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024 - Bk 7 pt 2 · Anabasis

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  Speaker 1: Book seven, Part two of Xenophons and Abasis. This is
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  Speaker 1: Anabases by Xenophon, translated by H. G. Dakins, Book seven,
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  Speaker 1: Part two. Now these five were left Neon, the Ysenaean, Phriniscus,
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  Speaker 1: the Achaean Felicius, the Achaean xanthocle Is, the Aecaean Temsian,
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  Speaker 1: the Dardanian at the head of the army, and they
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  Speaker 1: pushed on to some villages of the Thracians, facing Byzantium,
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  Speaker 1: and there encamped. Now the generals could not agree. Cleonor
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  Speaker 1: and Phriniscus wished to march to join Cethus, who had
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  Speaker 1: worked up their feelings by presenting one with a horse
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  Speaker 1: and the other with a woman to wife. But Neon's
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  Speaker 1: object was to come to the Chersonesi. When we are
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  Speaker 1: under the wing of the Lacedaemonians, he thought, I shall
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  Speaker 1: step to the front and come and the whole army
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  Speaker 1: to mationis. One ambition was to cross back again into Asia,
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  Speaker 1: hoping to be reinstated at home and end his exile.
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  Speaker 1: The soldiers shared the wishes of the last general. But
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  Speaker 1: as time dragged on, many of the men sold their
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  Speaker 1: arms at different places and set sail as best they could.
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  Speaker 1: Others actually gave away their arms, some here, some there,
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  Speaker 1: and became absorbed in the cities. One man rejoiced This
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  Speaker 1: was Anixibius, to whom the break up of the army
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  Speaker 1: was a blessing. That is the way, he said to himself,
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  Speaker 1: I can best gratify Parnabasas. But Anixibius, while prosecuting his
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  Speaker 1: voyage from Byzantium, was met at Sizicus by Aristarchus, the
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  Speaker 1: new governor who was to succeed Cleander at Byzantium, and
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  Speaker 1: reports said that a new admiral, Paullus, if he had
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  Speaker 1: not actually arrived, would presently reach the Hell's pont and
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  Speaker 1: relieve Anixibius. The latter sent a parting injunction to Aristarchus
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  Speaker 1: to be sure and sell all the sus Turian soldiers
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  Speaker 1: he could lay hands on still lingering in Byzantium, for
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  Speaker 1: Cleander had not sold a single man of them. On
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  Speaker 1: the contrary, he had made it his business to tend
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  Speaker 1: to the sick and wounded, pitying them and insisting on
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  Speaker 1: their being received in the houses. Aristarchus changed all that,
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  Speaker 1: and was no sooner arrived in Byzantium than he sold
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  Speaker 1: no less than four hundred of them. Meanwhile, Annixibius, on
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  Speaker 1: his coasting voyage, reached Parium, and according to the terms
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  Speaker 1: of their agreement, he sent to Farnabasis. But the latter,
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  Speaker 1: learning that Aristarchus was the new governor at Byzantium and
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  Speaker 1: that Anixibius had ceased to be admiral, turned upon him
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  Speaker 1: a cold shoulder, and set out concocting the same measures
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  Speaker 1: concerning the Syrian army with Aristarchus as he had been
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  Speaker 1: lately at work upon with Anixibius. Anixibius thereupon summoned Xenophon
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  Speaker 1: and bade him, by every manner of means, sailed to
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  Speaker 1: the army with the utmost speed and keep it together.
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  Speaker 1: He was to collect the scattered fragment and marched them
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  Speaker 1: down to Parenthus, and thence conveyed them across to Asia
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  Speaker 1: without loss of time. And herewith he put a thirty
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  Speaker 1: ORed galley at his service, and gave him a letter
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  Speaker 1: of authority and an officer to accompany him. With an
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  Speaker 1: order to the Printhians to escort Xenophon without delay on
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  Speaker 1: horseback to the army. So it was that Xenophon sailed
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  Speaker 1: across and eventually reached the army. The soldiers gave him
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  Speaker 1: a joyous welcome and would have been only too glad
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  Speaker 1: to cross from Thrace into Asia under his leadership. But Suthus,
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  Speaker 1: hearing that Xenophon had arrived, sent Medosades again by sea
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  Speaker 1: to meet him and begged him to bring the army
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  Speaker 1: to him, and whatever he thought would make his speech persuasive.
