To the misfortunes of Mitylênê belongs, as a suitable appendix, the fate of Pachês, the Athenian commander, whose perfidy at Notium has been recently recounted. It appears, that having contracted a passion for two beautiful free women at Mitylênê, Hellânis and Lamaxis, he slew their husbands, and got possession of them by force. Possibly, they may have had private friends at Athens, which must of course have been the case with many Mitylenæan families: at all events they repaired thither, bent on obtaining redress for this outrage, and brought their complaint against Pachês before the Athenian dikastery, in that trial of accountability to which every officer was liable at the close of his command. So profound was the sentiment which their case excited, in this open and numerous assembly of Athenian citizens, that the guilty commander, not waiting for sentence, slew himself with his sword in open court.[429] [429] See the Epigram of Agathias, 57, p. 377. Agathias, ed. Bonn. Ἑλλανὶς τριμάκαιρα, καὶ ἁ χαρίεσσα Λάμαξις, ἤστην μὲν πάτρας φέγγεα Λεσβιάδος. Ὅκκα δ᾽ Ἀθηναίῃσι σὺν ὅλκασιν ἔνθαδε κέλσας τὰν Μιτυληναίαν γᾶν ἀλάπαξε Πάχης, Τᾶν κουρᾶν αδίκως ἡράσσατο, τὼς δὲ συνεύνως ἔκτανεν, ὡς τήνας τῇδε βιησόμενος. Ταὶ δὲ κατ᾽ Αἰγαίοιο ῥόου πλατὺ λαῖτμα φερέσθην, καὶ ποτὶ τὰν κραναὰν Μοψοπίαν δραμέτην, Δάμῳ δ᾽ ἀγγελέτην ἀλιτήμονος ἔργα Πάχητος μέσφα μιν εἰς ὀλοὴν κῆρα συνηλασάτην. Τοῖα μὲν, ὦ κούρα, πεπονήκατον· ἄψ δ᾽ ἐπὶ πάτραν ἥκετον, ἐν δ᾽ αὐτᾷ κεῖσθον ἀποφθιμένα. Εὖ δὲ πόνων ἀπόνασθον, ἐπεὶ ποτὶ σᾶμα συνεύνων εὕδετον, ἐς κλεινᾶς μνᾶμα σαοφροσύνας· Ὑμνεῦσιν δ᾽ ἔτι πάντες ὁμόφρονας ἡρωΐνας, πάτρας καὶ ποσίων πήματα τισαμένας. Plutarch (Nikias, 6: compare Plutarch, Aristeidês, c. 26) states the fact of Pachês having slain himself before the dikastery on occasion of his trial of accountability. Πάχητα τὸν ἕλοντα Λέσβον, ὃς, εὐθύνας δίδους τῆς στρατηγίας, ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ δικαστηρίῳ σπασάμενος ξίφος ἀνεῖλεν ἑαυτὸν, etc.