to meet his antagonist, he had not only damaged his wind but had -made his footing somewhat unsteady. Three bouts, as before, were fought. -The Arcadian first tried the simple tactics which had been successful -with the Cretan. He did his best to lift the Athenian from the ground, -and Callias had all he could do to prevent it. But his weight and his -strength, which he made the most of by his coolness, stood him in good -stead. After a fierce struggle both fell together, and fell in such a -way that the president declared that neither had gained any advantage. -Practically, however, the victory was decided in favor of Callias. The -Arcadian's strength was impaired, and he was so scant of breath that he -could not use what was left to him. And he had little skill to fall back -upon, whereas his antagonist had been the favorite pupil of one of the -best trainers in Athens. In the second bout Callias struck the Arcadian -on the right foot with his own left; in the third he simply reversed the -device, striking the left with his right. In both he contrived to free -himself when his opponent fell. Thus the fifth contest ended for him in -an unquestioned victory. - -The prize of victory was an ox and a purse of twenty-five gold pieces, -for soldiers who fought for pay would not have relished the barren honor -of a wreath of wild olive with which the Olympian judges were accustomed -to reward the victors. Callias won golden opinions from his comrades by -the liberality with which he disposed of his gains. The ox he presented -to the company to which he had been attached; the money he divided, in -such proportion as seemed right, among the unsuccessful competitors. - -One more contest remained, and it turned out to be the most -entertaining of them all. This was a horse race. The competitors were to -make their way from the hill-top to the shore and back again. The -headlong, break-neck speed at which they galloped down, and the slow and -painful effort by which they crawled back again, were witnessed with -inextinguishable laughter by the assembled crowds. Xenophon himself took -a part in this sport, and gained great favor not only by his -condescension but by his skillful riding. He did not win indeed, for the -animal which he rode was hopelessly inferior, but his performance did -not discredit the land which claimed by the bounty of the god of the sea -to have been the birthplace of the horse.[75] The piety of Xenophon -always ready to show itself, did not fail to improve the occasion of his -young friend's success. - -"You have gained the prize," he said in a tone of the deepest -earnestness, "nor did you fail to deserve it. Prize it the more because -it is manifest that the gods favor you. Youth and strength pass away, -but piety you can cherish always, and cherishing piety, you have also -the favor of the gods." - -FOOTNOTES: - -[73] According to some accounts no competitor was crowned unless he was -successful in all. But victory in five exercises so dissimilar could -seldom, if ever, have been gained. Quoit-throwing, for instance, -corresponding to our "putting the stone," required lofty stature and -great muscular strength, and would very seldom be the specialty of a -very fleet runner. - -[74] The Island of Pelops or Peloponnesus. - -[75] The legend was that Poseidon and Athene contended together for the -honor of being the patron Deity of Attica. This was to be adjudged to -the Power which should present it with the most useful gift. Poseidon -struck the ground with his trident, and produced the horse; Athene bade -the olive spring forth, and was judged to have surpassed her rival. -Reference is made to this legend in the most beautiful of the choral -odes of Sophocles, the "Praise of Colonas" in the second of the two -plays in the Story of Oedipus. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -BUSINESS AND PLEASURE. - - -Its religious obligations discharged, for the games, as has been already -said, were regarded as a service of thanksgiving for deliverance, the -army turned its attention to secular affairs. One indispensable duty, -one curiously characteristic, by the way, of the Greek soldier's temper -of mind, was to call the generals to account. For a Greek soldier, even -when he was selling his sword to the highest bidder, never forgot that -he was a citizen, and that as a citizen he had the right of satisfying -himself that his superiors had done their duty with due care and with -integrity. The Ten Thousand accordingly put aside for the time their -military character, and resolved themselves into a civil assembly. Their -generals were no longer the commanding officers to whom they owed an -unhesitating obedience, but the magistrates who had just completed their -term of office, and had now to render their accounts[76] to those who -had elected them. - -The meeting of the army, perhaps I should rather say the assembly, was -held on the same ground which had served for a race course. One by one -the officers were called to answer for themselves. With many, indeed, -the proceeding was purely formal. The name was called, and the man -stepped forward on a platform which had been erected where it could be -best seen by the whole meeting. If no one appeared to make a complaint -or to ask a question, the soldiers gave him a round of applause, if I -may use the word of the noise made by clashing their spears against -their shields; this was a verdict of acquittal and the officer retired -with a bow. And this was what commonly happened. After all, the leaders -had, on the whole, done their duty sufficiently well; there was proof of -that in the simple fact that such a meeting was being held. But all did -not escape so easily. If, indeed, only a few voices of dissatisfaction -were heard, the matter was not pushed any further. When the second -appeal was made by the malcontents, they, seeing that they were not -supported by their comrades, preferred to keep silence. The man would, -in all probability, be their officer again and he would not be likely to -think pleasantly of any one who had accused him. But where, on the other -hand, there was anything like an agreement of dissatisfied voices, the -complainants took courage to come forward, and the examination was -proceeded with in earnest. One officer had had charge of some of the -property of the army; there was a deficiency in his accounts and he was -fined twenty himal[77] to make it good. Another was accused of -carelessness in his duties as leader, and had to pay half this sum. Then -came the _cause celebre_, as it may be called, of the day, the trial of -Xenophon himself. Xenophon was generally popular with the army, as, -indeed, he could scarcely fail to be, considering all that he had done -for it; but he had enemies. The mere fact of his being an Athenian made -him an object of dislike to some; others, as will be seen, he had been -compelled to offend in the discharge of his duty. - -"Xenophon, the son of Gryllus," shouted the herald at the top of his -voice. - -The Athenian stepped on to the platform. - -An Arcadian soldier, Nicharchus by name, came forward and said, "I -accuse Xenophon the Athenian of violence and outrage." - -A few voices of assent were heard throughout the meeting; and some half -dozen men came forward to support the the prosecutor. Accuser and -accused were now confronted. - -"Of what do you accuse me?" asked Xenophon. - -"Of wantonly striking me," replied the man. - -"When and where did you suffer these blows?" - -"After we had crossed the Euphrates, when there was a heavy fall of -snow." - -"I remember. You are right. The weather was terrible; our provisions had -run out; the wine could not so much as be smelt; many men were dropping -down, half dead with fatigue; the enemy were close upon our heels. Were -not these things so?" - -"It is true. Things were as bad as you say, or even worse." - -"You hear," said Xenophon, turning to the assembly, "how we were -situated, and indeed, seeing that you suffered these things yourself, -you are not likely to forget them. Verily; if in such a condition of -things, I struck this man wantonly and without cause, you might fairly -count me more brutal than an ass. But say--" he went on, addressing -himself again to his accuser, "was there not a cause for my beating -you?" - -"Yes, there was a cause," the fellow sullenly admitted. - -"Did I ask you for something, and strike you because you refused to give -it?" - -"No." - -"Did I demand payment for a debt, and lose my temper because the money -was not forthcoming?" - -"No." - -"Was I drunken?" - -"No." - -"Tell me now; are you a heavy-armed soldier?" - -"No; I am not." - -"Are you a light-armed then?" - -"No; nor yet a light-armed." - -"What were you doing then?" - -"I was driving a mule." - -"Being a slave?" - -"Not so; I am free; but my commander compelled me to drive it." - -A light broke in upon Xenophon. He had had a general recollection of the -occasion, but could not remember the particular incident. Now it all -came back to him. - -"Ah," he cried, "I remember; it was you who were carrying the sick man?" - -"Yes," the man confessed, "I did so, by your compulsion; and a pretty -mess was made of the kit that I had upon the mule's back." - -"Nay, not so; the men carried the things themselves, and nothing was -lost. But hear the rest of the story," he went on, turning to the -assembly, "and, indeed it is worth hearing. I found a poor fellow lying -upon the ground, who could not move a step further. I knew the man, and -knew him as one who had done good service. And I compelled you, sir," -addressing Nicharchus, "to carry him. For if I mistake not, the enemy -were close behind us." - -The Arcadian nodded assent. - -"Well then; I sent you forward with your burden, and after a while, -overtook you again, when I came up with the rear-guard. You were digging -a trench in which to bury the man. I thought it a pious act, and praised -you for it. But, lo! while I was speaking, the dead man, as I thought he -was, twitched his leg. 'Why he's alive,' the bystanders cried out. -'Alive or dead, as he pleases,' you said, 'but I am not going to carry -him any further.' Then I struck you. I acknowledge it. It seemed to me -that you were going to bury the poor fellow alive." - -"Well," said the Arcadian, "you won't deny, I suppose, that the man died -after all." - -"Yes," replied Xenophon, "he died, I acknowledge. We must all die some -day; but, meanwhile, there is no reason why we should be buried alive." - -The man hung his head and said nothing. - -"What say you, comrades?" cried Xenophon. - -One of the oldest men in the ranks got up and said, "If Xenophon had -given the scoundrel a few more blows he had done well." - -A deafening clash of swords and spears followed, and the verdict was -accepted. - -The other complainants were now called to state the particulars of their -grievances. Dismayed by the reception which their spokesman had met -with, they remained silent, one and all. Xenophon then entered upon a -general defence of his conduct. - -"Comrades," he said, "I confess that I have many times struck men for -want of discipline. These were men who, leaving others to provide for -their safety, thought only of their own gain. While we were fighting -they would leave their place in the ranks to plunder, and so enriched -themselves at our expense. Some also I have struck, when I found them -playing the coward and ready to give themselves helplessly up to the -enemy. Then I forced them to march on, and so saved their lives. For I -know, having once myself sat down in a sharp frost, while I was waiting -for my comrades, how loath one is to rise again. Therefore, for their -sake, I raised them even with blows, as I should myself wish, were I so -found, to be raised. Others also have I struck whom I found straggling -behind that they might rest. I struck them for your sake, for they were -hindering both you that were in front, and us that were behind, and I -struck them for their own sake. For verily it was a lighter thing to -have a blow with the fist from me than a spear's thrust from the enemy. -Of a truth, if they are able to stand up now to accuse me, it is because -I saved them thus. Had they fallen into the enemy's hand, what -satisfaction would they be able to get, even if their wrongs were ten -times worse than that Nicharchus complains of? No," he went on, "my -friends, I have done nothing more to any one than what a wise father -does to his child, or a good physician does to his patient. You see how -I behave myself now. I am in better case; I fare better; I have food and -wine in plenty. Yet I strike no one. Why? Because there is no need; -because we have weathered the storm, and are in smooth water. I need no -more defence; you have, I see, acquitted me. Yet I cannot forbear to say -that I take it ill that this accusation has been made. You remember the -times when I had for your good to incur your dislike; but the times when -I eased the burden of storm or winter for any of you, when I beat off an -enemy, when I ministered to you in sickness or in want, these no one -remembers--" and here the speaker's voice half broke, partly with real -emotion, partly at the suggestion of the orator's art. A thrill of -sympathy ran through the audience. "And you forget," he went on, "that I -never failed to praise the doer of any noble deed, or to do such honor -as I could, to the brave, living or dead. Yet, surely it were more -noble, more just, more after the mind of the gods, a sweeter and -kindlier act, to treasure the memory of the good than to cherish these -hateful thoughts." - -When the speaker sat down, there was nothing that he might not have -obtained from his comrades. - -That night there was a great banquet. This served a double purpose. -Quarrels were made up, and some other difficult relations of the army to -its neighbors were satisfactorily adjusted. The fact was, that the -Greeks, partly from their want, and partly in the hope of filling their -pockets after a long and profitless campaign, had been plundering right -and left. The natives, on the other hand, had not been slow to -retaliate. Plundering cannot be done satisfactorily in company; but any -who ventured to do a little business on his own account ran a great -chance of being cut off. Under these circumstances both parties thought -it might be possible to come to an agreement. If the Greeks would not -plunder, the natives would leave them unmolested and even furnish them -with supplies. The chief of the country, accordingly, sent an embassy, -with a handsome present of horses and robes of native manufacture. The -generals entertained them at a banquet, to which, at the same time, they -invited the most influential men of the army. The chief's proposals -would be informally discussed, and proposed in regular form at a general -meeting the next day. - -The generals did their best to impress their guests. Meat, bread and -wine were in plenty; and the eparch of Trapezus sent one of the -magnificent turbots for which the waters of the Black Sea were famous. -All the plate that was in the camp was put into requisition to make as -brave a show as possible; and, at the instance of Callias, some handsome -vessels of gold and silver were lent by the town authorities. - -But, in the eyes of the guests, the most impressive part of the -entertainment was in the performances which followed it. The libation -having been made and the hymn, which supplied the part of grace after -meat, having been sung, some of the Thracian soldiers came upon the -platform which had been prepared for the performers. They wore the usual -armor of their country, a helmet, greaves, light cuirass, and sword, and -danced a national dance to the sound of a flute, leaping into the air -with extraordinary nimbleness, and brandishing their swords. One pair of -dancers were conspicuous for their agility. Faster and faster grew -their movements, and with gestures of defiance they alternately -retreated and advanced. At last, one of them, carried, it seemed, out of -himself by his rage, thrust at his fellow with his sword. The man fell. - -"He is killed!" screamed out the guests, and rose from their seats. - -Indeed, the man had fallen so artistically and lay so still that any one -would have thought that he had received a fatal blow. The Greeks, -however, looked on unmoved, and the strangers, not knowing