Book 8
It fell out in this battle that on both sides the Ionics had the better of the Dorics. For the Athenians overcame the opposite Peloponnesians, and the Milesians the Argives. The Athenians, after they had erected their trophy, the place being an isthmus, prepared to take in the town with a wall, supposing if they got Miletus, the other cities would easily come in.
In the meantime it was told them about twilight that the five-and-fifty galleys from Peloponnesus and Sicily were hard by and only not already come. For there came into Peloponnesus out of Sicily, by the instigation of Hermocrates to help to consummate the subversion of the Athenian state, twenty galleys of Syracuse and two of Selinus; and the galleys that had been preparing in Peloponnesus being then also ready, they were, both these and the other, committed to the charge of Theramenes, to be conducted by him to Astyochus, the admiral; and they put in first at Eleus, an island over against Miletus.
And being advertised there that the Athenians lay before the town, they went from thence into the gulf of Iasus to learn how the affairs of the Milesians stood.
Alcibiades coming a horseback to Teichiussa of the territory of Miletus, in which part of the gulf the Peloponnesian galleys lay at anchor, they were informed by him of the battle; for Alcibiades was, with the Milesians and with Tissaphernes, present in it. And he exhorted them, unless they meant to lose what they had in lonia and the whole business, to succour Miletus with all speed and not to suffer it to be taken in with a wall.
According to this, they concluded to go the next morning and relieve it. Phrynichus, when he had certain word from Derus of the arrival of those galleys, his colleagues advising to stay and fight it out with their fleet, said that he would neither do it himself nor suffer them to do it, or any other, as long as he could hinder it.
For seeing he might fight with them hereafter, when they should know against how many galleys of the enemy and with what additions to their own, sufficiently and at leisure made ready, they might do it, he would never, he said, for fear of being upbraided with baseness (for it was no baseness for the Athenians to let their navy give way upon occasion;
but by what means soever it should fall out, it would be a great baseness to be beaten), be swayed to hazard battle against reason and not only to dishonour the state but also to cast it into extreme danger, seeing that since their late losses it hath scarce been fit with their strongest preparation, willingly, no nor urged by precedent necessity, to undertake, how then without constraint to seek out voluntary, dangers?
Therefore he commanded them with all speed to take aboard those that were wounded and their landmen and whatsoever utensils they brought with them; but to leave behind whatsoever they had taken in the territory of the enemy to the end that their galleys might be the lighter;
and to put off for Samos, and thence, when they had all their fleet together, to make out against the enemy as occasion should be offered. As Phrynichus advised this, so he put it in execution, and was esteemed a wise man, not then only, but afterwards, nor in this only, but in whatsoever else he had the ordering of.
Thus the Athenians presently in the evening, with their victory unperfect, dislodged from before Miletus. From Samos the Argives, in haste and in anger for their overthrow, went home.
The Peloponnesians, setting forth betimes in the morning from Teichiussa, put in at Miletus and stayed there one day. The next day they took with them those galleys of Chios which had formerly been chased together with Chalcideus, and meant to have returned to Teichiussa to take aboard such necessaries as they had left ashore.
But as they were going, Tissaphernes came to them with his landmen and persuaded them to set upon Iasus, where Amorges, the king's enemy, then lay. Whereupon they assaulted lasus upon a sudden; and they within not thinking but they had been the fleet of the Athenians, took it.
The greatest praise in this action was given to the Syracusians. Having taken Amorges, the bastard son of Pissuthnes, but a rebel to the king, the Peloponnesians delivered him to Tissaphernes to carry him if he would to the king, as he had order to do. The city they pillaged, wherein, as being a place of ancient riches, the army got a very great quantity of money.
The auxiliary soldiers of Amorges they received, without doing them hurt, into their own army, being for the most part Peloponnesians. The town itself they delivered to Tissaphernes, with all the prisoners, as well free as bond, upon composition with him, at a Daric state by the poll. And so they returned to Miletus.
And from hence they sent Pedaritus, the son of Leon, whom the Lacedaemonians had sent hither to be governor of Chios, to Erythrae, and with him the bands that had aided Amorges by land, and made Philip governor there in Miletus. And so this summer ended.
The next winter, Tissaphernes, after he had put a garrison into Iasus, came to Miletus; and for one month's pay, which was promised on his part at Lacedaemon, he gave unto the soldiers through the whole fleet after an Attic drachma a man by the day. But for the rest of the time he would pay but three oboles till he had asked the king's pleasure; and if the king commanded it, then he said he would pay them the full drachma.
Nevertheless upon the contradiction of Hermocrates, general of the Syracusians (for Theramenes was but slack in exacting pay, as not being general, but only to deliver the galleys that came with him to Astyochus), it was agreed that but for the five galleys that were over and above, they should have more than three oboles a man. For to fifty-five galleys he allowed three talents a month, and to as many as should be more than that number, after the same proportion.
The same winter the Athenians that were at Samos (for there were now come in thirty-five galleys more from home, with Charminus, Strombichides, and Euctemon, their commanders), having gathered together their galleys, as well those that had been at Chios as all the rest, concluded, distributing to every one his charge by lot, to go lie before Miletus with a fleet, but against Chios to send out both a fleet and an army of landmen.
And they did so. For Strombichides, Onomacles, and Euctemon, with thirty galleys and part of those thousand men of arms that went to Miletus, which they carried along with them in vessels for transportation of soldiers, according to their lot went to Chios; and the rest, remaining at Samos with seventy-four galleys, were masters of the sea, and went to Miletus.
