Hellenica

The ambassadors thanked him, and urged him to make the wage of each sailor an Attic drachma[*](The Attic drachma = about 9 d. or 18 cents; it was the average wage of an ordinary day-labourer.) a day, explaining that if this were made the rate, the sailors of the Athenian fleet would desert their ships, and hence he would spend less money.[*](Since the war would be brought to a speedy conclusion, the Athenian sailors going over to the Lacedaemonian fleet for the sake of the higher wage.)

He replied that their plan was a good one, but that it was not possible for him to act contrary to the King’s instructions; besides, the original compact ran in this way, that the King should give thirty minae[*](A mina=100 drachmae=600 obols. A ship’s crew normally numbered 200 men; hence 30 minae per month per ship=3 obols per day per man.) per month to each ship, whatever number of ships the Lacedaemonians[*](407 B.C.) might wish to maintain.

Lysander accordingly dropped the matter for the moment; but after dinner, when Cyrus drank his health and asked him by what act he could gratify him most, Lysander replied: By adding an obol to the pay of each sailor.