ved his fellow citizens and carried
his point.

XVIII. Nikias, much against his will, was chosen to lead the expedition.
His unwillingness was in a great measure due to the fact that Alkibiades
was to act as his colleague; for the Athenians thought that the war
would be conducted better if the rashness of Alkibiades was tempered by
the prudence of Nikias, because the third general, Lamachus, although
advanced in years, yet had the reputation of being no less daring and
reckless a soldier than Alkibiades himself.

When the public assembly were debating about the number of the troops
and the preparation for the armament, Nikias made another attempt to
oppose the whole measure and to put a stop to the war. Alkibiades,
however, took the other side and carried all before him. The orator
Demostratus moved, that the generals should be empowered to demand
whatever stores and war material they pleased, and have absolute power
to carry on the war at their own discretion. This was agreed to by the
people, and all was ready for setting sail, when unlucky omens occurred.
The festival of Adonis took place at that very time, and during it the
women carry about in many parts of the city figures dressed like corpses
going to be buried, and imitate the ceremony of a funeral by tearing
their hair and singing dirges. And besides this, the mutilation of the
Hermae in one night, when all of them had their faces disfigured,
disturbed many even of those who, as a rule, despised such things. A
story was put about that the Corinthians, of whom the Syracusans were a
colony, had done it, hoping that such an evil omen might make the
Athenians either postpone or give up their expedition. But the people
paid no heed to this insinuation, and still less to those who argued
that there was no omen in the matter at all, but that it was the work of
extravagant young men after their wine. They regarded the incident with
feelings of rage and fear, imagining that it proved the existence of an
organised plot aimed at greater matters. Both the Senate and the General
Assembly met several times during the next few days, and inquired
sharply into every thing that could throw any light upon it.

XIX. During this time, Androkles, a popular speaker, brought forward
several slaves and resident aliens, who charged Alkibiades and his
friends with mutilating certain other statues, and with parodying the
ceremonies of initiation to the sacred mysteries when in their cup