whether this -wonderful people might not be wont to kill each other for the -entertainment of their guests, resumed their seats. The dancer who had -dealt the blow stripped the other of his arms, and hurried off, singing -the Thracian national song: - - "All praise to Sitalces, - Invisible Lord, - The spear point that errs not, - The death-dealing sword, - The chariot that scatters - The close ranks of war, - Red Ruin behind it, - Blind Panic before!" - -When he had left the stage a party of Thracians appeared and carried off -the fallen man, who had remained without giving the slightest sign of -life. - -Another dance in armor succeeded, performed this time by Æolian -tribesmen from the Menalian coast. A man came on the stage, and, laying -aside his arms, made believe to drive a yoke of oxen, and to sow as he -drove. Every now and then he looked round, with an admirable imitation -of expecting some unpleasant interruption. This came in the shape of -another armed man, who was supposed to represent a cattle-lifter. The -ploughman caught up his arms, and ran to encounter him. The two fought -in front of the team, keeping time as they struck and parried to the -sound of the flute. At last the robber appeared to vanquish his -adversary, to bind him, strip him of his arms, and drive off the team. - -The next performer was a Mysian, who danced, again in armor, what we -should call a _pas seul_. He had a light shield in each hand, and seemed -to be fighting with two adversaries at once; his action was -extraordinarily life-like and his agility almost more than human. In -curious contrast with his performance was the stately movement of some -Arcadians heavy-armed, who, with all the weight of their armor and -accoutrements upon them, moved to the tune of the warriors' march with -as much ease as if they had been perfectly unencumbered. - -"Good Heavens!" cried one of the envoys to his next neighbor, "what men -these are! Their armor seems not one whit heavier to them than a shirt, -and they carry their swords and their spears as if they were twigs of -osier." - -One of the Mysians, whose dialect was not very different from that of -the speaker, overheard the remark. "Ah!" he said to himself, "we will -astonish these gentlemen still more." - -He drew one of the Arcadians who had just performed, aside. "Send Cleone -on the stage," he said. - -Cleone was a dancing-girl, famous for her agility. - -By good luck she was at hand, having indeed expected to perform for the -amusement of the company. The Arcadian made her put on a light cuirass -of silvered steel, which she wore over a scarlet tunic. She had a short -gilded helmet, buskins of purple, and sandals tied with crimson strings. -In her left hand she carried a small shield, and in her right, a light -spear. Thus accoutred, she came on the stage and danced the Pyrrhic -dance with tremendous applause from all the spectators. - -The astonishment of the native guests was beyond all expression. - -"What!" cried their chief, "do your women fight?" - -"Of course," said the General whom he addressed, "of course they fight, -and very pretty soldiers they make." - -"Women soldiers!" gasped the man. - -"Why," said his host, "did you not know that it was the women who routed -the Great King, and drove him out of our camp?" - -FOOTNOTES: - -[76] The examination of accounts (euthuna) was one of the most important -constitutional usages in the Athenian commonwealth. All magistrates on -coming out of office, and ambassadors returning from a mission had to -undergo it. The existence of this usage would make the difference in the -eyes of an Athenian between a constitutional and a despotic government. -The other Greek States, though we know but little of their internal -arrangements, probably had some similar institution. - -[77] Rather more than £400. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - -INVALIDED. - - -Callias found it very hard to sit out the banquet and the entertainment -that followed it. He had felt a headache before sitting, or to speak -more correctly, lying down, and this grew so bad during the evening that -he gladly took the earliest opportunity of leaving. The fact was that he -had been ailing for some days; the excitement of the games had carried -him through the labors of the day, but he suffered doubly from the -reaction, and before nightfall he was seriously ill. - -And now he found the advantage of having followed Xenophon's advice and -taken up his quarters in the town. Had he been reduced to such nursing -and attendance as the camp could have supplied, his chances of moving -would have been small indeed. At the house of Demochares, on the -contrary, he had everything in his favor, an exceptionally good nurse, -and an exceptionally skillful physician. In those days neither branch of -the healing art, for nursing has certainly as much to do with healing as -physicking, was very successfully cultivated. Women nursed the sick, -indeed, often with kindness and devotion, for woman's nature was -substantially the same then as it is now, but they did it in a blind and -ignorant fashion. As for the practice of medicine it was a mass of -curious superstitions and prejudices, leavened here and there with a few -grains of experience, and, if the practitioner happened to have that -inestimable quality, of good sense. Of systems there was only the -beginning. The great physician Hippocrates had indeed acquired a vast -reputation, and was beginning to influence the opinion of the faculty -throughout Greece; but the medical profession has always been slow to -adopt new ideas--what profession, indeed, has not?--the means of -communication, too, were very limited, and as yet his teaching had had -but little effect. - -But Callias happened to be exceedingly fortunate both in his nurse and -in his doctor. The house of Demochares was kept by his sister, a widow, -who after her husband's death had returned to her old home, and had -devoted herself to a life of kindness and charity. The young Athenian -had won her heart, not only by his sunny temper and gracious manners, -but by his resemblance to a son of her own whose early death--he had -been slain in a skirmish with the barbarian neighbors of Trapezus--had -been the second great sorrow of her life. His illness called forth her -tenderest sympathies, and nothing could have exceeded the devotion with -which she ministered to her patient. - -The physician, Demoleon by name, was a very remarkable man. He was a -native of the island of Cos, and was at this time between fifty and -sixty years of age. He had been one of the first pupils of the famous -Hippocrates, who was a native of the same island, and had lived on terms -of great intimacy with his teacher whom he assisted in his private -practice. When Hippocrates was summoned to the plague-stricken city of -Athens, Demoleon accompanied him, and, by a curious coincidence, in the -course of his residence there had treated the father of Callias. -Whatever the benefit that followed the prescriptions of Hippocrates, it -is certain that the fact of his being called in to administer them by -the most famous citizen of Greece, largely increased his reputation, and -that even beyond the border of Greece. The great physician's return from -Athens was speedily followed by an invitation from Artaxerxes, King of -Persia.[78] The plague that had devastated Greece had passed eastward, -and was committing destructive ravages throughout the Persian Empire. -Artaxerxes implored Hippocrates to give him and his subjects the benefit -of his advice. He offered at the same time the magnificent _honorarium_ -of two talents of gold yearly.[79] The patriotism or the prudence of -Hippocrates led him to refuse this offer, tempting as it was. He would -not, he said, and doubtless with sincerity, give the benefit of his -advice to the hereditary enemy of his country. At the same time, we may -suppose, he reflected to himself that he would be putting himself, -without any possibility of appeal, at the mercy of a tyrannical and -unscrupulous master. But one of the Persian envoys succeeded in doing a -little business of the same kind on his own account. He found the pupil -less resolute against the temptations of a great bribe than the master -had been. Accordingly he engaged Demoleon to come in the capacity of -physician to himself and his household. The King would have the -opportunity of availing himself of his advice if he pleased. Artaxerxes -was disappointed at the refusal of Hippocrates, but he did not disdain -the help of a man who had shared his practice, and was probably -acquainted with his system. Demoleon prescribed at Susa and Persepolis -the remedies which his master had employed at Athens, the burning of -huge fires in the street and squares, and the use of an antidote. The -pestilence either yielded to these influences, or, as is more probable, -had exhausted its force. At any rate Demoleon got the credit of having -vanquished the enemy, and was rewarded by a munificent present from the -King and by an enormous practice. - -He might have accumulated great wealth but for an unlucky complication -for which he can scarcely be considered to have been to blame. Necessity -sometimes compelled a departure, in the case of the physician, from the -strict rules of seclusion with which the Persian women were surrounded. -Demoleon was called in to visit the daughter of a Persian noble. She was -a beautiful girl, or rather would have been beautiful but for the fact -that she was blind. It was a case of cataract, and the Greek physician, -who was as bold as he was skillful, ventured on an operation which at -that time had scarcely been attempted, or even thought of. It proved -entirely successful. The gratitude of the father was shown by a -munificent present of gold and jewels; that of the daughter by the gift -of her heart. One of the very first objects on which her eyes rested -when the bandage was permitted to be removed was the form of the young -physician who had restored to her one of the greatest joys of life. -Under any circumstances it was likely to please her; and Demoleon was in -the bloom of early manhood, and his fair complexion and golden hair -showed in attractive contrast to the swarthy hues of her countrymen. The -result was that she fell deeply in love. Demoleon was not without -prudence, and would have hesitated to listen to any promptings of his -own heart, for he too had been greatly impressed by the beauty and grace -as well as by the pathetic patience of the sufferer. Amestris--that was -the young lady's name--guessed readily enough that the physician would -not venture to speak, and she took the matter into her own hands. She -did not speak herself; for that, passionate as was her affection, would -have been impossible; but she got some one to speak for her. Her -nurse--the nurse was generally the _confidante_ of antiquity--undertook -the task of communicating with the young man. One day she gave him a -pomegranate, saying at the same time that he would find the fruit -especially sweet. Her words would have seemed ordinary enough to any one -that might have happened to hear them; but the young physician, whose -feelings made him susceptible, suspected, he could not say why, a -particular meaning. Opening the fruit he found a ring engraved with a -single Greek word--_Be Bold_. The next day he thanked the giver of the -fruit with emphasis. "It was sweet to the core," he said. - -After that the affair proceeded rapidly. The young man, who, as may be -guessed, did not hurry the case of his patient, found an opportunity of -declaring his love, and in the following summer the two lovers fled -together. All the arrangements had been carefully made. The girl -feigned sickness, and the physician prescribed a residence among the -hills and a simpler life and plainer diet than the patient was likely to -get in her father's house. Her foster-mother was the wife of a sheep -master who rented some extensive pasture on the hills of Southern -Armenia, and it was settled that Amestris should pay her a visit. The -lady was sent off under a small escort, no one dreaming that the family -of an influential noble would be molested on its journey. Yet, curiously -enough, a band of brigands was bold enough to enter the caravanserai -where the party was lodging on the fourth night after their departure -from Susa. Certainly the keeper of the inn, and, possibly, the commander -of the escort, had been bribed--Demoleon's successful practice had put -him in the command of as much money as he wanted. For a long time -Amestris absolutely disappeared. Her father searched everywhere and -offered munificent rewards for information, but he could find and hear -nothing. No one knew that a couple of travellers, who might have been -two brothers journeying in company and followed by three well armed -servants, were in fact Demoleon, Amestris, and the pretended robbers. -The party followed much the same route as was afterwards taken by the -Ten Thousand, and, after not a few hair-breadth escapes, arrived in -safety at the same destination,--the city of Trapezus. - -Three years of happiness followed. Then the beautiful Persian died. She -never repented of having given her heart to the young physician, who was -the best and most affectionate of husbands. But she missed her family -and all the associations of her early life, and pined away under the -loss. Return was impossible; she could not go back without her husband, -and to return with him would have been to expose him, if not herself, to -the certainty of death. The hopelessness of the situation broke her -heart; and all her husband's skill, even the more potent influence of -her husband's love, failed to work a cure. - -The widower could not prevail upon himself to leave the place where he -had enjoyed his short-lived happiness. He might have gained wealth and -fame in larger cities, but he preferred to spend the rest of his days at -Trapezus. There, indeed, he was almost worshipped. He had a singularly -light and skillful hand; his experience, though, of course, not so large -as he might have collected elsewhere, was always ready for use; and he -had the rare, the incommunicable gift of felicitous guessing--guessing -we call it, but it is really the power of forming rapid conclusions from -a number of trifling, often half discerned indications. Anyhow he -achieved some very marvellous cures; performed with success operations -which others did not venture to attempt; diagnosed diseases with -remarkable skill, and was extraordinarily fertile in his expedients. It -was specially characteristic of him that while he was never satisfied -till he had thoroughly enquired into the causes of disease, he was -unwearied in his efforts to relieve the inconvenience and painfulness of -a patient's symptoms. - -So alarming did the condition of Callias become after his return from -the banquet, that Demoleon was called in without loss of time. All that -he could do at the moment was to give a sleeping draught, intending to -make a thorough examination of the case next morning. - -Shortly after sunrise he was by the bedside. Callias was conscious -enough to be able to describe his feelings; what he said indicated -plainly enough that his illness had been developing for some days past, -and had been postponed by sheer courage and determination. It was in -fact something like what we call gastric fever; and the experienced -physician saw enough to convince him that he should have a hard battle -to fight. The patient was young, vigorous, apparently sound of -constitution, and, as far as he could learn, of temperate habits. All -this was in favor of recovery; but it was not more than was needed to -give a glimpse of hope. - -Demochares, who had a strong regard for the young man, as indeed every -one had that had been brought into contact with him, intercepted the -physician as he was leaving the house after a prolonged examination of -the patient. - -"How do you find him?" he asked. - -Demoleon shook his head. The gesture was not exactly despairing, but it -indicated plainly enough that the situation was serious. - -"You will put him all right before long?" returned the merchant, alarmed -at the gravity of the physician's manner. - -"All these things lie on the knees of the gods," said Demoleon, quoting -from his favorite Homer. (It was a maxim of his that a man who