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023 - Bk 7 pt 1 · Anabasis

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  Speaker 1: Book seven, Part one of Xenophon's and Abassus. This is
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  Speaker 1: Anabasis by Xenophon, translated by H. G. Dakins, Book seven,
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  Speaker 1: Part one, number one. At this point, Farnabasis, who was
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  Speaker 1: afraid that the army might undertake a campaign against his satrope,
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  Speaker 1: sent to Anixibius, the Spartan high admiral, who chanced to
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  Speaker 1: be in Byzantium, and begged him to convey the army
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  Speaker 1: out of Asia, undertaking to comply with his wishes in
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  Speaker 1: every respect. Anixibius accordingly sent to summon the generals and
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  Speaker 1: officers to Byzantium, and promised that the soldiers should not
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  Speaker 1: lack pay for service if they crossed the strait. The
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  Speaker 1: officers said that they would deliberate and return an answer.
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  Speaker 1: Xenophon individually informed them that he was about to quit
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  Speaker 1: the army at once and was only anxious to set sail.
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  Speaker 1: Anaxibius pressed him not to be in so great a hurry.
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  Speaker 1: Cross over with the rest, he said, and then it
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  Speaker 1: will be time enough to think about quitting the army.
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  Speaker 1: This the other undertook to do. Now, Suthus the Thracian
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  Speaker 1: sent Medosades and begged Xenophon to use his influence to
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  Speaker 1: get the army across. Tell Xenophon, if he will do
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  Speaker 1: his best for me in this matter, he will not
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  Speaker 1: regret it. Xenophon answered, the army is in any case
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  Speaker 1: going to cross, so that as far as that is concerned,
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  Speaker 1: Suthus is under no obligation to me or to any
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  Speaker 1: one else. But as soon as it is once across,
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  Speaker 1: I personally shall be quit of it. Let soothus therefore,
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  Speaker 1: as far as he may deem consistent with prudence, apply
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  Speaker 1: to those who are going to remain, and will have
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  Speaker 1: a voice in affairs. After this, the whole body of
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  Speaker 1: troops crossed to Byzantium, but Anixebeus, instead of proceeding to
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  Speaker 1: give pay, made proclamation that the soldiers were to take
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  Speaker 1: up their arms and baggage and go forth as if
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  Speaker 1: all he wished were to ascertain their numbers and bid
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  Speaker 1: them God's speed. At the same moment, the soldiers were
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  Speaker 1: not well pleased at that, because they had no money
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  Speaker 1: to furnish themselves. With provisions for the march, and they
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  Speaker 1: sluggishly set about getting their baggage together. Xenophon, meanwhile, being
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  Speaker 1: on terms of intimacy with the governor Cleander, came to
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  Speaker 1: pay his host a final visit and bid him a jew,
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  Speaker 1: being on the point of setting sail. But the other protested,
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  Speaker 1: do not do so, or else, said he, you will
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  Speaker 1: be blamed for even now certain peoples are disposed to
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  Speaker 1: hold you to account because the army is so slow
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  Speaker 1: in getting under way. The other answered, nay, I am
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  Speaker 1: not to blame for that. It is the men themselves
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  Speaker 1: who are in want of provisions. That is why they
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  Speaker 1: are out of heart at their exodus. All the same,
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  Speaker 1: he replied, I advise you to go out as if
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  Speaker 1: you intended to march with them, and when you are
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  Speaker 1: well outside it will be time enough to take yourself off. Well,
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  Speaker 1: then said Xenophon, we will go and arrange all this
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  Speaker 1: with Anixibius. They went and stated the case to the admiral,
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  Speaker 1: who insisted that they must do as he had said
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  Speaker 1: and march out bag and baggage by the quickest road.
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  Speaker 1: And as an appendix to the former edict, he added,
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  Speaker 1: any one absenting himself from the review, and the muster
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  Speaker 1: will have himself to blame for the consequences. This was peremptory.
