Page:History of Greece Vol XI.djvu/141

INTRIGUES OF HEKAKLEIDES. 115 himself, that Dion should be chosen general with full powers both by land and sea. The motion was received with great favor by the principal citizens ; but the poorer men were attached to He- rakleides, especially the seamen ; who preferred serving under his command, and loudly required that he should be named admiral, along with Dion as general on land. Forced to acquiesce in this nomination, Dion contented himself with insisting and obtaining, that the resolution, which had been previously adopted for redis- tributing lands and houses, should be rescinded. 1 The position of affairs at Syracuse was now pregnant with mis- chief and quarrel. On land, Dion enjoyed a dictatorial authority ; at sea, Herakleides, his enemy not less than ever, was admiral, by separate and independent nomination. The undefined author- ity of Dion exercised by one self-willed, though magnanimous, in spirit, and extremely repulsive in manner was sure to be- come odious after the feelings arising out of the recent rescue had worn off; and abundant opening would thus be made for the op- position of Herakleides, often on just grounds. That officer in- deed was little disposed to wait for just pretences. Conducting the Syracusan fleet to Messene in order to carry on war against Dionysius at Lokri, he not only tried to raise the seamen in arms against Dion, by charging him with despotic designs, but even entered into a secret treaty with the common enemy Dionysius ; through the intervention of the Spartan Pharax, who commanded the Dionysian troops. His intrigues being discovered, a violent opposition was raised against them by the leading Syracusan citi- sens. It would seem (as far as we can make out from the scanty information of Plutarch) that the military operations were frus- trated, and that the armament was forced to return to Syracuse. Hire again the quarrel was renewed the seamen apparently standing with Herakleides, the principal citizens with Dion and carried so far, that the city suffered not only from disturbance, but even from irregular supply of provisions. 2 Among the mortifica- tions of Dion, not the least was that which he experienced from his own friends or soldiers, who reminded him of their warnings Plutarch, Dion, c 48 Plutarch, Dion, c 48, Kat dC avrrfv frirofia nal airtivtf kv race etc.