Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 8.81

[1] In the meantime, they that were in authority at Samos, and especially Thrasybulus, who after the form of government changed was still of the mind to have Alcibiades recalled, at length in an assembly persuaded the soldiers to the same. And when they had decreed for Alcibiades both his return and his security, he went to Tissaphernes and fetched Alcibiades to Samos, accounting it their only means of safety to win Tissaphernes from the Peloponnesians to themselves.

[2] An assembly being called, Alcibiades complained of and lamented the calamity of his own exile, and speaking much of the business of the state gave them no small hopes of the future time, hyperbolically magnifying his own power with Tissaphernes to the end that both they which held the oligarchy at home might the more fear him, and so the conspiracies dissolve, and also those at Samos the more honour him and take better heart unto themselves; and withal, that the enemy might object the same to the utmost to Tissaphernes and fall from their present hopes.

[3] Alcibiades therefore, with the greatest boast that could be, affirmed that Tissaphernes had undertaken to him that as long as he had anything left, if he might but trust the Athenians they should never want for maintenance; no, though he should be constrained to make money of his own bed; and that he would fetch the Phoenician fleet, now at Aspendus, not to the Peloponnesians but to the Athenians; and that then only he would rely upon the Athenians when Alcibiades called home should undertake for them.

[1] Meanwhile the chiefs at Samos , and especially Thrasybulus, who from the moment that he had changed the government had remained firmly resolved to recall Alcibiades, at last in an assembly brought over the mass of the soldiery, and upon their voting for his recall and amnesty, sailed over to Tissaphernes and brought Alcibiades to Samos , being convinced that their only chance of salvation lay in his bringing over Tissaphernes from the Peloponnesians to themselves.

[2] An assembly was then held in which Alcibiades complained of and deplored his private misfortune in having been banished, and speaking at great length upon public affairs, highly incited their hopes for the future, and extravagantly magnified his own influence with Tissaphernes. His object in this was to make the oligarchical government at Athens afraid of him, to hasten the dissolution of the clubs, to increase his credit with the army at Samos and heighten their own confidence, and lastly to prejudice the enemy as strongly as possible against Tissaphernes, and blast the hopes which they entertained.

[3] Alcibiades accordingly held out to the army such extravagant promises as the following: that Tissaphernes had solemnly assured him that if he could only trust the Athenians they should never want for supplies while he had anything left, no, not even if he should have to coin his own silver couch, and that he would bring the Phoenician fleet now at Aspendus to the Athenians instead of to the Peloponnesians; but that he could only trust the Athenians if Alcibiades were recalled to be his security for them.

Die Männer aber, welche damals in Samos an der
Spitze standen, insbesondere Thrasybulos, waren auch unter
den veränderten Verhältnissen nach wie vor der Ansicht, daß
man Alkibiades zurückrufen müsse, und es gelang ihnen endlich
auch, in einer Versammlung die große Mehrheit der Soldaten
dafür zu gewinnen. Nachdem man beschlossen, daß Alkibiades
Straflosigkeit und freie Rückkehr zu gewährleisten sei, fuhr
Thrasybulos zu Tissaphernes hinüber und brachte darauf Alki­
biades mit nach Samos; denn nach seiner Meinung kam alles
darauf an, dessen Einfluß zu benutzen, um Tissaphernes von.
den Peloponnesiern auf ihre Seite zu ziehen. In einer sodann
berufenen Versammlung erging sich Alkibiades zunächst in Be­
schuldigungen und Klagen über seine Verbannung und die ihm
daraus persönlich erwachsenen Leiden, um dann in einer längeren
Rede über die politische Lage die glänzendsten Hoffnungen für
die Zukunft bei den Anwesenden zu erwecken. Dabei übertrieb
er die Größe seines Einflusses bei Tissaphernes, einmal damit
die oligarchischen Machthaber in Athen ihn fürchten und die
politischen Vereine um so eher aufgelöst werden sollten, die
Athener in Samos aber ihn um so höher schätzten und immer
mehr Vertrauen zu ihrer Sache faßten, anderseits aber auch,
um den Riß zwischen Tissaphernes und den Feinden möglichst
zu erweitern und deren noch immer auf ihn gesetzten Hoff­
nungen zunichte zu machen. So versicherte er ihnen mit
prahlerischer Übertreibung, Tissaphernes habe ihm feierlich ver­
sprochen, wenn er nur erst zu den Athenern Vertrauen gefaßt,
solle es ihnen, solange er noch einen Groschen habe, an Unter­
halt nicht fehlen, und wenn er schließlich seine eigene Bett­
decke versetzen müßte, und die schon in Aspendos befindlichen
phönizischen Schiffe würde er für die Athener und nicht für
die Peloponnesier kommen lassen. Vertrauen zu den Athenern
fassen freilich würde er nur, wenn er, Alkibiades, zurückgerufen
und ihm Bürge für sie werden würde.