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  Speaker 1: So outmarched the generals first, and then the rest. And now,
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  Speaker 1: with the exception of here a man, and there they
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  Speaker 1: were all outside. It was a clean sweep, and Etonicus
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  Speaker 1: stood posted near the gates, ready to close them as
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  Speaker 1: soon as the men were fairly out, and to thrust
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  Speaker 1: in the bolt pin. Then Anixibius summoned the generals and
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  Speaker 1: captains and addressed them provisions you had better get from
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  Speaker 1: the Thracian villages. You will find plenty of barley, wheat
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  Speaker 1: and other necessaries in them. And when you have got them,
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  Speaker 1: off with you to the Chessaronissi, where Syniscus will take
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  Speaker 1: you into his service. Some of the soldiers overheard what
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  Speaker 1: was said, or posile one of the officers was the
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  Speaker 1: medium of communication. However it was the news was handed
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  Speaker 1: on to the army. As to the generals, their immediate
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  Speaker 1: concern was to try and gain some information as to Suthus,
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  Speaker 1: was he hostile or friendly? Also, would they have to
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  Speaker 1: march through the Sacred mountain or round about through the
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  Speaker 1: middle of Thrace. While they were discussing these points, the
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  Speaker 1: soldiers snatched up their arms and made a rush full
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  Speaker 1: speed at the gates, with the intention of getting inside
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  Speaker 1: the fortification again. But a Tonicus and his men, seeing
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  Speaker 1: the heavy infantry coming up at a run, promptly closed
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  Speaker 1: the gates and thrust in the bolt pin. Then the
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  Speaker 1: soldiers fell to battering the gates, exclaiming that it was
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  Speaker 1: their iniquitous to thrust them forth in this fashion into
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  Speaker 1: the jaws of their enemies. If you do not, of
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  Speaker 1: your own accord open the gates, they cried, we will
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  Speaker 1: split them in half. And another set rushed down to
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  Speaker 1: the sea, and so along the water break and over
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  Speaker 1: the wall into the city, while a third set, consisting
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  Speaker 1: of those few who were still inside, having no never
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  Speaker 1: left the city. Seeing the affair at the gates, severed
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  Speaker 1: the bars with axes and flung the portals wide open,
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  Speaker 1: and the rest came pouring in. Xenophon, seeing what was happening,
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  Speaker 1: was seized with alarm, lest the army betake itself to pillage,
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  Speaker 1: and ills incurable be wrought to the city, to himself
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  Speaker 1: and to the soldiers. Then he set off, and, plunging
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  Speaker 1: into the throng, was swept through the gates with the crowd.
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  Speaker 1: The Byzantines no sooner saw the soldiers forcibly rushing in
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  Speaker 1: than they left the open square and fled, some to
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  Speaker 1: the shipping, others to their homes, while those already indoors
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  Speaker 1: came racing out, and some fell to dragging down their
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  Speaker 1: ships of war, hoping possibly to be safe on board these.
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  Speaker 1: While there was not a soul who doubted but that
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  Speaker 1: the city was taken, and that they were all undone,
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  Speaker 1: Etonicus made a swift retreat to the citadel. An Exebeus
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  Speaker 1: ran down to the sea, and, getting on board a
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  Speaker 1: fisherman's smack, sailed round to the acropolis, and at once
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  Speaker 1: set off to fetch over the garrison troops from Chalcedon.
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  Speaker 1: Since those already in the acropolis seemed hardly sufficient to
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  Speaker 1: keep the men in check, The soldiers, catching sight of Xenophon,
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  Speaker 1: threw themselves upon him, crying, now, Xenophon, is the time
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  Speaker 1: to prove yourself a man. You have got a city,
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  Speaker 1: you have got trirems, you have got money, you have
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  Speaker 1: got men. To day. If you only choose, you can
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  Speaker 1: do us a good turn, and we will make you
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  Speaker 1: a great man. He replied nay. I like what you say,
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  Speaker 1: and I will do it all. But if that is
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  Speaker 1: what you have your heart set on, fall into rank
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  Speaker 1: and take up positions at once. This he said, wishing
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  Speaker 1: to quiet them, and so passed the order along the
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  Speaker 1: lines himself, while bidding the rest to do the same.
