rly one hundred and forty triremes, five thousand one hundred
heavy-armed troops, archers, slingers, and light-armed troops to the
number of about thirteen hundred, and all other stores and provisions in
proportion. After reaching Italy and capturing Rhegium, he gave his
opinion as to the manner in which the war ought to be conducted; but as
Nikias opposed him and was joined by Lamachus, he sailed over to Sicily
and induced the city of Catana to join them, but did nothing further,
because he was sent for at once to return and stand his trial at Athens.
At first, as we have stated, Alkibiades was only vaguely suspected, and
only the testimony of slaves and resident aliens could be obtained
against him; but afterwards, during his absence, his enemies had worked
hard to get up a case against him, and connected his sacrilegious
conduct about the mysteries with the mutilation of the Hermae, which
they argued were all the work of one body of conspirators, bent upon
revolution and the destruction of the existing form of government. All
those who were in any degree implicated were cast into prison without a
trial, and they were much vexed they had not immediately brought
Alkibiades to trial and obtained judgment against him on such grave
charges as these. Any of his friends, relations, or acquaintances who
fell into their hands received very harsh treatment.

Thucydides has omitted the names of those who impeached him, but others
give their names as Diokleides and Teukrus, among whom is Phrynichus the
comic dramatist, who writes as follows:--

"And, dearest Hermes, do not fall
And break your head; and, worst of all,
To some new Diokleides show the way,
By slander base to swear men's lives away."

And again Hermes says:

"I will not fall. I will not for my pains
Let Teukrus fatten on informers' gains."

Though really the informers brought no decided evidence forward for any
important charge, one of them, when asked how he recognised the faces of
the statue-breakers, answered that he saw them by the light of the moon:
a signal falsehood, because it was done on the night of the new moon.
This answer made the more thoughtful citizens unwilling to press the
charge, but had no effect whatever on the people, who were as eager as
ever, and continued to cast into prison any man who might be informed
against.

XXI. One of those who was imprisoned was the orator Andokides, whom
Hellanikus, the historian, re