did not -know his Homer was little better than a fool.) It may be said that the -physician was more than a little brusque in manner and speech. Twenty -years of solitary life had made him so, for since his wife's death he -had held aloof from all the social life of the place. - -"What ails him?" enquired the merchant. - -"A fever," was the brief reply. - -"Does it run high?" - -"Very high indeed." - -"You have bled him, of course." - -The physician's answers to enquiries were generally as short as the -rules of politeness permitted; occasionally, some of his questioners -were disposed to think, even shorter; but there were remarks that always -made him fluent of speech, though the fluency was not always agreeable -to his audience. - -"Bleed him, sir," he cried, "why don't you say at once stab him, poison -him? No, sir, I have not bled him, and do not intend to." - -"I thought that it was usual in such cases," said the merchant timidly. - -"Very likely you did," answered Demoleon, "and there are persons, I do -not doubt, who would have done it, persons, too, who ought to know -better." This was levelled at a rival practitioner in the town for whom -he entertained a most thorough contempt. "Do you know, sir," he went on, -"where men learnt the practice of bleeding?" - -"No, I do not," said Demochares. - -"It was from the hippopotamus. That animal has been observed to bleed -himself. Doubtless the operation does him good. But it does not follow -that what is good for an animal as big as a cottage is good also for a -man. Doubtless there _are_ men for whom it is good. When I have to deal -with a mountain of a man, one of your city dignitaries bloated by rich -feeding, by chines of beef and pork and flagons of rich wine, I don't -hesitate to bleed him. His thick skin, his rolls of fat flesh, seem to -require it. In fact he is a human hippopotamus. But to bleed a spare -young fellow, who has been going through months of labor and hard living -would be to kill him. I wonder that you can suggest such a thing." - -"I am sure I am very sorry," said the merchant humbly. - -"Happily no harm is done," replied the physician, cooling down a little. -"And, after all, this is not your business, and you may be excused for -your ignorance, but there are others," he went off muttering in a low -voice, "who ought to know better, and ought to be punished for such -folly. It is sheer murder." - -I do not intend to describe the course of the long illness of which this -was the beginning. There were times when even the hopefulness of the -physician--and his hopefulness was one of his strongest and most helpful -qualities--failed him. Relapse after relapse, coming with disheartening -frequency, just when he had seemed to have gathered a little strength, -brought him close to the gates of death. - -"I have done all that I can," said Demoleon one evening to Epicharis the -nurse. "If any one is to save him, it must be you. If you want me, send -for me, of course. Otherwise I shall not come. It breaks my heart to see -this fine young fellow dying, when there are hundreds of worthless -brutes whom the earth would be better without." - -Epicharis never lost heart; for a nurse to lose heart is more fatal than -the physician's despair. For nearly a week she scarcely slept. Not a -single opportunity of administering some strengthening food did she -lose--for now the fever had passed, and the danger lay in the excessive -exhaustion. At last her patience was rewarded. The sick man turned the -corner, and Demoleon, summoned at last, to alleviate, he feared, the -last agony, found, to his inexpressible delight, that the cure was -really begun. - -"You are the physician," he cried, as he seized the nurse's hand and -kissed it; "I am only a fool." - -Winter had passed into spring, and spring into summer, before Callias -could be pronounced out of danger. Even then his recovery was slow. Some -months were spent in a mountain village where the bracing air worked -wonders in giving him back his strength. As the cold weather came on he -returned to his comfortable home in Trapezus. Though scarcely an -invalid, he was still a little short of perfect recovery. Besides it was -not the time for travelling. Anyhow it was the spring of the following -year, and now more than twelve months from the time of his first -illness, when he was pronounced fit to travel. Even then it was only -something like flat rebellion on the part of his patient that induced -Demoleon to give way. The young man was wearying for home and friends. -He had heard nothing of them for several months, for communication was -always stopped during the winter between Athens and the ports of the -Euxine, while the eastward bound ships that always started after the -dangerous season of the equinox had passed, had not yet arrived. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[78] Artaxerxes Longimanus, so called from the circumstance of his right -hand being longer than his left. He reigned from 465 to 425. - -[79] About £5,200, ($25,000), if gold is to be reckoned at thirteen -times the value of silver. This is Herodotus' calculation, and it -probably held good in Greece for a century or more from his time, until, -in fact, the enormous influx of gold from the Asiatic conquests of -Alexander altered the proportion. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. - -BACK TO ATHENS. - - -Callias started about the middle of April, according to our reckoning. -His journey to the Bosphorus was much retarded by contrary winds. For -some days no progress could be made, and it was well into May before he -reached Byzantium. There he was fortunate enough to get a passage in a -Spartan despatch boat, which took him as far as the port of Corinth, -thus carrying him, of course, beyond his destination, but to a point -from which it was easy for him to find his way to Athens. It was about -the beginning of June when he landed at the Piraeus. He did not doubt -for a moment about the place where his first visit was due. The fact was -that he had no near relations. The kinsman who was his legal guardian -had always given up the business of looking after his ward's property to -Hippocles; and now that Callias was his own master, there was little -more than a friendly acquaintance between the two cousins. The alien's -house was, he felt, his real home, nor had he given up the hope that in -spite of Hermione's strongly expressed determination, he might some day -become a member of his family. - -Hippocles happened to have just returned from his business at the -shipyard, when the young Athenian presented himself at the gate. Nothing -could be warmer than the welcome he gave his visitor. - -[Illustration: THE ACROPOLIS AT THE PRESENT DAY.] - -"Now Zeus and Athene be thanked for this," he cried as he wrung the -young man's hand. "That you had come back safely from the country of the -Great King I heard. Your friend Xenophon told me so much in a letter -that I had from him about a year ago. Then I heard from him that you -were dangerously ill. After that all was a blank, and I feared the -worst. But why not a word all this time?" - -"Pardon me, my dear friend, I think I may say that it was not my fault. -For months I was simply too ill to write. When I came back to Trapezus, -the winter had begun, and there were no more ships sailing westward. I -should have written when communications were opened again, but I was -always in hopes of being allowed by the physician to start, and I had a -fancy for bringing my own news. And how are you?" - -"I am well enough," replied Hippocles, "but we have been passing through -times bad enough to shorten any man's life. I don't speak of trade. -There have been troubles there, but when one has ventures all over the -world, it does not matter very much as far as profits are concerned, if -things do not go right at one place or another. It has been the state of -home affairs that has been the heaviest burden to bear. I thought we had -touched the bottom when the city had to surrender to Lysander. But it -was not so, and I might have known better. The Spartans, of course, -upset the democracy." - -"Well," interrupted Callias, "I should have thought that that would not -have been by any means an altogether unmixed evil." - -"Yes," said Hippocles, "and there have been times when I have been ready -to think the same. But wait till you see an oligarchy in power, really -in power, I mean, not with a possible appeal to the people, and so a -chance of having to answer for themselves before them, but with a strong -foreign garrison behind them. We had that state of things in Athens for -more than half a year. One might almost say that it was like a city -taken by storm. No man's life was safe unless he was willing to do the -bidding of the Tyrants--the "Thirty Tyrants" was the nickname of the men -that were in power in those days. Who would have thought that Theramenes -would ever have been regretted by honest men? Yet it was so. He thought -his colleagues were going too far, and opposed them. He was carrying the -Senate with him, for many besides him were beginning to feel -uncomfortable; so they murdered him. The Thirty had, you must know, a -sort of sham general assembly--three thousand citizens picked out of the -whole number as holding strong oligarchical opinions. Amongst the laws -that they had made one was that none of these Three Thousand were to be -condemned without a vote of the Senate. The name of Theramenes was, of -course, on the list, and, as he had a majority of the Senate with him, -he seemed safe. Well what did Critias, who was the leader of the violent -party, do? He filled the outer circle of the Senate house with armed -men, the Senate, you must understand, sitting in the middle surrounded -by them. Then he got up and said, 'A good president, when he sees the -body over which he presides about to be duped, does not suffer them to -follow their own counsel. Theramenes has duped you, and I and these men -here will not suffer one who is the enemy of his country to do so any -longer. I have therefore struck his name off the list of the Three -Thousand. This leaves me and my colleagues free to deal with him without -your assent.' The Senate murmured, but dared do nothing more. The -officers came and dragged the man from the altar to which he was -clinging. An hour afterwards he had drunk the hemlock. The gods below be -propitious to him, for great as were his misdeeds he died in a good -cause and as a brave man should die.[80] Things have not been so bad -since the 'Thirty' were upset, but there is a sad story to tell you." - -Callias paused awhile. At last he screwed up his courage to put a -question which he had both longed and feared to put ever since he had -set foot in the house. - -"And your daughter, is she well?" - -"Yes, she is well." - -"And still with you?" - -"Yes, she is at home," briefly answered the father. - -Hermione had in fact, refused several offers which every one else had -thought highly eligible. Hippocles, though by no means anxious to lose a -daughter who was not only a companion but a counsellor, was growing -anxious at what appeared her manifest determination to remain single. He -would have dearly liked to have a son-in-law who would be able to take -up in time the burden of his huge business, a burden which he began to -feel already somewhat heavy for his strength. Callias would have been -entirely to his heart, but he had accepted, though not without great -reluctance, his daughter's views on this subject. That she should deny -the young Athenian's suit, and yet for his sake dismiss all other -suitors--and this he began to suspect to be the fact--seemed to his -practical mind a quite unreasonable course of action. When a distant -kinsman from Italy, a handsome youth of gracious manners and of -unexceptionable character, with even a tincture of culture, was -emphatically refused, Hippocles ventured a remonstrance. Its reception -was such that he resolved never under any circumstances to repeat it. -Hermione had been always the most obedient of daughters, but this roused -her to open rebellion. "Father," she said, "in this matter I am and must -be a freeborn Italian. A Greek father can arrange a marriage for his -daughter, but you must not think of it. I shall give myself as my mother -gave herself before me--if I could find one as worthy as she did," and -she caught her father's hand and kissed it, breaking at the same time -into a passion of tears. "Forgive me," she went on in a broken voice, -"for setting up myself against you; but if you love me, never speak on -this subject again." And her father resolved that he never would. - -The young Athenian felt a glow of renewed hope pass through him at the -father's reply, studiously brief and cold as it was. Anyhow Hermione was -not married. What could ever occur to change her purpose he did not -care to speculate. Nevertheless, as long as she did not belong to -another, he need not despair. - -"You will dine with me of course," said Hippocles to his visitor, "by -good luck I have invited Xenophon. Doubtless that is he," he went on, as -a kick was heard at the door.[81] - -A few moments afterwards a slave introduced Xenophon; and before the two -friends had finished their greetings it was announced that dinner had -been served. - -Hermione was not present at the meal, nor did her father make any excuse -for her absence. The presence of any guest not belonging to the regular -family circle, was sufficient to account for it; and Callias, though he -hoped against hope to see her, could not but acknowledge to himself that -a meeting would have been highly embarrassing. - -Conversation did not flag during the meal. When it was finished, the -host excused himself on the score of having some business matters on -hand which did not brook delay; and Xenophon and Callias were left to -talk over each other's adventures. - -When Callias had told the story with which my readers are already -acquainted, Xenophon proceeded to give him a brief outline of his -fortunes since they had parted. - -"Well, my dear Callias," he said, "you did not lose much by not being -with us. While we were in danger, we stuck fairly together, though there -were always cowardly and selfish fellows who thought, not of the general -welfare, but only of their own skins or their own pockets. But when we -were safe at the coast and among friends, then there arose endless -division. And, indeed, I must allow that the situation of the army was -very trying. Here were thousands of men who lived by their pay, and -there was no paymaster. I had a scheme of my own which would really have -kept us together. If it could have been carried out, the gathering of -the Ten Thousand, even though it had failed of its first object, would -not have been altogether in vain. I wanted to found a new Greek colony. -We might have taken Pharis or some other city of the barbarians; and if -only half of my comrades had been willing to stay, we might have made a -rich and powerful place of it before long. But it was not to be. Perhaps -I was not worthy of being the founder of such a colony; anyhow the -scheme came to nothing. I will tell you how it was. You remember -Silanus, the soothsayer. I never trusted the man. He was quite capable -of garbling signs to suit his own advantage. However I could not help -going to him on this occasion, as he was the chief of his craft. So I -said, 'Offer sacrifices and determine the omens concerning this scheme -of a new colony.' Now Silanus was about the only man who had any money -in his pocket. Cyrus had given him three thousand darics[82] for a -prophecy that had come true, and he wanted to get home with the spoil. -So he was altogether against the idea of a colony. When he had -sacrificed he could not say that the omens were altogether against the -scheme; for I knew nearly as much about the matter as he did. What he -did say was that there were indications of a conspiracy against me. And -he took good care to make them true, for he spread about reports of what -I was going to do that turned the army against me. So the scheme came -to nothing. - -"This did one good thing, however, for it helped us on our way home. -Trapezus and the other colonies in the east of the Euxine did not relish -the idea of a new Greek city which might turn out to be a formidable -rival. So they offered to transport the army to the Hellespont and to -furnish pay from the first new moon after the departure. This seemed a -good offer, and I recommended the soldiers to close with it, and said -that I gave up my scheme. 