Page:History of Greece Vol VIII.djvu/209

DEFENCE OF THE GENERALS. 187 were glad to find some excuse for staying in their moorings instead of going out again to buffet what was doubtless unfavor- able weather. Partly from this want of zeal, coming in addition to the original delay, partly from the bad weather, the duty remained unexecuted, and the seamen on board the damaged ships were left to perish unassisted. But presently arose the delicate, yet unavoidable question, " How are we to account for the omission of this sacred duty, in our official despatch to the Athenian people ? " Here the generals differed among themselves, as Euryptolemus expressly states : Perikles and Diomedon carried it, against the judgment of their colleagues, that in the official despatch, which was neces- sarily such as could be agreed to by all, nothing should be said about the delegation to Theramenes and others ; the whole omis- sion being referred to the terrors of the storm. But though such was the tenor of the official report, there was nothing to hinder the generals from writing home and communicating individually with their friends in Athens as each might think fit ; and in these unofficial communications, from them as well as from others who went home from the armament, communications not less effica- cious than the official despatch, in determining the tone of public feeling at Athens, they did not disguise their convictions that the blame of not performing the duty belonged to Theramenes. Having thus a man like Theramenes to throw the blame upon, they did not take pains to keep up the story of the intolerable storm, but intimated that there had been nothing to hinder him from performing the duty if he had chosen. It is this which he accuses them of having advanced against him, so as to place him as the guilty man before the Athenian public : it was this which made him, in retaliation and self-defence, violent and unscrupulous in denouncing them as the persons really blamable. 1 As they and the floating bodies before they went ashore. It is remarkable that the Athenians on that occasion were so completely overpowered by the immen- sity of their disaster, that they never even thought of asking permission, always granted by the victors when asked, to pick up their dead or visit their wrecks (viii, 72). 1 Xcnoph. llellen. ii, 3, 32. The light in which I here place the conduct of Theramenes is not only coincident with Diodorus, but with the repre- rentations of Kritias, the violent enemy of TheramcnSs un ler the govern