Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 8.74

[1] The Paralus, and in it Chaereas, the son of Archestratus, a man of Athens, one that had been forward in the making of this change, the Samians and the soldiers dispatched presently away to Athens, to advertise them of what was done; for they knew not yet that the government was in the hands of The Four Hundred.

[2] When they arrived, The Four Hundred cast some two or three of these of the Paralus into prison; the rest, after they had taken the galley from them and put them aboard another military galley, they commanded to keep guard about Euboea.

[3] But Chaereas, by some means or other getting presently away, seeing how things went, came back to Samos and related to the army all that the Athenians had done, aggravating it to the utmost, as that they punished every man with stripes to the end that none should contradict the doings of those that bore rule; and that their wives and children at home were abused; and that they had an intention further to take and imprison all that were of kin to any of the army which was not of their faction, to the intent to kill them if they of Samos would not submit to their authority. And many other things he told them, adding lies of his own.

[1] The ship Paralus, with Chaereas, son of Archestratus, on board, an Athenian who had taken an active part in the revolution, was now without loss of time sent off by the Samians and the army to Athens to report what had occurred; the fact that the Four Hundred were in power not being yet known.

[2] When they sailed into harbour the Four Hundred immediately arrested two or three of the Parali, and taking the vessel from the rest, shifted them into a troopship and set them to keep guard round Euboea .

[3] Chaereas, however, managed to secrete himself as soon as he saw how things stood, and returning to Samos , drew a picture to the soldiers of the horrors enacting at Athens , in which everything was exaggerated; saying that all were punished with stripes, that no one could say a word against the holders of power, that the soldiers' wives and children were outraged, and that it was intended to seize and shut up the relatives of all in the army at Samos who were not of the government's way of thinking, to be put to death in case of their disobedience; besides a host of other injurious inventions.

Das Schiff Par'aloS mit dem Chaireas, des Archestratos
Sohn, einem Athener, der zum Sturz der Oligarchen eifrig
mitgewirkt hatte, schickten nun die Samier und die Athenischen Soldaten
sofort nach Athen, um das Geschehene zu melden; denn sie wußten
' noch nicht, daß die Vierhundert sich der Regierung bemächtigt hatten.
Als sie zu Athen ankamen, ließen die Vierhundert sogleich zwei oder
drei der Paralier in Ketten legen, die Uebrigen nahmen sie von ihrem
Schiffe weg und versetzten sie auf ein anderes Soldatenlastschiff
welches sie in den Euböischen Gewässern stationirten. ChaireaS aber, ^{1 2 3 4}
als er sah, wie die Dinge standen, wußte sich auf irgend eine Weise
durchzuschleichen, kam nach Samos zurück und berichtete dem Heere,
waS zu Athen geschehen war, indem er Alles mit grellen Farben in'S
Schlimmere ausmalte: wie die Machthaber Alle mit Schlagen
bestraften und Niemand ihnen widersprechen dürfe, daß ihre eigenen
Weiber und Kinder mißhandelt würden, und daß jene Willens seien,
die Angehörigen aller Soldaten des HeereS aus Samos, die nicht
ihrer Partei angehörten, zu ergreifen und einzusperren, um sie
hinzurichten, wenn sie selbst sich nicht unterwerfen würden. Dergleichen
erzählte er und noch vieles Andere, was er dazu log.

LXXIV. Les Samiens et l’armée s’empressèrent d’envoyer à Athènes, pour y annoncer cet événement, le Paralos, monté par l’Athénien Chéréas, fils d’Archestratos, qui avait activement préparé ce revirement d’opinion; car ils ne savaient pas encore que les quatre cents eussent en main le pouvoir. Ceux-ci, à l’arrivée du Paralos, mirent aux fers deux ou trois de ceux qui le montaient, ôtèrent aux autres leur vaisseau, les firent passer sur un autre bâtiment affecté au transport des troupes ¹ et les envoyèrent croiser autour de ï’Eubée. Quant à Cbéréas, il trouva moyen de se cacher lorsqu’il vit ce qui se passait, et retourna à Samos où il fit connaître à l’armée, en exagérant toutes choses, la situation d’Athènes. Il dit que tous les citoyens étaient battus de verges, que personne n’osait élever la voix contre les usurpateurs du pouvoir, qu’ils outrageaient leurs femmes et leurs enfants; qu’ils songeaient à arrêter et à mettre en prison les parents de tous ceux qui, dans l’armée de Samos, ne leur étaient pas favorables, afin de les faire mourir si on résistait; et beaucoup d’autres détails tout aussi mensongers.