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  Speaker 1: Take up position stand easy. But the men themselves, by
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  Speaker 1: a species of self marshaling, fell into rank and were
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  Speaker 1: soon formed. The heavy infantry ate deep, while the light
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  Speaker 1: infantry had run up to cover either wing. The Thracian square,
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  Speaker 1: as it is called, is a fine sight from Manu,
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  Speaker 1: being bare of buildings and level. As soon as the
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  Speaker 1: arms were stacked and the men's tempers cooled, Xenophon called
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  Speaker 1: a general meeting of the soldiers and made the following speech, Soldiers,
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  Speaker 1: I am not surprised at your wrath or that you
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  Speaker 1: deem it monstrous treatment so to be cheated. But consider
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  Speaker 1: what will be the consequences if we gratify our indignation,
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  Speaker 1: and in return for such deception avenge ourselves on the
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  Speaker 1: Lacedaemonians here present, and plunder an innocent city. We shall
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  Speaker 1: be declared enemies of the Lacedaemonians in their allies and
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  Speaker 1: what sort of war will that be? We need not
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  Speaker 1: go far to conjecture. I take it you have not
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  Speaker 1: forgotten some quite recent occurrences. We Athenians entered into war
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  Speaker 1: against the Lacedaemonians and their allies with a fleet consisting
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  Speaker 1: of not less than three thousand line of battleships, including
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  Speaker 1: those in doc as well as those afloat. We had
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  Speaker 1: vast treasures stored up in the city, and a yearly income,
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  Speaker 1: which derived from home or foreign sources, amounted to no
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  Speaker 1: less than the thousand talents. Our empire included all the islands,
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  Speaker 1: and we were possessed of numerous cities, both in Asia
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  Speaker 1: and in Europe, amongst others. This very Byzantium where we
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  Speaker 1: are now was ours. And yet in the end we
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  Speaker 1: were vanquished. As you all very well know, what must
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  Speaker 1: we anticipate will now be our fate. The Lacedaemonians have
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  Speaker 1: not only their old allies, but the Athenians and those
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  Speaker 1: who were at that time allies of Athens are added
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  Speaker 1: to them. Tisaphernes and all the rest of the Asiatics
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  Speaker 1: on the sea board are our foes, not to speak
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  Speaker 1: of our arch enemy, the king himself up yonder whom
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  Speaker 1: we came to deprive of his empire and to kill,
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  Speaker 1: if possible, I asked, then, with all these banded together
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  Speaker 1: against us, is there any one so insensate as to
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  Speaker 1: imagine we can survive the contest. For Heaven's sake, let
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  Speaker 1: us not go mad or loosely throw away our lives
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  Speaker 1: in war with our own native cities. Nay, our own friends,
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  Speaker 1: our kith, and our kin, For in one or the
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  Speaker 1: other of the cities they are all included. Every city
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  Speaker 1: will march against us, and not unjustly if after refusing
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  Speaker 1: to hold one single Barbarian city by right of conquest,
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  Speaker 1: we seize the first Hellenic city that we come to
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  Speaker 1: and make it a ruinous heap. For my part, my
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  Speaker 1: prayer is that before I see such things wrought by you, I,
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  Speaker 1: at any rate may lie ten thousand fathoms underground. My
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  Speaker 1: counsel to you, as Hellene's is to try and obtain
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  Speaker 1: your just rights through obedience to those who stand at
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  Speaker 1: the head of Hellas. And if so be that you
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  Speaker 1: fail in those demands, why, being more sinned against than sinning,
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  Speaker 1: do we need rob ourselves of Hellas too? At present?
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  Speaker 1: I propose that we should send to Annexybeas and tell
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  Speaker 1: him that we have made an entrance into the city,
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  Speaker 1: not meditating violence, but merely to discover if he and
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  Speaker 1: his will show us any good. For if so, it
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  Speaker 1: is well, but if otherwise, at least we will let
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  Speaker 1: him see that he does not shut the door upon us.
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  Speaker 1: As dupes and fools. We know the meaning of discipline.
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  Speaker 1: We turn our back, wax and go. This resolution was passed,
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  Speaker 1: and they sent Hieronymus and Alayan with two others Eurulachus
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  Speaker 1: and Arcadian, and Felicius and Achaean, to deliver the message.
