Kitap 8
Chalcideus and Alcibiades, as they sailed, kept prisoner every man they met with by the way, to the end that notice might not be given of their passage. And touching first at Corycus in the continent, where also they dismissed those whom they had apprehended, after conference there with some of the conspirators of the Chians, that advised them to go to the city without sending them word before, they came upon the Chians suddenly and unexpected.
It put the commons into much wonder and astonishment; but the few had so ordered the matter beforehand that an assembly chanced to be holden at the same time. And when Chalcideus and Alcibiades had spoken in the same and told them that many galleys were coming to them, but not that those other galleys were besieged in Peiraeus, the Chians first and afterwards the Erythraeans revolted from the Athenians.
After this they went with three galleys to Clazomenae and made that city to revolt also. And the Clazomenians presently crossed over to the continent and there fortified Polichna, lest they should need a retiring place from the little island wherein they dwelt. The rest also, all that had revolted, fell to fortifying and making of preparation for the war.
This news of Chios was quickly brought to the Athenians, who, conceiving themselves to be now beset with great and evident danger, and that the rest of the confederates, seeing so great a city to revolt, would be no longer quiet, in this their present fear decreed that those thousand talents, which through all this war they had affected to keep untouched, forthwith abrogating the punishment ordained for such as spake or gave their suffrages to stir it, should now be used, and therewith galleys not a few manned. They decreed also to send thither out of hand, under the command of Strombichides, the son of Diotimus, eight galleys of the number of those that besieged the enemy at Peiraeus; the which, having forsaken their charge to give chase to the galleys that went with Chalcideus, and not able to overtake them, were now returned; and shortly after also to send Thrasycles to help them with twelve galleys more, which also had departed from the same guard upon the enemy.
And those seven galleys of Chios, which likewise kept watch at Peiraeus with the rest, they fetched from thence, and gave the bondmen that served in them their liberty, and the chains to those that were free. And instead of all those galleys that kept guard upon the galleys of the Peloponnesians, they made ready other with all speed in their places, besides thirty more, which they intended to furnish out afterwards. Great was their diligence; and nothing was of light importance that they went about for the recovery of Chios.
Strombichides in the meantime arrived at Samos, and taking into his company one Samian galley, went thence to Teos and entreated them not to stir. But towards Teos was Chalcideus also coming with twenty-three galleys from Chios, and with him also the land forces of the Clazomenians and Erythraeans.
Whereof Strombichides having been advertised, he put forth again before his arrival, and standing off at sea, when he saw the many galleys that came from Chios, he fled towards Samos, they following him. The land forces the Teians would not at first admit;
but after this flight of the Athenians, they brought them in. And these for the most part held their hands for a while, expecting the return of Chalcideus from the chase; but when he stayed somewhat long, they fell of themselves to the demolishing of the wall built about the city of Teos by the Athenians towards the continent, wherein they were also helped by some few barbarians that came down thither under the leading of Tages, deputy lieutenant of Tissaphernes.
Chalcideus and Alcibiades, when they had chased Strombichides into Samos, armed the mariners that were in the galleys of Peloponnesus and left them in Chios, instead of whom they manned with mariners of Chios both those and twenty galleys more; and with this fleet they went to Miletus with intent to cause it to revolt.
For the intention of Alcibiades, that was acquainted with the principal Milesians, was to prevent the fleet which was to come from Peloponnesus and to turn these cities first, that the honour of it might be ascribed to the Chians, to himself, to Chalcideus, and (as he had promised) to Endius that set them out, as having brought most of the cities to revolt with the forces of the Chians only and of those galleys that came with Chalcideus.
So these, for the greatest part of their way undiscovered, and arriving not much sooner than Strombichides and Thrasycles (who now, chancing to be present with [those] twelve galleys from Athens, followed them with Strombichides), caused the Milesians to revolt. The Athenians following them at the heels with nineteen galleys, being shut out by the Milesians, lay at anchor at Lada, an island over against the city.
