G R E 
tfiem tliirty Peloponnellan galleys, as well as fifteen of 
their own wJiich they had lofi; in a former cngacenient. 
1 hrafyllus was fent to Athens to communicate tiie good 
news, and raife further fupplies of men and money. 
The Spartans, thus compelled to yield poifelTion of 
the fea, retired to Cyzicus to repair their fiiattered 
fleet ; while the Athenians profited by the fame of their 
victory to demand contributions from the wealthy towns 
in that neighbourhood. It w'as then determined, by 
the advice of Alci^biades, to follow the enemy to Cy¬ 
zicus ; for wliicli purpofe they failed, with eighty gal¬ 
leys, to the ifland of Proconnefus, ten miles diftant from 
the flation of the Peloponnefian fleet. Alcibiades fur- 
prifed fixty veflels in a dark and rainy morning, as they 
were manceuvring at a diftance from the harbour, and 
Ikilfully cut off their retreat. As the day cleared up, 
the re(i failed fortli to their afliftance ; the aftion be¬ 
came general ; the Athenians obtained « complete vic¬ 
tory, and their valour was rewarded by the capture of 
the whole Peloponnefian fleet, except the Syracufan 
fitips, whicli were burnt, in the face of a victorious 
enemy, by the enterprifing Herniocrates. The circum- 
(tances ot this important adtion were related in few but 
exprefiive words, to the Spartan fenate, in a letter 
written by Hippocrates, the fecond in command, and 
intercepted by the Athenians: “All is loft; our fliips 
are taken ; Myndarus is ftain 5 tlie men want bread ; 
we know not w’hat to do.” 
The fatal difafter at Cyzicus prevented the Pelopon- 
nefians from obftrudling, during tite following year, the 
defigns of the enemy, who took poffefiion of that wealthy 
fea-port, as well as of the ftrong city Perinthus ; raifed 
a large contribution on Selembra; and fortified Cliry- 
fopolis, a town of Chalcedonia, only three nules 
diftaiit from Byzantium. In this new fortrefs they 
placed a confiderabje body of troops ; and guarded the 
neighbouring ftrait with a fquadron of thirty fail, com¬ 
manded by Tiierainenes and Eubulus, and deftined to 
exaift, as tribute, a tenth fronr all fhips which failed 
througli the Bolphorus into the Euxine fea. The Pe- 
loponnefians were aflifted by Pharnabazus in equipping 
a new fleet; but were deprived of tlie valuable coun- 
fels ot Hermocrates, wliofe commiflion was fuperfeded 
by the folly of the government of Syracufe. 
Meanwhile Tlirafyllus obtained at Athens the fup¬ 
plies which he had gone to folicit. They confifted of a 
thoufand lieavy-armed men, an hundred horfe, and fifty 
‘galleys, manned by five thoufand experienced feamen. 
With thefe forces, Tlirafyllus I'ailed to Samos, hoping 
to render the twenty-third campaign not lefs glorious 
than the preceding; and ambitious to rival, by his vic¬ 
tories in the central and fouthern parts of the Afiatic 
coaft, the fame acquired by Alcibiades and Thrafy- 
bulus in the north. His firft operations were fuccefsful. 
He took Colophon, with feveral places of lefs note, in 
Ionia, penetrated into the heart of Lydia, and returned 
to the ftiore, driving before him a numerous body of 
(laves, and other valuable booty. His courage was in- 
creafed by the want of refiftance on the part of Tilfa- 
pliernes, whofe province he had invaded ; of the Pelo¬ 
ponnefian forces at Miletus; and of the revolted colo¬ 
nies of Athens, He relolved therefore to attack the 
beautiful and flourifliing city of Ephefus, which was 
then tlie principal ornament of the Ionic coaft. While 
his fpldjers, in feparate divifions, were niakmg their 
approaches to the walls, the enemy affembled from 
every quarter to defend the facred temple of Ephelian 
Diana, A vigorous fally of the townfmen increafed 
the ftrength of Tiflaphernes and the Pelopoiinelians, the 
latter of whom had been reinforced by a conliderable 
fquadron from Sicily. The Athenians were defeated 
with the lofs of three hundred men; and retiring from 
the field of battle, they fought refuge in their fliips, 
and failed towards the Hellefpont. During the voyage 
thither, they fortunately fell in with twenty Sicilian 
VOL.VIII. No.5^j. 