'Only,' I said, 'let us all keep together and -let any one who leaves us be counted a malefactor.' For I did not choose -that my friend the soothsayer should get the better of it. - -"Well, we set sail; our first halt was at Sinope, which is roughly -speaking, about halfway between Trapezus and Byzantium. Then the army -wanted to make me commander-in-chief. Happily the omen was against it, -and I was able to decline. We started again, and got to Heraclea. The -people were very hospitable; but some scoundrels in the army wanted to -lay a contribution upon the city. Chirisophus, the Spartan--I should -have told you that on my refusal the army gave him the chief -command--refused to have anything to do with such an abominable -business, and I backed him up. Of course the city shut its gates against -us, and we got nothing at all. After this the army broke up into three. -One of the divisions, made up of Arcadians and Achaeans, the most -unscrupulous and greedy of the whole number, got into serious trouble -when they were trying to plunder the country, and I had to rescue them, -for two thousand men had stuck to me when the army was thus broken up. -Then the other division under Chirisophus were nearly as badly off, and -I had to get them out of a scrape. After this they came together again, -and it was made a matter of death for anyone to propose a separation. - -"It was well we did, for everyone seemed bent on treating us as -villanously as possible. Would you believe that the Spartan governor of -Byzantium actually sold as slaves four hundred soldiers who had found -their way into the city? It is true that they were stragglers and had no -business there; but it was an abominable act. At last, one Seuthes, who -had been chief of the Odrysians, and deposed by a usurper, offered to -take the whole army into his pay, if we would help him to recover his -dominions. Every man was to receive a stater[83] per month, the captains -twice, and the generals four times as much. Also he offered lands, oxen -to plough it with, and a city with walls. In fact the colony scheme -seemed likely to be carried out after all. To me he was very munificent -in his promises. I was to have one of his daughters to wife and a city -of my own." - -"What did you say to that?" said Callias. - -"Well, the only one of these things that Seuthes really had in his -possession was the daughter. I saw the young lady, handsome I will -allow, and tall; but, oh, such a savage! As for the money, and the land, -and the oxen, and the towns, walled and unwalled, we had to get them for -him and then have our portion back. However, it seemed to me the best -thing for the army to do, and I advised the men to that effect, and they -agreed, only it was provided that we were never to march more than seven -days' journey from the seacoast. We had all had enough of marches up -the country. Then Seuthes gave us a feast by way of striking the -bargain. - -"It was a wonderful scene, and some day I must tell you all about it. -But I must own that for a time I felt as uncomfortable as ever I did in -my life. After dinner when the bowl had passed round two or three times, -in came a Thracian leading a white horse. He took the bowl from the -cup-bearer, and said, 'Here is a health to thee, King Seuthes. Let me -give you this horse. Mounted on him thou shalt take whom thou wilt, and -when thou retirest from the battle thou shalt dread no pursuer.' Then -another gave a slave, and another some robes for the Queen, and a fourth -a silver saucer and a finely embroidered carpet. All the while I was -sitting in an agony, for I was in the place of honor, and had nothing to -offer. However 'our lady of Athens,' who is the inspirer of clever -devices, and, it may be Father Bacchus also, for I had drained two or -three cups, helped me out of my difficulty. When the cup-bearer handed -me the goblet, I rose and said, 'King Seuthes, I present you with myself -and these my trusty comrades. With their help you will recover the lands -that were your forefathers' and gain many new lands with them. Nor shall -you win lands only, but horses many, and men many, and fair women also.' -Up got the King, at this, and we drained the cup together. - -"Seuthes was not going to let the grass grow under his feet. When we -left the banqueting tent--this was at sunset because we wanted to set -the guards about our camp--the King, who, for all his potations, was as -sober as a water-drinker, sent for the generals and said, 'My neighbors -have not yet heard of this alliance of ours. Let us go and take them by -surprise.' And so we did. We went that night and brought back booty -enough to pay for our day's pay, I warrant you. - -"Well, we went on fighting for Seuthes for two months till we had -conquered the whole countryside for him. Then the conquered tribes -flocked to him--give a Thracian plenty to eat and drink and good pay and -he will fight in any quarrel--till he did not want any more. That -perhaps was not to be wondered at, but, like the mean hound that he was, -he tried to get out of paying us. - -"Just at this moment when I thought that we should have to settle with -the sword for judge, Sparta declared war against the Persians and wanted -all the men she could get. So Thuisbron, their commander-in-chief, came -over and engaged the men at the same rate of pay that Seuthes was giving -or rather promising. We never got anything but a wretched fragment from -the King. - -"By this time I had had about enough of campaigning of this fashion. Not -a drachma had I made. In fact I was poorer than when I set out. I had -even to sell my favorite horse, but Thuisbron bought it back for me. - -"Just at the last I had a stroke of luck. That is another story I must -tell you some day. But fortunately we took prisoners a Persian noble -with his wife and children, his horses and cattle and all that he had. -The next day I left the army, but before I went they gave me the pick of -the beasts of all kinds. It was a handsome present, I can tell you." - -"So, on the whole," said Callias, "you came pretty well out of the -business. You returned at least not poorer than you went, you have won -for yourself a name which those who come after us will not, I take it, -forget, and you helped, at least, to save the lives of many Greeks from -perishing shamefully by the hands of the barbarians. Are you not -content?" - -"Yes," replied Xenophon, "all the more content on account of one thing -you have not mentioned. For this indeed pleases me in the matter that we -Greeks have now found a way by which we may both go to the capital of -the Persians and return therefrom. Verily, I sometimes wish we had not -been so eager to retreat, but had stopped and made ourselves masters of -the country of our enemies. Perhaps we were not strong enough; but, if I -can see so far into the future, some one will do this hereafter, and -Greece will be avenged of all that she has suffered at the hands of the -barbarians." - -"The Master will be glad," Callias went on after a pause. - -The "Master" of course was Socrates. Xenophon looked at the young man -with some surprise. - -"You seem very confident on this point. He indeed was always somewhat -doubtful, and certainly there are great difficulties when you come to -look into it a little more closely." - -"I really do not know what you mean," answered Callias; "you have seen -him I suppose, for you have been in Athens several days and know what he -thinks." - -For a few moments Xenophon stared at the speaker in utter perplexity. -Then a light broke in upon him. "What," he cried, "you do not know? You -have not heard?" - -"Know what? Have heard what? You speak in riddles." - -"That he is dead." - -The young man covered his face with his hands. After a few minutes he -recovered calmness enough to speak. "No, indeed, I did not know it. I -never thought of such a thing. He seemed so full of life and vigor. Yet -he must have been an old man, not far from seventy I suppose, for he was -more than forty at Delium.[84] Tell me of what did he die?" - -"They killed him." - -"Killed him! Who killed him?" - -"The people of Athens." - -FOOTNOTES: - -[80] The last scene of his life is described by Xenophon. I give the -passage with some explanation. When he drank the fatal cup he threw the -dregs on the floor with the peculiar jerk given in playing the game of -Cottabos. This game had several forms; but the feature common to them -all was the heaving of wine out of a cup. Sometimes the object seems to -have been a kind of fortune telling. A guest when he had finished his -cup would jerk out any dregs that might be left. At the same time he -named the guest who was to drink next, and the sound made by the drops -falling was supposed to give some omen good or bad. "To the gracious -Critias," said Theramenes. It was to be a prophecy of his fate. As a -matter of fact Critias fell a few weeks afterward in a battle with -Thrasybulus and the exiles of the democratic party. - -[81] It was usual to kick not to knock with the hand. - -[82] About $18,000. - -[83] Something less than $6. - -[84] The battle of Delium (between the Boeotians and the Athenians) -was fought in 424. The precise age of Socrates at the time of his death -was seventy. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII. - -THE STORY OF THE TRIAL. - - -It is not too much to say that the young man was prostrated by the news -which he had just heard, for the blow fell upon him with a suddenness -that seemed to increase the pain tenfold. He had not been indeed on the -same intimate terms of friendship with the great philosopher as the -older disciples, Crito, Simmias, Cebes, Phaedo and others had been. But -he had regarded him with an affection and admiration that was nothing -less than enthusiastic; and he had looked forward to getting his advice -about the future conduct of his life with a hopeful eagerness that made -disappointment very bitter. To find himself in Athens after all the -vicissitudes of fortune through which he had passed, and to learn that -the man without whom Athens scarcely seemed itself, was lost to him -forever, was a terrible shock. Xenophon's sorrow had not been less keen, -but he had been prepared for his loss by at least a few days' previous -knowledge. The news had reached him while he was on his way, and the -first shock was over when he landed. But there had been nothing to break -the news to Callias. He felt as a son might feel who returns home after -a long absence in full expectation of a father's greeting, and finds -himself an orphan. - -So overpowered was the young man that he felt solitude to be absolutely -necessary for a time. - -"Let me talk to you about it another day," he said to Xenophon, "at -present I am not master of myself." - -Xenophon clasped his friend's hand with a warm and sympathetic pressure. -"I understand," he said. "Yet, I think it will comfort you when you hear -how he bore himself at the last and what he said. Come to me to-morrow; -Hippocles will tell you where I live." - -Early the next morning, Callias presented himself at Xenophon's house, a -modest little dwelling, not far from the garden of Academus. He found -him in the company of some friends, most of whom were more or less known -to the young man as having been members of the circle which had been -accustomed to listen to the teaching of the great master. Crito, -Menexenus and Æschines, and the two Thebans, Cebes and Simmias, were -among the number; and there were others whom he did not recognize. He -was greeted with kindness and even distinction. His host had evidently -been giving a favorable account of him to the company. - -"I thought it best," Xenophon went on to explain, "to ask some of those -who were actually present when these things happened, to meet you. I -myself, as you know, was not here; and it is well that you should hear a -story so important from eye-witnesses, men who saw his demeanor with -their own eyes, and heard his words with their own ears." - -"I thank you," said Callias. "But tell me first how it was that such -things came to pass. It seems incredible to me. I have heard that here -and there a man has been found so monstrously wicked that he could kill -his own father, though Solon thought it so impossible a crime that he -would impose no penalty on it. But that a whole people should be -stricken with such madness of wickedness seems to pass all imagination -or belief." - -"Ah! you do not understand," said Simmias; "I am a foreigner you know; -and those who look at things from outside often see more of them than -they who are within. I had long thought that Socrates was making many -enemies in Athens. And verily if he had said such things in my own city, -as he said here, I doubt whether he had been suffered to live so long." - -"But he always spoke true things," said the young man, "and things that -were to the real profit of his hearers." - -"Just so," replied Simmias, "but that they were true and profitable did -not make them pleasant, or the speaker of them welcome. What think you -would happen to a school-master if his pupils whom he daily corrects and -disciplines, sometimes with hard tasks and sometimes with blows, were -permitted to judge him, or to a physician if the children whom he seeks -to cure of their ailments with nauseous drugs, or, it may be, with the -knife or cautery, had him in their power?" - -"Truly, it might fare ill with him," Callias confessed, thinking to -himself of certain angry thoughts that in his own boyhood he had -cherished against his own teacher and doctor. - -"Yes," said Crito, "Simmias is right, nor did this matter escape the -notice of us Athenians, though we did not perceive it so plainly. You, -I know, have been much absent from Athens since you grew to manhood, yet -you must have seen something of this. You were here, for example, when -the admirals were condemned after the battle at Arginusæ. Is it not so?" - -"I was here," said Callias. - -"And you know how Socrates set himself against the will of the people, -refusing to put to the vote a proposal which he believed to be -unconstitutional. Well, he suffered nothing at that time, because their -will prevailed in spite of him. Yet we saw that there were many who -remembered this against him, and only waited for the opportunity of -avenging themselves upon him. Nor was he less constant in opposing the -few, when he believed them to be acting wrongfully, than in opposing the -many. Listen now, to what he did and said in the days of the Thirty. -Were you in Athens at that time?" - -"No," replied Callias, "I left the city, or rather was carried away from -it--" at this there was a general laugh, most of the company having -heard of the curious story of his abduction--"after the murder of the -Generals, and did not set foot in it till the other day." - -"But you know what manner of men these Thirty were." - -"Yes, I know." - -"Well, among other vile things that they did was this, that they put to -death many excellent men whom they conceived to be enemies to -themselves. Then Socrates, in that free way of his, said, 'If a herdsman -were so to manage his herd that the cattle became fewer and not more, -men would consider him a bad herdsman. Still more would they consider -him to be a bad ruler of a city who should so manage it that the -citizens became not more but less numerous.' This being reported to -Critias, who was a chief among the Thirty, he sent for Socrates, and -said to him, 'There is a law that no man shall teach or use the art of -words.' Socrates said, 'Mean you by this, the art of words rightly -spoken or the art of words wrongly spoken?' On this, one Charicles, who -was a colleague of Critias, and was standing by him, broke in violently: -'Since, Socrates, you find it so hard to understand an altogether easy -thing, take this as a plain rule, that you are not to talk with young -men at all.' 'Truly I desire to obey the law,' said Socrates; 'tell me -then what you mean by young men. How young? Up to what age?' Charicles -said, 'Up to thirty, at which age men are able to take part in affairs -of the State.' 'But,' said Socrates, 'if I desire to buy a thing of a -man who is under thirty, is it permitted me to ask what it costs?' -'Yes,' said Charicles, 'you may say so much.' 