G R E 
tiy the /harp pangs of remorfe, the intolerable pain of 
which they vainly attempted to mitigate by inflifting a 
well-merited vengeance on the worthlefs and dete/lable 
Caliixenus. 
The removal of the Athenian admiralsj and the defeat 
and death of the Spartan Callifratidas, fiifpended for 
feveral montlis the military and naval operations on 
both fides. The behaviour of Philocles and Adiman- 
tlius, who had been joined in authority witli Conon, 
were better fitted to obftrui 5 l than promote the meafures 
of that bra.ve and prudent commander. The Spartans, 
in the mean while, at the requeft of their allies, rellored 
Lyfander to the command of the Peloponnefian fleet. 
I-Ie was again received at Sardis by the Perfian prince, 
%vith the warmeft demonftrations of joy. He was fup- 
pliedwith money to fatisfy the immediate wants of the 
troops; and, as Cyrus at that time happened to make 
a journey into Upper Afia, the revenues of his wealthy 
province were configned to the management of his Spar¬ 
tan friend. Such powerful refources could not remain 
unemployed in the ailiye hands of Lyfander, His emif- 
faries affiduoufly engaged or prefl’ed the Ionian and Ca- 
riaii feamen. The harbours of Afia Minor, particularly 
the port-of Ephefus, glowed witli the ardour of naval 
preparation, and in a few months Lyfander failed to the 
Hellefppnt with an hundred and fifty gallies, and at¬ 
tacked the important town of Lampfacus. The place, 
though vigoroufly defended by tiie Athenian garrifon, 
was taken by fiorm; and according to the barbarous 
practice of the age, abandoned to the licentious rapa¬ 
city, the avarice, tiie luft, and fury, of the conquerors, - 
The languid and indccifive meafures of the Athenians 
at Samos accufe the abilities of Tydeus, Menander, and 
Cephifodotus, who had been joined in command with 
Conon and his unworthy colleagues. They failed too 
late to lave Lampfacus; but as they poflefled an hun¬ 
dred and eighty gallies, a force fuperior to Lyfander’s, 
they anchored on the oppofite or European fide of the 
Hellefpont, at the diftance of fifteen furlongs, in order 
to provoke the enemy to an engagement; Their ftation 
was injudicioufly taken at the mouth of the ^gos Pota- 
mos, diftant two miles from'Sefios, the neareft town from 
whicli the fleet could be provided with neceffaries. 
Alcibiades, who in his Thracian retirement was unable 
to withdraw his attention from the war in which he had 
fo long afted a difiingiiilhed part, modeftly admoniflied 
his countrymen of their imprudence; but he was arro¬ 
gantly reproached for preluming, while an exile and an 
outlaw, to give advice to the admirals of Athens. De- 
fpifing the inferiority of the Peloponnelian fleet, they 
advanced in order of battle to the harbour of Lampfa¬ 
cus ; and when the enemy moved not from their ftation, 
they returned in triumph as acknowledged mafters of 
the fea. The prudence of Lyfander perceived and in¬ 
dulged tlieir prefiimption. During four days he bore, 
with extraordinary patience, their repeated infults, af- 
fetfing the utmoft dilinclination to an engagement, care¬ 
fully retaining his fleet in a place of fecurity, and regu¬ 
larly difpatching a few fwift-failing veilels to obferve 
the motions and behaviour of the Athenians, when they 
returned from their daily cruife to the road of j®gos 
Potamos. 
The fifth day they again bore up to the Pelopon- 
nefians, and provoked them to battle by more daring 
menaces titan on any former occalion. As tliey flattered 
theml'el ves with an undoubted profpe 61 : of fuccefs, they 
yielded without relerve to the idle petulance of proipe- 
rity, and debated in what manner they fliould treat the 
Lacedaemonian prifoners who mull foon fall into their 
pow er. 1 he cruel Philocles propofed to cut olf their 
right hands, that thofe enemies of Athens might be 
equally incapable to manage the oar and to braudilh the 
fpear; and this bafe refolution, though oppoled by 
Adimantus, was. approved by the majority of his col¬ 
leagues. After inlulting the enemy in a manner the 
VoL, Vlll. No-. 553. 
