5 z6 A T T 
cafioned by the news of the lad defeat at Athens, which 
now found itfelf without either army or fleet, on the brink 
of being expofed to a liege, and of flittering all the rnife- 
ries of famine. The dread of thefe misfortunes over¬ 
whelmed them with defpair. In the mean time, however, 
they made the befl: preparations in their power againd the 
flege, of which they had fo certain a profpeift In eftefl, 
they foon found themfelves inveded both by fea and land. 
The two kings of Sparta, Agis and Paufarfias, furround- 
ed them with their army by land ; and Lyfander blocked 
up the Pyretim with his fleet. 
The Athenians, deprived of all farther refource, and 
labouring under the miferies of famine, fent deputies to 
treat with Agis, requeuing only to be left in poffeflion of 
their city and harbour, and refigning every thing elfe. 
Agis lent the deputies to Sparta, where the ephori infift- 
ed on dernolilhing all the fortifications of their city. In this 
melancholy (ituation, Theramenes offered to employ his 
influence with Lyfander. Being fent accordingly, lie was 
indudrioufly detained for the fpace of three months by that 
crafty Spartan, who was determined on the fall of Attica. 
At lad, Theramenes and the other amba'fadors were again 
referred to the ephori by Lyfander, and made another 
journey to Sparta, where a council was called to delibe¬ 
rate on the fate of Athens. No lefs than the utter de- 
UruCtion of that city was then talked of. The Thebans 
particularly were of that opinion. But the wifer part of 
the aR’enibly declared, that they would not incur the in¬ 
famy of extinguidiing one of the eyes of Greece, by de- 
droying a city which had rendered fuch lignal fervices to 
their common caufe. After deliberating for three months, 
it was at lad refolved to demoiifh the fortifications of the 
Pyreum, and the long walls that communicated between 
that harbour and the city ; to leave the Athenians only 
twelve galleys 5 to deprive them of all the cities of which 
they had taken pofledion ; to oblige them to engage in an 
effenfive a:-.d defenfive alliance with the Lacedemonians; 
and to ferve under them by fea and land. On thefe terms 
peace w-as granted. The deputies having returned to 
Athens, and reported thefe refolutions, the Athenians, of 
whom great numbers were daily perifhing by famine, found 
themfelves under the hard neceffity of agreeing to them 
without hefitation. In confequence of thefe . conditions, 
Lyfander, entering Pyreum, faw the fortifications demo- 
liflied, ainidd the found of a variety of mufical ip.flru- 
ments. The Athenians, by accepting the conditions dic¬ 
tated to them by the Lacedemonians, had in a manner re- 
iigned themfelves to the difcretion of their enemies. Of 
this they foon became very fenflble. Lyfander entered 
their city, idanaged every tiling according to his pleafure, 
obliged the people to abolifli democracy, and effablifh thir¬ 
ty archons, who have been jiittly diftinguifhed in hiftory 
by the name of the Thirty Tyrants. 
From Athens Lyfander proceed to Samos, w hich he foon 
reduced: and the other cities, on being informed of the 
fate of Athens, voluntarily opened their gates to the vic¬ 
tors. In each of thefe cities Lyfander put the government 
into the hands of a decemvirate, compofed for the greater 
part of creatures of his own, entirely devoted to his inte- 
reft; and by that means he acquired a fort of fovereignty 
in the cities. Refolved at laft to retura to Sparta, there 
to enjoy the fruits of his fuccefs, he difpatched Gylippus 
before him, with all the money amalfed in the courfe of 
his laft command, which is faid to have amounted to 1500 
talents. Of this money Gylippus is reported to have tto- 
len about a fifth part, hy opening in the night the bottom 
of the bags in which it was contained. But, his difho- 
nefty being difcovered, he fled to avoid his merited pu- 
nifhment, and became a voluntary exile from his native 
country. Lyfander, now in the zenith of his glory, eclip- 
fed all mankind in the eyes of the Greeks, who carried 
their flattery fo far as to ereft altars to him : and, the man 
being naturally vain, ordered his own ftatue to be caff in 
brafs. Even the poets, encouraged by his bounty, em- 
I C A. 
ployed their talents to celebrate his praife. Thus ended 
the Peloponnefian W’ar, in the year 404 B. C. 