LXXXI. Thrasybule, qui, depuis la révolution qu’il avait opérée, était toujours dominé par la pensée de faire rappeler Alcibiade, parvint enfin, de concert avec ceux qui dirigeaient les affaires à Samos, à obtenir, dans une assemblée, l’assentiment de la majorité des soldats. Après avoir fait voter par eux le rappel d’Alcibiade, avec toutes garanties pour sa personne, il alla le trouver auprès de Tissaphernes et le ramena à Samos. Car il ne voyait d’autre chance de salut que ^{1 2} de détacher Tissaphernes des Lacédémoniens par l'intermédiaire d’Alcibiade. Une assemblée fut convoquée : Alcibiade, après des récriminations et des plaintes sur le malheur de son exil, parla longuement des aflaires publiques et sut inspirer de grandes espérances pour l’avenir. Il exagéra beaucoup son crédit auprès de Tissapbernes, afin de se rendre plus redoutable aux chefs de l’oligarchie à Athènes, de dissoudre plus aisément la conjuration, et d’inspirer à l’armée de Samos plus de respect pour lui, plus de confiance dans l’avenir; son but était aussi d’irriter profondément les ennemis contre Tissaphernes et de ruiner les espérances qu’ils avaient conçues. Il s’étendit donc avec une complaisante jactance sur les promesses les plus magnifiques : Tissaphernes lui avait assuré que, s’il pouvait se fier aux Athéniens, les subsides ne leur manqueraient jamais, tant qu’il lui resterait quelque chose, dût-il faire argent de son propre lit; qu’au lieu de conduire aux Lacédémoniens la flotte phénicienne déjà réunie à Aspendos, il l’amènerait aux Athéniens; mais qu’il ne compterait sur les Athéniens que si Alcibiade, rappelé dans sa patrie, se portait leur garant auprès de lui.

Cependant Thrasybulos, qui depuis la révolution opérée à Samos n’avait pas cessé de travailler au rappel d'Alcibiade, parvint enfin, de concert avec les meneurs, à obtenir l’assentiment des soldats assemblés. Dès qu’il eut fait voter par eux son rappel et sa grâce, il se rendit auprès de Tissapherne et ramena Alcibiade à Samos ; car à ses yeux le seul moyen de salut était de s’attacher Tissapherne en l’enlevant ani Péloponésiens.

Une assemblée fut convoquée. Alcibiade commença par déplorer les malheurs de son exil ; puis il s’étendit sur les affaires publiques et fit briller les plus belles perspectives pour l’avenir ; enfin il exagéra démesurément son crédit auprès de Tissapherne. Par là il voulait intimider les chefs de l'oligarchie d’Athènes, dissoudre les associations ¹ , inspirer à ceux de Samos plus de respect pour lui et de confiance en eux-mêmes, enfin brouiller toujours plus les ennemis avec Tissapherne, en faisant évanouir les espérances qu’ils avaient mises en lui. Alcibiade étala donc les promesses les plus pompeuses, affirmant que Tissapherne lui avait donné sa parole que, s’il pouvait se fier aux Athéniens, l’argent ne leur manquerait pas, tant qu’il lui resterait quelque ressource, dût-il faire monnayer son propre lit; qu’il amènerait pour eux, et non pour les Péloponésiens, la flotte phénicienne déjà arrivée à Aspendos ; mais qu’il ne se fierait aux Athéniens que lorsque Alcibiade rappçlé lui répondrait de leurs sentiments.

[1] Now among those who held control at Samos, ¹ Thrasybulus, after he had effected the revolution, always held very strongly to the same opinion, that they should recall Alcibiades, and finally in a meeting of the assembly he won the majority of the soldiers to his view. And when these had passed a resolution recalling Alcibiades and granting him immunity, he sailed across to Tissaphernes and brought Alcibiades back to Samos, thinking that their only salvation was to convert Tissaphernes from the Peloponnesian side to their own.

[2] Accordingly, an assembly was held, in which Alcibiades complained with much lamentation of his personal misfortune in being exiled; he also spoke at length on matters of state, inspiring in them no slight hopes regarding the future, and went on to magnify to excess his own influence with Tissaphernes. His object was that those who were in control of the oligarchy at home should fear him and that the political clubs which conspired against him should more surely be broken up; also that the army at Samos should hold him in greater honour and feel a greater degree of confidence themselves; and finally that the enemy should be filled with all possible suspicions of Tissaphernes and so deprived of their present hopes. Accordingly, Alcibiades in a spirit of boasting went on and made these great promises:

[3] that Tissaphernes had solemnly pledged to him that, if he could but trust the Athenians, so long as he had anything left of his own they should not lack subsistence, no, not even if in the end he had to sell his own bed; and that he would bring the Phoenician ships, which were already at Aspendus, and deliver them to the Athenians and not to the Peloponnesians; but, he had added, he could place confidence in the Athenians only on condition that he, Alcibiades, should be restored in safety and become surety to him.

