Page:History of Greece Vol VIII.djvu/69

SPEECH OF THRASYBULUS. 47 ulation, every male of the military age, took the OAtli along wi'h the friendly armament. Both pledged themselves to mutual fidelity and common suffering or triumph, whatever might be the issue of the contest. Both felt that the Peloponnesians at Miletus, and the Four Hundred at Athens, were alike their enemies, and that the success of either would be their common ruin. Pursuant to this resolution, of upholding their democracy and at the same time sustaining the war against the Peloponne- sians, at all cost or peril to themselves, the soldiers of the arma- ment now took a step unparalleled in Athenian history. Feeling that they could no longer receive orders from Athens under her present oligarchical rulers, with whom Charminus and others among their own leaders were implicated, they constituted them- selves into a sort of community apart, and held an assembly as citizens to choose anew their generals and trierarchs. Of those already in command, several were deposed as unworthy of trust ; others being elected in their places, especially Thrasybulus and Thrasyllus. Nor was the assembly held for election alone ; it was a scene of effusive sympathy, animating eloquence, and pat- riotism generous as well as resolute. The united armament felt that they were the real Athens ; the guardians of her constitution, the upholders of her remaining empire and glory, the protectors of her citizens at home against those conspirators who had in- truded themselves wrongfully into the senate-house ; the sole barrier, even for those conspirators themselves, against the hostile Peloponneshm fleet. " The city has revolted from us" exclaimed Thrasybulus and others in pregnant words, which embodied a whole train of feeling. 1 " But let not this abate our courage : for they are only the lesser force, we are the greater and the self- sufficing. "We have here the whole navy of the state, whereby we can insure to ourselves the contributions from our dependen- cies just as well as if we started from Athens. We have the hearty attachment of Samos, second in power only to Athens herself, and serving us as a military station against the enemy, now as in the past. We are better able to obtain supplies for 1 Thucyil. viii, 76. Kal Trapaivcaeif uXAaf re {TTOIOVVTO iv aQiaiv avrotj uviariipevoi, Kai af ov del utivjielv LTL # T 6 ?, if ai'Tuv u(j>e a rrf *c e Toi)f yap tXu<T(Tot'f a trb aotir r <:> v ir~/.cuv~ r nal c iruvTa iroptpurcpuv p ."&ea