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  Speaker 1: He was ready to promise him, but the other replied
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  Speaker 1: that none of these things were opened to him to do,
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  Speaker 1: and with this answer, Medosades departed and the Hellenes proceeded
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  Speaker 1: to Parenthus. Here, on arrival, Neon withdrew his troops and
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  Speaker 1: encamped apart, having about eight hundred men, while the remainder
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  Speaker 1: of the army lay in one place under the walls
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  Speaker 1: of Parenthus. After this, Xenophon set himself to find vessels
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  Speaker 1: so as to lose no time in crossing. But in
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  Speaker 1: the interval, Aristarchus, the governor from Byzantium, arrived with a
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  Speaker 1: couple of warships being moved to do so by farnabasis.
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  Speaker 1: To make doubly sure, he first forbad the skippers and
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  Speaker 1: shipmasters to carry the troops across, and then he visited
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  Speaker 1: the camp and informed the soldiers that their passage into
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  Speaker 1: Asia was forbidden. Xenophon replied that he was acting under
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  Speaker 1: the orders of an Exibius, who had sent him thither
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  Speaker 1: for this express purpose, to which Aristarchus retorted, for the
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  Speaker 1: matter of that Anixibius is no longer admiral, and I
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  Speaker 1: am governor in this quarter. If I catch any of
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  Speaker 1: you at sea, I will sink you. With these remarks,
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  Speaker 1: he retired within the walls of Parenthus, next day he
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  Speaker 1: sent for the generals and officers of the army. They
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  Speaker 1: had already reached the fortification walls when some one brought
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  Speaker 1: war to his inner that if he set foot inside,
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  Speaker 1: he would be seized and either meet some ill fate
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  Speaker 1: there or more likely be delivered up to Feigner Basis.
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  Speaker 1: On hearing this, Xenophon set forward the rest of the party,
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  Speaker 1: but for himself pleaded that there was a sacrifice which
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  Speaker 1: he wished to offer. In this way, he contrived to
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  Speaker 1: turn back and consult the victims. Would the gods allow
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  Speaker 1: him to try and bring the army over to Suthus.
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  Speaker 1: On the one hand, it was plain that the idea
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  Speaker 1: of crossing over to Asia in the face of this
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  Speaker 1: man with his ships of war, who meant to bar
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  Speaker 1: the passage, was too dangerous. Nor did he altogether like
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  Speaker 1: the notion of being blocked up in the Chersonnes with
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  Speaker 1: an army in dire need of everything, where besides being
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  Speaker 1: at the beck and call of the governor of the place,
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  Speaker 1: they would be debarred from the necessaries of life. While
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  Speaker 1: Xenophon was thus employed, the generals and officers came back
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  Speaker 1: with a message from Aristarchus, who had told him they
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  Speaker 1: might retire for the present, but in the afternoon he
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  Speaker 1: would expect them. The former suspicions of a plot had
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  Speaker 1: now ripened to a certainty. Xenophon, meantime, had ascertained that
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  Speaker 1: the victims were favorable to his project. He personally and
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  Speaker 1: the army as a whole, might with safety proceed to Suthus,
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  Speaker 1: as they seemed to say. Accordingly, he took with him Polycrates,
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  Speaker 1: the Athenian captain, and from each of the generals, not
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  Speaker 1: including Neon, some one man whom they could in each
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  Speaker 1: case trust, and in the night they set off to
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  Speaker 1: visit the army of Cythus sixty furlongs distant. As they approached,
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  Speaker 1: they came upon some deserted watch fires, and their first
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  Speaker 1: impression was that Southus had shifted his position, but presently
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  Speaker 1: perceiving a confused sound the voices of Cethus's people signaling
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  Speaker 1: to one another, the explanation dawned on him. Southus kept
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  Speaker 1: his watch fires kindled in front of instead of behind
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  Speaker 1: his night pickets, in order that the outposts, being in
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  Speaker 1: the dark, might escape notice, their numbers and position, thus
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  Speaker 1: being a mystery, whilst any party approaching from the outside,
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  Speaker 1: so far from ass gaping notice, would through the glare
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  Speaker 1: of the fire, stand out conspicuously perceiving how matters stood.