The thirty archons, eftablifhed by Lyfander, quickly 
gave w'ay to their tyrannical inclinations; and, to enforce 
their decrees, obtained an armed guard. This was the 
fignal of their approaching tyranny. The richer citizens, 
and tliofe whole virtue and influence might he a bar to 
their violent proceedings, were the firft victims of their 
cruelty. Still more to overawe the people, and to pre¬ 
vent a revolt, they armed 3000 of the citizens who were 
beft afteeded to their party. Thefe availing themfelves of 
their powxr, to ruin and deftroy their private enemies, A- 
thens became one general feene of blood and rapine. None 
durft oppofe the pleafure of thofe wicked men. Critias, 
of all the thirty the molt cruel and the mod wicked, car¬ 
ried his oppretTion and injuftice to fuch an extreme, that 
Theramenes, the only one of their number who was affili¬ 
ated with any regard for the welfare of his country, was 
provoked to oppofe the defpotifm of him and his col¬ 
leagues. This drew upon him the refentment of the ty¬ 
rants ; and Critias acculed him, before the fenate, of dif- 
fturbing the public quiet. Theramenes managed his de¬ 
fence with fuch force of argument, that Critias, fufpect- 
ing he might be acquitted, introduced into the fenate lonie 
of his mott devoted creatures, who from time to time in- 
duftrioufly expofed to the eyes of the judges the points of 
the daggers, wherewith they were privately armed. The 
judges, thus intimidated, condemned Theramenes to death. 
Socrates alone, whofe fcholar he had been, ventured to op¬ 
pofe this fentence, and went fo far as to attempt to hinder 
the guards from dragging Theramenes from the altar; 
but he was obliged to yield to fuperior force. He then 
exhorted the fenators and people to avenge themfelves on 
their prefumptuous opprelfors. Nothing but tlie merit of 
Socrates could have fereened him from the refentment of 
the tyrants, who difcovered no higher marks of their dif- 
pleafure, than by prohibiting him from inflrucling the 
youth. The fate of Theramenes was bewailed by every 
honefl man. Xenophon has immortalifed the intrepidity 
with which that celebrated Athenian met death. He tells 
11s, that, when he had received and drunk the poifon with 
the mott ftriking calmnefs and fortitude, he poured out 
the remains of it on the ground, in the manner of the li¬ 
bations in facrifices, with thefe words, “ This for the vir¬ 
tuous Critias.” Theramenes w r as well acquainted with 
the fcience of government. But his zeal in procuring the 
condemnation of the commanders who gained the battle 
of Arginufae, remains an indelible blot on his memory. 
In the mean time the unhappy Athenians, overwhelmed 
hy their miferies, began to caff their eyes upon Alcibiades 
for deliverance, and to concert meafures for bringing him 
home. But the tyrants, getting notice of their intentions, 
and dreading the embarraffment that might be thrown in 
the way of their projebfs by a man of fuch diftinguifhed 
activity, fignified to Lyfander, that it was neceffary for the 
quiet ana fecurity of the government, fo to difpofe of Al¬ 
cibiades, that he might not have the power of creating 
them any difturbance. In confequence of their remon- 
ftrances, Lyfander required the Perlian fatrap Pharnaba- 
zus, in whofe province Alcibiades then was, to deliver 
him up dead or alive. Pharnabazus was mean-fpirited 
enough to gratify Lyfander, and gave the neceffary orders 
for the apprehenfion of Alcibiades. The guards fent to 
feize him flood in fuch awe of him, that they had not cou¬ 
rage to break into his houfe, to which therefore they fet 
fire. Alcibiades, after endeavouring in vain to extinguifh 
the flames, rufhed through them fw'ord in hand. The 
barbarians, not daring even then to waif his approach, re¬ 
tired before him, but at the fame time difeharged at him 
a fhower of darts, w hich killed him on the fpot. Thus 
perifhed, at the age of forty years, this extraordinary man, 
at the very feafon that his countrymen flood mott in need 
of his affiflance. His charadler exhibits a very lingular 
affemblage of good and bad qualities. He was, by turns, 