Presently upon the revolt of Miletus was made the first league between the king and the Lacedaemonians by Tissaphernes and Chalcideus, as followeth:
"The Lacedaemonians and their confederates have made a league with the king and Tissaphernes on these articles: "Whatsoever territory or cities the king possesseth and his ancestors have possessed, the same are to remain the king's. "Whatsoever money or other profit redounded to the Athenians from their cities, the king and the Lacedaemonians are jointly to hinder, so as the Athenians may receive nothing from thence, neither money nor other thing.
"The king and the Lacedaemonians and their confederates are to make joint war against the Athenians. And without consent of both parts it shall not be lawful to lay down the war against the Athenians, neither for the king nor for the Lacedaemonians and their confederates.
If any shall revolt from the king, they shall be enemies to the Lacedaemonians and their confederates; and if any shall revolt from the Lacedaemonians and their confederates, they shall in like manner be enemies to the king.
This was the league. Presently after this the Chians set out ten galleys more and went to Anaea, both to hearken what became of the business at Miletus and also to cause the cities thereabouts to revolt.
But word being sent them from Chalcideus to go back, and that Amorges was at hand with his army, they went thence to the temple of Jupiter.
[Being there] they described sixteen galleys more, which had been sent out by the Athenians under the charge of Diomedon after the putting to sea of those with Thrasycles, upon sight of whom they fled, one galley to Ephesus, the rest towards Teos. Four of them the Athenians took, but empty, the men having gotten on shore; the rest escaped into the city of Teos.
And the Athenians went away again towards Samos. The Chians, putting to sea again with the remainder of their fleet and with the land forces, caused first Lebedos to revolt and then Erae; and afterwards returned, both with their fleet and landmen, every one to his own.
About the same time, the twenty galleys of Peloponnesus, which the Athenians had formerly chased into Peiraeus, and against whom they now lay with a like number, suddenly forced their passage, and having the victory in fight, took four of the Athenian galleys, and going to Cenchreiae, prepared afresh for their voyage to Chios and Ionia. At which time there came also unto them from Lacedaemon for commander, Astyochus, who was now admiral of the whole navy. When the landmen were gone from Teos, Tissaphernes himself came thither with his forces;
and he also demolished the wall, as much as was left standing, and went his way again. Not long after the going away of him, came thither Diomedon with ten galleys of Athens. And having made a truce with the Teians, that he also might be received, he put to sea again and kept the shore to Erae and assaulted it, but failing to take it, departed.
It fell out about the same time that the commons of Samos, together with the Athenians who were there with three galleys, made an insurrection against the great men and slew of them in all about two hundred. And having banished four hundred more and distributed amongst themselves their lands and houses (the Athenians having now, as assured of their fidelity, decreed them their liberty), they administered the affairs of the city from that time forward by themselves, no more communicating with the Geomori nor permitting any of the common people to marry with them.
After this, the same summer, the Chians, as they had begun, persevering in their earnestness to bring the cities to revolt, even without the Lacedaemonians, [with their single forces], and desiring to make as many fellows of their danger as they were able, made war by themselves with thirteen galleys against Lesbos; which was according to what was concluded by the Lacedaemonians, namely, to go thither in the second place, and thence into the Hellespont. And withal the land forces, both of such Peloponnesians as were present and of their confederates thereabouts, went along by them to Clazomenae and Cyme, these under the command of Eualas a Spartan, and the galleys, of Deiniades, a man of the parts thereabouts.
The galleys putting in at Methymna, caused that city to revolt first.
Now Astyochus, the Lacedaemonian admiral, having set forth as he intended from Cenchreiae, arrived at Chios. The third day after his coming thither came Leon and Diomedon into Lesbos with twenty-five galleys of Athens; for Leon came with a supply of ten galleys more from Athens afterwards.
Astyochus, in the evening of the same day, taking with him one galley more of Chios, took his way toward Lesbos to help it what he could, and put in at Pyrrha, and the next day at Eressos. Here he heard that Mytilene was taken by the Athenians, even with the shout of their voices.
For the Athenians, coming unexpected, entered the haven, and having beaten the galleys of the Chians, disbarked and overcame those that made head against them and won the city.