Les Samiens et les soldats, qui ne savaient pas encore les Quatre-Cents au pouvoir, firent promptement partir pour Athènes la Paralienne avec l’Athénien Chéréas, fils d'Ar-chestratos,l’un des principaux acteurs des derniers événements. Il devait annoncer ce qui venait de se passer. Mais à peine la Paralienne fût-ello arrivée, que les Quatre-Cents mirent aux fers deux ou trois de ses matelots, ôtèrent aux autres leur vaisseau, et les transférèrent sur un bâtiment de charge destiné à croiser autour de l’Eubée. Chéréas trouva moyen de s’évader; et, sitôt qu’il eut vu ce qui se passait à Athènes, il revint à Samos, apportant aux soldats des nouvelles étrangement exagérées. Il leur dit que les citoyens étaient battus de verges ; que nul ne pouvait ouvrir la bouche devant les maîtres de l’État; que ceux-ci outrageaient leurs femmes et leurs enfants ; qu’ils songeaient à saisir et à emprisonner les parents de tous ceux qui, dans l’armée de Samos, ne leur étaient pas favorables, afin de les mettre à mort si l’on refusait de leur obéir. Il ajouta encore beaucoup d’autres détails aussi peu véridiques.

[1] The ship Paralus, having on board Chaereas son of Archestratus, an Athenian, who had zealously worked for the change in government, was sent by the Samians and the Athenian soldiers with all speed to Athens to announce what had been done; for they did not yet know that the Four Hundred were in power.

[2] As soon as they came to port the Four Hundred at once threw some two or three of the crew into prison, and depriving the rest of their ship and transferring them to another vessel, a troop-ship, they assigned them to guard duty in the neighbourhood of Euboea.

[3] But Chaereas, on seeing the present state of affairs, immediately managed in some way to get off unobserved and returned to Samos, where he gave the soldiers an account of the situation in Athens, going beyond the facts in making them worse than they were. He said that they were scourging everybody by way of punishment, that it was not permitted to say a word against those who controlled the government, that the wives and children of citizens were being insulted, and that the oligarchy intended to seize and keep in confinement the relatives of all the men serving in the army at Samos who were not of their way of thinking, in order that, if they did not submit to their authority, these might be put to death; and he added many other false statements.

[1] The ship Paralus, and Chaereas son of Archestratus on board of it—an Athenian who had been forward in the revolution—were sent by the Samians and the soldiers with all speed to Athens, to carry the news of what had taken place; for they were not yet aware of the Four Hundred being in power.

[2] On their sailing into harbour, the Four Hundred immediately threw some two or three of the crew into prison, and having taken their vessel from them, and removed them into another employed as a troop-ship, they set them to keep guard round Euboea. Chaereas, by some means or other, immediately secreted himself;

[3] and when he saw the present state of things, he went back to Samos, and took the soldiers an exaggerated report of affairs at Athens, aggravating every thing, and telling them that with many other false statements which he made beside.

[1] Paralum autem navem, et in ea Chaeream, Archestrati filium, virum Atheniensem, qui statui mutando egregiam operam navaverat, et Samii et milites confestim Athenas miserunt, res gestas nuntiaturum; nondum enim, resciverant, quadringentos viros imperio potitos.

[2] Quum autem Oli Athenas pervenissent, statim quadringenti nonnullos de Paralia, duos aut tres, in vincula conjecerunt, ceteros vero, quum navem iis abstulissent, et eos in aliam militarem navem imposuissent, circum Euboeam agere custodiam jusserunt.

[3] Chaereas vero, simul atque animadvertit praesentem rerum statum, confestim clandestina quadam ratione se subducens, Samum reversus, retulit militibus, quae fierent Athenis, omnia in majus et atrocius, verberibus contra omnes in puniendo grassari, nec licere quicquam dicere adversos eos, qui rempubicam administrarent, atqee etiam ipsorom uxores et liberos vim pati, et in animo illos habere, eorum omnium, qui apud Samum militarent, et ab ipsis dissentirent, propinquos comprehensos in vincula conjicere, ut, si non pareant, illi capite plectantur; atque alia multa ullro fingens adjecit.

Dipoi gli abitanti di Samo ed i soldati ignari ancora che il governo fosse in mano dei quattrocento, spediscono ad Atene, a dare avviso dell’accaduto la nave Paralo, e sovr’essa Cherea di Archestrato cittadino ateniese stato uno dei più caldi ad operar quella mutazione. Approdati questi colà, i quattrocento imprigionarono due o tre della nave Paralo', e levati gli altri da questa nave li fecero montare sopra un’altra da trasporto, e li destinarono a star di presidio intorno all’Eubea. Ma Cherea, scapolato nou so corne, alla vista di quei fatti torna diviato a Samo, racconta ai soldati Io stato d’Atene , esagerando ogni cosa col dire, che tutti i cittadini si punivano con battiture, che non era permesso il piatire contro quelli che erano alla testa del governo , che le stesse loro mogli ed i figli si vituperavano , e che si pensava di arrestare ed incarcerare tutti i parenti dei soldati di Samo che fossero dalla parte opposta, per farli morire qualora essi non obbedissero. Ed a queste molte altre menzogne ag» giungeva.