Astyochus, who was now in Chios requiring hostages in respect of the treason, after he heard of the fleet that was come with Theramenes and that the articles of the league with Tissaphernes were mended, gave over that business, and with ten galleys of Peloponnesus and ten of Chios, went thence and assaulted Pteleum;
but not being able to take it, he kept by the shore to Clazomenae. There he summoned those within to yield, with offer to such of them as favoured the Athenians that they might go up and dwell at Daphnus. And Tamos, the deputy lieutenant of Ionia, offered them the same.
But they not hearkening thereunto, he made an assault upon the city, being unwalled; but when he could not take it, he put to sea again, and with a mighty wind was himself carried to Phocaea and Cume; but the rest of the fleet put in at Marathusa, Pele, and Drimyssa, islands that lie over against Clazomenae.
After they had stayed there eight days in regard of the winds, spoiling and destroying, and partly taking aboard whatsoever goods of the Clazomenians lay without, they went afterwards to Phocaea and Cume to Astyochus.
While Astyochus was there, the ambassadors of the Lesbians came unto him, desiring to revolt from the Athenians. And as for him, they prevailed with him; but seeing the Corinthians and the other confederates were unwilling in respect of their former ill success there, he put to sea for Chios. Whither, after a great tempest, his galleys, some from one place and some from another, at length arrived all.
After this, Pedaritus, who was now at Erythrae, whither he was come from Miletus by land, came over with his forces into Chios. Besides those forces he brought over with him, he had the soldiers which were of the five galleys that came thither with Chalcideus and were left there, to the number of five hundred, and armour to arm them.
Now some of the Lesbians having promised to revolt, Astyochus communicated the matter with Pedaritus and the Chians, alleging how meet it would be to go with a fleet and make Lesbos to revolt, for that they should either get more confederates, or failing, they should at least weaken the Athenians. But they gave him no ear; and for the Chian galleys, Pedaritus told him [plainly] he should have none of them.
Whereupon Astyochus, taking with him five galleys of Corinth, a sixth of Megara, one of Hermione, and those of Laconia which he brought with him, went towards Miletus to his charge, mightily threatening the Chians, in case they should need him, not to help them.
When he was come to Corycus in Erythraea, he stayed there. And the Athenians from Samos lay on the other side of the point, the one not knowing that the other was so near.
Astyochus, upon a letter sent him from Pedaritus, signifying that there were come certain Erythraean captives dismissed from Samos with design to betray Erythrae, went presently back to Erythrae; so little he missed of falling into the hands of the Athenians.
Pedaritus also went over to him; and having narrowly enquired touching these seeming traitors, and found that the whole matter was but a pretence which the men had used for their escape from Samos, they acquitted them, and departed one to Chios, the other, as he was going before, towards Miletus.
In the meantime, the army of the Athenians, being come about by sea from Corycus to Arginum, lighted on three long-boats of the Chians, which when they saw they presently chased. But there arose a great tempest; and the long-boats of Chios with much ado recovered the harbour. But of the Athenian galleys, especially such as followed them furthest, there perished three, driven ashore at the city of Chios; and the men that were aboard them were part taken and part slain. The rest of the fleet escaped into a haven called Phoenicus, under the hill Mimas, from whence they got afterwards to Lesbos and there fortified.
The same winter, Hippocrates, setting out from Peloponnesus with ten galleys of Thurium, commanded by Dorieus, the son of Diogoras, with two others, and with one galley of Laconia and one of Syracuse, went to Cnidus. This city was now revolted from Tissaphernes;
and the Peloponnesians that lay at Miletus, hearing of it, commanded that, the one half of their galleys remaining for the guard of Cnidus, the other half should go about Triopium and help to bring in the ships which were to come from Egypt. This Triopium is a promontory of the territory of Cnidus, lying out in the sea and consecrated to Apollo.
The Athenians, upon advertisement hereof, setting forth from Samos, took those galleys that kept guard at Triopium; but the men that were in them escaped to land. After this they went to Cnidus, which they assaulted and had almost taken, being without wall.
And the next day they assaulted it again; but being less able to hurt it now than before, because they had fenced it better this night, and the men also were gotten into it that fled from their galleys under Triopium, they invaded and wasted the Cnidian territory, and so went back to Samos.
About the same time, Astyochus being come to the navy at Miletus, the Peloponnesians had plenty of all things for the army. For they had not only sufficient pay, but the soldiers also had store of money yet remaining of the pillage of Iasus. And the Milesians underwent the war with a good will.
Nevertheless, the former articles of the league made by Chalcideus with Tissaphernes seemed defective and not so advantageous to them as to him. Whereupon they agreed to new ones, in the presence of Tissaphernes, which were these:
"The agreement of the Lacedaemonians and their confederates with king Darius and his children and with Tissaphernes for league and amity according to the articles following:
"Whatsoever territories and cities do belong unto king Darius, or were his father's or his ancestors', against these shall neither the Lacedaemonians go to make war nor any way to annoy them; neither shall the Lacedaemonians nor their confederates exact tribute of any of those cities. Neither shall king Darius, nor any under his dominion, make war upon or any way annoy the Lacedaemonians or any of the Lacedaemonian confederates.
"If the Lacedaemonians or their confederates shall need anything of the king, or the king of the Lacedaemonians or their confederates, what they shall persuade each other to do, if they do it, shall be good.