Page:History of Greece Vol XI.djvu/168

142 HISTORY OF GREECE. fered from the violation of the other. Probably the reilectio* that he had himself saved the life of Timophanes, only that the latter might destroy the liberties of his country contributed materially to his ultimate resolution ; a resolution, in which JEschylus, another near relative, took even a larger share than he. It was in this state of mind that Timoleon was called upon to take the command of the auxiliaries for Syracuse. As soon as the vote had passed, Telekleides addressed to him a few words, emphatically exhorting him to strain every nerve, and to show what he was worth with this remarkable point in conclusion " If you now come off with success and glory, we shall puss for having slain a despot ; if you fail, we shall be held as fratri- cides."* He immediately commenced his preparation of ships and sol- diers. But the Corinthians, though they had resolved on the ex- pedition, were not prepared either to vote any considerable sub- sidy, or to serve in large numbers as volunteers. The means of Timoleon were so extremely limited, that he was unable to equip more than seven triremes, to which the Korkyaeans (animated by common sympathy for Syracuse, as of old in the time of the des- pot Hippokrates 3 ) added two more, and the Leukadians one. Nor could he muster more than one thousand soldiers, reinforced afterwards on the voyage to twelve hundred. A few of the principal Corinthians P^ukleides, Telemachus and Neon, among them accompanied him. But the soldiers seem to have beeu chiefly miscellaneous mercenaries, some of whom had served under the Phokians in the Sacred war (recently brought to a close), and had incurred so much odium as partners in the spolia- Flutarch, Timoleon, c. 7. Diodorus (xvi. 65) states this striking ami thesis as if it was put by the senate to Timoleon, on conferring upon him the new command. He represents the application from Syracuse as having come to Corinth shortly after the death of Timophanes, and while the trial c f Timoleon was yet pending. He says that the senate nominated Tima Icon to the command, in order to escape the necessity of pronouncing sen tence one way or the other. I follow the account of Plutarch, as preferable, in recognizing a long in terval between the death of Timophanes and the applica'jon r -om Syracuse an interval of much mental suffering to Timoleon. " Ilcrodot. vii. 155.