since the death of Cyrus. A
suitable religious ceremony was also directed to be performed, at the
instance of Xenophon and the prophets, to purify the army.

This speech affords an interesting specimen of the political morality
universal throughout the Grecian world, though deeper and more
predominant among its better sections. In the miscellaneous aggregate,
and temporary society, now mustered at Kotyora, Xenophon insists on the
universal suffrage of the whole body, as the legitimate sovereign
authority for the guidance of every individual will; the decision of the
majority, fairly and formally collected, as carrying a title to prevail
over every dissentient minority; the generals chosen by the majority of
votes, as the only persons entitled to obedience. This is the cardinal
principle to which he appeals, as the anchorage of political obligation
in the mind of each separate man or fraction; as the condition of all
success, all safety, and all conjoint action; as the only condition
either for punishing wrong or protecting right; as indispensable to keep
up their sympathies with the Hellenic communities, and their dignity
either as soldiers or as citizens. The complete success of his speech
proves that he knew how to touch the right chord of Grecian feeling. No
serious acts of individual insubordination occurred afterwards, though
the army collectively went wrong on more than one occasion. And what is
not less important to notice--the influence of Xenophon himself, after
his unreserved and courageous remonstrance, seems to have been sensibly
augmented--certainly noway diminished.

The circumstances which immediately followed were indeed well
calculated to augment it. For it was resolved, on the proposition of
Xenophon himself, that the generals themselves should be tried before
the newly-constituted tribunal of the captains, in case anyone had
complaint to make against them for past matters; agreeably to the
Athenian habit of subjecting every magistrate to a trial of
accountability on laying down his office. In the course of this
investigation, Philesius and Xanthikles were fined twenty minae,[91] to
make good an assignable deficiency of that amount, in the cargoes of
those merchantmen which had been detained at Trapezus for the transport
of the army: Sophaenetus, who had the general superintendence of this
property, but had been negligent in that duty, was fined ten minae. Next,
the name of Xenophon was put up, when v