E C E. 
moft mortifying and difgraceful, they retired with an 
air of exultation mingled with contempt. I'he Pelo¬ 
ponnefian fpy-boats followed them as ufual at a conve¬ 
nient diftance, and obferved tliat they had no foonef 
reached their ftations than the leamen landed, ftraggled 
about the fhore, advanced into the inland country in 
qiieftof provifions or anuifement, indulged in indolence, 
or revelled in diforder. The advice-boats returned with 
uncommon celerity to convey the welcome infetligence 
to Lyfander, who had embarked the troops, cleared his 
/hips, and made every necelfary preparation to avail 
himfelf of the favourable opportunity to effeift by flra- 
tagem what it might have been dangerous to attempt 
by force. When his fcouts approached t!;e middle of 
the channel, they lioifted their fhields, which was the 
appointed fignal, and at the fame tnomewt the Pelopon¬ 
nefian fquadrons were commanded to fei fail that they 
might furprife the hoftile fleet, and indulge that refent- 
ment which had been rendered more violent by the long 
and repeated infults of the enemy. The victory was 
complete, if that can be called a vidlory where there 
was I'carcely any refiftance. The vigilant aftivity of 
Conon endeavoured t® affemble the ftrength of the 
Athenians; but his advice was difdained by ofiicers in¬ 
capable and unworthy of command, and his orders were 
defpifed by feamen unaccuftomed and unwilling to obey. 
At length they became lenlible of the.danger when it 
was impoffible to refift it. Their fliips were,taken, either 
altogether empty, or manned with fach feeble crews as 
were unable to work, much lefs to defend, them. The 
troops and failors who flocked to th.e fnore from dif¬ 
ferent quarters, and with difordered precipitation, were 
attacked by the difeiplined valour of the Peloponne- 
fians. Thole who fought were (lain; the remainder fled, 
into the inmoft recefles of the Cherfonefus, or took re¬ 
fuge in the Athenian fortrefles which were fcattered 
over that peninfula. When Lyfander reviewed the ex¬ 
tent of his well-merited fuccefs, he found that of a fleet 
of an hundred and eighty fail, only nine veffels had 
efcaped, eight of which were condufted by Conon to 
the friendly ifland of Cyprus, while the ninth carried 
to Athens the melancholy news of a difafter equally un- 
expedled and fatal. An hundred and /evenly one gal¬ 
lies, and three thoufand prifoners (among whom were 
Philocles and Adimantus), rewarded the patience and 
fortitude of Lyfander, who returned wirh his Ipoil to 
Lampfacus, amidft the acclamations of naval triumph. 
Before purfuing the natural confequences of an event 
the moft important that had hitherto happened in all 
the Grecian wars, it was necelTary for Lyfander to de¬ 
cide the fate of tJie Athenian prifoners, againft whom 
the confederates were animated by all that unrelenting 
hatred which is congenial to the /lern charadler of re¬ 
publicans exafperated by continual provocation and 
inlult. The injuftice and cruelty of that ambitious 
people were carefully deferibed and maliciou/ly exagge¬ 
rated in the tribunal of their enemies. “ It would be 
tedious to enumerate, though it was impoflible ever 
to forget, their multiplied and abominable crimes, of 
which lb many individuals, and fo many communities, 
had been the innocent and unhappy vittims. Even of 
late they had deftroyed v/ithout remorfe, and without 
the fliadow of necelTity, the helplefs crews of a Corin¬ 
thian and an Andrian veflel. 'I'iie gods had averted the 
atrocious relohition propofed by the bloody Philocles, 
of which the author and the approvers were equally cri¬ 
minal; nor could thofe deferve pardon who were inca¬ 
pable of pity.” Such difeourfe, whicii reioiinded from 
every quarter of the alfenibl'j,', declared, without the 
necellity of a formal vote, the Linanimou:' decree of tlie 
confederates. As the prifoners had been /liipped of 
their arms, there was nothing to be feared from their 
numbers and defpair. They v.'ere conducted into the 
prefence of their armed judges; and, as a prelude to. 
the inhuman malikere, Lyfander ilernly demanded of 
10 S Philoclea 
/ 