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  Speaker 1: So these set off on their errand. But while the
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  Speaker 1: soldiers were still seated in conclave, Corotadis of Thebes arrived.
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  Speaker 1: He was a theban, not in exile, but with a
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  Speaker 1: taste for generalship, who made it his business to see
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  Speaker 1: if any city or nation were in need of his services. Thus,
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  Speaker 1: on the present occasion, he presented himself and begged to
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  Speaker 1: state that he was ready to put himself at their
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  Speaker 1: head and would lead them into Delta of Thrace, as
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  Speaker 1: it is called, where they would find themselves in a
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  Speaker 1: land of plenty. But until they got there, he would
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  Speaker 1: provide them with meat and drink enough to spare. While
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  Speaker 1: they were still listening to this tale, the return message
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  Speaker 1: from Annexebius came. His answer was the discipline they had
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  Speaker 1: spoken of was not a thing they would regret. Indeed,
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  Speaker 1: he would report their behavior to the authorities at Hell home,
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  Speaker 1: and for himself he would take advice and do the
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  Speaker 1: best he could for them. Thereupon, the soldiers accepted Coratadas
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  Speaker 1: as their general and returned without the walls. Their new
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  Speaker 1: general undertook to present himself to the troops next day
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  Speaker 1: with sacrificial beasts and a soothsayer with eatables, also in
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  Speaker 1: drinkables for the army. Now, as soon as they were
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  Speaker 1: gone out, and Nixibius closed the gates and issued a
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  Speaker 1: proclamation to the effect that any of the soldiers caught
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  Speaker 1: inside should be knocked down to the hammer and sold
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  Speaker 1: at once. Next day, Coratades arrived with the victims in
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  Speaker 1: the soothsayer a string of twenty bearers bearing barleymeal, followed
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  Speaker 1: at his heels, succeeded by twenty other carrying wine, and
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  Speaker 1: three laden with a supply of olives, and two others
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  Speaker 1: carrying the one about as much garlic as a single
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  Speaker 1: man could lift, and the other a similar load of onions.
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  Speaker 1: These various supplies he set down, apparently for distribution, and
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  Speaker 1: began to sacrifice. Now Xenophon sent it clely, begging him
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  Speaker 1: to arrange matters so that he might be allowed to
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  Speaker 1: enter the walls with a view to starting for Byzantium.
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  Speaker 1: On his homeward voyage. Cleander came, and this is what
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  Speaker 1: he said. I have come, but I was barely able
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  Speaker 1: to arrange what you want. Anixebeus insisted it was not
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  Speaker 1: convenient that Xenophon should be inside while the soldiers are
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  Speaker 1: close to the walls without the Byzantines at sixes and sevens. Moreover,
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  Speaker 1: and no love lost between the one party of them
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  Speaker 1: and the other. Still, he ended by bidding you to
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  Speaker 1: come inside if you were really minded to leave the
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  Speaker 1: town by sea with himself. Accordingly, Xenophon bade the soldiers
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  Speaker 1: good bye and returned with Cleander within the walls to
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  Speaker 1: return to Corotadas. The first day, he failed to get
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  Speaker 1: favorable signs at the sacrifice, and never a dole of
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  Speaker 1: rations did he make to the soldiers. On the second day,
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  Speaker 1: the victims were standing ready near the altar, and so
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  Speaker 1: was Cortades, with chaplet crowned, all ready to sacrifice. When
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  Speaker 1: up comes to Nussian the Dardanian, with Neon the Assenian
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  Speaker 1: and cleonor of Orcomenus, forbidding Corotadis to sacrifice, he must
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  Speaker 1: understand there was an end to his generalship unless he
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  Speaker 1: gave them provisions. The other bade them measure out the supplies, pray,
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  Speaker 1: dole them out. But when he found that he had
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  Speaker 1: a good deal short of a single day's provisions for
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  Speaker 1: each man, he picked up his periphernalia of sacrifice and
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  Speaker 1: withdrew as to being general. He would have nothing more
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  Speaker 1: to say to it. End of Book seven, Part one,