'And if a man under thirty -asks me where Critias lives or Charicles lives, may I answer him?' 'Yes, -you may answer such questions,' said Charicles. Then Critias broke in, -'But you must not talk about blacksmiths and coppersmiths and tanners; -and indeed you have worn these themes pretty well threadbare by this -time.' 'Nor about righteousness and wickedness and such things, I -suppose,' said Socrates. 'No, indeed, nor about herdsmen. If you speak -of herdsmen and of the herd being diminished, take care that it be not -diminished by one more, even by you.'" - -Callias listened with delight. "Oh, how like him!" he cried. - -"Yes," replied Crito, "like him indeed, and truly admirable. But such -things do not please those to whom they are spoken, especially do not -please men in power. Then consider the number of empty-headed, ignorant -fellows whose vanity and conceit he exposed every day by his pitiless -questioning. There was not a pretentious fool in Athens whom he had not -at some time or other held up to ridicule." - -"And they deserved it richly," said Callias. - -"Yes," replied the other, "but I have never found that a man liked -punishment more because he knew that he deserved it. So you see that the -city was full of his enemies. And there were some honest men who really -believed that he did harm by his teaching. What with knaves whom he -opposed with all his might, and fools whom he exposed, and right-minded, -wrong-headed men whom he could not help offending, there was a very -formidable host arrayed against him." - -"I see," said Callias. "But they must have had some pretext, they could -not put any of the things you have been speaking about into a formal -charge. Tell me, what did they accuse him of?" - -"Oh, it was the old story, treason and blasphemy. Men who would have -sold their country for a quarter of a talent, men who believe in no -other gods than their own lusts, were loud in proclaiming that Socrates -had ruined the State, and was teaching the young not to worship the -gods." - -"Good heavens!" cried Callias, "how dared they utter such lies? A better -patriot, a truer worshipper of the gods never lived." - -"You are right; yet, these were the charges against him, these and -other things equally absurd, as that he taught the young to despise -their fathers and to think meanly of all their relatives and friends, as -if he himself were the only friend that was worth having; that he -perverted words from Homer and the old poets to a bad sense, making them -mean that no work was disgraceful so that it brought in gain, and that -it was lawful for kings and nobles to beat the common people[85]--these -were the charges that they brought against him. And then they added the -accusation that Critias and Alcibiades who had done great harm to Athens -had both been disciples of his." - -"But tell me," said Callias, "how did these liars and villains proceed? -And first, who were they? Who took the lead?" - -"One Meletus was the chief." - -"What! The foolish poet whom every one laughs at?" - -"Yes, the very same. He represented the poets. There was one Lycon, of -whom, I suppose, you never heard, who represented the public speakers, -and Anytus, one of those who came back with Thrasybulus. He had been -badly treated, it is true, banished without any good reason, but only a -madman could have supposed that Socrates had had anything to do with it. -These three brought the indictment. It was in these words:-- - -"'Socrates is guilty of a crime. He does not acknowledge the gods whom -the State acknowledges, and he introduces other and new gods. He is also -guilty of corrupting the youth. The penalty--death.'" - -"But such charges hardly needed a defence. Is it possible that a number -of Athenian judges found a verdict of guilty?" - -"It was so indeed," said Crito, "and I am not sure that you will be -altogether surprised when you hear what the accused said in his own -defence. I am an old man now, and have watched the courts now for many -years; and I have seen not a few men who might have escaped but for what -they said in their own behalf. Now I can't tell you all that Socrates -said, or even the greater part of it. Our friend Plato is going to set -it forth regularly in a book that he is writing. But I can tell you -enough to make you see what I mean. - -"After he had dealt with various other matters--those calumnies for -instance, that Aristophanes set afloat about him now more than thirty -years ago--he went on: 'Some years ago, men of Athens, a certain -Chaerephon--you know him; some of you went into exile along with -him--having been my companion from my youth up, ventured to go to -Delphi, and to propose this question to the god: "Is there any man wiser -than Socrates?" The Pythia[86] made reply, "There is none wiser than -he." When I heard this I said to myself, what can the god mean? He -cannot tell a lie, yet I am not conscious to myself of possessing any -kind of wisdom. So at last I devised this plan. I went to one of the men -who are reckoned wise, thinking thus to test the oracle, so that I -might say, here at least is one that is wiser than I. Now when I came to -examine this man--he was one of our statesmen, men of Athens,--I found -that though he was accounted wise by many and especially by himself, he -was not wise in reality. But in vain I tried to convince him, and I even -became odious to him and to many others who were present and admired -him. Then I thought to myself, I am at least wiser than this man, for he -not knowing, thinks that he knows, while I at least know that I do not -know. After this, I went to the poets, tragic, lyrical, and others, and -taking to them poems which they had written, asked of them what they -meant thereby. And I found that almost always those that had not written -these things knew better what they meant than the authors. So I -concluded that these also were not wise. And at last I went to the -artisans, knowing that they were acquainted with many things of which I -knew nothing. And this, indeed, I found to be the case. But I also found -that, because they had mastered their own art, each thought himself very -wise in other things, things, too, of the greatest importance, and that -this self-conceit spoilt their wisdom. These also seemed to be less wise -than myself. But all the time that I was doing this I knew that I was -making myself hateful to many, yet, because I was bound to obey the god -as best I could, I did not desist. - -"'It is true also that many young men hearing me thus questioning others -have found delight in this employment and have learnt to imitate me. And -they have obtained this result: they have found many persons who think -that they know much but in reality know nothing. But they who are thus -discovered are irritated, not so much against their questioners, but -against me whom they suppose to have taught them this habit. Hence comes -this fable of a certain wicked Socrates who is said to corrupt the young -men. - -"'Nevertheless, O men of Athens, if you this day release me, I shall not -therefore cease to do that which, as I conceive, the god commands. I -shall go about the city seeking wisdom; nor shall I cease to say to such -as come in my way, My friend, can you, being a citizen of Athens, the -most famous city of Greece, help being ashamed if you make riches or -rank your highest aim, and care not for that which is indeed the -greatest good? This shall I still do to young or old, for it is this -that the god orders me to do!'" - -Crito paused in his story. - -"Magnificent!" cried Callias, "but how did the judges take it? It was a -downright defiance of them." - -"Certainly it was, and so they thought it. There was a tremendous -uproar. When the noise had ceased, he began again:--'Do not clamor -against me, men of Athens, but hear me patiently; 'tis indeed for your -own good that you should. For be assured that putting me to death, you -will harm yourselves rather than me. For, having rid yourselves of me, -you will not easily find any one who will do for you the office that I -have done, which has been, I take it, that of a rider upon a horse of -good breed, indeed, and strong, but needing the spur. Such a rider have -I been to the city, sitting close and exciting you continually by -persuasion and reproach. You will not easily find another like me; and -if you are angry with me, yet remember that persons awakened out of -sleep are angry with the man who rouses them, though it may be to the -saving of their lives. And remember this too: what I have done, I have -done without pay; no one can bring up this against me that I have done -anything for gain. If you ask a proof, look at my poverty--that is proof -enough. - -"'And if any one ask me why I go about meddling with every body and -giving them advice, and yet never come forward and give any advice about -matters of state, I make him this answer: There is a voice within me, of -which Meletus idly speaks as if it were another god, which never indeed -urges me to do anything, but often warns me against doing this or that. -This same voice has often warned me against taking part in public -affairs, and rightly so indeed, for be assured that if I had so taken -part, I should long ago have perished. And do not be offended if I tell -you the truth. No man can be safe who opposes things wrong and illegal -that are done by the people. If he would live, even but for a short -time, he must keep to a private station. - -"'Do you not remember, men of Athens, how when you had to judge the -admirals that did not save the shipwrecked men at Arginusæ, I would not -put the motion to the vote? For though I had never held any public -office I was in the Senate, and it so chanced that my tribe that day had -the presidency. You chose to judge all the men together, acting -wrongfully, as you afterward acknowledged. And I alone of all the -presidents opposed this thing, and would not yield, no not when the -orators denounced me, and would have joined me with the accused. This -was in the time of the democracy. - -"'And afterwards when the democracy was overthrown, and the oligarchy -was in power, what happened? Did not the Thirty send for me along with -four others to their council-chamber, and bid us fetch Leon of Salamis, -that he might be put to death. This they did, after their habit, seeking -to involve as many as possible in their wicked deeds. Then also I showed -not in words only, but in deeds that I cared not one jot for death. For -in the chamber I declared that I would not do this thing, and when we -had gone out, the other four indeed went to Salamis, and fetched Leon, -but I went to my own home. Doubtless I should have died for this act, -but that the Thirty were overthrown soon afterward. - -"'And what I have done publicly that I have privately also. Never have I -conceded anything that was wrong to any man. But if any man would hear -what I said I never grudged him the opportunity. I have offered myself -to rich and poor, whether they would question me themselves or answer my -questions, nor have I spoken for pay, nor been silent because I was not -paid, nor have I ever said aught to any man that I have not said to all. - -"'So much, men of Athens, might suffice for my defence, but if any of -you, remembering that other men when accused have brought their children -before you seeking to rouse compassion, are angry with me because I have -not so done, let him listen to me. I, too, have family ties. - -"'From no gnarled oak I sprang, or flinty rock, as Homer has it, but am -born of man. Three sons I have; two of them are children, one an infant. -Should I then bring them before you, and seek to move your pity by the -sight of them? Not so. I have seen many thus demeaning themselves, as -if, forsooth, you acquitting them, they would escape death altogether; -but such behavior would ill befit those who seek to follow after virtue -and honor. Nor is such behavior only unseemly; it is wrong. For we are -bound to convince a judge, not to persuade him, and he is set in his -place not to give justice as a favor, but because it is justice. Verily, -if I should have to persuade you to act against your oaths I should be -condemning myself of the very charge that Meletus has brought against -me, for I should act as if I did not believe that the gods by whom ye -have sworn to do right are gods at all. Far be it from me so to act. I -believe in the gods more than my accusers believe; and I leave it to -these gods and to you to judge concerning me as it may be best for you -and for me.'" - -"No man," said Cebes, "could have spoken better; but it was not the -speech that would please or conciliate." - -"And what was the result?" asked Callias. - -"After all there was only a majority of _six_ against him; two hundred -and eighty-one against two hundred and seventy-five were the numbers. -Then came the question of the sentence. The prosecutor had demanded the -penalty of death. 'Socrates,' said the president of the court, 'what -penalty do you yourself propose?'[87] 'You ask me,' said Socrates, 'what -penalty I myself propose. What then do I deserve, I who have not sought -to make money, or to hold office in the state, or to command soldiers -and ships, who have not even attended to my own affairs, but have sought -to do to others what I thought to be their highest good? What should be -done to me for being such a man? Surely something good, something -suitable to one who is your benefactor, and who requires leisure that he -may spend it in giving you good advice. There is nothing, I conceive, -more suitable than that I should be maintained at the public expense in -the Town Hall, with those who have done great services to the State. -Surely I deserve such a reward far more than he who has won a chariot -race at the Olympic games; for he only makes you think yourselves -fortunate, whereas I teach you to be happy.' - -"Of course there was a loud murmur of disapprobation at this. Even some -of those who had voted for acquittal were vexed at language so bold. - -"Socrates began again: 'You think that I show too much pride when I talk -in this fashion. But it is not so. Let me show you what I mean. As to -the penalty which the accuser demands, I cannot say whether it be good -or evil; but the other things which I might propose in its stead I know -to be evils--imprisonment, or a fine with imprisonment till it be paid, -or exile, which last, indeed, you might accept. But if you cannot endure -my ways, O men of Athens, think you that others would endure them? And -what a life for a man of my age to lead, this wandering from city to -city! But if anyone should say, Why, O Socrates, will you not depart to -some other city, and there live quietly, and hold your tongue? I answer, -To do this would be to disobey the god, and I cannot do it. And indeed -to live without talking and questioning about such matters is not to -live at all. But I have not yet named the penalty. If I had money I -should propose some fine which I could pay; but I have none, except -indeed you are willing to impose upon me some small fine, for I think -that I could raise a pound of silver.' At this there was another growl -from the judges; and some of us who were standing by Socrates caught him -by the robe, and whispered to him. After a pause, he said, 'Some of my -friends, Crito and Plato and Apollodorus, advise me to propose a fine of -thirty minas[88] and offer to be security. So I propose that sum.' - -"Of course the result was certain. A majority much larger than before -voted for the death penalty. Then the condemned man spoke for the last -time. You will be able to read for yourself the very words that he said. -I can now give you only an idea of the end of his speech. He had told -the judges, speaking especially to those who had voted for his -acquittal, that the voice that was wont to warn him had never hindered -him in the course of his speech, though it was not the speech that he -should have made if he had wanted to save his life. From this he argued -that he and they had reason to believe that death was a good thing. -'Either,' he said, 'the dead are nothing and feel nothing, or they -remove hence to some other place. What can be better than to feel -nothing? What days or nights in all our lives are better than those -nights in which we sleep soundly without even a dream? But if the common -belief is true, and we pass in death to that place wherein are all who -have ever died, what greater good can there be than this? If one passes -from those who are called judges here to those who really judge and -administer true justice, to Æacus and Minos and Rhadamanthus, is this a -change to be lamented? What would not any one of you give to join the -company of Homer and Orpheus and Hesiod? or talk with those who led that -great army of Greeks to Troy, or with any of the many thousands of good -men and women that have lived upon the earth? Verily, I would die many -times if I could only hope to do this. And now it is time'--for these -were his very last words of all--'that we should separate. I go to die, -you remain to live; but which of us is going the better way, only the -gods know.'" - -There was a deep silence in the room after Crito had finished speaking. -It was broken at last by Callias, who asked, "How long since was that?" - -"Nearly two months," said Simmias, "but by a strange chance Socrates was -not put to death for nearly a month after his condemnation. It so -happened that the Sacred Ship started for Delos just at the time, and -during its voyage--in fact from the moment that the priest fastens the -chaplet on the stern--no man can be put to death. For thirty days then -he was kept in prison. There we were permitted to visit him, and there -we heard many things that are well worth being remembered." - -"I want to hear everything," cried Callias. - -"You shall in good time," said Crito. "Come to my house to-morrow and I -will put you in the way of your getting what you want." - -"But you ought to hear," cried Apollodorus, who had hitherto taken no -part in the conversation, "what the teacher said to me, though, indeed, -it shows no great wisdom in me that he had occasion to say it. 