Page:History of Greece Vol VIII.djvu/172

150 HISTORY OF GREECE. Jtn less than thi ee months, his armament was ready ; but he designedly deferred his departure until that day of the month Boedromion, about the beginning of September, when the Eleu- sinian mysteries were celebrated, and when the solemn proces- sional march of the crowd of communicants was wont to take place, along the Sacred Way from Athens to Eleusis. For seven successive years, ever since the establishment of Agis at Dekeleia, this march had been of necessity discontinued, and the procession had been transported by sea, to the omission of many of the ceremonial details. Alkibiades, on this occasion, caused the land-march to be renewed, in full pomp and solemnity ; assembling all his troops in arms to protect, in case any attack should be made from Dekeleia. No such attack was hazarded ; so that he had the satisfaction of reviving the full regularity of this illustrious scene, and escorting the numerous communicants out and home, without the smallest interruption ; an exploit grat- ifying to the religious feelings of the people, and imparting an acceptable sense of undiminished Athenian power; while in reference to his own reputation, it was especially politic, as serv- ing to make his peace with the Eumolpidae and the Two God- desses, on whose account he had been condemned. 1 Immediately after the mysteries, he departed with his arma- ment. It appears that Agis at Dekeleia, though he had not chosen to come out and attack Alkibiades when posted to guard the Eleusinian procession, had nevertheless felt humiliated by the defiance offered to him. He shortly afterwards took advan- tage of the departure of this large force, to summon reinforce- Jnents from Peloponnesus and Boeotia, and attempt to surprise the walls of Athens on a dark night. If he expected any con- nivance within, the plot miscarried : alarm was given in time, and the eldest and youngest hoplites were found at their posts to defend the walls. The assailants said to have amounted to (Vit. Alcib. c. 7) state Thrasybulus and Adeimantus as his colleagues : both state also that his colleagues were chosen on his recommendation. I follow Xenophon as to the names, and also as to the fact, that they wero named as KOTU yrjv orjar^yot. 1 Xenoph. Hellen. i, 4, 20; Plutarch, Alkib. c. 34. Neither Diodjrus noi Cornelius Nepos mentions this remarkable incident about the cscc^t of th Eluusinian procession.