ALCIBIADES. 



89 



fliicl Dinomache, was born at Athens, in the 82d 

 Olympiad, about 450 B. C. He lost his father in 

 the battle of Chasronea, and was afterwards educated 

 hi the house of Pericles, his grandfather by his mo- 

 ther's side. Pericles was too much engaged in 

 aflairs of state to bestow that care upon him, which 

 the impetuosity of his disposition required. In his 

 childhood, A. showed the germ of his future charac- 

 ter. One day, when he was playing at dice with 

 some companions in the street, a waggon came up ; 

 he requested the driver to stop, and the latter refus- 

 ing, A. threw himself before the wheel, exclaiming, 

 " Drive on, if thou darest." He excelled alike in 

 mental and bodily exercises. His beauty and birth, 

 and the high station of Pericles, procured him a 

 multitude or friends and admirers, and his reputation 

 was affected by the dissipation in which he became 

 involved. He was fortunate in acquiring the friend- 

 ship of Socrates, who endeavoured to lead him to 

 virtue, and undoubtedly obtained a great ascendency 

 over him, so that A. often quitted his gay associates 

 for the company of the philosopher. He bore arms, 

 for the first time, in the expedition against Potidaea, 

 and was wounded. Socrates, who fought at his 

 side, defended him, and led him out of danger. In 

 the battle of Delium, he was among the cavalry who 

 were victorious, but, the infantry oeing beaten, he 

 was obliged to flee, as well as the rest. He overtook 

 Socrates, who was retreating on foot, accompanied 

 him, and protected him. As long as the demagogue 

 Cleon lived, A. was principally distinguished for 

 luxury and prodigality, and did not mingle in the 

 aftairs of state. On the death of Cleon, 422 B. C., 

 Nicias succeeded in making a peace for fifty years 

 between the Athenians and Lacedaemonians. A., 

 jealous of the influence of Nicias, and offended be- 

 cause the Lacedaemonians, with whom he was con- 

 nected by the ties of hospitality, had not applied to 

 him, fomented some disagreement between the two 

 nations into an occasion for breaking the peace. The 

 Lacedaemonians sent ambassadors to Athens ; A. 

 received them with apparent good will, and advised 

 them to conceal their credentials, lest the Athenians 

 should prescribe conditions to them. They suffered 

 themselves to be duped, and, when called into the 

 assembly, declared that they were without creden- 

 tials. A. rose immediately, accused them of ill faith, 

 and induced the Athenians to form an alliance with 

 the Argives. A breach with the Lacedaemonians 

 was the consequence. A. commanded several times 

 the Athenian fleets, which devastated the Pelopon- 

 nesus ; but even then he did not refrain from luxury 

 and dissipation, to which he gave himself up entirely 

 after his return. On one occasion, after leaving a 

 nocturnal revel, in the company of some friends, he 

 laid a wager tliat he would give the rich Hipponicus 

 a box on the ear, and so he did. This act made a 

 great noise in the city, b'ut A. went to the injured 

 party, threw off his garment, and called upon him to 

 revenge himself by whipping him with rods. This 

 open repentance reconciled Hipponicus ; he not only 

 pardoned him, but gave him afterwards his daughter, 

 Hipparete v in marriage, with a portion of ten talents 

 (10,500 dollars.) A., however, still continued his 

 levity and prodigality. His extravagance was con- 

 spicuous at the Olympic games, where he entered 

 the stadium, not like other rich men, with one cha- 

 riot, but with seven at a time, and gained the three 

 first prizes. He seems to have been victor, also, in 

 the Pythian and Nemaean games. All this together 

 drew upon him the hatred of many of his fellow 

 citizens, and he would have fallen a sacrifice to the 

 ostracism (q. v.), if he had not, in connexion with 

 Nicias and Phaeax, who feared a similar fate, artfully 

 contrived to procure -the banishment of his most 



formidable enemy. Soon afterwards, the Athenians, 

 at the instance of A., resolved on an expedition 

 against Sicily, and elected him commander-in-chief, 

 together with Nicias and Lamachus. But, during 

 the preparations, it happened one night that all the 

 statues of Mercury were broken. The enemies of 

 A. charged him with the act, but postponed a public 

 accusation till he had set sail, when they stirred up 

 the people against him to such a degree, that he was 

 recalled, in order to be tried. A. had been very 

 successful in Sicily, when he received the order to 

 return. He obeyed, and embarked, but, on reaching 

 Thurium, disembarked, and concealed himself. Some 

 one asking him, " How is this, Alcibiades ? have 

 you no confidence in your country ?" he answered, 

 '' I would not trust my mother, when my life is con- 

 cerned; for she might, by mistake, take a black 

 stone instead of a white one." He was condemned 

 to death in Athens, and said, when the -news reach- 

 ed him, " I shall show the Athenians that I am yet 

 alive." He now went to Argos, thence to Sparta, 

 where he made himself a favourite, by conforming 

 closely ta the prevailing strictness of manners. 

 Here he succeeded in inducing the Lacedaemonians 

 to form an alliance with the Persian king, and, 

 after the unfortunate issue of the Athenian expedi- 

 tion against Sicily, he prevailed on them to assist the 

 inhabitants of Chios in throwing off the yoke of 

 Athens. He went himself thither, and, on his arri- 

 val in Asia Minor, roused the whole of Ionia to 

 insurrection against the Athenians, and did them 

 considerable injury. But Agis and the principal 

 leaders of the Spartans became jealous of him, on 

 account of his success, and ordered their commanders 

 in Asia to cause him to be assassinated. A. suspected 

 their plan, and went to Tissaphernes, a Persian sa- 

 trap, who was ordered to act in concert with the 

 Lacedaemonians. Here he changed his manners 

 once more, adopted the luxurious habits of Asia, and 

 understood how to make himself indispensable to 

 the satrap. As he could no longer trust the Lace- 

 daemonians, he undertook to serve his country, 

 and showed Tissaphernes that it was against the in- 

 terest of the Persian king to depress the Athe- 

 nians entirely ; but that Sparta and Athens ought 

 to be preserved for their mutual injury. Tissa- 

 phernes followed this advice, and afforded the 

 Athenians some relief. The latter had, at that 

 time, considerable forces at Samos. A. sent word 

 to their commanders, that, if the licentiousness 

 of the people was suppressed, and the govern- 

 ment put into the hands of the nobles, he would 

 procure for them the friendship of Tissaphernes, 

 and prevent the junction of the Phoenician and 

 Lacedzemonian fleets. This demand was granted, 

 and Pisander sent to Athens ; by whose means the 

 government of the city was put into the hands of a 

 council consisting of 400 persons. As, however, the 

 council showed no intention to recall A., the army 

 of Samos chose him their commander, and exhorted 

 him to go directly to Athens, and overthrow the 

 power of the tyrants. He wished, however, not to 

 return to his country before he had done it some 

 services, and therefore attacked and totally defeated 

 the fleet of the Lacedemonians. When he return- 

 ed to Tissaphernes, the latter, in order not to ap- 

 pear a participator in the act, caused him to be 

 arrested in Sardis. But A. found means to escape ; 

 placed himself at the head of the Athenian army ; 

 conquered the Lacedaemonians and Persians, at 

 Cyzicus, by sea and land ; took Cyzicus, Chalcedon, 

 and Byzantium ; restored the<,sovereignty of the sea 

 to the Athenians, and returned to his country, 

 \\hither he had been recalled, on the motion of 

 Critias. He was received with general enthusiasm ; 