'O -Socrates,' I said, when I saw him turning away from the place where he -had stood before his judges--and nothing could be more cheerful than his -look--'O Socrates, this indeed is the hardest thing to bear that you -should have been condemned unjustly.' 'Nay, not so, my friend,' he -answered, 'would the matter have been more tolerable if I had been -condemned justly?'" - -There was a general laugh. "That is true," said Crito, "but certainly as -far as Athens is concerned, it was a more shameful thing." - -FOOTNOTES: - -[85] The lines from Hesiod: - - "No labor mars an honest name; - 'Tis only Idleness is shame," - -was one instance (quoted by Xenophon in the Recollections of Socrates). -Another (from the same source) is the story of how Ulysses stayed the -Greeks from hurrying to their ships and leaving the siege of Troy. The -common men he struck, but if he found a chief in the crowd he only -remonstrated with him, - - "But if he saw perchance, some common man - Blinded with panic, clamorous of tongue, - With staff he smote him, adding blow to blame." - -[86] The priestess of Apollo at Delphi. - -[87] It was the curious custom in the Athenian courts of criminal -justice that the accused, if found guilty, was required to name a -counter penalty to that proposed by the prosecutor. The prosecutor, as -has been seen, had proposed death. Socrates, under the circumstances, -could hardly have proposed anything less than banishment, if he had any -wish that it should be accepted by the court. - -[88] Rather more than $600. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX. - -THE LAST CONVERSATION. - - -Callias, as may be supposed, did not fail to keep his appointment with -the utmost punctuality. He found at Crito's house very nearly the same -company that had been assembled the day before at Xenophon's. After the -usual greetings had been interchanged, the host said, "I propose, if it -is agreeable to you all, to hold the conversation which we are to have -to-day at the house of our friend Plato. He has written to invite us, -not because he can himself see us, for he is not sufficiently recovered -from his late illness, but because we shall thus be able to talk with -his friend Phaedo; for as all know there is no more fitting person than -Phaedo to tell our young friend Callias the things that he desires to -hear. For though we were all present, Xenophon only excepted, on that -day when the Master left us, having given us his last instructions, yet -there is no one who so well remembers and is so well able to describe -all that was then said or done. I propose, therefore, that we transfer -ourselves to his house." - -The proposition met with general assent and the party set out. - -Crito naturally took charge of Callias as being his special guest. As -the two were walking, the young man said, "Tell me, Crito, if it is not -unpleasing to you, whether in the thirty days during which the Master -was held in prison, any efforts were made to save his life?" - -"I am glad," said Crito, "that you have asked me that question privately -and not before others, for, indeed, this is a matter which has caused me -no little amount of trouble and shame. Some people blame me because, -they say, though a rich man I did not bribe the jailer of the prison in -which Socrates was confined, and thus enable him to escape. I am -blameable, indeed, but for an exactly opposite reason. I did bribe the -man--this of course is in absolute confidence between you and me--and in -this, as the Master showed me, I was wrong. Indeed I never received from -him so severe a rebuke as I did concerning this matter. But let me tell -you what happened. I had arranged everything. The jailer was to let him -escape. There were people ready to carry him out of the country. I went -to him early in the morning of the day when the ship was expected to -return. I told him what I had done. I made light of the money that the -affair was to cost. I could well afford it, I said, and if I could not -there were others ready to contribute. And then I attacked him, it was -an impudent thing to do, but I felt as if I could do anything that we -should not lose him. I told him that it was wrong of him to do his best -to let his enemies get their way. I said to him, 'Thus acting you desert -your children, whom you might bring up and educate. But if you die you -will leave them orphans and friendless. Either you ought not to have -children or you ought to take some trouble about them. Surely this does -not become one who has made virtue his study throughout his life. And -remember what a disgrace will fall upon us, for it will certainly be -said that we did not do our best to save your life.' - -"Well, I cannot tell you now a tenth part of what he said. I have it all -written down at home, but I may say what you will easily believe that I -was as helpless in his hands as the veriest pretender whom he has ever -cross-examined. I know that he ended by making me thoroughly ashamed of -myself. One of his chief arguments was this: - -"'Suppose, Crito, that as I was in the act of escaping, the State itself -were to say to me: Are you not seeking to destroy by so acting the laws -of the State itself? Is not that State already dissolved wherein public -sentences are set aside by private persons? What should I answer to such -questions? And if the laws were to say, What complaint have you got to -make against us that you seek to destroy us? Do you not owe your being -to us, seeing that your father and mother married according to our -ordering? Have we not given you nurture, education, all the good things -that you possess as being an Athenian? Have you not acknowledged us by -living in the city, by having children in it? And if they were further -to say, Verily, he who acts in this way in which you are about to act is -a corrupter of youth--what could I answer? - -"'And tell me, Crito,' he went on, 'whither would you have me betake -myself? Not surely to any well-ordered city seeing that I had shown -myself the enemy of such order, but rather to some abode of riot, which -would indeed ill become one who had professed to be a lover of virtue -and righteousness. And as for my children, how shall I benefit them? By -taking them elsewhere and bringing them up not as citizens of Athens, -but as citizens of some other State which I myself here have judged -inferior, seeing that all my life long I have deliberately preferred -Athens to it?' Verily, Callias, when he said this, I had no answer. But -here we are at Phaedo's house." - -Callias was not a little surprised when he was introduced to the man -whom he had been brought to see. Phaedo was a man much younger than -himself; indeed he had scarcely completed his eighteenth year. His -appearance was singularly attractive, and his manners had all the grace -and ease of a well-born and well-bred man. That he was not an Athenian -was evident from his speech, which was somewhat tinged with a Doric -accent. Altogether Callias was at a loss to think who or what he could -be, and how he came to be regarded as the best interpreter of the -Master's last words. An opportunity, however, arrived for enlightening -him. After a few minutes' conversation, a slave appeared with a message -for the master of the house. Plato who had been compelled to absent -himself from the last interview with Socrates, as has been said, was -still so unwell that his physician forbade the excitement of seeing -visitors. He now sent for Phaedo to entrust him with a message of -apology for his fellow disciples whom he was unable to entertain, and -partly to set him free to act the part of host in his stead. - -Crito seized the opportunity of his temporary absence from the room to -give some particulars about him. "He comes of a very good family in -Elis, and was taken prisoner about this time last year when Athens and -Sparta were allies and acting against that country. He was sold in the -slave market here, and I cannot tell the cruelties that he endured from -the wretch who bought him. Somehow he heard of Socrates, ran away from -his owner and begged for the Master's protection. Of course, the only -thing was to buy him, and equally of course, Socrates was wholly unable -to do this. But the Master, if he had no wealth of his own, happily had -wealthy friends. He went to Plato and, by great good luck, Plato had a -very powerful hold over the poor fellow's owner; the man owed him a -large sum of money, the interest of which was overdue. He was purchased, -and at once set free. Plato found that he had been remarkably well -educated and that he showed an extraordinary aptitude for philosophy. -The lad's devotion to Socrates was unbounded. He never lost a chance of -being near him; he was present of course at the last day, and he watched -and listened with an intense earnestness that seemed to engrave -everything on his mind as one engraves letters upon marble or bronze. -But, see, he is coming back. Now you will understand why I have brought -you to see him." - -The young man, at this moment, returned to the room. - -"Tell me, Phaedo," said Crito, "what you saw and heard on the last day -of the Master's life. My friend Callias here, who has just come back -from campaigning against the Great King, desires to hear it from you, -and, indeed, though we all were present on that day, you seem to -remember it more accurately than any." - -"I will do my best," said the youth modestly. "I do not know," he went -on, addressing himself especially to Callias, "whether you will wholly -understand me when I say that I did not feel compassion as one might -feel for one who was dying--he was so calm and so happy. Neither, on the -other hand, did I feel the pleasure that commonly followed from his -discourses, for I knew that he would soon cease to be." - -"It was just so with all of us," said Crito, "but go on." - -"We had been to visit Socrates daily through the time of his -imprisonment, assembling very early in the morning, and waiting till the -doors of the prison were opened, and so we did on this day, only earlier -than usual, because we knew that the Sacred Ship had arrived the evening -before. The jailer came out. 'You must wait, gentlemen,' he said, 'the -Eleven[89] are with him. They are taking off his chains, and are telling -him that he must die to-day.' After a little while the man came out -again, and said that we might go in. When we went in, we found Socrates -sitting on the side of his bed, and his wife, Xanthippe, near him, -holding one of his children in her arms. As soon as she saw us, she -began to lament and say, 'O Socrates, here are your friends come to see -you for the last time.' Then Socrates, looking at her, said to Crito, -'Let some one take her home.' So one of Crito's servants led her away. -After a while, for of course I must leave out many things, the Master -said, 'I have a message for Evenus, who seeks to know, I am told, why I -have taken to writing verses in prison. Tell him that a god appeared to -me in a dream and told me to cultivate the muses. Tell him also that if -he is wise he will follow me as speedily as possible, for it seems that -the Athenians command that I depart to-day.' - -"'But, Socrates,' said Simmias, 'this is a strange piece of advice, and -one which Evenus is not likely to take.' - -"'Why so,' said Socrates, 'is he not a philosopher? Surely he should be -ready to go the road which I am going. Only he must not kill himself.' -'Why do you say this?' said Cebes. - -"You will correct me," said Phaedo, turning to the company, "if I -misrepresent anything that you said." - -"Speak on without fear," said Simmias, "you seem to have the memory of -all the muses." - -Phaedo resumed, "Socrates said, 'You ask me why a man may not kill -himself? Well, there is first this reason that we are as sentinels set -at a post, which we must not leave until we are bidden; then again if -men be servants of the gods, as seems likely, how can they withdraw from -this service without leave? Would you not be angry if one of your -servants were to do it?' - -"'True,' said Cebes, "'but if we are the servants of the gods, and -therefore in the best guardianship, should we not be sorry to quit it? -If so, is it not for the foolish to desire death and for the wise to -regret it?' 'You are right,' replied the Master, 'and if I did not -expect when I depart hence to go to the realms of the wise and good gods -and to the company of righteous men, I should indeed grieve at death. -And that I am right in so expecting let me now seek to prove to you, for -what better could I do on this the last day of my life? But stay; Crito -wishes to say something. What is it?' Crito said, 'He who has to give -the poison says that you must talk as little as possible, for that if a -man so excites himself he has to drink sometimes two potions or even -three.' 'Let him take his course,' said the master, 'and prepare what he -thinks needful. And now to the matter in hand. Death, then, is nothing -but a separation of the soul from the body. That you concede. And you -concede further that a philosopher should care little for the things of -the body, and that when he is most free from the body, then he sees most -clearly the highest and best things, perceiving, for instance, right and -justice and honor and goodness, veritable things all of them, but such -as cannot be discerned with the eyes or handled with the hands. For the -body with its desires and wants hinders us, and makes us waste our time -on the things that it covets, so that we have neither time nor temper -for wisdom. If then we are ever to reach absolute Truth we must get rid -of the hindrance. While we live we do this to the best of our ability, -and he is the wisest man and best philosopher who does it most -completely; but wholly we cannot do it, till the god shall liberate us -from the control of this companion--And this is done by Death, which is -the complete separation of soul and body. Shall then the philosopher, -who has all his life been striving for such partial separation as may be -possible, complain when the gods send him this separation that is -complete? And this is my defence, my friends, for holding it to be a -good thing to die.' 'Yes,' replied Cebes, 'but many fear that when the -soul is thus parted from the body, it may be nowhere, being dissipated -like a breath or a puff of smoke when the body with which it has been -united dies.' 'You desire, then,' said Socrates, 'that I should prove to -you that the soul does not perish when it is thus separated from the -body?' 