Greece -- History -- Peloponnesian War, 431-404 B.C.
While these events were going on, Eurymedon and Sophocles had put to
sea with the Athenian fleet from Pylos on their way to Sicily and,
arriving at Corcyra, joined the townsmen in an expedition against the
party established on Mount Istone, who had crossed over, as I have
mentioned, after the revolution and become masters of the country, to
the great hurt of the inhabitants. Their stronghold having been taken
by an attack, the garrison took refuge in a body upon some high ground
and there capitulated, agreeing to give up their mercenary auxiliaries,
lay down their arms, and commit themselves to the discretion of the
Athenian people. The generals carried them across under truce to the
island of Ptychia, to be kept in custody until they could be sent to
Athens, upon the understanding that, if any were caught running away,
all would lose the benefit of the treaty. Meanwhile the leaders of the
Corcyraean commons, afraid that the Athenians might spare the lives of
the prisoners, had recourse to the following stratagem. They gained
over some few men on the island by secretly sending friends with
instructions to provide them with a boat, and to tell them, as if for
their own sakes, that they had best escape as quickly as possible, as
the Athenian generals were going to give them up to the Corcyraean
people.
These representations succeeding, it was so arranged that the men were
caught sailing out in the boat that was provided, and the treaty became
void accordingly, and the whole body were given up to the Corcyraeans.
For this result the Athenian generals were in a great measure
responsible; their evident disinclination to sail for Sicily, and thus
to leave to others the honour of conducting the men to Athens,
encouraged the intriguers in their design and seemed to affirm the
truth of their representations. The prisoners thus handed over were
shut up by the Corcyraeans in a large building, and afterwards taken
out by twenties and led past two lines of heavy infantry, one on each
side, being bound together, and beaten and stabbed by the men in the
lines whenever any saw pass a personal enemy; while men carrying whips
went by their side and hastened on the road those that walked too
slowly.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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