[1] Now the leading men at Samos, and especially Thrasybulus, had all along retained the same purpose, ever since he had effected a change in the government, namely, to restore Alcibiades; and at length, in an assembly, he persuaded the greater part of the soldiers to the same; and when they had passed a decree for the return and security of Alcibiades, he sailed to Tissaphernes, and brought Alcibiades to Samos, thinking that their only chance of preservation was his bringing Tissaphernes over from the Peloponnesians to them.

[2] An assembly therefore having been convened, Alcibiades both complained of and deplored his own calamity in having been banished, and by speaking at great length on public matters raised them to no slight hopes for the future; and extravagantly magnified his own influence with Tissaphernes, in order that both the members of the oligarchy at home might be afraid of him, and the clubs be the more quickly broken up; and also that those at Samos might hold him in the greater honour, and be more encouraged themselves; and that the enemy, moreover, might be as much as possible set against Tissaphernes, and cast down from their present hopes. Accordingly Alcibiades, in the most boastful strain, held out these promises to them;

[3]

[1] Qui autem apud Samum rebus praeerant, et pne-cipue Thrasybulus, quum semper, in eadem sententia perstaret, postquam reipublicae statum immutavit, ut Alcibiadem reduceret, tum postremo etiam in concione oratione habita rem persuasit militum multitudini et quum restitutionem et impunitatem Alcibiadi decrevissent, ad Tissaphernem profectus, Alcibiadem Samum deducebat existimans, unam esse salutis spem , si Alcibiades Tissaphernem , a Peloponnesiis alienatum, ad se traduceret.

[2] Concione autem coacta, Alcibiades et privatam exsilii siti calamitatem questus est ac deploravit, et de republica multis agens iis spes haud parvas de rebus futuris pnrbe-bat, et supra modum suam apud Tissaphernem potentiam amplificabat, ut et illi, qur domi paucorum dominatum habebant, se formidarent, et conjurationes magis dissolverentur, et qui Sami erant, se magis honorarent, ipsique majorem fiduciam animis conciperent; utque Tissaphernis hostes in maximam invidiam incurrerent, et ex spe, quam conceperant dejicerentur.

[3] Alcibiades igitur maxima cum jactatione haec pollicebatur, Tissaphernem sibi recepisse , quoad aliquid suarum facultatum reliquum foret, si modo Atheniensibus confideret, eos nulla stipendii inopia laboraturos, ne si oporteret quidem ad extremum suum ipsius lectum ad pecuniam inde cogendam vendere; et naves Plmmicum, quan jam Aspendi essent, ad Athenienses, i non ad Peloponnesios, adducturum, fidem autem se ita de- mum Atheniensibus habitorum, si ipse reversus sibi sponsor fieret.

Ma in Samo quelli che erano al governo delle cose, e specialmente Trasibulo, da che ebbe cambiato gli affari, fermo sempre nel suo pensiero di rimettere in patria Alcibiade, riuscì con un’arringa a tirar nella sua opinione la più gran parte dei soldati. I quali avendo decretato ad Alcibiade il ritorno alla patria e l’impunità, Trasibulo ondato da Tissaferne ricondusse a Samo Alcibiade medesimo , stimando non esservi altra salvezza se non quella che egli recasse alla parte loro Tissaferne. E tenutasi una dieta, Alcibiade fece grandi querele e lagnanze del suo bando, e iutertenendosi molto a parlare della Repubblica destò in loro non piccole speranze suiravvenire, e magnificò oltre modo il suo credilo presso Tissafcrne, per farsi temere da chi in Atene reggeva l’oligarchia, per disciogliere più facilmente le congiure, per essere onorato maggiormente da quei di Samo e rincorarli meglio ; e per screditare al più possibile i nemici dinanzi a Tissaferne, e farli decadere dalle concepute speranze. Vantava egli adunque quesle grandissime promesse, che Tissaferne, qualora potesse fidarsi degli Ateniesi, si era impegnato con lui di non far loro mancare in verun modo gli stipendii finché gli restasse qualche cosa del proprio, anche a costo di vendere il letto per far denari ; che agli Ateniesi non a’ Pelopounesi condurrebbe le navi fenicie già arrivate in Aspendo; ma che solo si fiderebbe di loro quando esso Alcibiade tornato in patria ne stesse mallevadore.