rs, including the blockade, was fully
known at Athens, a vote was passed to send out a reinforcement of one
hundred and ten ships. Every man of ripe age, (9) whether slave or free,
was impressed for this service, so that within thirty days the whole one
hundred and ten vessels were fully manned and weighed anchor. Amongst
those who served in this fleet were also many of the knights. (10)
The fleet at once stood out across to Samos, and picked up the Samian
vessels in that island. The muster-roll was swelled by the addition of
more than thirty others from the rest of the allies, to whom the same
principle of conscription applied, as also it did to the ships already
engaged on foreign service. The actual total, therefore, when all the
contingents were collected, was over one hundred and fifty vessels.

(9) I.e. from eighteen to sixty years.

(10) See Boeckh. "P. E. A." Bk. II. chap. xxi. p. 263 (Eng. trans.)

Callicratidas, hearing that the relief squadron had already reached
Samos, left fifty ships, under command of Eteonicus, in the harbour of
Mitylene, and setting sail with the other one hundred and twenty, hove
to for the evening meal off Cape Malea in Lesbos, opposite Mitylene. It
so happened that the Athenians on this day were supping on the islands
of Arginusae, which lie opposite Lesbos. In the night the Spartan not
only saw their watch-fires, but received positive information that
"these were the Athenians;" and about midnight he got under weigh,
intending to fall upon them suddenly. But a violent downpour of rain
with thunder and lightning prevented him putting out to sea. By daybreak
it had cleared, and he sailed towards Arginusae. On their side, the
Athenian squadron stood out to meet him, with their left wing
facing towards the open sea, and drawn up in the following
order:--Aristocrates, in command of the left wing, with fifteen ships,
led the van; next came Diomedon with fifteen others, and immediately in
rear of Aristocrates and Diomedon respectively, as their supports, came
Pericles and Erasinides. Parallel with Diomedon were the Samians, with
their ten ships drawn up in single line, under the command of a Samian
officer named Hippeus. Next to these came the ten vessels of the
taxiarchs, also in single line, and supporting them, the three ships of
the navarchs, with any other allied vessels in the squadron. The right
wing was entrusted to Protomachus with fifteen ships, and next to him
(on the extreme