Page:History of Greece Vol X.djvu/153

VICTORY AT NAXOS. 131 recollection of the fierce displeasure of the people against the vic- torious generals after the battle of Arginusa3. And we may thus see, that though the proceedings on that memorable occasion were stained both by illegality and by violence, they produced a salu- tary effect upon the public conduct of subsequent commanders. Many a brave Athenian (the screws consisting principally of citi- zens) owed his life, after the battle of Naxos, to the terrible lesson administered by the people to their generals in 406 B. c., thirty years before. This was the first great victory (in September, 376 B. c. 1 ) which the Athenians had gained at sea since the Peloponnesian war ; and while it thus filled them with joy and confidence, it led to a ma- terial enlargement of their maritime confederacy. The fleet of Chabrias, of which a squadron was detached under the orders of Phokion, a young Athenian now distinguishing himself for the first time and often hereafter to be mentioned , sailed victorious round the -ZEgean, made prize of twenty other triremes in single ships, brought in three thousand prisoners with one hundred and ten talents in money, and annexed seventeen new cities to the confederacy, as sending deputies to the synod and furnishing con- tributions. The discreet and conciliatory behavior of Phokion, especially obtained much favor among the islanders, and de- termined several new adhesions to Athens. 2 To the inhabitants uiceiv, IIVE^EJETO ruv TTO^ITUV roiif 6iavT)xofievov(;, ical Toi)f /iev eri fwvraf diecruae, roi)f de r e rehevrri Koraf s-ftaifjEV. Et 6e fiij Trepl ravTTjv eyevero TTJV e^i/j.e^eiav, padiuq uv uiravra rbv irohefiiuv arohov 6iK<j>'&eipe. This passage illustrates what I remarked in my preceding volume (Vol. VIII, Ch. Ixiv, p. 175), respecting the battle of Arginusaa and the proceed- ings at Athens afterwards. I noticed that Diodorus incorrectly represented the excitement at Athens against the generals as arising from their having neglected to pick up the bodies of the slain warriors for burial, and that he omitted the more important fact, that they left many living and wounded varriors to perish. It is curious, that in the first of the two sentences above cited, Diodorus repeats his erroneous affirmation about the battle of Arginusa? ; while in the second sentence he corrects the error, telling us that Chabrias, profiting by the warning, took care to pick up the living men on the wrecks and in the water, as well as the dead bodies. 1 Plutarch, Phokion, c. 6; Plutarch, Camillus, c. 19. 1 Demosthen. cont. Leptin. p. 480 ; Plutarch, Phokion, c. 7