E C El 8S(j 
galleys, of which they (ook four, and purfued the reft 
to Ephefus. Having fooii afterwards readied the Hel¬ 
lefpont, they found the Athenian armament at Lanipla- 
chus, where Alcibiades thought proper to mufter the 
whole military and naval forces ; but, on this occafion, 
the -nortlieni army gave a remarkable proof of pride 
and fpirit. They, who had ever been vidorious, re- 
fufed to rank with the foldiers of Thraryllus, who had 
been fo fliamefully foiled before the walls of Ephefus. 
They fubmitted, however, to live in the fame winter 
quarters ; from whence they made an expedition againft 
Abydus. Pharnabazus defended the place with a nu¬ 
merous body of Perfian cavalry. The difgraced troops 
of Tlirafyllus rejoiced in an opportunity to retrieve 
their honour. They attacked, repelled, and roittcd, 
the enemy. Their vidory decided the fate of Abydus, 
and their courage wtts approved by the army of Aki- 
biades, who now embraced them as fellow-foldiers and 
friends. 
For feveral years the meafures of the Athenians had 
been almoft uniformly fuccefsful; but the twenty-fourth 
campaign was diftinguiftied by peculiar favours of for¬ 
tune. The invafton of Sicily by the Carthaginians 
prevented tliat ifland from fending any effectual aflift¬ 
ance to their Peloponnefian allies. The dangerous re¬ 
volt of the Medcs withheld the Perfian reinforcements, 
which were neceffary to fupport the arms of Pharna- 
bazus. Both nations were repeatedly defeated by the 
Athenians, driven from their encampments and fortrefles 
near the fliore, and purfued into the inland cotiiitry, 
which was plundered and defolated by the viefors. 
The Athenians returned in triumph to attack tlie forti¬ 
fied cities, which ftill declined fubniiflion; an under¬ 
taking in which Alcibiades difplayed the wonderful re- 
fources of his extraoidinary genius. By gradual ap¬ 
proaches, by fudden affaults, by furprife, by trealon, or 
by ftratagem, he in a few montlts became mafter of 
Clialcedon, Salembria, and, at laft, of Byzantium itfclf. 
His naval fuccefs was equally confpicuotts. The Atlte- 
iiiaiis had again the fovereignty of the fea. The fmall 
fquadrons fitted out by the enemy futcelTively fell into 
their power; and thefe multiplied captures, which 
w'ere made with little difficulty, accumulated the tro¬ 
phies of the well-fought battles which we have already 
deferibed. It was computed by the partifaiis of Alci¬ 
biades, that, fince affuming the command, lie had taken 
or deftroyed two hundred Syracul'aii and Peloponnsfian 
galleys; and his fuperiority of naval ftrength enabled 
him to raife fuch contributions, both in the Euxine and 
Mediterranean, as abundantly fuppiied Ids fleet and ar- 
niy with every necelfary article of fubfiftence and ac¬ 
commodation. 
Yet while the Athenian arms were crowned w ith fuch 
glory abroad, the Attic territory was continually ha- 
raffed by king Agis and the Lacedasmoniaii troops pofted 
at Decelia, Their bold and fudden incurfions freqiieiitly 
threatened the city itfelf; the defolated lands aiforded 
no advantage to the ruined proprietors ; nor could die 
Athenians venture without tlr ir walls, to celebrate 
their accuftomed feftivals. Ak ibiades, animated by his 
foreign vit'tories, wiflied to relieve the dpmeftic fuft'er- 
ings of his country ; and after an abl'ence of many years, 
diftinguiflied by fuch a variety of fortune, eagerly 
longed to revilit ins native city, and to enjoy tiie re¬ 
wards and honours ufually beilowed by the Greeks on 
fuccefsful valour. This celebrated voyage to Athens, 
was performed in the twenty-fifth f'ummer of tiie war. 
Notwithftanding all his fervices, the cautious foil of 
Clinias, inftnicled by adveifity, declined to land in the 
Piraeus, until he was informed ilut theaffembly had re¬ 
pealed the decrees againft iiim, formally revoked his 
baniflinieiit, and prolonged the term of his command. 
Even after tiiis agreeable intelligence, iie was Hill un¬ 
able to conquer liis well-founded difirult of tli^ capri. 
cions humours of the people ; nor would he approach 
10 R the 