'Yes,' we all said, 'that is what we all wish.' 'First then,' he -went on, 'is it not true that every thing implies that which is opposite -to it, as Right implies Wrong, and Fair implies Foul, and _to sleep_ is -the opposite of _to wake_? If so does not _to die_ imply its opposite -_to live again_? - -"'Secondly, is it not true that the highest part of our knowledge is a -remembering again? For there are things which we know not through our -senses. How then do we know them? Surely because we had this knowledge -of them at some previous time.' - -"'But,' said Cebes, 'may it not be true that the soul has been made -beforehand to enter the body; and having entered it lives therein, and -yet perishes when its dwelling is dissolved?' - -"'Being of a frail nature, I suppose,' said the Master, 'it's all to be -blown away by the wind, so that a man should be especially afraid to die -on a stormy day.' - -"At this we all laughed, for we did laugh many times and heartily that -day, though now this may seem to others and indeed to ourselves almost -incredible, seeing what we were about to lose. - -"'Well,' the Master went on, 'I will seek to relieve you of this fear. -Is it not true that things that are made up of parts are liable to be -separated? And is it not also true that the soul is not made up of -parts, but is simple and not compounded? Also it is visible things that -perish; but the soul is not visible. Again the soul is the ruler, and -the body the servant. Is it not true that the divine and immortal rule -the human and mortal senses?' - -"To this we all agreed. - -"The Master began again, for he now, as I may say, had to put before us -the conclusion of the whole matter. 'We may think thus, then, may we -not? If the soul depart from the body in a state of purity, not taking -with it any of the uncleannesses of the body, from which indeed it has -kept itself free during life as far as was possible--for this is true -philosophy--then it departs into that invisible region which is of its -own nature, and being freed from all fears and desires and other evils -of mortality, spends the rest of its existence with the gods and the -spirits of the good that are like unto itself. But if it depart, -polluted and impure, having served the body, and suffered itself to be -bewitched by its pleasures and desires, then it cannot attain to this -pure and heavenly region, but must abide in some place that is more -fitted for it.' - -"Much else he said on this point to which we listened as though it were -another Orpheus that was singing to us. And when he had ended and sat -wrapt in thought, we were silent, fearing to disturb him. And so we -remained for no little space of time in silence, he sitting on the bed, -as if he neither saw nor heeded any of the things that were about him, -and we regarded him most earnestly. - -"After a while he woke up, as it were, from his reverie and said, 'You -have agreed with me so far; yet it may be that you have yet fears and -doubts in your minds which I have not yet dispersed. If so let me hear -them, that I may, if it be possible, rid you of them, for indeed I -cannot, as I conceive, leave behind me a greater gift for you than such -a riddance. Speak then, if there is anything that you would say.' - -"Simmias said--I put, you will perceive, his argument in a few words: -'May it not be that the soul is in the body as a harmony is in a harp? -For the harmony is invisible and beautiful and divine, and the harp is -visible and material and mortal. Yet when the harp perishes, then the -harmony also, of necessity, ceases to be.' - -"When Simmias had ended, Cebes began: 'I do indeed believe that the soul -is more durable than the body. Just so; the wearer is more durable than -the thing which he wears. Yet at the last, one thing that he weaves -proves to be more durable than he. So may the soul outlast many bodies, -and yet perish finally, worn out, so to speak, by having gone through so -many births.' - -"Have I put these things rightly, O Simmias and Cebes?" said the young -philosopher, addressing them, "though indeed I have made them very -brief." - -"You have put them rightly," the two agreed. - -"When we heard these things," Phaedo went on, "we were also greatly -disturbed; for we desired to believe that which the Master was seeking -to prove, and seemed to have attained certainly, and now we were thrown -back again into confusion and doubt." - -"And how did the Master take it, O Phaedo?" said Callias; "for indeed I -feel much as you describe yourselves as having felt. Having reached a -certain hope, not to say conviction, I am now disturbed by fears." - -"Nothing could be more admirable than his behavior. That he should be -able to answer, was to be expected; but that he should receive these -objections so sweetly, so gently, and perceiving our dismay, quickly -encourage us, and, so to speak, reform our broken ranks--this indeed was -beyond all praise. - -"I myself was sitting on a low seat by the side of his bed. He dropped -his hand, and stroked my head and the hair which lay upon my neck, I -wore it long in those days,[90] for he was often wont to play with my -hair. Then he said, 'I suppose, Phaedo, that you intend to cut off these -beautiful locks to-morrow, as mourners are wont to do.' - -"'I suppose so,' I said. - -"'But you must cut them off to-day and not to-morrow if our doctrine be -stricken to death, and we cannot bring it to life again.' Then he turned -to Simmias and Cebes, and said, 'Hear now what I have to say, but while -you hear, think much of the truth but little of Socrates; and be on your -guard lest in my eagerness I deceive not myself only but you also, and -leave my sting behind me when I die even as does a bee. You, Simmias, -think that the soul may be but as a harmony in the body. But do you not -remember what we said about all knowledge being a remembering, and that -what the soul knows it has before learnt? It existed then before the -body; but a harmony cannot exist before the things are put together of -which it proceeds. Then again harmony may be more or less; but one soul -cannot be more a soul than another. And if, as the wise men say, virtue -is harmony and vice discord, we have a harmony of a discord, which -cannot be; finally one part of the soul often opposes another, as -reason opposes appetite; how then is the soul a harmony? You, Cebes, -hold, indeed, that the soul is durable, but may not be immortal. Hear -then my answer. You believe that there are ideas or principles of -things, and that these ideas, being invisible, are the real causes of -things that are visible.' Cebes acknowledged that he did so believe. 'Is -not now the soul the principle of life, and is not this principle the -opposite of death? In its essence, therefore, it is immortal; but that -which is immortal cannot be destroyed, no, even though there are things -which seem to threaten its existence.' - -"In this we all agreed. After this Socrates discoursed in many words -about the abodes and dwelling-places of the dead both good and bad, and -of the manner in which they are dealt with by the powers thereunto -appointed. But of this I will speak on some other occasion, if you will. -At present time is short, for I must not leave the sick man any longer, -only I will relate the very end of the Master's discourse and the things -that happened after. - -"'To affirm positively about such matters,' he said, 'is not the part of -a wise man. Yet what I have said seems reasonable. And anyhow he who has -scorned the body and its pleasures during life, and has adorned the soul -with her proper virtues, justice and courage and truth, may surely await -his passage to the other world with a good hope. But now destiny calls -me, and I must obey. But I will bathe before I take the poison, that the -women may not have the trouble of washing my body.' - -"Then Crito asked: 'Have you any directions to give us?' - -"'Nothing now; if you rightly order your own lives, you will do the -best for me and my children; but if you do not, then whatever you may -promise, you will fail.' - -"'But,' Crito asked, 'how shall we bury you?' - -"'As you will,' said he, 'provided only you can catch me and that I do -not slip out of your hands.' Then he smiled, and said, 'Crito here will -not be persuaded that I am saying the truth. He thinks that _I_ am the -dead body that he will soon see here, and asks how he shall bury me. -Assure him then that when this dead body is laid in the grave or put -upon the pyre to be burnt it is not Socrates that he sees. For to speak -in this way, O Crito, is not only absurd but harmful.' - -"After this he bathed, remaining in the bath-chamber for some time. This -being ended, his children were brought to him, and the women of his -family also. With these he talked awhile in the presence of Crito, and -afterward commanded that some one should take the women and children -away. And it was now near sunset. Hereupon the servant of the Eleven -came in, and said, 'O Socrates, you will not be angry with me and curse -me when I tell you, as the magistrates constrained me to do, that you -must drink the poison. I have always found you most gentle and generous, -the best by far of all that have come into this place. You will be -angry, not with me, for you know that I am blameless, but with those -whom you know to be in fault. And now, for you know what I am come to -tell you, bear what must be borne as cheerfully as may be.' And saying -this the man turned away his face and wept. - -"'Farewell!' said Socrates, 'I will do as you bid,' and looking to us he -said, 'How courteous he is! All the time he has been so, sometimes -talking to me, and showing himself the best of fellows. And now see how -generously he weeps for me! But we must do what he says. Let some one -bring the poison, if it has been pounded; if not, let the man pound it.' - -"'But,' said Crito, 'the sun is still upon the mountains. I have known -some who would prolong the day eating and drinking till it was quite -late before they drank. Anyhow do not be in a hurry. There is still -plenty of time.' - -"'Ah!' said Socrates, 'these men were quite consistent. They thought -that they were gaining so much time. But I too must be consistent. I -believe that I shall gain nothing by dying an hour or two later, except -indeed the making of myself a laughing stock by clinging to life when -there is really nothing left of it to cling to.' - -"Then Crito made a sign to the slave that was standing by; he went out, -and after some time had passed brought in the man whose duty it was to -give the poison, and who brought it in ready mixed in a cup. When -Socrates caught sight of him, he said: - -"'Well, my friend, you know all about these matters. What must I do?' - -"'You will only have to walkabout after you have drunk the poison, till -you feel a sort of weight in your legs. Then you should lie down, and -the poison will do the rest.' - -"So saying, he reached the cup to the Master, who took it. His hand did -not shake; there was not the least change in his color or his look. Only -he put his head forward in the way he had, and said to the man: - -"'How about making a libation from the cup? May we do it?' - -"'Socrates,' said the man, 'we pound just so much as we think -sufficient.' - -"'I understand,' said the Master. 'Still we may, nay we must, pray to -the gods that my removal hence to that place may be fortunate. The gods -grant this! Amen!' And as he said this he put the cup to his lips and -drank it off in the easiest, quietest way possible. - -"Up to that time we had all been fairly well able to keep from tears. -But when we saw him drinking the poison, when we knew that he had -finished it, we could restrain them no longer. As for myself I covered -my face with my mantle, and wept to myself. Not for him did I weep, but -for myself, thinking what a friend I had lost. And others were still -more overcome than I was. Only Socrates was quite unmoved. - -"'Why all this,' he said, 'my dear friends? I sent the women away for -this very reason, that they might not vex us in this fashion. I have -heard it said that a man ought to die with good words in his ears. Be -quiet, I beseech, and bear yourselves like men.' - -"When we heard this we were not a little ashamed of ourselves, and kept -back our tears. He walked about till he felt the weight in his legs, and -then lay down on his back--this was what the man bade him do. Then the -man who administered the poison squeezed his foot pretty strongly, and -asked him whether he felt anything. He said no. Then the man showed us -how the numbness was going higher and higher. - -"'When it reaches his heart,' he said, 'he will die.' - -"When the groin was cold the Master uncovered his face--for he had -covered it before--and said, 'Crito, we owe a cock to Æsculapius; pay -it, do not forget.' - -"These were the last words he said. - -"'I will,' said Crito, 'is there anything more?' - -"But he made no answer. A little time after, we saw him move. Then the -man uncovered the face, and we saw that his eyes were set. Then Crito -closed his mouth and his eyes." - -Phaedo left the room hastily when he had finished his narrative. For -some time there was silence. Then Apollodorus spoke. - -"You know, my friends," he said, "that I am not very wise nor at all -learned; but he bore with me and my foolishness, and you will also -because you know I loved him. Let me say then one thing. Much that -Socrates said that day I did not understand, nor do I understand it now -when I hear it again. Yet no one could be more fully persuaded than I -was that he spoke the truth. And what persuaded me was the sight of the -man. So brave was he, so cheerful, so wholly convinced in his own mind, -that no one could doubt that he was indeed about to depart to a better -place." - -FOOTNOTES: - -[89] The Eleven were the executioners of the law rather taking the place -of the sheriff and the under-sheriff than that of the hangman. The -vagueness of its name is an interesting example of the Greek distaste -for naming anything terrible. - -[90] A young Greek wore his hair long till he reached the age of -eighteen. This little detail is a proof of Phaedo's extreme youth at -this time. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX. - -THE CONDITION OF EXILE. - - -The story that Callias had heard of the last days of his Master, and -heard, of course, with many details which it is now impossible to -reproduce, made, it need hardly be said, a profound impression on him. -First and foremost--and this was what the dead man himself would have -been most rejoiced to see--was the profound conviction that this -teaching, inspired, as it was, with a faith which the immediate prospect -of death had not been able to shake, was absolutely true. The young man -can hardly be said to have had any feeling of religion in the sense in -which we understand that word. To believe in the fables, grotesque or -even immoral, which made up the popular theology, in gods who were only -exaggerated men, stronger, indeed, but more cruel, treacherous, and -lustful, was an impossibility. The poets' tales of the Elysian plain and -of the abyss of Tartarus had in no wise helped towards producing any -emotions of the spiritual kind, any wish to dwell in an invisible world. -The most sacred of these poets in his description of that world as -another earth in which everything was feebler, paler, less satisfying -than it is here, had certainly repelled rather than attracted him. Now -this want had been supplied; the lofty teaching of duty, duty owed to -country, kinsfolk, friends, fellow-citizens, fellow-men, that he had -heard from the Master was now supplemented and sanctioned by this clear -enunciation of a doctrine of immortality. The young man felt that he -could face the world, whether it brought him prosperity or adversity, -joy or sorrow, life or death, with a more equable soul or more assured -spirit than he had ever dreamed could be possible. - -His immediate duty, however, was less clear. When his country lay under -the heel of the Spartan conqueror, Hermione had pointed out to him--not -without sacrifice of herself, as he sometimes could not help feeling, -what he owed to the city that had given him birth. But now, how did the -case stand? Athens had suffered a second, a more fatal fall. She might -repair her losses; she might retrieve defeat. But when she had -definitely broken with right and truth, had deliberately chosen the -worse rather than the better, what hope, what remedy was there? And what -was the obligation on himself? Could he aspire to a career in a State -which was so false to all the principles of life and government? - -The two or three days that followed the conversation related in my last -chapter were spent by the young Athenian in debating with himself the -question: What am I to do? But the more he thought over the problem, the -more complex and intricate did it seem to become. Just when he was -beginning to despair, a solution, rude and peremptory, but satisfactory -in so far as it admitted of no questioning, was forced upon him. - -He had just risen on the morning of the fourth day, when a visitor was -announced. It was Xenophon, looking, as Callias thought, serious, but -not depressed. - -"And what have you been doing these three days?" cried the newcomer. - -"Thinking," replied Callias. - -"That is exactly what I have been doing myself, and I would wager my -chance of being Archon next year, a very serious stake indeed, that we -have had the same subject for our thoughts. You have been debating with -yourself what you are to do?" - -"Exactly so; and I am no nearer a conclusion than I was when I began." - -"Well, some one else has been good enough to save us the trouble of -deciding. Listen to this. I have a friend in office, I should tell you, -and he has given me an early copy of what will be soon known all over -Athens. 