When Astyochus heard this, both from the Eressians and from those Chian galleys that came from Methymna with Eubulus, which having been left there before, as soon as Mytilene was lost fled, and three of them chanced to meet with him (for one was taken by the Athenians), he continued his course for Mytilene no longer; but having caused Eressos to revolt, and armed the soldiers he had aboard, made them to march toward Antissa and Methymna by land, under the conduct of Eteonicus; and he himself, with his own galleys and those three of Chios, rowed thither along the shore, hoping that the Methymnaeans, upon sight of his forces, would take heart and continue in their revolt.
But when in Lesbos all things went against him, he re-embarked his army and returned to Chios. And the landmen that were aboard, and should have gone into Hellespont, went again into their cities. After this came to them six galleys to Chios, of those of the confederate fleet at Cenchreiae.
The Athenians, when they had reestablished the state of Lesbos, went thence and took Polichna, which the Clazomenians had fortified in the continent, and brought them all back again into the city which is in the island, save only the authors of the revolt; for these got away to Daphnus. And Clazomenae returned to the obedience of the Athenians.
The same summer, those Athenians that with twenty galleys lay in the isle of Lada before Miletus, landing in the territory of Miletus at Panormus, slew Chalcideus, the Lacedaemonian commander, that came out against them but with a few, and set up a trophy, and the third day after departed. But the Milesians pulled down the trophy, as erected where the Athenians were not masters.
Leon and Diomedon, with the Athenian galleys that were at Lesbos, made war upon the Chians by sea from the isles called Oenussae, which lie before Chios, and from Sidussa and Pteleum (forts they held in Erythraea), and from Lesbos. They that were aboard were men of arms of the roll, compelled to serve in the fleet. With these they landed at Cardamyle;
and having overthrown the Chians that made head in a battle at Bolissus, and slain many of them, they recovered from the enemy all the places of that quarter. And again they overcame them in another battle at Phanae, and in a third at Leuconium. After this, the Chians went out no more to fight; by which means the Athenians made spoil of their territory, excellently well furnished.
For except it were the Lacedaemonians, the Chians were the only men that I have heard of that had joined advisedness to prosperity, and the more their city increased, had carried the more respect in the administration thereof to assure it.
Nor ventured they now to revolt (lest any man should think that, in this act at least, they regarded not what was the safest) till they had many and strong confederates with whose help to try their fortune, nor till such time as they perceived the people of Athens (as they themselves could not deny) to have their estate after the defeat in Sicily reduced to extreme weakness. And if through human misreckoning they miscarried in aught, they erred with many others, who in like manner had an opinion that the state of the Athenians would quickly have been overthrown.
Being therefore shut up by sea, and having their lands spoiled, some within undertook to make the city return unto the Athenians. Which though the magistrates perceived, yet they themselves stirred not; but having received Astyochus into the city with four galleys that were with him from Erythraea, they took advice together, how by taking hostages, or some other gentle way, to make them give over the conspiracy. Thus stood the business with the Chians.
In the end of this summer a thousand five hundred men of arms of Athens, and a thousand of Argos (for the Athenians had put armour upon five hundred light-armed of the Argives), and of other confederates a thousand more, with forty-eight galleys, reckoning those which were for transportation of soldiers, under the conduct of Phrynicus, Onomacles, and Scironides, came in to Samos, and crossing over to Miletus encamped before it.
And the Milesians issued forth with eight hundred men of arms of their own, besides the Peloponnesians that came with Chalcideus and some auxiliar strangers with Tissaphernes (Tissaphernes himself being also there with his cavalry) and fought with the Athenians and their confederates.
The Argives, who made one wing of themselves, advancing before the rest and in some disorder, in contempt of the enemy as being Ionians and not likely to sustain their charge, were by the Milesians overcome, and lost no less than three hundred of their men.
But the Athenians, when they had first overthrown the Peloponnesians and then beaten back the barbarians and other multitude and not fought with the Milesians at all (for they, after they were come from the chase of the Argives and saw their other wing defeated, went into the town), sat down with their arms, as being now masters of the field, close under the wall of the city.