History of the Peloponnesian War

and owing to this Samos was the more quickly walled, though it would have been so under any circumstances. Not long after came the letters from Alcibiades, saying that the army was going to be betrayed by Phrynichus, and that the enemy were on the point of attacking them.

As, however, Alcibiades was not thought to be worthy of credit, but to have had a previous acquaintance with the plans of the enemy, and through personal dislike to have attributed them to Phrynichus, as though he were privy to them, he did him no harm, but rather bore witness to his statement by sending this intelligence.

After this, Alcibiades tried to bring over and persuade Tissaphernes to the friendship of the Athenians; and he, though afraid of the Peloponnesians, because they were there with more ships than the Athenians, was still disposed to be convinced by him, if by any means he could; especially since he had observed the dissatisfaction of the Peloponnesians which had been expressed at Cnidus about the treaty of Theramenes, (for as at this time they [*](ἤδη γὰρ ... ἐγεγένητο.] That is to say, the quarrel had taken place at Cnidus, (ch. 43. 2–4,) and from Cnidus the Peloponnesians had moved to Rhodes, (ch. 44. 1,) therefore as the Peloponnesians were arrived at Rhodes when Alcibiades made his application to Tissaphernes, it was perfectly possible for Tissaphernes to be influenced in his reception of the proposals by his feeling of resentment towards the Peloponnesians, as that, having occurred while they were at Cnidus, must have been prior to his interview with Alcibiades. —Arnold.) were at Rhodes, it had already occurred,) in the course of which Lichas had verified the observation which had before been made by Alcibiades about the Lacedaemonians liberating all the states, when he said that it was an intolerable agreement that the king should be master of the cities over which, at any earlier period, either himself or his fathers had had dominion. Alcibiades then, inasmuch as he was struggling for a great object, was earnestly courting and soliciting Tissaphernes.