'It is proposed by Erasinides, son of Lysias, of the township of -Colonus, that Xenophon, son of Grythus, of the township of Orchia, and -Callias, son of Hipponicus, of the township of Eleusis,' and some twenty -others, whose names I need not trouble you with, 'be banished from -Athens for unpatriotic conduct, especially in aiding and abetting the -designs of Cyrus, who was a notorious enemy of the Athenian people.' -Well; that is going to be proposed to the Senate to-day. My friend, who -knows all about the strings, and how they are pulled, tells me that it -is certain to be carried. In the course of a few days it will be brought -before the Assembly, and I have no doubt whatever that it will be -accepted." - -"But what have the Athenian people got to do with Cyrus, who is dead and -gone, and can neither help nor hurt?" - -"Ah! you don't understand. The Lacedaemonians, you know, have declared -war against the Persian King. Of course that gives the Athenians a -chance of becoming his friends. It is true that things are not ripe just -yet for anything decisive or public. We are allies with the -Lacedaemonians, and can't venture to quarrel with them. But this is a -matter at which they cannot take offence, but which will most certainly -please the Great King. He has not forgotten the Cyrus business, you may -depend upon it, and it will delight him to hear of any, who had a part -in it suffering for their act. That is why we are to be banished. It is -disgraceful, I allow, to find a great city banishing its citizens in -order to curry favor with the barbarians; but it is a fact, and we must -take it into account." - -"And what shall you do?" - -"I shall go to Asia. I had intended to go in any case, for I have -private affairs there, nothing less important, I may tell you in -confidence, than marrying a wife. Then I shall find something to do with -the Spartans, among whom I have some very good friends. Come with me. -You too, might find a wife; that will be as you please; but anyhow I can -guarantee you employment." - -"I confess," said Callias, after meditating awhile, "that I do not feel -greatly drawn by what you suggest. As for the wife, that prospect does -not please me at all; and, as you know, I am not so much of a -Spartan-lover[91] as you. You must let me think about it; you shall -have a final answer to-morrow." - -When Xenophon had taken leave, Callias went straight to Hippocles, and -happened to arrive just as a messenger was leaving the house with a note -addressed to himself, and asking for an early visit. Callias related -what he had just heard from Xenophon. - -"You do not surprise me. In fact I also have had a private intimation -from a member of the Senate that this is going to be done, and it is -exactly the matter about which I wished to see you. But tell me, what -does Xenophon advise?" - -Callias told him. - -"And you hesitate about accepting his offer?" - -"Yes; I do more than hesitate; I feel more and more averse to it the -more I think of it." - -"You are right; to take service with the Spartans must, almost of -necessity, mean, sooner or later, some collision with your own country. -It was this that ruined Alcibiades. If he could only have had patience, -he could have saved himself and the Athenians too, but that visit to -Sparta ruined both. No; I should advise you against Xenophon's -suggestion." - -"But where am I to go? I have thought of Syracuse. But I do not care to -go back to Dionysius. He was all courtesy and kindness; but I felt -suffocated in the air of his court. And we never feel quite safe with a -tyrant." - -"I have thought of something else that might suit you. I am going to -start in a few days' time on a visit to my own native country, not to -Poseidonia--I could not bear to see the barbarians masters there--but -to Italy. There are other Greek cities which still hold their own, and -they are well worth seeing. You might, too, if you choose, pay another -visit to Rome. You will at least have the advantage of being out of this -dismal round of strife to which Greece itself seems doomed. Our -countrymen there have, I know, faults of their own; but they do contrive -to live on tolerably good terms with each other." - -The plan proposed seemed to Callias to promise better than any that he -could think of and he accepted the offer with thankfulness. A few days -afterwards he was gazing for what he felt might well be the last time at -the city of his birth. Bathed in the sunshine of a summer morning stood -the Acropolis, crowned with its marble temples, and, towering above all, -the gigantic statue of Athene the Champion, her outstretched spear-point -flashing in the light. What glories he was leaving behind him! What lost -hopes, what unfulfilled aspirations of his own! The tears of no unmanly -emotion were in his eyes as he turned away, but not before he had caught -sight of a well-known house by the harbor of Piraeus. This seemed to be -the last drop of bitterness in his cup. She had lost him for his -country's sake, and now he had lost her, too. He turned and found -himself face to face with Hermione! There was something in her look -which made his heart thrill; but she did not give him time to speak. - -"Callias," she said, "you gave up what you said was dear to me," and her -blush deepened as she spoke, "for Athens' sake. But now--if you have not -forgotten--" - -He needed to hear no more. The next moment, careless of the eyes of the -old helmsman, he had clasped her in his arms. - -"I can allow myself to love the exile," she whispered in his ear. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[91] The Greek _philo-lacon_. The word had been applied to Cimon, son of -Miltiades, who had always been a popular statesman and so might be used -in a friendly way. If Callias had spoken of Xenophon as disposed to -_laconismus_ it would have been almost an affront, this word meaning not -so much admiration of Spartan ways of life as devotion to Spartan -interests. - - - - -Author's Postscript. - - -It is impossible for the writer of historical fiction, especially if he -wishes to suggest to his readers as many subjects of interest as -possible, to adapt the literary necessities of his work to fit in with -the actual course of events. But he is bound to point out such -departures from historical accuracy as he feels constrained to make. It -is quite possible that a correction may serve to impress the real facts -upon his readers more deeply than an originally accurate statement would -have done. I therefore append to my tale a list of - - -_CORRIGENDA._ - -1. I was anxious to include the Battle of Arginusæ in my story. It was -the first scene in the last act of the great drama of the Peloponnesian -war. At the same time I felt bound, having made up my mind to give a -description of a Greek comedy, to choose the _Frogs_. It has a literary -interest such as no other Aristophanic play possesses, and it is at once -more important and more intelligible to a modern reader. But to bring -the two things together it was necessary to ante-date the representation -of the play. I have put it in the year 406 B. C. It really took place in -405. I have also made the battle happen somewhat earlier than in all -probability, it really did. The festival of the Great Dionysia, at which -new plays were produced, was celebrated in March. We do not know -precisely the date of Arginusæ, but it is likely that it was later in -the year. A similar correction must be made about the embassy of -Dionysius. It may have taken place when the play was really produced, -but in 406 Dionysius was too busy with his war with Carthage to think of -such things. - -2. I have ante-dated, this time by several years, the capture of -Poseidonia by the native Italians. Here again we have no record of the -precise time; but it probably happened somewhat later in the century. - -3. I do not know whether I am wrong in making Alcibiades escape from his -castle in Thrace immediately after the battle Ægos Potami. Plutarch -would give one rather to understand that he fled after the capture of -Athens. It is quite possible, however, that he recognized the defeat as -fatal to Athenian influence of the Thracian coast, and that feeling his -own position to be no longer tenable, he retired from it at once. - -4. I have taken some liberties with the text of Xenophon's narrative. -The trial of the generals by their own soldiers, the athletic sports, -and the entertainment described in my story are all taken from the -_Anabasis_, but they do not come so close together as I have found it -convenient to put them. - -5. It is a moot point among historians whether Xenophon returned to -Athens after he had quitted the Ten Thousand. Mr. Grote thinks that he -did; and his authority is perhaps sufficient to shelter such a humble -person as myself. It has also been debated whether he was banished in -399 or some years later. I am inclined to think that here I am accurate. - -6. I need hardly say that the Thracian national song is of my own -invention. Xenophon simply says that the Thracian performers went off -the stage singing the "Sitalces." That this was a song celebrating the -achievement of the king of that name (for which see a classical -dictionary) cannot be doubted. But we know nothing more about it, and I -have supplied the words. - -7. It is not necessary to say that the "diary" of Callias is an -invention. To be quite candid I do not think it was at all likely that a -young soldier would have kept one, or even been able to write it up -daily. But I wanted to give some prominent incidents from Xenophon's -story, and had not space for the whole, while a mere epitome would have -been tedious. - -8. I must caution my readers against supposing my hero to be historical. -There was a Callias, son of Hipponicus, at this time, a very different -man. - -9. I have taken the defence of Socrates from Plato's _Apology_, not from -Xenophon. The former is immeasurably superior. - - - - -INDEX. - - - ÆGOS POTAMI, BATTLE OF, 148-150. - - AGIS, 164. - - ALCIBIADES. - Home, 120 - Appearance, 124 - Career in Thrace, 134 - Defense, 137-140 - Farewell to his men, 151-154 - Assassination, 190-194. - - ALIEN, 21-22. - - ANABASIS, THE, 209-211. - - APATURIA, THE, 92. - - APOLLODORUS, 301. - - ARGOS, 164. - - ARGINUSÆ, BATTLE OF, 51-57. - - ARIÆUS, 210, 214, 215. - - ARISTIDES, 169. - - - BISANTHE, 120. - - - CALENDAR, 223. - - CALLICRATIDAS, 39, 44-50, 53, 55, 63. - - CALLIXENUS, 93. - - CHERSONESUS, 143. - - CHIOS, 32, 62. - - CHIRISOPHUS, 219. - - CIMON, 52. - - CLEARCHUS, 210, 213. - - CLEON, 12. - - CONON, 16, 17, 36. - - COS, 89. - - CRITIAS, 276, 277. - - CRITO, 301, 304-320. - - CUNAXA, BATTLE OF, 209-211. - - CYBELE, 157. - - CYRUS, 48, 49, 142, 153, 211. - - CYRUS, THE YOUNGER, 207, 208, 211. - - - DELIUM, 130. - - DIOMEDON, 54-57, 58. - - DIONYSIUS, 2, 197, 199-206. - - DRESS, 46. - - - EPHORS, 164. - - EUPATRID, 114. - - EURYPTOLEMUS, 94, 96, 99-101. - - EXILE, 324. - - - GAMES. - President, 242 - Foot-races, 243, 244 - The Pentathlon, 244 - Leaping the Bar, 245 - Running, 246 - Quoit Throwing, 246-247 - Hurling the Javelin, 247 - Wrestling, 248, 249 - Horse-race, 251. - - GORDIUM, 155, 158. - - GOVERNMENT. - Public Guests, 66 - Popular Trials, 90-102, 287-302 - The Bema, 95 - Balloting, 101-102 - The Eleven, 102 - Capital Punishment, 103. - - - HELLESPONT, 18, 120. - - HERMÆ, 139. - - HIPPOCRATES, 264. - - HOUSES. - Arrangement, 30, 34 - Servants, 30 - Clocks, 123. - - HUNTING, 132, 133. - - - LYSANDER, 141, 142, 144, 160. - - - MARATHON, 32, 173, 179. - - MEDICAL SCIENCE, 265, 266, 269, 271. - - MONEY, 46. - - MYRONIDES, 67. - - MITYLENE, 16, 38, 43. - - - NAVY, 51, 52, 54. - - NICIAS, 138. - - NOTIUM, BATTLE OF, 26, 28. - - - OENOPHYTA, 67, 68. - - OLIGARCHY, 276. - - OMENS, 216, 218. - - - PAINTING, 127. - - PARATHERÆA, THE, 27. - - PAUSANIAS, 165. - - PERSIANS, 48, 324. - - PHARNABAZUS, 154. - - PHASIS, RIVER, 232. - - PHAEDO, 307, 308. - - PHORMION, 52. - - PLATO, 301. - - POSEIDONIA, 22. - - POTIDÆA, 130. - - PROPONTIS, 120. - - PROXENUS, 208, 215. - - - RHODES, 186. - - RETREAT OF TEN THOUSAND, 212-237 - Murder of the Generals, 214 - Xenophon in Command, 216, 217 - Plan of March, 219 - First Skirmish, 220 - Cavalry Organized, 221 - Armenia, 228 - Snowfall, 229 - Banqueting In Villages, 231 - Taking a Pass, 233 - The Sea Reached, 236 - At Trapezus, 237 - Return to Greece, 280-285. - - - SACRIFICES, 241. - - SAILING SEASON, 119. - - SAMOS, 53. - - SAMOTHRACE, 120. - - SEUTHES, 133, 282-284. - - SIEGE OF ATHENS, 162-171. - - SMYRNA, 188. - - SOCIAL LIFE. - Calls, 33, 34 - Knocking, 34, 279 - At Table, 84, 125 - Food, 35 - Libations, 35, 40, 125 - Banquets, 70-78, 258-262 - Rhapsodist, 71 - Dancers, 74, 261, 262 - Colonial Society, 135 - Hospitality, 239. - - SOCRATES. - Conversations, 82-86 - Refusal to Sanction Illegal Motion, 98 - Alcibiades' Tribute, 129-131 - Conduct during the Siege, 167 - Dionysius Inquires About Him, 202 - His Trial, 287-302 - His Defense, 294-302 - Conversation in Prison, 308-309 - Last Day of Life, 310-318 - Argument for Immortality, 312 - Death, 318-320. - - SPARTANS, 44. - - SYBARIS, 22, 26. - - SYRACUSE, 31, 193, 198. - - - TARSUS, 207. - - TEN GENERALS, THE - The System, 60 - Report of Victory, 87, 88 - The Trial Commenced, 90, 91 - Plots, 92-94 - Trial Continued, 95-101 - The Verdict, 102 - Punishment, 103. - - THASUS, 119. - - THEATER, THE - The Curtain, 3 - "The Frogs," 3-11 - Aristophanes, 11 - Old Comedy and New, 11 - The Audience, 12, 13 - Arrangement, 15 - Author as Prompter, 16. - - THEMISTOCLES, 17. - - THERAMENES, 60, 89, 168, 276. - - THIRTY TYRANTS, 276. - - THRACIANS. - Intemperance, 126 - Extravagance, 136. - - THRASYBULUS, 60, 89. - - TIGRIS, RIVER, 222. - - TISSAPHERNES, 159, 212, 223. - - TOWN HALL, 16, 66. - - TRAPEZUS, 237. - - - WALLS, THE LONG, 109, 165. - - WARFARE. - Armor, 210, 221 - Archers, 221 - Cavalry, 221 - Character of Mercenaries, 226. - - WOMEN. - In Lucania, 23-25 - At Table, 34 - Wine Drinking, 35 - Marriage, 180-183 - Dependence, 82-85. - - - XENOPHON. - At the Banquet, 78 - Describes Socrates, 79-81 - Explains the Expedition against the Great King, 207 - Elected a General, 217 - Reproof of a Soldier, 225 - Energy in the Cold Weather, 229, 230 - Repartee with Chirisophus, 232 - Answers Charges, 254-258. - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Callias, by Alfred John Church - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CALLIAS *** - -***** This file should be named 41471-8.txt or 41471-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/4/7/41471/ - -Produced by sp1nd and the Online Distributed Proofreading -Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from -images generously made available by The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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