The historians' history of the world in twenty-five volumes, volume 04 : $b Greece to the Roman Conquest
History
The historians' history of the world in twenty-five volumes, volume 04 : $b Greece to the Roman Conquest
World history
any eye-witness, and suspected that it might be a report intended to
deceive him, and accordingly kept upon his guard. But when he arrived at
Cephallenia, he received a full statement of facts, and stopped there to
refresh his men.
Having reduced the towns in Cephallenia, he sailed off to Corcyra. Here
the first intelligence he received was, that ten galleys were coming from
Dionysius to reinforce the Lacedæmonians; and going in person therefore
along the coast, and considering from what points it was possible to
descry those vessels approaching, and for people making signals to render
them visible at the city, he posted sentinels in those places, arranging
with them what signals they should give when the enemy sailed up and
cast anchor. He then selected twenty of his own captains, who were to be
ready to follow him whenever he should send a messenger to them, and gave
them notice, that, if any one of them should not follow him, he must not
complain of any penalty imposed upon him. As soon as these ships, then,
were signalled as approaching, and messengers were sent to the captains,
their haste was deserving of admiration; for there was no one, of those
that were going to sail, that did not embark with the utmost speed.
Standing away to the point where the ships of the enemy were, he found
that the men from the rest of them were gone ashore, but that Melanippus,
a Rhodian captain, was exhorting the other commanders not to stay there,
and, embarking his own crew, was sailing off. Melanippus, in consequence,
though he met with the ships of Iphicrates, nevertheless escaped, but
all the ships from Syracuse were captured, with their crews. Iphicrates,
cutting off the beaks of the vessels, brought them in tow into the
harbour of Corcyra, and settled a fixed sum for each of the prisoners to
pay for his ransom, except Crinippus, the chief captain, whom he kept
under guard, as if he would exact a vast sum from him, or sell him as
a slave. He however died, through grief, by his own hands. The other
prisoners Iphicrates discharged, taking security from the Corcyræans for
the payment of their ransom.
He maintained his sailors, chiefly, by employing them in agriculture in
the service of the Corcyræans. With the peltasts, and the heavy-armed
men from the fleet, he passed over to Acarnania, where he afforded aid to
the friendly towns, if any required it, and made war upon the Thyreans,
a people of great bravery, and occupying a strongly fortified place.
Afterwards, fetching the fleet from Corcyra, consisting now of about
ninety ships, he proceeded first to Cephallenia and raised contributions
there, as well from people that were willing to give them, as from
those that were unwilling. He then prepared to commit depredations on
the territories of the Lacedæmonians; and, of the cities in those parts
attached to the enemy, to receive into alliance such as were willing to
join him, and to make war on such as rejected his advances.[c]
THE TRIAL OF TIMOTHEUS
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