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  Speaker 1: Xenophon sent forward his interpreter, who was one of the party,
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  Speaker 1: and bade him inform Cethus that Xenophon was there and
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  Speaker 1: craved conference with him. The others asked if he were
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  Speaker 1: an Athenian from the army yonder, and no sooner had
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  Speaker 1: the interpreter applied yes the same than up they leapt
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  Speaker 1: and galloped off, and in less time than it takes
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  Speaker 1: to tell a couple of hundred peltasts had come up,
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  Speaker 1: who seized and carried off Xenophon and those with him,
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  Speaker 1: and brought them to Southus. The latter was in a
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  Speaker 1: tower right well guarded, and there were horses rounded in
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  Speaker 1: a circle, standing already bitted and bridled. For his alarm
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  Speaker 1: was so great that he gave his horses their provender
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  Speaker 1: during the day, and during the nights he kept watch
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  Speaker 1: and ward with the brutes thus bitted and bridled. It
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  Speaker 1: was stated in explanation that in old days and ancestor
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  Speaker 1: of his named Terry's, had been in this very country
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  Speaker 1: with a large army, several of whom he had lost
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  Speaker 1: at the hands of the native inhabitants, besides being robbed
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  Speaker 1: of his baggage train. The inhabitants of the country are Athenians,
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  Speaker 1: and they are reputed to be by far the most
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  Speaker 1: warlike set of fighters, especially at night when they drew
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  Speaker 1: near Sythus bade Xenophon enter and bring with him any
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  Speaker 1: two he might choose. As soon as they were inside,
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  Speaker 1: they first greeted one another warmly, and then, according to
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  Speaker 1: the Thracian custom, pledged themselves in bowls of wine. There
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  Speaker 1: was further present at the elbow of Cythus Medosades, who
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  Speaker 1: on all occasions acted as his ambassador in chief. Xenophon
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  Speaker 1: took the initiative and spoke as follows. You have sent
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  Speaker 1: to me Soythus once and again. On the first occasion,
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  Speaker 1: you sent Medosadas yonder to Chalcedon, and you begged me
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  Speaker 1: to use my influence in favor of the army crossing
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  Speaker 1: over from Asia. You promised me, in return for this
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  Speaker 1: conduct on my part various kindnesses. At least that is
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  Speaker 1: what Medosadis stated, And before proceeding further he he turned
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  Speaker 1: to Medosades and asked, is that not so? The other
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  Speaker 1: assented again. On a second occasion, the same Medosades came
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  Speaker 1: when I had crossed over from Parium to rejoin the army,
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  Speaker 1: and he promised me that if I would bring you
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  Speaker 1: the army, you would, in various respects treat me as
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  Speaker 1: a friend and brother. He said, especially with regard to
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  Speaker 1: certain sea board places of which you are the owner
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  Speaker 1: and lord that you were minded to make me a
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  Speaker 1: present of them. At this point he again questioned Medosades
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  Speaker 1: whether the words attributed to him were exact, and Medosades
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  Speaker 1: once more fully assented, Come now, proceeded Xenophon. Recount what
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  Speaker 1: answer I made you? At first? At Chalcedon, you answered
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  Speaker 1: that the army was in any case about to cross
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  Speaker 1: over to Byzantium, and as far as that went, there
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  Speaker 1: was no need to pay you or any one else anything.
