Page:History of Greece Vol IX.djvu/303

PHAENABAZUS CONSTITUTED ADMIRAL, 281 phrates (as the Cyreian army had marched), from whence he sailed down the river in a boat to Babylon. It appears that he did not see Artaxerxes, from repugnance to that ceremony of pros- tration which was required from all who approached the royal person. But his messages, transmitted through Ktesias and others, with his confident engagement to put down the maritime empire of Sparta and counteract the projects of Agesilaus, if the Persian forces and money were put into efficient action, produced a powerful effect on the mind of the monarch ; who doubtless was not merely alarmed at the formidable position of Agesilaus in Asia Minor, but also hated the Lacedaemonians as main agents in the aggressive enterprise of Cyrus. Artaxerxes not only approved his views, but made to him a large grant of money, and transmit- ted peremptory orders to the coast that his officers should be active in prosecuting the maritime war. What was of still greater moment, Konon was permitted to name any person whom he chose, as admiral jointly with himself. It was by his choice that Pharnabazus was called from his satrapy, and ordered to act jointly as commander of the fleet. This satrap, the bravest and most straightforward among all the Persian grandees, and just now smarting with resentment at the devasta- tion of his satrapy 1 by Agesilaus, cooperated heartily with Konon. A powerful fleet, partly Phoenician, partly Athenian or Grecian, was soon equipped, superior in number even to the newly-organized Lacedemonian fleet under Peisander.2 Euagoras, prince of Sa- 1 Xcn. Hellcn. iv, 8, 6. 2 The measures of Konon and the transactions preceding the battle of Knidus, are very imperfectly known to ns ; but we may gather them gen- erally from Diodorus, xiv, 81 ; Justin, vi, 3, 4 ; Cornelius Nepos, Vit. Conon. c. 2, 3 ; Ktcsiffi Fragment, c. 62, 63, cd. Bahr. Isokrates (Orat. iv, (Pancgyr.) s. 165; compare Orat. ix, (Euagor.) s. 77) speaks loosely as to the duration of time that the Persian fleet remained blocked up by the Lacedaemonians before Konon obtained his final and vigorous orders from Artaxerxes, unless we are to understand his three years as referring to the first news of outfit of ships of war in Phoenicia, brought to Sparta by Herodas. as Schneider understands them ; and even then the statement that the Persian fleet remained TrohiopKovpevov for all this time, would be much exaggerated. Allowing for exaggeration, how- ever, Isokrates coincides generally with the authorities above noticed. It would appear that Ktesias the physician obtained about this time per mission to quit the court of Persia anl come back to Greece. Perhaps he