ey met,
and perished. At length victory began to declare for the Athenians.
The Lacedaemonians, after losing 77 vessels, retreated with the
remainder to Chios and Phocaea. The loss of the Athenians was 25
vessels.

The battle of Arginusae led to a deplorable event, which has for ever
sullied the pages of Athenian history. At least a dozen Athenian
vessels were left floating about in a disabled condition after the
battle; but, owing to a violent storm that ensued, no attempt was made
to rescue the survivors, or to collect the bodies of the dead for
burial. Eight of the ten generals were summoned home to answer for
this conduct; Conon, by his situation at Mytilene, was of course
exculpated, and Archestratus had died. Six of the generals obeyed the
summons, and were denounced in the Assembly by Theramenes, formerly one
of the Four Hundred, for neglect of duty. The generals replied that
they had commissioned Theramenes himself and Thrasybulus, each of whom
commanded a trireme in the engagement, to undertake the duty, and had
assigned 48 ships to them for that purpose. This, however, was denied
by Theramenes. There are discrepancies in the evidence, and we have no
materials for deciding positively which statement was true; but
probability inclines to the side of the generals. Public feeling,
however, ran very strongly against them, and was increased by an
incident which occurred during their trial. After a day's debate the
question was adjourned; and in the interval the festival of the
APATURIA was celebrated, in which, according to annual custom, the
citizens met together according to their families and phratries. Those
who had perished at Arginusae were naturally missed on such an
occasion; and the usually cheerful character of the festival was
deformed and rendered melancholy by the relatives of the deceased
appearing in black clothes and with shaven heads. The passions of the
people were violently roused. At the next meeting of the Assembly,
Callixenus, a senator, proposed that the people should at once proceed
to pass its verdict on the generals, though they had been only
partially heard in their defence; and, moreover, that they should all
be included in one sentence, though it was contrary to a rule of Attic
law, known as the psephisma of Canonus, to indict citizens otherwise
than individually. The Prytanes, or senators of the presiding tribe,
at first refused to put the question to the Assembly in this il