History of the Peloponnesian War

When, on being thus questioned, they allowed that they had not, he then said to them plainly,

This advantage, then, cannot be attained by us, if we do not adopt a more temperate policy, and put the offices into the hands of a smaller number, that the king may place confidence in us— (and that we may not consult so much at present about a form of government as about the preservation of the state; for we shall have power to alter hereafter whatever may not please us)—and, moreover, if we do not restore Alcibiades, who is the only man at present that can effect this.

The people were at first very indignant on hearing mention made of the oligarchy; but when plainly informed by Pisander that there were no other means of preservation, being afraid, and at the same time having [*](ἐλπίζων.] ʼἐπελπίζων is the reading which Bekker adopts from nine of the MSS. in the sense of building their hope on this. But as this use the word appears to belong to later writers only, it would perhaps be better (supposing the compound verb to be the genuine reading) to give the preposition its very common force of addition, having, besides their conviction of present helplessness, the hope of changing hereafter what they did not like. Compare the use of ἐπιθεραπεύων, ch. 47. 1. Or, again, it might imply the idea of a hope in reserve—an after-hope, as in ἐπίνοια and some other words e. g. Soph. Antig. 385, ψεύδει γαρ ἡ ʼπίνοια τὴν γνώμην.) hopes of changing it again, they gave way.

Accordingly they resolved that Pisander and ten commissioners with him should sail and conclude, as they might think would be best, the negotiations both with Tissaphernes and Alcibiades.

At the same time, on Pisander's falsely accusing Phrynichus, the people deposed him from his command with his colleague Scironides, and sent Diomedon and Leon to the fleet as generals in their stead. For Pisander calumniated Phrynichus by saying that he had betrayed Iasus and Amorges, only because he did not think him favourable to the negotiations carried on with Alcibiades.

Pisander likewise visited all the clubs which had previously existed in the city for mutual support in law-suits and elections to offices, and exhorted them to unite together and by common counsels abolish the democracy; and after making all his other preparations to suit the present state of affairs, so that there might be no more delay, he himself with the ten commissioners proceeded on his voyage to Tissaphernes.

In the course of this winter Leon and Diomedon, having by this time reached the Athenian fleet, made an attack upon Rhodes. The ships of the Peloponnesians they found hauled up; and having made a descent on the territory, and defeated in an engagement those of the Rhodians who went out against them, they withdrew to Chalce, and carried on the war from that place, rather than from Cos; for it was more convenient for their observing whether the fleet of the Peloponnesians put out in any direction.

Xenophantidas the Lacedaemonian also came to Rhodes from Pedaritus at Chios, telling them that the wall of the Athenians was now completed, and unless they succoured them with all their ships, their cause would be ruined at Chios. Accordingly they determined to relieve them.