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  Speaker 1: And for yourself you added that once across you were
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  Speaker 1: minded to leave the army. Which thing came to pass
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  Speaker 1: even as you said, well, what did I say? He
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  Speaker 1: asked your next visit. When you came to me at Sealibria,
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  Speaker 1: you said that the proposal was impossible. You were all
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  Speaker 1: going to Parenthus to cross into Asia. Good, said Xenophon.
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  Speaker 1: And in spite of it all, at the present moment
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  Speaker 1: here I am myself, and Pherniscus one of my colleagues,
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  Speaker 1: and Polycrtus Yonder a captain, and outside to represent the
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  Speaker 1: other generals, all except Neon the Laconian, the trustiest men
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  Speaker 1: they could find to send. So that if you wish
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  Speaker 1: to give these transactions the seal of still greater security,
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  Speaker 1: you have nothing to do but to summon them also.
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  Speaker 1: And do you, Polycrates, go and say from me that
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  Speaker 1: I bid them leave their arms outside, and you can
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  Speaker 1: leave your own sword outside before you enter with them
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  Speaker 1: on your return. When Suthus had heard so far, he interposed,
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  Speaker 1: I should never mistrust an Athenian, for we are relatives
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  Speaker 1: already I know, and the best of friends. I believe
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  Speaker 1: we shall be after that. As soon as the right
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  Speaker 1: men entered, Xenophon first questioned Suthus as to what use
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  Speaker 1: he intended to make of the army, and he replied,
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  Speaker 1: as follows. My cities was my father. His sway extended
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  Speaker 1: over the Militaidae, the Athenians, and the Tranipsay. Then the
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  Speaker 1: affairs of the Eurysians took a bad turn, and my
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  Speaker 1: father was driven out of this country, and later on
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  Speaker 1: died himself of sickness, leaving me to be brought up
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  Speaker 1: as an orphan at the court of Meticus, the present king.
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  Speaker 1: But I, when I had grown to a man's estate,
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  Speaker 1: could not endure to live with my eyes fixed on
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  Speaker 1: another's board. So I seated myself on the seat by
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  Speaker 1: him as a suppliant, and begged him to give me
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  Speaker 1: as many men as he could spare, that I might
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  Speaker 1: wreak what mischief I could on those who had driven
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  Speaker 1: us forth from our land, that thus I might cease
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  Speaker 1: to live in dependence upon another's board, like a dog
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  Speaker 1: watching his master's hand. In answer to my petition, he
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  Speaker 1: gave me the men and the horses, which you will
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  Speaker 1: see at break of day. And nowadays I live with
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  Speaker 1: these pillaging my own ancestral land. But if you would
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  Speaker 1: join me, I think, with the help of Heaven, we
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  Speaker 1: might easily recover my empire. That is what I want
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  Speaker 1: of you. Well, then said Xenophon, supposing we came, what
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  Speaker 1: should you be able to give us the soldiers, the officers,
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  Speaker 1: and the generals. Tell us that these witnesses may report
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  Speaker 1: your answer. And he promised to give to the common
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  Speaker 1: soldiers a cesazine, to a captain twice as much, and
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  Speaker 1: to a general four times as much, with as much
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  Speaker 1: land as ever they liked, some yoke of oxen, and
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  Speaker 1: a fortified place upon the sea board. But now, supposing,
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  Speaker 1: said Xenophon, we fail of success in spite of our endeavors,
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  Speaker 1: suppose any intimidation on the part of the Lacedaemonian should arise,
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  Speaker 1: will you receive into your country any of us who
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  Speaker 1: may seek to find a refuge with you? He answered, nay,
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  Speaker 1: not only so, but I shall look upon you as
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  Speaker 1: my brothers entitle to share my seat and the joint
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  Speaker 1: possessors of all the wealth which we may be able
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  Speaker 1: to acquire, and to you yourself, O Xenophon. I will
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  Speaker 1: give you my daughter, and if you have a daughter,
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  Speaker 1: I will buy her Entracian fashion. And I will give
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  Speaker 1: you Bysanthe as a dwelling place, which is the fairest
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  Speaker 1: of all my possessions. On the seaboard. End of Book seven,
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  Speaker 1: Part two,