head of affairs, they paid but little
attention to Alkibiades, and were very remiss in carrying on the war,
partly because they distrusted the citizens, who were not yet accustomed
to the new constitution, and partly because they thought that the
Lacedaemonians, who were always favourable to oligarchical governments,
would deal more tenderly with them on that account. The Athenian
populace remained quiet, though sorely against its will, because of the
terror inspired by the oligarchs, for no small number of citizens who
had opposed the Four Hundred had been put to death; but the men of
Samos, as soon as they heard the news, were indignant, and wished at
once to sail to Peiraeus. They sent at once for Alkibiades, elected him
their general, and bade him lead them on to crush this new despotism.
Alkibiades on this occasion acted like a really great commander, and not
at all as one would expect of a man who had suddenly been raised to
power by popular favour.

He refused to curry favour with the soldiery by carrying out their
wishes, regardless of their having found him a homeless exile, and
having made him the commander of so many ships and so many men; but he
resisted their impulse, and by preventing their committing so great an
error, without doubt saved the Athenian empire. For if the fleet had
left Samos, the enemy could without a battle have made themselves
masters of the whole of Ionia, the Hellespont, and the islands in the
Aegean while Athenians would have fought with Athenians in their own
city. All this was prevented by Alkibiades alone, who not only persuaded
the populace, and pointed out the folly of such proceedings in public
speeches, but even entreated and commanded each individual man to remain
at Samos. He was assisted in this by Thrasybulus, of the township of
Steiria, who was present, and spoke in his loud voice, which was said to
be the loudest of any Athenian of his time. This was a noble achievement
of Alkibiades, and so, too, was his undertaking that the Phoenician
fleet, which the Lacedaemonians expected would be sent by the Persian
king to help them, should either be won over to the Athenian side, or at
any rate prevented from joining the Lacedaemonians. In order to effect
this, he sailed away in great haste, and, although the Phoenician fleet
was at Aspendus, yet Tissaphernes brought it no further, and deceived
the Lacedaemonians. Both parties gave Alkibiades the credit of having
detained it, and